The number of dishes piling up on their table started to worry Tyson since he was still uncertain about the new currency and its usage. He couldn't tell if things were too expensive or not, but he had a feeling that the more they ordered, the less likely they would be to have enough money to pay.

Since he didn't know how strict they were about it in Bosnia, he wasn't ready to push his luck. So, he tried to find a polite way of stopping his friend, who started reminding him of a Pac-Man who devoured everything on its way.

"Oh, I wonder what this baklava thing is. It sounds delicious!" Marcus said with a twinkle in his eyes.

He didn't seem to care that he was already eating more than two meals and had ordered two different desserts.

"Ahem, Marcus, I don't want to be a killjoy, but I am not sure we have enough money for you to try anything else. I don't know the worth of this money, and I am not sure if these meals are cheap or very expensive," Tyson admitted.

"Oh," Marcus said, seeming to remember the dire situation they were in.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away," Marcus added, smiling sheepishly at his friend.

"That's okay, I think we'll be able to cover it, but I don't want to risk it," Tyson said.

"Sure, sure," Marcus said, continuing his quest to clear all the plates that were in front of him.

The pounding in Tyson's head reminded him that he hadn't had coffee for ages, but he wasn't sure he was familiar with the one he saw on the menu. He didn't think it would be good to risk it. However, he wasn't sure that there were that many coffee options at that period of human history.

He was pretty sure that the waiters would've been confused if he was to order caffe latte with nonfat milk, or some of the other fad drinks that were popular in his time. However, it was odd for him that he couldn't see anything that seemed like black coffee. Everything sounded different to him.

"Dude, you look like hell! What's up?" Marcus asked, almost choking on his food.

It was as if the food was so good that pausing while eating it would be a sacrilege, and Tyson was once again shocked by how different he and his friend were. After all, Tyson could eat anything as long as it had enough nutrition to keep him going.

"I need caffeine," Tyson said, not liking the fact that he depended on anything as much as he did on coffee.

"Why don't you just order the thing they have here?" Marcus asked.

"I am not sure if it's strong enough," Tyson said hesitantly.

It occurred to him that anything was better than nothing, but he was still hesitant to try it.

"Oh, I just remembered! I think I smelled something like really fresh coffee before we reached this place. There must be some shop or something nearby, selling coffee," Marcus suddenly said.

"I don't know," Tyson said, scanning his friend carefully. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Oh, come on! I am not a child. You don't have to babysit me all the time!" Marcus said indignantly.

"Don't I?" Tyson asked pointedly.

"Fine, you might have a point, but this time I'll be fine. I have all this food to keep me occupied," Marcus said, gesturing at the already half-empty plates in front of him. "What can go wrong?"

"That's what I am afraid to find out," Tyson mumbled under his breath.

Another sharp knife drove itself into his head and made the decision for him. He needed some coffee, and his friend was hopefully too busy to mess anything up.

"Alright, I'll go and check. Please, stay here and don't talk to anyone. Can you do that?" Tyson asked with emphasis.

"Yeah, sure thing. I'm not a child, Tyson. I can do that," Marcus said.

Since Tyson's head started feeling as if a blacksmith was hammering on an anvil to make a rather stubborn blade, he decided to trust his friend.

"I'll be right back," Tyson said, getting up.

Marcus's mouth was too full to say anything, so he just waved him off with a ćevap in his hand and grease dripping off it. His mouth wasn't much better, but Tyson didn't bother to comment on any of that.

After all, it wouldn't change anything and it would just annoy Marcus. They could clean up before they face the rest of Sarajevo.

"This is so good," Marcus mumbled to himself as he devoured yet another ćevap.

"You seem to be enjoying your meal immensely. Does our food taste that good?" an average-looking guy with sunken eyes asked.

"Yes! It's the bomb!" Marcus said enthusiastically.

The dark-haired man with a thin mustache which was separated in the middle, sat down opposite Marcus smiling at him amicably.

"That's not a bad idea," the guy mumbled under his breath.

It was as if the fact that Marcus answered his question was an invitation enough for him to join the guy he didn't know.

"Huh?" Marcus asked, too busy with his food to decipher what the guy had said.

"I said that you don't seem to be from around here," he said.

Marcus almost choked on his next bite because he had no idea what to say to that. Tyson never told him what he was supposed to say if anyone asked about where they came from.

"Ahem, I am from far away?" Marcus said with uncertainty.

"Don't worry, my friend. I know better than anyone the need for secrecy. These are trying times, and one can never be too cautious," he said.

Marcus had absolutely no idea what the guy was talking about but decided to nod his head vigorously nonetheless.

"Gavrilo," the guy said, offering his hand for a handshake.

"Marcus," Marcus said, shaking Gavrilo's hand firmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet a food lover such as myself," Gavrilo said, cleaning the grease that had transferred from Marcus's hand.

"Sorry about that," Marcus said, embarrassed.

"No worries," Gavrilo said, his blue eyes seemingly earnest.

"So, what brings you to our city?" Gavrilo asked.

"Sightseeing," Marcus said.

Then he proceeded to fill his mouth with even more food so that it wouldn't allow him to talk for a while. He hoped that while he chewed his food, Tyson would magically appear and cleverly find a way to make the overly friendly guy leave.

"This is a great city for that, but maybe it isn't the best time right about now," Gavrilo said.

"How come?" Marcus couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, you know how it is. Political unrest isn't good for anyone," Gavrilo said.

"Sure, sure," Marcus said.

Knowing next to nothing about politics, he thought it better to keep his mouth shut and approve of everything the guy said. Marcus thought that if he agreed with someone, he could avoid getting in trouble.

"Do you know any other place where I can get such great food?" Marcus asked in a desperate effort to change the subject.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Moritz Schiller's delicatessen has the best sandwiches in Sarajevo. I often go there myself," Gavrilo said.

"No way! My pal and I were there just yesterday!" Marcus said enthusiastically.

Their shared love for sandwiches had managed to dispel all the caution with which Marcus had entered the conversation, and he started raving about how amazing the sandwiches were.

"They are definitely the best. If I knew that I was about to die, I would've chosen those sandwiches as my last meal!" Gavrilo said enthusiastically.

Even though Marcus found it a bit odd that Gavrilo talked about death, he couldn't help but agree with the guy. There was just something about the way they were prepared that made them just perfect.

"Me too!" Marcus said, smiling brightly at Gavrilo.

"Oh, sorry, I have to go. My friend is finally here," Gavrilo said, looking at the older guy who sported a similar mustache to his.

"Sure thing, dude. See you around," Marcus said, smiling at the great new friend he got.

However, he did spend some time wondering about the mustache. Was it obligatory to join Gavrilo's circle of friends?

If it was, Marcus knew that he didn't stand a chance of joining them. Ever since he officially became an adult, he wanted to grow a beard. However, he never managed anything beyond a few hairs that didn't even look like a proper mustache.

"Who was that?" Tyson asked, startling Marcus.

It seemed to him as if Marcus had superpowers and had appeared out of nowhere. Still, the more likely scenario was that he got lost in the contemplation of how cruel fate was in not providing him with great facial hair.

"Oh, just my new friend, Gabriel, Gabe, Gavin, something like that," Marcus said as he was awful in remembering names.

"Marcus!" Tyson exclaimed.

"What?" Marcus asked, immediately going on the defense.

"I told you not to talk to anyone," Tyson said, wondering if his friend was annoying him on purpose.

"For your information, I wasn't talking to him. He was talking to me. That's not the same thing," Marcus said with determination.

"Okay, fine. Whatever," Tyson said, holding on to his head as if it would explode at any second. "Finish your meal, and I'll get a cup of this coffee they have. Then, we'll go check on the portal.

"Fine," Marcus said, digging into the dessert.