Despite the were and his family having been nearly driven to keep moving from town to town and city to city, his life had been a relatively simple and peaceful one. Sure, to an extent there was always that distant wondering if they would be discovered and pursued as they had been a time or two in the past. It was to be expected really, coming up against those "close calls" where perhaps one of his younger siblings might not have realized they were being watched or tracked, but it hardly ever came to physical conflict that forced the family to unleash the beasts that flickered beneath their eyes. What's more, while Roman and his family were adept in hunting to provide for themselves and for each other, there hadn't been a time or an instance where they'd had to strike down an assailant. While his father would be more than happy to cut down anyone that threatened the family, it was a mutual understanding and agreement amongst the eight of them that killing was only to be a last resort should things take a turn that put one of their lives at risk. They were not going to be like the weres that so many considered their entire race to be. They were not ruthless or cruel, nor were they feral and without any sense of right and wrong. If anything, despite being the natural-born predators that they were, they were a peaceful family. The Lionel Family - or pride as the few who came to know them during their brief settlement would call them interestingly enough - held a high regard for the delicate balance of life, taking only what was needed to survive and giving where they could to appease this natural law. They helped others where they could, worked together in unison not only on those find family hunts but also when it might come to lending a hand to those that perhaps found themselves needing a little extra muscle. Perhaps that simply came naturally to them as well, the way that they seemed to function seamlessly with one another, how it was that they were raised to believe in loyalty and the values of family. His mother and father had been sure to teach all of them what it was to be respectful towards others as well as the life that surrounded them. Some would consider such a lifestyle as tradition, maybe even outdated or foolish considering the undeniable fact that it hardly mattered where they might wander in the world because they would always be hunted, but it was how they were. And it served them well, this way of life. It had been peaceful and without the strife that many of their kin were unfortunate enough to know, unfortunate enough to always be looking over the shoulder for just like the monsters that the world saw so many of them as.

And yet, while Roman and his family had kept to that calm and peaceful existence with so little effort, that certainly did not mean that they did not know how to defend themselves and each other. Besides, being young and so full of that boisterous male energy and testosterone, Roman and his brothers often enjoyed sparring with one another which was hardly where a gentle affair, often leaving bruises and cuts in their wake though such aftereffects were nothing beyond unintentional and an inescapable consequence of those wrestling matches of mock brawls. And, when they were brave enough, they would try and stir up the fierce beast in their father, which typically ended up with them getting their tails handed to them. After all, there was a reason that their father was the alpha in their family and even once been the alpha of the pack that he'd left when he met his mate and Roman's mother, Callia. Even his sisters were always eager to participate in the rough-housing, far from being the sort and delicate maidens that some might take them for up on first glance in their human dorms. His sisters were just as fierce and stubborn as his brothers, Trinity - the youngest of the siblings - taking most after their father while they all seemed to take more heavily after their patient and easygoing mother and having proved quickly that she could spar with the best of them. Roman had no problem in openly admitting that Trinity has bested him a time or two, the young were female showing natural talent and skill as well as proving to be a very quick learner as she would watch the brothers. Most males would struggle with the idea of being beaten in a match against their little sister - or just a female in general - but not Roman. Why take offense or become wounded over something so trivial? Hell, it made him proud to see Trinity learn from the mistakes the others would make as she would watch and learn, taking what she could from such moments and applying her own strategies to see if she could take a move that had previously failed for one of her siblings and make it successful for herself. It couldn't be clearer that she had the mindset and instincts of an alpha, and just maybe one day, should she choose to strike out on her own as he had those years ago, she might create a pack of her own. He would hardly be surprised if he heard news that his sister had set out to blaze her own path in life only for it to follow in their father's shadow and reign as alpha in some village, town, or city. While it wasn't something that he would ever desire for himself, Roman preferring a calm existence with no one looking to him for leadership, there was little doubt in his mind that Trinity would thrive.

It was in thinking of his family that brought an ever so subtle grin to his lips then as he looked over the menu. If Trinity were here with him, she would have already known what it was she would want to order and that he took far too long to decide for himself. She was the least patient of the siblings, but it was her spirit and ambition that Roman adored most about the young woman. She always seemed to have a heading in mind, an ultimate goal for the day or perhaps even the week. And when she made up her mind, there was no changing it. One could argue with the stubborn woman as much as they wanted, even until they were blue in the face to try and away her into doing what it was that they wanted to do, but it would do them no good unless they could give her an absolute reason unable to be debated or disputed. Gods have mercy on any male that might ever take an interest in his little sister! She would be a hard one to win, there was no question in that. Trinity was fiery and independent to her very core, prepared to do as she so pleased whether her brothers and sisters would accompany her or not. She was determined with the heart of the very lioness that she was, strong and yet wholly devoted to her family no matter what the world would challenge them with. Any male that sought her affections would have to be patient and understand that there would be no taking her away from her family, that he would have to earn the respect and approval of their father and the rest of the family before she would in turn let him into her heart and her life. It was all or nothing for her, and it was in knowing this that offered Roman a steady and unwavering assurance that if love was what the dates had intended for the spirited young woman, what she would find one day within another would be as everlasting as the very bond that tied together their mother and father. He wonders for a moment as he sits there in the corner of that Irish yet modern pub contemplating between the French dip sandwich or Signature River burger and fries what things might have been like had he allowed for Trinity to follow him like she'd wanted to... Things wouldn't be so quiet or melancholy, that much he did know for certain. He couldn't have let her come with him, though. It had been hard to make her understand that she was better off staying with the family than she would have been following Roman wherever he would roam, that same sense of unpredictability promised with his decision to leave the very reason he had been adamant in making her realize there wouldn't be anything for her if she followed him. It was a very length and difficult conversation between the two of them, but in the end he had been able to make her see things the way that he did and she had reluctantly agreed to stay with the family. Leaving them had been the hardest thing Roman had ever done, but it had been even harder to see the way that his baby sister looked at him as be walked away from them for last time... He hardly pays much attention to the voices around him, knowing that none of the quietly murmured words were meant for him as he clears his throat softly, so caught up on those what if's that he usually didn't muse over that he almost didn't see the subtlr movement from the very edge of his peripherals, announcing the approach of another. Only then does he look away from the menu, entirely expecting for golden-hazel eyes to fall over the petite waitress who'd taken his drink order as she would be returning with his simple glass of water.

However, the woman that he saw making her way around the tables and towards him wasn't the waitress from earlier. She places the glass on the table in front of Roman then, the man regarding her raven black hair and eyes of warm milk chocolate for a moment before his own deep chuckle answers her light and teasing voice."Well, I don't typically drink until much later than this. Plus I hear having just water makes it easier to enjoy the flavors of the food", he replies in rich tenor tones as he offer a her an easy and kind grin. Just because the man wasn't quick to open up to others or seek out companionship didn't mean he wasn't capable of being kind and courteous. Her next words reach the man as she shifts her gaze for a fleeting moment to the seat across from him as she offers to take his order unless he was waiting for someone else to join him."No, it's just me", he answers nonchalantly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders then. He would suppose that it seemed odd for a lone man to occupy a booth on the quieter side of the pub when it was likely much more common for those single individuals to take a seat at the bar instead, but that was a touch too sparse in space than a table or a booth for Roman's liking and he definitely wasn't here to try and pick up a woman or anything."I'll have the Signature River burger and fries, please miss", he decides then as he offers for her to take the menu before noting her casual attire. It interested him then, wondering why it was that she did not wear the same uniform as the first waitress. Maybe she's the owner, he thinks to himself in mild intrigue. It wasn't an uncommon practice for owners of establishments to work alongside their staff, after all. Honestly, he enjoyed watching as management assisted the waitors and waitresses with taking orders, putting in just as much genuine effort in order to help ease the things for their devoted employees to ensure that everything ran smoothly. There was something in observing a group of beings working as a unit that made him want to support them that much more, respecting those few bosses that didn't operate with a sense of entitlement that meant they didn't have to do "grunt work". There was more to managing than just telling others what to do."Are you the owner? I don't mean to pry or anything, I just can't help noticing your casual attire", he asks curiously as he regards her once more. She definitely had some sort of air about her that told Roman she wasn't exactly a waitress. Maybe she just clocked out for the day and decided to help one more table. It was hard to say, but at this point he only hoped that he hadn't come off too forward or something, far from meaning to offend or worse yet give her the impression that he was studying her a little too closely. He simply couldn't help but wonder who she was if she wasn't one of the waitresses that worked here, and why it was she was taking his order.