Chapter Thirty-Two

It wasn’t obvious, and it was long after the performance came to an end and the crowd began to dissipate, but there was an elf present at a table not far from me who just kept drinking more.

To say she was beautiful would be… how do I say this? No. She was ‘otherworldly’ in a way that was not quite beautiful but not quite ‘not’. She seemed to me to be sculpted out of marble by a master of his craft, her eyes were so green that they were like emeralds that caught the sunlight and shimmered without end.

Her blonde hair fell in a braid that hung over one shoulder and had to be almost long enough to reach her lower back. She wore a deep green outfit with a leather strip that ran from right shoulder to left hip, passing between her breasts and in the center sat a single golden circle with a blue stone embedded that glowed with mystic power. ‘Magitite’ I realized.

Her shoulders were covered with gold shaped leaves, though whether they were fabric or from some tree in this world I was not yet familiar with, I do not know. Her long ears made it obvious that she was an elf, and on her visible, slender forearms there were intricate tattoo symbols that didn’t look like any letter I knew from this world or my own.

She was by all appearances, youthful, though with elves who could say what her real age was? She had the high cheekbones that were emblematic of the nobility in my old world, and a three tiered necklace hung around a slender neck.

The only thing to really mar any aspect of what I saw there was that she was getting steadily drunker as the servings of alcohol kept flowing. Earlier, her good cheer must have blended with the others, but as the hours waned and the crowd diminished with the end of song, she was now alone and stood out for her seeming unwillingness to do anything but sit and drink.

I suppose you could say that this was one of ‘those’ moments? I’d kind of had it a few times now, in a way. You know, like something was ‘destiny’ like it was just ‘supposed to be’?

Then again, I had been a man before coming to this world, maybe part of me just wanted to talk to the beautiful girl? Who wouldn’t want to do that?

I didn’t have to wait too much longer for a reason, eventually we were the only ones left. I half expected somebody to try to lead the drunk elf woman away and give me a chance to do the old knight in shining armor routine…okay, ‘kitsune in shining armor’ routine. But that didn’t happen.

What did happen was that the serving woman approached and held out a slate. “You need to pay your tab before they’ll consider giving you a room or selling you another beer.”

The elf woman looked up and cocked her head as if she hadn’t heard clearly.

“Huh?” She asked and a sour look came over her face. “Why?” She wondered, “I shalways pay! Alays! Alays!”

She was clearly even drunker than I thought.

“Yes, but you’ve had eighteen in the last two hours and you’re trying to order two now. So you’ll need to pay first.” The woman standing there in her white apron and no nonsense expression had clearly zero patience for unruly drunks.

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“Fine!” She slurred and a shaky hand held out the white stone slate. “Bill me vataver!” She slurred and waved dismissively with her other hand.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that?” The woman said a moment later. “There’s a city lien on your funds.”

“Whaaat?” The woman’s bright green eyes became wide as the sun. “Coursh ther is! All because of that boomkaboom!” She giggled and through her hands out wide and all but flung herself back in her chair, threatening to topple herself onto the floor.

The serving woman stuck out one foot and caught the base of the nearest chair leg and slowly brought it down, making the chair upright again.

“They all shore cause my ‘speriment went wrong!” The woman snapped and a glower marred her face, “It didn’t go wrong though. Not really… I just know ‘nother way shings don’t really work… thas right, kinda, if ye think about it!” She insisted and thrust one finger firmly up into the air and stomped her feet flat on the floor.

“Short shited foolsh!” She snapped.

‘Wait, boom kaboom? The explosion on our way in? Was this?’ I wondered, if she were the cause, Loysa and Dwarguy had been impressed by it, so she was definitely a magician of some sort.

“Be that as it may, the city has frozen your funds until the investigation into the destruction is complete.” The barmaid turned the slate around to reveal the words on the slate.

“Fourth shime thish month.” The woman groused.

“Jush gimmie a room then.” The elf insisted.

“We can’t, as you can’t pay.” The barmaid insisted, and it seemed like only a fragment of that really got through to the drunkard. “If you can’t pay, you spend the night in jail and work off your debt tomorrow.”

“I’ll pay.” I piped up. It was impulsive, I hadn’t really thought it through, I was just ‘acting’. “Is that alright?” I asked as I pushed my seat back and approached with my slate held out.

“Yes, we don’t care who pays as long as somebody does.” The server said with a huff, “The room too or just the beer? If you don’t, I suppose we can let her sleep at the table again.” She snorted, “It wouldn’t be the first time she’s passed out there.”

“I’ll get her a room.” I said, and the elf woman looked up at me through shining, beautiful, drunken eyes.

“Why’re you doin that, kitsune?” She asked. “Do I know you?”

“No. Not yet. But I think that’s about to change.” I said, ignoring the first part of her question, I held out my hand to her, “I’m Aiko. Aiko Tsuniki.”

The elf woman’s golden brow furrowed, “Tes’alay Nika.” She said and tried, emphasis on ‘tried’ to take my hand. Her aim was off, and she missed my palm several times before I helped a little more and took her hand in mind.

She braced her other hand on the table and slowly pushed herself up to a standing position as the barmaid returned with a little brass key. “Help me to my room, will ye?” She asked and gave me a side eyed look, “An no funny business, or bill paid or not, I’ll blow you up, I got practice on that.” She said, and I raised two fingers in a Boy Scout salute.

“No funny business. Just don’t vomit on me while I get you there.” I said.

She huffed, “No promishes.” She answered.

I don’t need to say this, maybe, but since I’d inflicted this on someone else already, and it seemed like it was my turn to suffer the same?

Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing she didn’t promise she wouldn’t vomit on me.