Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 189: The Tactical Dining Experience

The morning sun filtered through the workshop windows, illuminating dust motes and half-assembled inventions.

Jax was sitting on the floor, surrounded by gears. He was trying to build a self-stirring spoon for Ophelia (before she merged, she had complained that stirring coffee was peasant work).

Luna walked in, carrying a basket of fresh laundry. She stopped, watching him wrestle with a tiny spring.

"You look like you’re fighting a losing battle," Luna smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

"This spring," Jax grunted, "has a vendetta against me. It keeps jumping into the void."

He finally snapped the piece into place and looked up. He wiped grease on his cheek (missing the spot he aimed for).

"So," Jax grinned, flashing that roguish charm. "We have a free evening. No moons falling. No weddings to plan. Just us."

" actually," Luna bit her lip, looking mischievous. "I was thinking... we should share."

Jax paused. "Share? Like... share a dessert? Because you know I don’t share food, Lulu. I’m a scavenger at heart."

"No," Luna laughed. "Share the evening. With Rajah and Leonora."

Jax dropped the spoon. "The Tiger General and the Lion Princess? Luna, that’s not a date. That’s a summit meeting. Rajah treats dinner like a hostage negotiation."

"They just started dating," Luna pointed out. "They’re awkward. They need help. We’re the fun couple. We can show them how normal people relax."

Jax looked at her pleading eyes. He sighed.

"Fine. But if Rajah tries to arm-wrestle the waiter, I’m leaving through the bathroom window."

The venue was The Golden Goose, Solaris’s newest and most pretentious restaurant. It had white tablecloths, crystal chandeliers, and a menu that didn’t list prices (which usually meant your soul).

Jax and Luna arrived first. Jax was wearing a clean shirt (unbuttoned at the top) and Luna wore a lovely emerald dress.

Then, the Power Couple arrived.

Rajah strode in like he was conquering the dining room. He wore a stiff formal tunic with all his medals. Leonora looked stunning in gold silk, but she was gripping Rajah’s arm tight enough to bruise.

"Sector secured," Rajah announced to the maître d’. "We require a table with a clear line of sight to the exit."

"Right this way, General," the terrified waiter squeaked.

They sat down. The silence was heavy.

"So," Jax started, pouring water. "Nice place. Very... shiny."

"It is defensible," Rajah noted, scanning the room. "Thick walls. Limited entry points. Good choice, Mechanic."

"It’s Jax," Jax corrected gently. "And thanks."

The menus arrived. They were written in fancy cursive that looked more like decorative vines than letters.

Rajah opened his menu. He frowned. He squinted. He turned it upside down.

"What is a ’Deconstructed Venison Tartare with a Whisper of Sage’?" Rajah demanded.

"It means raw meat on a plate, but fancy," Jax translated.

"Raw meat?" Rajah’s eyes lit up. "Finally. A sensible ration."

"And the ’Foam of the Sea’?" Leonora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Salty bubbles," Luna whispered. "Don’t order it. It costs ten gold coins and tastes like a burp."

Rajah looked at the prices (which were finally revealed on the back).

"Ten gold for bubbles?" Rajah growled. "This is robbery. We should arrest the chef."

"It’s fine dining, Rajah," Leonora soothed him, placing a hand on his arm. The leather bracelet she had made him was visible on his wrist. "Just order the steak. You like steak."

"I like steak," Rajah agreed. "I will interrogate the steak."

Just as the appetizers arrived (four tiny shrimp on a massive slate rock), a commotion erupted at the front door.

"Do you know who I am?" a booming voice shouted. "I am a Warlord! I do not need a ’reservation’! I have a sword!"

Jax put his head in his hands. "Oh no."

"Rurik," Rajah sighed, reaching for his steak knife.

Rurik marched into the dining room. He was wearing the tight blue suit Ophelia had bought him. A button had already popped off his collar, revealing a tuft of chest hair.

He wasn’t alone.

Trailing behind him was Arjun and Vali . The kids were wearing matching mini-suits and sunglasses (indoors, at night).

Rurik spotted their table.

"Aha!" Rurik bellowed, waving a hand the size of a ham. "Friends! Comrades! Why did you not tell me we were raiding the kitchen?"

He pulled up a chair (from a neighboring table, forcing a Deer couple to stand up) and squeezed himself between Rajah and Leonora.

"We are on a date, Rurik," Leonora hissed. "A double date. Private."

"Double date?" Rurik looked around. "Four people. Now five. Plus two cubs. That is... seven. A Prime Date!"

He looked at Arjun. "Sit, boy. Take notes on the food."

Arjun sat down, pulling out a notepad. "Affirmative, Warlord Rurik. Assessment of bread basket: Crust integrity is weak."

Vali climbed into the empty chair next to Luna. He took off his sunglasses.

"I’m hungry," Vali stated. He looked at Jax’s plate. "Are you gonna eat that shrimp?"

"It’s twenty gold coins, kid," Jax protected his plate. "Get your own."

The waiter arrived, looking like he wanted to cry.

"Sir," the waiter addressed Rurik. "We have a dress code—"

"I am wearing a suit!" Rurik shouted, expanding his chest.

POP.

Another button flew off his jacket. It zipped through the air like a bullet and landed in a lady’s soup three tables away. Splash.

"Tactical projectile deployed," Arjun noted, scribbling furiously.

"Bring me meat!" Rurik ordered the waiter. " The biggest animal you have. Roasted. Whole."

"We have... squab," the waiter whispered.

"What is a squab?" Rurik asked Rajah.

"It is a pigeon," Rajah said flatly.

Rurik looked at the waiter. He looked at the fancy menu. He looked at the tiny shrimp on Jax’s plate.

"Pigeon?" Rurik stood up. His chair creaked ominously. "I am the Wolf Warlord of the North! I have wrestled bears! I have eaten elk! And you offer me a sky-rat?"

"Rurik, sit down," Leonora commanded, using her Princess Voice.

"No!" Rurik pointed at the portion sizes. "This is an insult to hunger! Look at this!" He pointed to Luna’s plate. "That is a leaf! A single leaf! Why is it there? Is it lonely?"

"It’s garnish," Luna explained.

"It’s starvation!" Rurik declared. "Come, cubs! We are leaving! This place smells like perfume and lies!"

He grabbed a bread roll, ate it in one bite, and marched out.

Arjun stood up, closed his notebook. "Review complete: 0 Stars. Lack of protein."

Vali grabbed the shrimp off Jax’s plate while Jax was distracted, swallowed it whole, and ran after his dad.

The restaurant was silent. Every eye was on their table.

Rajah looked at his tiny, deconstructed venison tartare.

He looked at Leonora.

"He’s right," Rajah admitted. "I am still hungry."

Leonora sighed. She looked at the stiff tablecloth, the terrified waiter, and the button floating in the soup nearby.

"Me too," she smiled. "And I hate these shoes."

She kicked off her heels under the table.

"Jax," Leonora asked. "You lived in the lower districts. Where does a person get real food around here?"

Jax grinned. The real Jax grin.

"Follow me."

Twenty minutes later, the vibe was very different.

They were sitting on a stone wall overlooking the harbor. The cool ocean breeze ruffled their hair.

In their hands, they held Skewers.

Massive, greasy, delicious skewers of grilled lamb, charred peppers, and onions, dripping with spicy sauce.

Rajah took a bite. He groaned with pleasure.

"Now this," Rajah mumbled with his mouth full, "is a tactical victory. The structural integrity of the meat is superb."

"And it’s cheap," Jax added, wiping sauce off his chin. "Two coppers a stick. You can eat until you explode."

Leonora was holding a skewer in one hand and her shoes in the other. She looked happier than she had in the palace.

"To Rurik," Leonora raised her skewer in a toast. "The accidental hero who saved us from the pigeon."

"To Rurik," they all echoed.

Luna leaned her head on Jax’s shoulder. "See? I told you it would be fun."

"You were right," Jax admitted, wrapping an arm around her. "Though I’m pretty sure we are banned from The Golden Goose for life."

"Good," Rajah declared. "I will put it on the Do Not Enter list for the Academy. If I catch a student eating foam, they will run laps."

As they ate, the awkwardness finally melted away.

Rajah looked at Jax.

"You fought well in the Void," Rajah said suddenly.

Jax froze. He wasn’t used to compliments from Warlords.

"I... thanks. I just shot some stuff."

"You held the line," Rajah corrected. "You protected the Sovereign. You are... acceptable, Fox."

It was the highest praise a Tiger could give.

Jax smiled. "Thanks, Stripes."

Leonora nudged Rajah. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Excruciating," Rajah admitted. "I need more meat to recover."

They sat there for hours, watching the moon rise over the ocean, trading war stories and laughing about the button incident.

It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t fancy. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

But as Primrose would say (if she were there): It was seasoned with love.