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By the time they arrived in the capital, the sun was already waning in the sky. Combined with the thick canopy of leaves covering most of the city, it felt like nighttime. Hector made sure to call ahead again so that the Queen would be ready to meet them. Certainly, he didn't want to just waltz into Riverton Hall with Abbas Saqqaf by his side, so he asked the Queen to come to them.

There was a quiet place that Ravi had showed him the last time he was here. A little hole-in-the-wall diner with some of the best chocolate milkshakes he'd ever tasted. To be safe, though, Hector picked the next building over, instead. An even-more-empty taco shop.

They'd brought some hats, hoodies, and sunglasses with them from Warrenhold for this occasion, but with how barren the place was, maybe they weren't even necessary. They picked a booth near the back and sat down. A server came over to take their order, and they decided to go ahead and eat while they waited. Hector made sure to pay in cash. He'd brought Lorentian loros, as well as Atreyan troas, so it wasn't a problem.

The food wasn't very good.

That actually made Hector a bit more comfortable, though. He found that diner next door a bit strange, honestly. If the their food was so great, why didn't they get more business?

Maybe he was just being paranoid. Not every great restaurant could afford equally great publicity, but still. The fact that Ravi had recommended it to him was enough to cause concern, too. As much as he wanted to trust Ravi Zaman, Hector felt like there wasn't any harm in being extra careful.

Other than having to choke down these awful tacos, he supposed. If he wasn't so hungry, he probably wouldn't have even finished them.