Norbert looked towards the Kreevss that had entered. He watched as the reptile sat next to him at the bar. He half-gazed at the two kids beside him, watching how they were both on the other side of him. Moving his head slightly, Norbert looked, confirming with everyone else in the bar what was happening.
Norbert looked to the bartender, knowing he had to say something. "Can we have a meal for the three of us, whatever you have already prepared?" Norbert asked, pointing to himself and the two kids by his side.
The bartender just nodded before disappearing around the back and into the kitchen. The sounds of pots and pans banging together were louder than before. Norbert turned around, seeing one of the empty tables. He nodded to the Kreevss, stood up, and took the hat. As he sat down, Korn and the girl followed him.
After he walked away, the conversation started again in the bar, and tension broke between them as the two possibly offending parties could walk away peacefully.
Or that is what Norbert thought until a second Kreevss came in, once more looking over the room. Norbert groaned inwardly, especially when his eyes were locked on the bird on Norbert's shoulder.
Norbert's hand slowly slide under the table, stopping on the dagger but continuing before going to the coin pouch. His nerves were getting the better of him. He wanted to distract himself as the two Kreevss talked to each other.
Feeling the coin in his hand take him back, not knowing how much they knew about his mannerisms, Norbert left the coin in the pouch, his hand slowly coming back up to rest on the table.
Taking the hat, Norbert closed his eyes as he put it on top of his head, stopping the light from going through and obscuring his face in case any more Kreevss appeared, not wanting to add fuel to the potential fire that would blow up in his face.
Norbert heard Korn's voice come up to the girl, trying to calm her down, as they might have known each other's history. Norbert was just staring through as he tried to change his vision, hoping to somehow see through the hat and see what was happening in the bar around him.
"Mind if I take a ssseat?" A stranger said to the table.
Norbert stayed quiet, wondering what either of the kids would say to the new guest—feeling eyes on him as he didn't say no; the new guest sat down at the table, the grinding of the chair disturbing Norbert from his fake slumber.
"Mind being any louder?" Norbert sarcastically asked from under the hat, waiting for a response from their new guest.
"Have an issue with the company?" The Kreevss asked Norbert, feeling them move closer forward, almost imagining the tongue coming out and nearly licking the hat.
"Calm down, you overgrown liza-dragon" Norbert quickly changed his mind, not wanting to have another running match through the city with two extra guests under his charge.
He was hearing someone splutter from the near slip of the tongue that he had made.
Boots came trudging towards Norbert around the table, his hat pulled from his face. Norbert looked up, seeing the first Kreevss that came in towering over him. "Have an issue with us?"
"About as much of an issue as someone interrupting a possible meal, and for what reason?" Norbert asked, slamming his chair forward. He stood up and leaned over the Kreevss on the other side of the table.
The one standing up, holding his hat, placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed down on Norbert to sit back in the chair. Norbert was not budging as he tilted his head. "Do we have a problem, Kreevss?"
Norbert watched as their face started to change colour slightly from the exhaustion placed on Norbert. Relenting the Kreevss, Norbert let go, not moving at all. He moved his head to look ahead of him.
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Leaning forward, his head was just a breath away from the one in front “Its rude to stay when someone … isn’t … welcome.” Norbert growled out to them.
The Kreevss were now staring intently at Norbert. A bead of sweat was almost forming on their brow, not that Norbert knew if they could sweat."
"Is that a threat"?" The Kreevss asked Norbert, staring at their seat and looking at Norbert.
Norbert sat back in his chair, taking the hat out of hand, holding it next to him and placing it on the table" "I might be silly, but I'm not stupid enough to threaten a Kreevss. Unless I want to deal with the consequence"." Norbert added at the end.
Hearing the kitchen doors open again, Norbert saw Brezan with the food coming out, surprised I wasn't one of the servers doing it.
Raising his hand into the air, Norbert said aloud" "But those consequences are worth it when I have a meal so close by. So good day, gentlemen"." Norbert jovially added to the conversation, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips as he eyed down the food coming for them.
The two Kreevss stared at Norbert's attitude change, which was not a Norbert's to do with the person wholly dismissing them. With a grumble, the two of them walked out, Norbert hoping they wouldn't add any suspicions that it was just a routine patrol happening.
With the food in front of him, Norbert taking a bite of food as the Kreevss exited, Norbert continuing the charade of eating for a minute, counting in his head as everyone else played with the fact, waiting for the first person to drop the act.
Finishing the food in his mouth, Norbert moved the stew over to the centre of the table "Either of you can finish it off I've had my fill for now", Norbert added as he walked off, heading back to the bar, where Brezan stood once again.
Leaning on the bar to watch the two kids under his charge, Norbert asked" "Is that a common thin"?"
"For more than just the Kreevss, everyone is going about like that for personal or public reasons. Some of the Kreevss think you're still in the city, a fact I can see they are right to assume", Brezan told Norbert. Almost feeling a jab in his shoulder from the words directed his way, Norbert just shrugged them off his shoulder"
“Is anyone making the rounds like that below?” Norbert asked, hoping for an answer
"No, they know they meant to go under like that. The fact that you do is strange enough. Everybody down there knows about you," Brezan told Norbert.
Turning around, Norbert looked at the bartender, surprised at the answer" "Really?" Norbert asked.
Nodding his head, the bartender added "Most others that go down there don’t come back out.”
"See!" Came the muffled voice of Korn from the table, having finished his meal and eating part of Bert's own, shelving off some of it for the girl already"
"Is it all good if I come back this way another fifty or so times?" Norbert asked, quickly adding "Not for everyone getting food. I mostly planned on just going straight down there."
"Payment for the trouble and covering then all your"," Brezan told Norbert.
Turning around, having his back to the bar, Norbert looked at the bartender, wondering how many coins he would get out of him" "A silver coin for passage and the media"." Brezan quickly added.
Norbert looked at the man, hearing the skeleton arm clink against the glass he was cleaning again. He twisted his head around as he reached into the pouch, taking out the silver coin. Norbert held it up in front of the bartender"
"I know your making coin out of me. Now I hope this means that no matter who comes here, I can walk underneath, and you will make up whatever story is needed", Norbert said, sliding the coin on the bench and over to the bartender with a single finger.
When he let his finger go of the coin, the bartender scooped it up and deposited it somewhere, with a clatter of coins heard within. Norbert turned around, seeing how long the kids were taking.
Surprised to see all the food gone, the two looked at him as Norbert indicated with his head to the stairs leading underneath. Korn helped the girl off the chair, giving a wide birth to the other guests as they made their way towards the stairwell that Norbert directed to"
"Well, it's been the best of fun hanging out with you all, but it's time for me to leave. For when I meet up with you again in a bit", Norbert said as he popped off the chair, placing the sunhat over his head. Obsius was still there on his shoulder through the entire fiasco, jumping to whatever shoulder was free when needed.
The group of four made their way underground, past the sandstone steps as he counted the rooms, remembering the store room looked the same as before. Finding the trap door and pulling it up, the darkness underneath the same as before, Norbert held his hand open for both of them"
"It is best to grab onto me, though it is only a slide of darkness"," Norbert said, letting his voice hang in the air.
As the word darkness came from his lips, the little girl squealed slightly before reaching for Norbert with her open hands.
Turning to Korn, the boy was trying to seem more significant than he was. Smiling at him, knowing when an act would need to be had, Norbert stood on either side before jumping in and letting him get encased in darkness.
Obsius fluttered off his shoulder, staying above as the girl screamed while held in his arms.