Cheeseburg was a well-populated, bustling city. Of course it was, holding the residence of the royal family for the surrounding kingdom. This thrumming metropolis was home to an adventurer’s guild, a massive marketplace, the barracks, stables, and archery range for the nation’s army, a massive cathedral, and a teeming throng of happy, productive citizens going about their lives under the guiding paw of a fair and just king. Many a great adventure and a great adventurer got their start here.
So, naturally, this was not the place Nathan took David to recover after their last adventure. It was far too crowded and strange for the gray man. Nathan himself found it overwhelming. He doubted very much his friend would get any rest and David badly needed rest.
Instead, Nathan chose the little farming town of Digbury. It was far enough away from Cheeseburg that there would not be a lot of spillover from people traveling there. A sleepy little town out of the way enough to provide respite. Even though Nathan opened the portal only a quarter mile away from the city, David barely had the energy left to drag himself to the nearest inn. Having not slept nor eaten more than a few scraps of meat over eight days, he was running on fumes. Nathan felt bad, but it was necessary. Townsfolk disliked having portals opening randomly in the town square.
The Angry Heifer was Digbury’s only inn, and the only one for miles. That did not mean it was subpar. The smell of roasting meat surrounded the well-loved wooden building like a heavenly cloud. It had an energizing effect on David. His body dragging its long limbs, gray eyes unfocused, his only thoughts putting one foot in front of the other where Nathan led him. When the smell hit his sensitive nose, he straightened up to his full seven and a half feet height and moved past Nathan. The dirt path turned to cobblestone as it approached the door. Clomping his large feet down on them, David made no effort to muffle his steps as he pushed open the wooden door and slipped inside.
Nathan entered behind him, wings folded behind his back to get through a door that was, perhaps, a little too narrow for him to walk through while spread. They felt oddly stiff since his confinement. Pleasant as it was, he was still in a cramped space for too long. Blue membranes stretched between the fingers of his wings. An electric, bright blue, they almost glowed in the low light of the inn. It contrasted his silver fur nicely. Nathan was nearly six feet tall and quite thin. A stoat’s body was supposed to be long and trim and he fit the definition well. Maybe a little thicker around the middle and chest than most stoats, but Nathan insisted it was all muscle. Seeing him wave his heavy labrys around like it weighed as much as a toothpick lent credence to this. Green markings adorned his body. An X across his chest, an axe head shaped mask over his eyes, a splotch on the tip of his tail. His flesh on his paw pads was electric blue. Even his tongue and eyes were blue. Bright colors to draw the eye and warn predators. His entire existence was a warning to those who preyed on others.
But, so was David’s. In contrast to his friend, he could not have been more plain. Gray skin over his entire body, a shock of muddy colored hair on top of his head. He was human…probably. Most humans had a lack of fur, no tail, and upright posture. Most did not have thick, gray skin, arms that were long enough to hang to their knees when standing, and piercing gray eyes staring out from an ugly face with a hooked nose. No fur meant he wore clothes. No care for fashion meant he wore the same t shirt, patched up blue jeans, cheap sneakers, and well-worn overcoat every day. No desire to be anything but a vagrant hero meant he carried all of his possessions in a large camper’s backpack. His only notable injury at present was on his hand. Nathan felt a little bad about it, being as the bite was from him. Shameful story he resolved never to tell anyone. More shameful that David was too starved to rapidly heal it, as was typical. The bandage was damp with his blood.
Eager as he was to eat, he was still David. He stood frozen in the door. Nathan stepped out behind him. The main floor of the inn housed the tavern and this was a busy one. Raucous hired hands occupied nearly every table and most of the bar. A hot meal and a mug of ale from a barrel enchanted to keep it cold helped a hard day’s work go down a lot easier. Laughing and joking, swapping stories and reminiscing. The din could be heard outside of the door and it was louder on the inside.
Nathan looked up at him, but already knew what he was doing. David’s eyes panned back and forth over the crowd. Even when exhausted, he was hypervigilant. Every unfamiliar person was a potential threat. Every one a possible villain. Experience taught that he could not afford to let his guard down until he knew it was safe. Standing in the doorway was not going to get them anywhere. Before he could finish his threat assessment, Nathan tugged on his overcoat. David snapped his head down to look at Nathan. It probably felt like a snap to him, but he was so tired it looked more like a camera slowly panning from one side of a lecture hall to the other.
“C’mon Dave. Let’s find a table. They’re good people here. Rowdy, but good.” He could have gotten a room for David first, but he figured he wanted food more than sleep. David nodded once, but the movement of his head could have been attributed to him starting to nod off. The stoat looked over the room to find a good table. A rough, but feminine voice interrupted him.
“Prince Nathan? Is that really you?” The voice had a slightly coarse quality to it. Alto in tone, unmistakably female, but a voice that had seen some hard living. She sounded familiar, but Nathan could not place her by her voice alone. Better turn his head to get a look at her.
She was a dog. Not a dog in the figurative sense, though she would only be considered pretty by a very small number of people. She was one of the standard anthro folk that were scattered across the kingdom mixed in with the various fairies and elves and dragons and other fantastical creatures that populated it. Her breed was some sort of whippet, but dogs had such wildly divergent morphology that one could only speculate. She had a long muzzle which was, perhaps, a bit less narrow than a standard whippet’s muzzle. Her body tall, taller than Nathan, and not exactly thin but not exactly fat either. Her fur was white with random black splotches along the back of her neck, and over the rest of her visible fur. It resembled the color of dirty dishwater. Her clothing consisted of a simple green dress with short sleeves and a grease-stained apron that was white at one point, but that was years ago. Her hair was black and tied back in a tight braid behind her head. Functional clothing and hairstyle choices for someone who spent a lot of time cooking, cleaning, and dealing with energetic customers.
Nathan could have recognized her as the owner of the inn from how she carried herself, but really recognized her by her face. When he saw it, he made a conscious effort not to wince. Most of her face looked fine. A little homely, maybe, but fine. Scars twisted in uneven lines all across the right side of her face, making the fur appear patchy and discolored. Her right eye was missing, covered with a leather patch. Her right ear, somewhat floppy and somewhat stiff, had a large chunk taken out of it. The smile on her face showed no shyness from missing three teeth; a fang and the two teeth flanking it from her right upper jaw.
Faces were something Nathan had a lot of trouble remembering. They all sort of blended together in a jumble of incomprehensible features. Her face he remembered quite well. Being good with names, he already had the two items matched up. “Hey Sasha. Yeah, it’s me. Not surprised you can’t tell right away. Been changing.”
“Always have the same marks though. I’d recognize them anywhere.” Nathan had to keep himself from saying the same to her. Very rude. She continued. “Looks like you’ve lost weight too.” Now Nathan felt himself blushing. Any compliments from a female could do that. Good thing he had fur.
She stopped looking at him and titled her head toward David to catch him with her remaining eye. From head to toe, she took him in. She was staring, but that was pretty common when someone first saw him. His facial features were very sharp and a little jarring if you were unprepared for it. David glanced up, but did not stare back. Just a simple glance, then he went back to looking over the room between long blinks. She blinked too. This was usually the part where they looked away, knowing it would be rude to stare. She did not, looking him over again. Then at the bandage wrapped around his hand. The staring was a little weird. She finally spoke.
“Who’s your big friend?” Her eye left David, flicking away to the other side of the room, then back to him. A frown on her muzzle, she sighed. “Just a second.” The dog turned and stormed toward a table near the far wall. It was in a corner, as far away as one could get from both the bar and the front door without being in another room. In that location, one could easily and slyly stir up trouble.
Sitting at the table were a couple of anthros that had to be in their teens. One was a bobcat wearing a pair of overalls and a long-sleeved red shirt. The other, a short border collie with white and black spotted fur. He was dressed in a green work shirt and pair of rough-spun cotton pants. If one shook the dirt off of his clothes, one might have been able to fill a small garden plot. Both of them were hunched over the table, the border collie’s tail wagging behind him. They were very interested in something on the wooden surface, evidenced by the mischievous grins on their muzzles. Sasha may have had heavy footfalls, but they were so entranced in what they were doing and the inn was so loud they did not notice her until she was directly next to the table.
A whippet shaped shadow fell over the two teenage boys. Simultaneously, their ears flattened against their skulls and they turned their heads toward her. The lynx did not have time to turn his head all the way. A calloused dog paw grabbed ahold of his ear, twisted, and pulled. The poor lynx yipped loud enough to turn heads. He was half dragged and half stood out of his chair, wobbling over it. A small pocket knife fell out of his paw as he did.
“I told you boys last time, don’t carve stuff onto my tables.” Sasha’s tone was calm and measured. Downright maternal, like she was scolding a child. In a way, she was. “What was so important you needed to scratch it in there?” She looked at the table. “’Butt’s twelve by pies?’ What does that even mean?”
“I thought it sounded funny!” The cat whined. The border collie snickered and covered his muzzle, but it was not enough to avoid a stern glare from Sasha.
“And you, Guntram. I told you to wash last time. You’re even dirtier than before!”
Guntram’s ears lowered. “I was gonna….but I fell in the mud.”
“Fell in the….” She sighed. “Look, I told you last time, when you boys come into my inn, you come correct or get yourself gone.”
“Haha, you tell em’, Sasha!” Someone yelled from the bar.
She turned her head. “You start in and I’ll throw your butt out too!” Silence. Not just from him, but from the whole inn. Nathan was really enjoying this scene. Highly amusing.
“Hehe, butt.” The bobcat chuckled. Nathan almost did too. Sasha responded to the cat by twisting his ear.
“Come on. Out, both of you.” Sasha commanded, pulling the cat away from the table.
“Hey, but we….” Guntram started.
“Come back tomorrow morning and we can talk about how you’ll make up for scratching my table. Either fixing it or working off what it’ll cost to fix it.”
“Come on Miss Moxley!” The bobcat whined. “We….”
“No more backtalk.” She kept walking toward the door, forcing him to go with her. Guntram followed behind. “Out!” She pushed the cat toward the door. He ran, Guntram scurrying off after him.
After clearing the roustabouts from her inn, she walked back up to Nathan. As she wiped her paws off on her apron, Nathan spoke to her.
“Running a tight ship as always, eh?”
Sasha smiled and nodded. “Well, of course. It’s my inn. Everyone’s welcome as long as they respect it.”
“Not the inn for misbehave-inn?” Nathan wagged his tail.
“Careful, or I’ll drag you out by your ear next. Don’t think I won’t just cause you’re royalty.” Despite her vocal annoyance, she was smiling again. “But everyone’s family here. Digbury’s like that. Rowdy boys are fine, but not if you’re gonna be rude.” Nathan was about to say something, but Sasha kept talking, turning her good eye to David. “And you haven’t introduced me to your friend yet.”
Nathan was so enthralled with watching the scene he almost forgot. Sometimes, being every mustelid lent itself to being distractable. “Oh yeah, that. This’s David.” He inclined his head toward the tall humanoid. “Say hello to the nice lady, Dave.”
David looked at her, but his eyes were only partially focused. He sniffed the air again. Then realized she was looking at him. “….Hello.” He finally said in a voice that would make most people wince. Being in this state did not make his voice any less coarse.
Sasha did not wince. Instead, she tilted her head. David must have looked a fright. His skin was even paler than usual. His cheeks more drawn. He was usually thin, but his high metabolism meant he burned through what little reserve fat he had rapidly. His posture stooped, one could have mistaken him for a reanimated corpse. “Oh…David, are you all right? You look half dead.” She looked at Nathan. “Is he half dead? Or all dead? And he’s so thin….”
“That, yeah. Well, he hasn’t slept or eaten in over a week.” Remember what you came in for, Nathan. “We were hoping for a room and some food.”
“Why in all kingdoms would he do that? Was he a prisoner?”
“No, nothing like that. He, um…” Nathan looked away. “Kind of….saved me from something.”
“Hah, in trouble as always. What could possibly hold you for a day, let alone an entire week?”
Nathan felt his cheeks burn with blush. Not ready to talk about it yet. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we please have a table? I’m worried if he doesn’t eat soon, he’ll start eyeing the village livestock.”
“Meat eater, eh?” She grinned. “Good man. Good man indeed.” She reached up and took one of David’s hands, the non-injured one. He was too tired to resist. “Must be some man to save a prince. Come on, hero. Let’s get you seated. I have lots of cabbage rolls for you and I’ll make sure they’re full of meat.”
They were led to the table the troublesome kids occupied. Nathan fell behind at first, but mostly because he was shocked David let himself get led there by a stranger. Maybe it was because it seemed like Nathan was friendly with her, and he trusted Nathan. Maybe it was because he was in worse shape than Nathan thought. What annoyed him was that she had him sit in the chair that held the bobcat rather than dirty Guntram. He quietly huffed while he brushed the dirt off of the seat he was going to use. He opened his mouth to make a joke, but Sasha spoke too soon.
“And I know, Nathan. No cabbage rolls. It ruins the cabbage, all that stuff you always say when I try to make you eat healthy. Don’t worry, I have some sausages for you and can cook you up some eggs.” Eggs? That was more like it. He closed his mouth.
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Sasha vanished into the kitchen. She had a cook and a cleaner, but she helped wherever needed. It seemed like she wanted to be the one to make this meal herself. After a few minutes, she returned with a plate of sausages and sunny side up eggs cooked in the grease, a plate with two enormous cabbage rolls practically bursting with beef, rice, and onion, a mug of ale for David, and a mug of a sweet, non-alcoholic beverage that kids enjoyed in Digbury. It was made with apples, roots, and spices with a little honey for sweetness. It was something between root beer, apple cider, and ginger ale if Nathan was forced to describe it.
David tore into his meal like a starving man. They were provided with silverware, but he did not touch it. Taking the roll shape to be finger food, he ate with his hands. He made short work of the first two rolls, them lasting three minutes. He did not speak during that time, just kept eating. Sasha must have known this would happen, as she already had another plate with two more cabbage rolls when his plate was empty. He attacked these with similar gusto. Nathan was almost finished with his eggs by the time Sasha brought him out plate number three. He looked up at her, mouth smeared with grease.
She chuckled. “Don’t eat so fast, big guy. You’ll get a gutache.” Just the same, she took the empty plate and slid the next one in front of him.
Those words were what made him pause. “Yes….should not…..” He glanced at the cabbage rolls. “Eat so much….” His stomach growled audibly. Still very hungry. It was obvious, but whatever rules he internalized governing food intake made him stop.
“No, no, no. None of that. You don’t eat those and I’ll throw them out.” She put a paw on his shoulder. “A week’s a long time to go without food, especially when you’re saving people. You eat till you’re full and I won’t hear anything different.”
David was silent for some time. Nathan expected him to pull away. He did not. “Thank you….best food ever eaten.” He stated before he finally picked up the silverware and started to eat unlike a famished barbarian. Still fast, but not behaving as though his food was about to escape. Sasha walked away with a smile on her face to get the next set of cabbage rolls ready for him, most likely. Nathan found it strange, but attributed it to David being in such rough shape. He knew what it was like to be hungry and exhausted beyond one’s limits.
David ate twelve rolls in all. Sasha would have brought him more, but when she brought him the sixth plate, he told her that was enough. His color returned and his skin was starting to fill back out, indicating his metabolism was refilling whatever reserves he had. A full stomach meant one of his needs was met. Now he just needed sleep. Badly needed sleep, since he was starting to doze off at the table.
They were shown upstairs to their room. Sasha told Nathan that there would be no charge, his heroic reputation being what it was. The stoat insisted on paying full price. It always made him bristle to get treated to free stuff without doing something to earn it. No monsters slain, townsfolk rescued, or crops protected. Besides, it was good to support local businesses.
The room was a standard room for a standard inn. A window overlooking the town, comfortable chairs and a table, a dresser that was always empty because most people did not stay long enough to unpack, a bedside table containing a copy of the Bible, and two beds.
David used neither of them. Staggering into the room, he shrugged off his backpack, flopped on the floor, and was sleeping soundly within seconds. Most might attribute this to being exhausted, but David never slept in a bed.
Nathan only sort of slept in his bed. He took all of the blankets and pillows off of it, then stuffed them underneath. Later, when it was time for him to go to sleep, he would shrink down to the size of a ferret and burrow into their midst. He knew it was a little weird, but he did not care. No mustelid could resist a good, cozy burrow, and it was innocuous enough Nathan would not fight it.
David slept through the night. When Nathan woke up in the morning, he was still sleeping. Surprising, as he always woke up before Nathan when they were sleeping somewhere that did not require taking turns sleeping through the night. Even then, he usually stayed up the whole night, only needing to sleep every three days. This was his longest stretch of sleep Nathan ever saw; a testament to how truly exhausted he was.
It was time for breakfast, but Nathan just let him sleep. He grew to his full size, stretched, and left the room to head to the tavern. Like every morning, he craved eggs. Weasels always craved eggs. However, maybe he should get some vegetables in today? On the way out of the room, he nearly ran into Sasha. Her fist up, it was clear she was about to knock on the door. Startled, Nathan stepped back.
“Oh, uh, morning, Sasha. Everything all right?” He asked.
“Good morning, Prince Nathan. Hope you slept well.” Sasha smiled her gap-toothed smile. “Is David up yet? Brought him some breakfast.”
Nathan finally glanced at her paws. She was carrying a plate ladened with breakfast meats and assorted fruits. Breakfast in bed? Well, breakfast on the floor. Why was she doing this? “Huh. He’s still sleeping. I can bring it in to him.” He reached out to take the tray and Sasha moved it out of his reach.
“I’d rather bring it to him myself, if it’s all the same to you. He was so sick yesterday that it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t check on him.”
“I’m sure he’s fine….” Nathan raised an eyebrow. He was not used to people wanting to check on David. Somehow, he was sure David was even less used to it.
“He practically passed out on my floor. I insist.” Sasha retorted. Unwilling to wait for Nathan to move on, she moved to push past him. “Go on down for something to eat. It’ll be fine.”
Nathan stepped aside to avoid getting shouldered out of the way by the dog. He knew better than to get in the way of a determined innkeeper. As she passed him, a thought occurred. David was always on the lookout for people he did not know. Everyone was a threat until they showed they were not.
“Uh, Sasha, that’s not a good idea. If he wakes up and some stranger’s looking at him, he might get nervous. Then angry. Then violent.” Nathan realized that sounded bad, so he had to say something else. “I mean, people try to kill him all the time. I’m the same way sometimes.”
“I’ll be fine.” Sasha smiled, beaming with confidence. “Run along and get something to eat. You’ll starve to death if all you do is stand in the hallway.”
Nathan walked out of the room and shut the door. The thought occurred to him that he had just been kicked out of his own room. Downright surreal, but everything about the last couple weeks had been. “Heh. Life of an adventurer’s never boring. Even when you’re in town.” Nathan said to the door before walking down for breakfast.
One good breakfast later, Nathan went back to his room. While eating, he started to regret leaving Sasha alone with David. He should have insisted on staying, even if she tried her best to kick him out. The whole situation was not only odd, but had the potential to turn ugly. He wanted to be able to return to Digbury in the future. His friend assaulting a townswoman as popular as her would ensure they would not be welcome in the future.
To that end, he practically inhaled his breakfast and scurried up the stairs as quickly as his short legs allowed. He half expected the door to be broken and a trail of blood leading away from it. No, that would be silly. He would have heard a fight from downstairs. David showed restraint in the past, so there was no way he would assault someone who showed him no hostile intentions, even if she woke him unexpectedly. Right?
The door was intact, always a good sign. Nathan held his ear to the door to see if he could ascertain what was going on inside before entering. Quiet talking. No shouting, no impacts, no threats, no heated words. Hm. Another good sign. It appeared his fears were warrantless. This was confirmed when he opened the door.
David and Sasha sat opposite each other at the room’s singular table. He was finishing the plate of food she brought him, eating the last bit of fruit. Of course, he ate the meat first. The bandage was gone from his hand, indicating he healed up just fine. She was speaking to him, near the end of one of her stories. When Nathan entered, David glanced at him for a moment. Even listening to her, he was vigilant. He knew he was there, but turned his attention right back to her.
“So, before they left, they apologized for breaking the barrel of ale. I didn’t mind so much, floor had never been cleaner after they mopped up. Even paid me for the lost ale. Good kids, especially for mercenaries.”
David exhaled and looked at Sasha with that stare he used when about to say something disparaging about human nature. “Bad people…..will hurt others again.”
Sasha smiled. “Probably not. They’re trying, at least. Trying to turn their lives around. I feel like they’ll do fine.”
David shook his head. “No one changes.”
“I’m sure it’s easy to believe that. You’re the kind of hero that’s seen a lot. I can see it in your eyes. But, the good Lord can change anyone’s heart.”
David looked at Nathan again and the stoat smiled. This was a sentiment he shared time and again. He looked back at her and spoke.
“Evil does not change. Only prey on the innocent.”
“Some do. God can redeem the worst of sinners.” Sasha folded her paws in front of her. “Of course, those who don’t have people like you to worry about.” She chuckled. “Punisher of evil, defender of the downtrodden, right?”
David nodded once.
Sasha finally noticed Nathan return. She waved at him. “Welcome back, Nathan. Hope you had a good breakfast. Cuthbert burns the bacon sometimes, but he means well.”
“It was…fine.” Nathan was a little surprised someone was willingly sitting down to talk to David. “Were you…waiting long?”
“Oh, no, no. He woke up as soon as I put the food on the table. Must’ve still been hungry.” She looked at David. “You really shouldn’t go so long without eating. Big hero like you needs his strength. Evil’s not going to punish itself, right?”
David nodded.
“And after that, we just got to talking. Must have lost track of time. It happens.”
“Sometimes….” Nathan flicked an ear. This seemed so mundane that it was surreal. He shook his head. “It’s fine, though. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Blood flies when we find someone evil.” Nathan grinned and wagged his tail. That was more like it.
Sasha let out a short laugh. “That’s the way!” She stood up and smoothed down her apron. “Gonna get back to it. Don’t want the kitchen slacking just because they think I’m busy.” She walked toward the door, but stopped before leaving. “Oh, one more thing. There were some bounty hunters downstairs earlier. Tough looking bunch, but a bit clueless. Looking for some big wizard. Might want to check with them, they look like they need all the help they can get. Should still be at the back table, trying to look inconspicuous.”
The door closed behind her. Nathan was about to ask David if they should check it out, but he was already reaching for his backpack to put it on. They were on the same wavelength when it came to fighting villains. Without another word spoken, they headed out to find out about their quarry, whatever it may be.
The meeting with the bounty hunters was unremarkable. A quartet of scarred up nobodies barely worth mentioning. They mostly made their living knocking off highwaymen and the occasional livestock-stealing ogre. They were looking to make a name for themselves hunting down a real threat. Nathan wished them well, but hoped that they did not find who they were looking for. A rogue wizard was more than they could handle and they did not even know it.
The wizard’s wanted poster lay on the table in front of the two heroes. Nathan, being royalty, had no trouble convincing the bounty hunters to leave them a copy. A highly detailed image, etched by magic from the details of several witnesses, was centered on the paper. An anthro bear was depicted. Height listed was about seven feet tall, weight at six hundred pounds. His fur was brown, with darker brown fur on his muzzle bordering on black. Long black hair hung to his mid back and was woven into a tight braid. The eyes on these wanted posters were always the same; they stared with blank menace out of the page. They also happened to be brown. His build was heavy with fat and muscle. In the picture he was dressed in a dark green tunic and traveler’s cloak, with bare feet and black slacks. Printed under his image in easy to read, block letters was:
Kiam Dietrich
Druid/Wizard in command of the foulest aspects of nature.
Wanted for hundreds of murders over several generations, multiple crop failures, crimes against nature. Approach with extreme caution.
Reward: 20,000 gold or 2000 acres of land or 1,000 Republic of Willy Fun Bucks.
It listed that he was last seen in the Great Northern Forest, but his current whereabouts were not known. A few places were listed, so that helped narrow it down. Being a druid, he was more likely to set up in a place without a large amount of magical interference to get in the way of communicating with his fake gods. And a forest. Definitely a forest.
Nathan glanced up at David. A deep scowl crossed his face; an expression Nathan saw whenever he was thinking of a particularly egregious evil. “Know this guy, Dave?”
“….know his face. Seen his victims.” He growled.
“Well, you know what to look for. Good, that’ll save us some time.” Nathan flicked his tail. “Kind of surprised you didn’t catch him if you know about him. Not like you.”
David shook his head. “Saw victims, not him. Fairies showed me.”
“Heh, guess he didn’t like the fairies from your world much either. They do seem a little intense sometimes.” Nathan rolled up the poster. “Since you’ve seen him….somehow, I’ll keep this. We better get moving. I’m thinking we split up for this one. I’ll open a portal to one world for you, then one for me. I’ll come back for you after a couple of weeks. Sound good?” David nodded. “Grood. Let’s go do the right thing, not the nice thing.” Nathan chuckled, then added. “Better buy lots of travel rations this time. Don’t want you starving without me. Think you can manage on your own this time?” David glared at him. Well, at least Nathan thought it was funny. He grinned showing all his teeth and darted off.
A dozen steps after leaving the inn, David and Nathan’s minds were already on their work. They were not so focused that they missed Sasha calling after them. “David, Nathan, wait!”
They paused. Simultaneously, their heads turned to see the whippet trot toward them with the brisk steps of someone who got their start waiting tables in a busy tavern. Nathan was always impressed with how quickly an innkeeper was capable of walking.
“I know you’re about to buy supplies for a long journey. But, I wanted to bring you some more of those cabbage rolls you like.” She held the box out to David. He looked down at them, but said nothing. He did not seem to know how to process it, so he looked to Nathan for help.
Helping David escape awkwardness was not on his mind. “Cabbage rolls? Bring anything for me?” What was he, chopped rodent?
“If you like, you can have some. They’re good for you.” She nodded to Nathan, but looked up at David. “I want you to keep your strength up. You’ll need it if you’re going to run off righting wrongs and slaying wizards.”
David nodded again. He reached out and took the box. The smell seeped through, but it was not unpleasant to the gray man, judging by how he smelled it. The ghost of a smile was on his face. “Thank you.” He said simply.
“My pleasure. You boys come back here whenever you’re in the area. I’ll make sure you’re well fed.” Sasha leaned up and beckoned with a finger. “One more thing though. Need to tell you something. Lean in.”
David raised an eyebrow. A little confused, sure, but he did what she asked. He leaned over. His head was now, more or less, on level with hers. She leaned up and pressed the tip of her muzzle to his lips. A kiss, however brief, was still a kiss. She pulled back before the confused man could jerk his head away.
Sasha turned and walked away. “Hope to see you again soon, heroes. I’ll leave the light on for you.” The whippet’s body vanished into the inn.
David blinked. He straightened up his body and just stood there. Processing that was going to take him some time.
Nathan, on the other hand, practically had to pick his jaw up off the floor. “What the Hell was that?!” He gestured wildly.
“…..Do not know.” David commented. He shook his head, unslung his backpack, and stuffed the rolls inside. “Work to do. Supplies, then kill the bear.” The heavy, canvas pack slung over his shoulders. He was already walking toward the general store.
“Hey, wait up! That’s…..” Nathan slumped. This was all too weird. Maybe it was best to just ignore it, like David did. He followed after.