Chris glanced down at his watch. It'd been 45 minutes now, and he was getting a little impatient. He looked back up to the girl sitting across from him at the table. She was cute; long blonde hair, blue eyes, smiling at him. Her name was Heather. He'd only met her a few days ago, at some party, through a mutual friend. It was spontaneous, and a little weird, when he saw her again and asked her out for breakfast a few days later. Who asks a girl out for breakfast? He was just glad that the girl thought nothing of the few cybernetic implants visible on him. They scared a few people away, and it saddened him when they did. Either way, he probably seemed like some kind of weirdo.
"So how long's it been now, like, 40 minutes since we ordered?" she asked. She glanced over at the waiter, who was currently serving another table.
"45," Chris replied, "and I am starving." The restaurant was a little packed, despite the hour. Several tables and booths filled with people. "Hey... Do you wanna just get out of here instead?" She smirked at him.
"My thoughts exactly." He smiled back, liking this girl more and more as the night went on. He raised his arm for the waiter.
"Check please!"
It was a relatively warm morning, but the breeze made it a little chilly. He pulled on his light jacket, as Heather buttoned up her sweater. The two stepped out into the plaza that the restaurant was stationed in the corner of. A few stores and cafes lined the other walls of the plaza, with several benches and a fountain stationed in the center. Stone slabs, probably meant to be sat on, jutted out from the bricks floor. It was pretty, but mostly empty at the moment.
"So much for breakfast," he said, slightly exasperated.
"Well," she started, "there are a ton of other cafes we could tr-" Her sentence was cut short as a large black shadow passed overhead. Chris looked overhead, trying to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked.
"What the Hell was that?" she asked. The question was immediately followed by the shadow looping back around, its owner landing gracefully in front of them: a huge griffon. Chris sighed deeply as soon as he saw the beast.
"Shit." Chris put a hand on the griffon's neck, patting it. "I forgot it was today..." He looked toward Heather. "I, am... So, so sorry. I have to go." The girl was still in shock from the sight of the mythical creature standing right in front of her. It was probably a good thing that the plaza was empty at the moment. "I have to go. Like, right now. Last time I kept him waiting, I had to pay quite a bit for broken windows..." He turned around to the griffon, rubbing the base of it's neck and side playfully. "Isn't that right, buddy? It's been a while, how are ya'?" It let out a cry and ruffled its majestic white feathers in response, before turning its head and nuzzling Chris's arm. Chris pulled a napkin and a pen from the restaurant out of his jacket pocket, scribbling down a number against the griffon's saddle. He handed it to the still-speechless Heather. "Text me later," he said with a smirk. "I'll explain everything... In the meantiiiiime..." he held the last word as he thought. "Wanna go for a ride?" He pulled himself onto the beast, and then offered a hand to the girl. She uttered a single word as Chris pulled her up.
"Wow." Chris rubbed the griffon's head.
"Alright, buddy, take us up. We've got a couple stops to make. And Heather?.. Hang on tight." The griffon took a running start before leaping and soaring into the sky.
The griffon landed in the same place it had the previous four years. Tons of students had already arrived, and were going about their business. Chris inhaled deeply as he hopped off the griffon. "Last year, huh?.. Man, time flies." He looked to the griffon next to him, and rubbed it's side again. "Don't let the fresh meat rough you up too badly, huh?" He smiled, and pat the beast. "Alright, bud. See you in a few days." With that, Chris took a few steps back, and the griffon took to the sky yet again and left. Chris turned back to the school, looking over the masses of new students. He looked over their faces, watching them already making friends, and- was that girl undressing in the middle of the courtyard? What the Hell?! 'Just when you think you've seen everything...' he thought. He shook his head, as if to dismiss the thought, before looking at the building ahead of him. This was going to be an interesting final year. He whistled a tune to himself as he made his way in.