Alice tightened her lips. Took a small sip. Shuffled in her seat. Took another sip. "So, uh, this drink is really good?" Alice said, trying to break the tension permeating the room.
It was no use. Alice doubted she could cut the tension with a long sword. Blanche and his sister were sitting on opposite sides of the round table, each trying their best to kill the other with their glare.
How did it come to this again?
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10 minutes earlier:
After Jorgen had told them he'd called Blanche's sister, Blanche panicked. His eyes bulged, his Adam's apple stuck out, sweat ran down his neck and arms, and he constantly shifted his feet. Make no mistake about it, Blanche had been the quintessential image of a cornered prey.
Then the tassels to the pharmacy had spun out of control with sheer gusto as somebody new stormed in. Alice needed a minute to take in the newcomer because she was not what Alice had been expecting when Jorgen said 'sister.'
Seeing Jorgen's young appearance had been enough of a shock for it to register that dwarves were vastly different from humans biologically, as well as culturally. Alice hadn't known what to expect from Blanche's sister, but it wasn't…this.
Blanche's sister was more muscular than both Blanche and Jorgen combined. Each biceps was the size of a small boulder, and faintly, Alice wondered about the workout routine she had to undergo to receive those. Unlike Blanche and Jorgen, the sister had matted, dirty-blonde hair that had been evidently chopped short. The left side of her face sagged a smidgen more than her right side, creating a lopsided appearance. Her nose was crooked, like it had been broken several times and each reset had been progressively less accurate.
Alice's jaw slowly dropped as the sister got closer and closer until she was towering over Blanche. Last point: she was tall. Nearly two times Alice's own height, and Alice was around 5'3. Alice craned her neck backward just to see her face, and it was with no small amount of disbelief that she realized Blanche had to do the same.
"Brother." Contrary to her appearance, the sister's voice was high-pitched and squeaky, grating on Alice's ears. "You think you can show your ugly mug here, say hello to Father, and then leave? You have some nerve!"
Alice gulped as the pitch of her voice grew higher and higher. She scanned the pharmacy, searching for any escape routes in case things became dicey. As much as she trusted Blanche to hold his own in a fight, his sister could probably deck him with a punch, and that was assuming she didn't know magic.
It also didn't escape her notice that the sister called Jargon 'Father', while Blanche was much more casual. A personal quirk or something deeper?
Blanche, for his credit, didn't flinch as his sister got up in his face. He maintained his usual calm composure, face perfectly flat as he held her gaze. "It's good to see you too, Angelica. I'm sure that you have questions for me, so why don't we go into the backroom? I think you're scaring off any customers, Groundbreaker."
Alice's eyebrows shot up. 'Groundbreaker?' Was that a Class, like her Destroyer Class?
Alice shuddered. With a moniker like that, no wonder people were scared of entering the pharmacy. If she saw someone like Angelica walking in the streets, she would turn around and make a beeline for the opposite side of the village.
"Thanks for the concern, my lovely son, but I'm actually going to close the shop. There's no way I can let this slip by," Jargon corrected, smirking. He redirected his gaze to Alice, sending shivers down her spine. Her feet suddenly felt rooted to the floor. "And of course, we need to talk about our guest here."
Angelica startled and looked at Alice like she was just now noticing there was a third occupant in the room. Likewise, Blanche frowned down at her as well, until Alice was subject to stares from all three dwarves. Each one brimmed with enough power to pop her head off as one would do the cap of a bottle.
Alice regretted coming to this village in the first place.
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Present time:
Alice quietly sipped the juice from the huge tankard that Jorgen had shoved into her hand the moment they entered the backroom. Alice had spent a while merely studying the substance, watching the green liquid slosh around and gaining mild entertainment from keeping it from spilling over the top. Then, when it became clear it was going to be a while before she could leave, Alice took the plunge and sipped the liquid.
It wasn't half bad, considering its appearance left a lot to be desired. It had a thick texture to it, making it difficult to swallow, but it had a nice spicy kick to it. Of course, Alice's criticism of the dwarven drink was all in an attempt to ignore the silent war that was taking place over the table.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Alice kicked her legs absentmindedly; it was a weird feeling, not being able to touch the floor while sitting down. The chair Jargon had shoved her way was made for someone of significantly larger stature than she, and Alice felt like a child pretending to be sitting on a throne.
Speaking of Jargon, the instigator of this whole incident was conveniently nowhere to be found. After herding them into the back room and setting everything up, he had taken his leave back to the front desk, saying he'd be back as soon as he closed down the shop. Currently, it had been 367 seconds since he'd said that, and counting.
The room they were in was quaint compared to the other part of the pharmacy. It was large enough to fit Alice's apartment room inside, but its intended purpose was clearly as a storage room. A fine layer of dust coated nearly every inch of the room, and stacks of boxes were positioned haphazardly around the ovular room. There were more herbs hanging from the ceiling, which helped keep the air smelling clean with its sweet fragrance. The wooden round table at the very center of the room was wide enough that if Alice draped her entire upper body across the surface, she still wouldn't be able to reach the other side of it with her fingertips. Not that she would anyway, considering the bowl of moldy fruits laying on top.
Angelica and Blanche were still locking eyes, clearly in their own world. Alice took a sip.
"I'm here!" Jargon proudly announced his presence. Alice spluttered, accidentally sucking up a stream of thick sludge into her nostrils. Choking, she spat it back into the cup and slowly lifted her head, hoping nobody had noticed.
No such luck. Angelica and Blanche were staring at her once again, and Alice could nearly hear the question bouncing in their heads: "What is this crazy little girl doing?"
Jargon took it all in good fashion, patting Alice on the back. This time, he seemed to take her human strength into account, because instead of catapulting face-first into the desk, she was able to catch herself on the edge. The tankard hit the ground, the liquid splashing all over the ground. It was official. Alice was dead.
Jargon waved it off, saying it was no deal and that the floor would soak it all up. Alice believed he was just saying that to make her feel better, until right before her eyes, the liquid seeped into the ground, leaving only a large stain. A few seconds later, not even that. Alice's mind raced, thinking of all the good that could be for her village if they were able to incorporate it. The floor wasn't carpet or any other fabric, so how. . . .?
"I hope you've aired your grievances because we got bigger things to talk about," Jargon began. Alice pursed her lips. Blanche and Angelica had just been staring at each other the whole time. Could dwarves communicate telepathically with their kin, or were Angelica and Blanche really good at reading each other's thoughts based on their faces?
Angelica snorted, slamming a fist into the table. "There are still a few kinks to work out, but for the most part, it's settled. I can deal with Blanche being here for a few days, but if he's not gone by then, I'm booting him out myself." Jargon's wide smile dimmed a little in its brilliance, but he nodded like he'd expected the answer.
"I wasn't planning on staying that long, anyway. I'm only here to visit the market and get supplies for the trip to the capital," Blanche explained.
Angelica narrowed her eyes. "Right, that's a bit wonky. You rarely leave this quadrant of the forest, and when you do, you never stray out that far. And now you're telling me you're going straight to the capital on foot. Something's up. And I'll bet half a bag of golden coins that it's got something to do with her." Angelica jutted her thumb out at her so abruptly, it took Alice a second to realize she'd been referenced. She blanched, trembling under Angelica's furious gaze. The dwarf looked like she was planning on ripping her heart out.
"Bravo," Blanche slow-clapped, drawing the word out. "You're a genius for figuring that out, Angelica. And yes, me and my apprentice are going to the capital to enroll her into the Royal Academy. Henceforth, we need supplies to survive, so it'd be absolutely fantastic if you stop wasting our time."
Angelica ballooned up, cheeks puffing out. She spluttered, sounding like she was trying to get the right words out to display the sheer amount of rage she felt towards Blanche but failed in finding words that could properly suffice to get the message across. Alice watched the performance as Angelica's face contorted this way and that way before she gave up with a huff.
Standing to her fearsome height, Angelica let out one last growl and turned her back onto them, making her way out the room. Alice's chest sagged as she let the air she'd been holding in out. Feeling faint all of a sudden, with no energy left in her limbs, Alice sagged against the chair, resembling a limp noodle. At least, it was over.
"Angelica, take Alice with you!" Blanche called. A sinister grin slid over his face. “Teach her our ways.”
Wait, what?
Alice scrambled back up the chair, swiveling her head to stare at Blanche with pure, abject horror written all over her face. Heavy storming alerted her to the fact that Angelica had returned to the room, but she could care less at the moment. The only objective Alice had was transmitting to Blanche how bad of an idea this was, using her pale complexion and the tears starting to form as evidence. She shook her head ever so faintly. If Blanche had any morsel of care hidden under his layers of callousness, then now was the time for it to shine through.
Blanche held her gaze for a second longer, and Alice fancied the fact he was changing his mind. She could practically see the thought circulating within his head. Then, making absolutely certain that Alice was looking at him, he shook his head.
No.
Alice opened her mouth as a beefy arm wrapped around her torso and picked her up with the same ease one might pick up a baby. After Angelica positioned Alice underneath her armpit, she turned back around, leaving the room. Alice froze as the tassels came closer and closer. No, no, no! She was being kidnapped and there was nothing she could do about it!
Alice tried moving her arm–she was confident the nerve signals were reaching her arm, but there was no movement. Angelica had her arm wrapped so tightly around Alice, moving her arm was about the same as trying to move it while a boulder lay on top. Alice grit her teeth, openly sobbing at the futility of it all.
Damn you, Blanche!