The end of the week couldn’t come soon enough, and Fiona was staring at the clock, edging its way to 6 pm. The sun was already edging down past the horizon, and the last customer was finishing up with Bonnie, while she was busy locking down displays. It had been another solid day, and she’d finally sold the frost armor that Greg had quizzed her on earlier in the week--a major sale, indeed. Most of the items they’d sold were cheap to mid-range, but they had moved a lot of them, to the satisfaction of many customers.
Greg was doing his end-of-day routine of checking the receipts, and jotting down the numbers on his arcanist pad. “Not quite as much momentum as our first day, but, by all means, a cracking good day. Excellent work. I might have to learn some showmanship." She swore she heard a hint of amusement in his tone.
“And how’s our newbie doing?” Fiona grinned.
“I spoke with him earlier. Still assessing. He gave me the name of the contact for assessments. We’ll have to be…careful about how we approach this. By law, we are allowed to pick our assessor. But the Kingdom can check the accreditation.”
“Death by bureaucracy,” Fiona sighed. “At least it’s not a total monarchy, the big council can veto the big blondie dweeb if they don’t like what he has to say, and Rikkard is still dodging my calls. Now, where are we going Greg, spill it!” she pressed as she got up close to him, smiling coyly. Greg did that stoic face where he just gazed at her, like a slab of marble. “C’mon, tell us!”
“I do believe the point is to keep it a secret, until we’re there,” Greg answered with little emotion. She smiled wider at her. She could coax answers out of anyone!
Except for Greg, apparently. This cookie was tough to crumble, and he did that stern gaze right back. “Fiona, we’re there for dinner casual. But do mind yourself when we get there.”
She grinned at this idea. “Oh, why do you think I’ll misbehave? Do I strike you as the kind to get into trouble?”
“You strike me as the kind to get me on a blacklist,” he stated flatly, wrinkling his nose. “And Bonnie…” he trailed off when she tapped her wand with a click of her claws, and the brass and silver rod lit up with an eerie green light.
“Is there an unpopular opinion I can fix?” she asked sweetly. Greg finally cracked with a bit of a nervous smile.
“Nope. Now, let’s finish up, I talked to Jake already via my relay. They’ll meet us there at 6:30, come as you are. Think of it as…bliss times?”
“Man, you guys got a lot of strange names. We called that happy hour, back where I came from!” Fiona pouted just a little, and let her ears droop to mark her disappointment. Greg was not shamed in the slightest for failing to cave.
The noted hour came, and they were standing on the brickwork walkway that formed the heart of the commerce sector. There was the sound of dull music coming from inside, and she rubbed her hands with glee. This music had a vibe to her liking, like something from an electronic dance club! She didn’t know why it excited her, but it sounded like something from Earth…almost. Greg took note, and smiled.
“Welcome to Gallie’s, by the way. I heard about this place a little while ago.” He guided them up past the arcane torches, now dancing with gold and orange flames housed within. The white stone building with wooden truss work had all the feel of something that felt very homely to her, on this end of town. “Sounds a little off-beat, doesn’t it?” he proposed.
“Oh, it’s my kind of beat," Fiona answered warmly. Bonnie was next to her, peering at her and tapping a paw pad to the ground at the same beat, and that grin across her muzzle was growing. Fiona took note and elbowed her playfully. “Aha, you do have a certain taste! We’re like sisters from different universes!”
“Hah! Better wish that part isn’t true, because I don’t think you want to match my wild tendencies,” she flashed a toothy smirk. A flap of wings got their attention on the street, and they saw Nick fluttering in–with Cita in tow, no less! Fiona wondered how on Cepalune they had enough strength to fly, but she figured it was just part of the magic of the world. Jake came in by the streetside, though with his tall stature, he was outpacing them on the ground. He waved casually, his mane slicked back and tied in a slight braid down his nape. Fiona smiled–he did have a sense of style, after all.
“Fi, Bon-bon! Glad you guys could make it. Oh, sorry Greg, you blended in too well,” Jake joked, and Nick let out a soft cawing sound from his throat. “Well now, you’ve got us all here. Excellent choice of place, Greg."
“It’s kept pretty low-key, on who knows about it,” Greg shrugged before they headed in past the propped-open double doors.
The ambiance was darker inside, with the arcane torches turned down low, and a receptionist at a booth was standing there–a pretty blonde girl with long flowing hair tied back with a simple braid, and jotting down reservations. Greg stepped forward to the woman and announced their name, and she waved them to the glass door.
“Go on in, table six is open for you. Now, I do caution you, the servers are instructed not to solicit–”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“It’s not my first time,” Greg assured her, though Fiona’s ears twitched at that. What did that mean, exactly? He waved them in, and Jake was grinning from ear to ear.
“Didn’t know you frequented here too, Greg,” he said with a slap on his shoulder. Greg gently rubbed at the impact site, but still returned a smile.
“Let it never be said that I don’t occasionally enjoy myself.” He opened the door and Fiona went slack-jawed at the spectacle of the room, with dozens of tables in an open seating, several rows demarcated between them. This place was lively, indeed.
A band was playing up on a stage, just elevated from the rest of the room, with a few draperies adorning the glass windows on the back end, where the twilit sky could be just barely seen. A human male played on a flute. A darkling played a fancy note on a lute. A catgirl–or a nekotake, she thought they were called? She was playing the equivalent of an old guitar, with well-loved wood forming the frame, and using her claws as picks to strike up a melody that gave her the feel of something deep and earthly.
There had to be a hundred people in the room, all having dinner and enjoying themselves, from all slices of life. A few were fine-dressed nobles, a few others were wearing casual clothes, but most were average-dressed. They quickly hurried to their table on the side, by a window showing a small glimmer of the lake, with one of the moons rising over the water.
But she was staring because the waiters–and waitresses–were all avians that looked like they came from an owl tribe, with big, saucer eyes. They all moved at a hustled pace, and with barely a single whisper.
And they were all dressed more than a little provocatively, and walking around and taking orders like this was absolutely routine. Fiona’s eyes lit up at this, she hadn’t been to a place like this in–
Bonnie clapped a paw gently over her gaping mouth, the ultimate pun just in reach. “Don’t, I know that look, girl. I know you've got some kind of pun or bad joke coming," Bonnie interjected sweetly.
“But, I gotta!” Fiona moaned past pink padded fingers. “Don’t stop me, Bonnie! I’ll fight you!’”
Bonnie booped her on the nose in response. “No, Fiona.” Fiona pouted and her ears bent back to show her disapproval. But, was willing to let it go, and she leaned over to give Greg a body-crushing hug.
“Oh you rascal Greg, you’ve been holding out, you know what I loved, I just hope the food matches the decorum. Flashy, and in good taste!”
“I’m sure it will,” he responded with a wheeze. She finally let go of him when his breath sounded just a little too asthmatic for her liking. Bonnie smiled politely next to her, but also was taking the time to smooth the fur on her face and ears, and adjust her dress while she gave a leering smile to Jake.
“Aaaand you knew about this place, too, big guy? Oh, that one’s going to cost you, Jakey,” she added in a sing-song voice, while Jake shrugged unapologetically.
“It’s just good old-fashioned entertainment. And the price is pretty good for the food.”
“Oh, it’s a buffet,” Fiona said while licking her lips in anticipation. Now that this door has been cracked open, she pondered on what other nightlife she’d been missing, and was about to get onto her list of ‘must-do’ activities. “Greg, no more holding out! We have a special relationship, we don’t keep wonderful secrets like this from your partner!”
“Business partner,” he corrected, and she laughed.
“Alright, fine, take the fun out of it! Man, I hope I have some one-gold coins to give them.” She did, indeed, spot a few smiling customers, a wolven and a kitsune female, offering a tip to one of the male avians, who nodded formally. They were all lean muscle, despite the feathery fluff. This could be a hoot! No, damn it, the puns have to stop! I only got one, like I promised Bonnie, she thought to herself.
The table already had a basket of fresh baked bread, and what appeared to be buttercream sitting next to it. An avian male with dark brown feather markings, a lithe body and wings, and massive green eyes walked up to the table. They held a pen in hand, and had a pad ready. “Good evening, welcome to Gallie’s place! I’m Virgil, and I shall accommodate you this evening. Can I start you with water? Wine?”
“I’ll start with water, because I gotta quench some thirst,” Fiona stated deadpan with a small smile. Bonnie snickered silently, while Greg also wore that polite smile, and asked for water as well.
“Wine for me, and the gal,” Nick answered, and Cita let out a giggle and also ordered some appetizer that Fiona didn’t quite catch the name of. “So, Fiona, I know we haven’t spoken much, but how's the store been? We’ve been busy in the guild, a lot of post-action stuff. A lot of it, on account of rebuilding what the dragon army burned down on the east side of the kingdom.”
“Oh, you know, decent. We broke into the green!” she announced proudly, after seeing that slight eye-raise from Greg. “We’re doing pretty good, and we have a new hire!”
“A new potential employee. He is in his trial period," Greg corrected with an adjustment of his tie, and sounded just a tad bit tired. “I think based on his aptitude, he has some potential to join the team, in the foreseeable future.”
"You're warming up to him, aren't you?" Fiona leaned in, all elven grins and ears slicked back. Greg would not be coaxed easily, and gave her the marble-slabbed face expression again.
"I'm willing to evaluate on performance. It's on him to make sure it stays that way."
Nick let out a hoot of laughter. “Sounds like you guys are building talent! Bonnie, what about you?” She was still busy giving that vixen smile to Jake, for some reason. “Uh, someone broke our kit, Fiona, give her tail a tug to get her attention, please.”
“Oh, no. I’m not dumb enough for that,” Fiona retorted with a deep frown aimed at the wolven. “Jake, you never told me about this place, either! This is my kind of place, where people can face life bare and unafraid!"
“It sounds like you enjoy the entertainment,” Greg mused with a well-disguised smile. “Well, I’m glad that I could help. It does feel a tad uncomfortable to come here solo, let’s say.”
“Greg, you little deviant,” Bonnie cooed while twirling the ice in her glass. “Flying here solo? Was that a pun I heard from you, when this place is owned by an all-avian family? How amusing.”
“An unintended one, for certain,” he replied while looking undignified at the notion. “For you Fiona, I recommended the peppered steak. The bison is quite good.”
“Oh, what’s this, steak? Man, I could use some red meat! Everyone keeps telling me to eat dainty, and that’s a lie! Elves crave the same things as everyone else! I’ll have the uh..” she frowned as she read from the menu. “We have fried river crab? I’ll have that! And the breadsticks.”
She clapped her hands together and let out a gleeful sound. Based on what she saw from the food around them, they were going to be in for a treat.