The sun is setting.
"I'm back!" Dana exclaimed, placing her sword near the cave entrance.
"Dana, you're finally back!"
Estrella ran over and hugged her companion.
But once she let go, she noticed Riccardo standing behind her and looked confused.
"What took you so long? The food's ready!" Dalai shouted from inside the cave.
"Really? Is there enough food for one more person too?" Dana asked.
"Yeah, of course!"
A moment of silence followed.
Then Dalai rushed out of the cave and saw Riccardo.
"Who's this!?"
Dana patted Riccardo on the shoulder, catching him off guard.
"This is Riccardo! You can trust him. Today he saved my life, and as a gesture of friendship to repay him, I promised him food."
Estrella and Dalai looked at Dana with concern.
"What do you mean he saved your life!? What happened!?" Estrella asked fearfully.
"Well... today I found a group of guys killing innocent people, and I wanted to help them..."
Suddenly Dana started crying, leaving everyone shocked and stunned.
"I killed someone..."
Estrella hugged her without hesitation to comfort her.
"You did it to help someone. It's not your fault."
"I know... but it still hurts!"
Dalai looked at Riccardo, analyzing him from head to toe.
"And where does he fit into all this?"
"Riccardo helped me. Without him, I probably would've acted impulsively and died there. Plus, he's really strong... he took down four enemies by himself."
Dalai and Estrella both went pale at that statement, looking at Riccardo with suspicion.
He made a puzzled expression.
That wasn't exactly the best introduction she could've given me...
Riccardo held out his hand toward Dalai, who flinched slightly.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Riccardo."
Dalai quickly shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Dalai."
But he immediately pulled his hand back.
"Wait, I can't trust you that easily!" he exclaimed nervously.
"Why not?" Dana asked with fake innocence.
"How should I know!? Maybe he has hidden allies and we don't know about them, or maybe he just wants to hurt us. I can think of plenty of other very valid reasons, but I think these two are enough already!"
"Those are actually pretty good reasons... but just like I trusted you, you should do the same with him!"
The two continued arguing while Riccardo watched them in confusion.
So much for 'they'll definitely like you'...
Riccardo suddenly felt two taps on his right shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Riccardo. I'm Estrella."
The two shook hands.
"The pleasure's mine."
At least she seems friendly...
Estrella glanced at Dana and Dalai arguing.
"Don't worry, they're always like this."
"I see..."
The two watched them for a few moments.
"Would you excuse me for a second?" Estrella asked with a gentle smile.
"Yes, of course."
Estrella walked over to the other two while Riccardo observed her.
Once she stood in front of them, she kicked both of them in the shins, making Riccardo widen his eyes.
That's... an interesting way to handle the situation...
"That's enough! I already raised two little brothers, I don't need more!"
"But we're older than you!" Dalai protested while rubbing his leg.
"Really? Because the way you act says otherwise!"
Now all three of them were arguing together.
After a while, Riccardo stopped watching them and approached the fire, where the meat was cooking.
That smells amazing...
He checked the meat when suddenly Dalai appeared behind him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm making sure it doesn't burn."
Dalai carefully observed Riccardo, who remained completely unfazed.
Then Dana pulled Dalai toward her.
"I told you we can trust him!"
Dana stared directly into Dalai's eyes.
After a few seconds, he looked away and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Ahh... fine then! But only for the food!"
"Obviously. Once I'm done eating, I'll get out of your way."
Riccardo handed a piece of meat to Dalai, who took it and sat down to eat with the others.
"Actually, I was thinking maybe you could stay with us!"
Dana's words immediately startled both Riccardo and Dalai, who nearly choked on their meat.
"Do you do this on purpose!?" Dalai shouted angrily.
"I just think someone like Riccardo could really help us!"
Someone like Riccardo...
With a puzzled smile, Riccardo went back to watching Dana and Dalai argue while Estrella scolded both of them.
Then he resumed eating.
This meat's actually really good!