Wulfric had remained completely quiet the whole night, staring at Hazel in shock and awkwardly sipping soup from his spoon. Ahren was quite the opposite. He was lively, asking questions, making jokes, and somehow making Hazel feel uncomfortable.

Hazel noted the slight way Ahren pronounced his words. “You have an accent,” She said lightly, and Ahren stopped laughing at his own joke, his eyes settling on her. “Where are you from?” She asked, turning towards him.

He stared at her for a moment, clearly taken by surprise by her sudden question. “My brother and I are from Berlin.” He said plainly. “And, quite frankly, I think you too have an accent, my friend.” He said, winking and pointing towards her. “Traveler?”

“Not really. Just… visiting.” She said, flicking a bit of the parsley that had fallen onto the table. She bit her lip, looking down at her phone beneath the table. It was nearing nine, and she needed to be home.

She looked up, but Ahren had already flagged down the waiter, handing him a card, and pointing towards Hazel. “We’ll walk you home,” He said, smiling.

Hazel frowned. “I actually have to take a cab. It’s too far for a walk, but I appreciate it,” She said, moving to her feet. “And it was nice to meet you.”
 

“Wait,” Ahren said, moving to his feet. “I don’t mean to sound forward, but you’re the first person we’ve run into who we can actually understand and have a conversation with.” He laughed. “Maybe moving to a country where we don't understand the language was a bad idea, but I’m glad we met you. Could we swap numbers? Maybe hang out sometime?”

Hazel smiled lightly. “Sure,” She said, pulling her phone from her pocket and handing it to Ahren. He slid his own towards hers, and Wulfric stood, walking straight past the two and towards the door. “He’s, uh-”

“Shy? Awkward?” Ahren laughed. “My brother gets nervous around everyone. It’s not just you. Women in general make him uncomfortable.” He shook his head. “We live with a girl who we’ve known since we were really little, and she’s one of the only people he can talk to without getting all choked up.”
 

Hazel watched as Wulfric left. “Why is he so shy though? Your brother is very handsome, he shouldn’t be so unsure,” She said, handing Ahren’s phone back to him.

He shrugged and handed back her phone. “He’s just tongue tied.” He said, standing. “Can I walk you out?” Hazel nodded, and the two started towards the door. “Give him time though. I think he likes you.”

Hazel laughed and turned, reaching to hand her card to the waiter, but he took a step back, shaking his head. “Your meal was already paid for.”

“What?” Hazel asked, surprised.

The waiter nodded. “Mhm, by that man over there,” He said, pointing out of the restaurant.

Hazel turned and looked past the door to see Wulfric on his phone. Her eyes widened. “Oh,” She said, continuing through the restaurant and out of the door. Wulfric turned to face her, his own eyes widening, and Hazel smiled. “Thank you, Wulfric. Have a nice evening,” She said, turning to Ahren. “Have a nice night, Ahren,” She said, hurrying across the street towards the taxi that was parked there.

She slid in and gave the driver her address, sending a message telling Piper that she would be home soon, and that she had somehow managed to meet people. She smiled to herself. When she came to Korea, she intended, fully, on speaking only Korean, learning her own language and roots but, increasingly lately, it seemed that she was drawing to her the people who did the opposite.

Ahren turned to Wulfric and grinned. “Pretty then?” He asked, referring to why his brother couldn't speak to Hazel, the girl they had met at the restaurant.

Wulfric slid his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “She looked like Lena.”

Ahren smirked and nodded. “She did.” <