Troville, The Heated Scale
"Alright! Table 4! Five cherry tarts! Table 3! Lamb chops with a side of sweet potatoes! Table 6...!" Taking charge from the counter was Vasha, barking orders at Mari and Bread running around the busier than ever tavern. "Moco! You got people waiting for their drinks at table 1!"
"Kay!" Moco was floating around in the air with balls of water, ale, juice, and more at her command. "Here you go!" Flicking a finger at a pair of raised glasses, she shot a jet of wine into them. "Heh! Next!" She waved at anyone else ready for their turn.
"Right here!" One man raised a mug while reaching out to his coin pouch left on his table. "Huh?" But turning around, he found nothing. "Wha?" Before he could do a thing about it, the door of the tavern got pushed open by Gram.
"Here..." In the Greater Wolf's mouth was the man's coin pouch that he tossed to its owner and on his back was its thief knocked out cold. "Seriously don't rumors go around here?" Gram muttered, walking outside to dump the thief in a pile of other unsuccessful idiots. "At least try to hide your scent next time." He grumbled, sniffing everyone that when in and out of the Heated Scale.
"Well, that's another one." Sarah, the tavern owner, smirked, passing a rag over an empty table. "Oh? Here you go, Os." She handed a stack of dirty plates to Os as it was going around cleaning up the floor.
"Ooo!" The Slime waved a sticky hand at Sarah before it headed off to the back.
"You know? I was worried at first about having all of you here...but uh it really paid off." Sarah admitted to Vasha after coming up to the counter as the Goblin got done with a customer.
"Meh, compared to getting that redhead to work this is nothing and it's more rewarding," Vasha shrugged it off then tapped on a tip jar nearly filled to the brine with copper and silver coins. "Ahem." She pushed it toward the young man in front of her. "~Would you kindly~?" She asked, pressing her arms together to make her chest stick out more.
"Ahh! Yea! Here you go!" The poor guy tipped her a few more copper coins and left red in the face.
"But Chief's gonna pop a vein when he sees his backed-up work." Vasha grimaced at a stack of item orders under the counter that she was keeping filed for when Blake got back. "The fact that he's good at his job means people are willing to wait...but ugh." She went for her pipe and then looked at Sarah. "Mmm?" And waved it around as if asking if she could use it.
"It's not your break time..." Sarah held a blank stare at the Goblin. "...you might be able to run this place better than me, but I'm still the boss!" She boasted afterward, putting her hands on her hips and gave her tail little a shake. "Oh!" then came the ringing of the doorbell causing her black head spikes to spring up. "~Hello and welcome To the Heated Scal-..." She cut herself short as the new customer was Gregor, the vulture Avian and Troville's reeve. "...Hello, Reeve Gregor." Her voice lost all signs of liveliness it once had at seeing the bird.
"Hmm? Is something the matter, Miss Sarah? Your voice sounds most hoarse?" Gregor asked, not knowing that he was the cause of it. "Business is as good as ever, I see?" He strolled into the tavern, inspecting the lively scene, which was a far cry from the usual. "I must say! Although, I was quite against you keeping that Smith's people here...it has turned out rather fruitful." He admitted, coming up to the counter and rested a feathery arm on it. "Now you must know why I am here, yes? I hope it was all prepared this time."
"Mari!" Sarah and Vasha called out to the young girl after she got done serving someone.
"Mr. Gregor!" At seeing Gregor, Mari ran up and hugged one of his legs. "Wait here!" Then she went to the bakery part of the tavern, going over to the oven while grabbing an apron, a wooden peel, and a step stool. "Right on time!" She cheered, after checking on what was baking in there, and used the peel to pull out a batch of flatbread muffins. "Ok! Mr. Gregor, what do you want on 'em this time?" She asked, setting the muffins down at a counter that had sugar, honey, jams, diced fruit, and other such toppings.
"Oh? I don't know, cheery jam? Honey? Cheese? As is? Hmm?" Gregor rubbed his beak with one hand while the other was waving the smell of the freshly finished treats into his face. "Oh? What is this?" He asked, reaching for a small jar of seeds. "Hak!" Until Mari slapped his hand with her spoon.
"No touching!" Mari warned, waving the spoon at Gregor. "These are sun-dried pumpkin seeds." She shook the jar a little. "Wanna try 'em?"
"~Oh~ something new! Yes, please!" Gregor clapped his hands a few times, and his eyes lit up as Mari sprinkled the seeds on one of the muffins and offered it to him. "Why thank you...KAH!" He took a quick peck at it, taking 2/3s of it, and rocked his head back. "Divine! I'll take the hold batch like this!" He tossed the last of it down his beak then turned to Sarah and Vasha after Mari started getting his order ready. "Now then tax for the month?"
(Note: Blake and co have not been gone for a month they left near the end of one, and they've been gone for about 4 days)
"Here." Vasha produced a small chest and opened it, showing two small bags then held one of them up to the reeve.
"Hmm?" Gregor opened it to find coins mostly silver, and after a good shake, he nodded. "Good, you've made it this time around." He smirked at Sarah and then eyed the other bag which was slightly bigger than the first. "And what is this?"
"This is all of my back pay, Reeve," Sarah answered and handed the bag to Gregor. "Finally, free from any more threats, hehe!"
"Threats? Whatever do you mean, Miss Sarah?" Gregor asked again, not realizing that he was the cause of such threats. "Why would anyone have a reason to threaten you over your tax payments? How rude! How dastardly! How..."
"Sarah and Vasha shared a look while Gregor was going on about that. "Yea, I don't know either." Sarah left him be, anything she might say might set him off on her.
"Mr. Gregor! Your muffins are done!" Mari called Gregor with a brown bag sitting next to her that was giving off some light steam.
"Kah! Why thank you, my dear!" Gregor whipped his head around to Mari and went over to her while leaving more than enough to pay for his order with Vasha putting the extra coins in her tip jar. "You and your heavenly creations are another reason why I hope that Smith takes his time in coming back!" He spun around with his bag and then stopped when a deep blue carriage rolled in front of the Heated Scale. "And the other has just arrived!" He fixed his clothing a bit then looked as noble as he could.
"Bread!" Sarah and Vasha did the same as they did with Mari as the boy was right in the middle of serving someone.
"Sorry!" Bread apologized before dashing away as fast as he could, dropping the food meant for someone into their lap. "WAH!" Then jumped into a barrel in a far corner of the tavern which Moco threw a cloth over and Os slacked some firewood on it for good measure.
"Hey! What the hell, kid!?" The customer the food got dropped on yelled about to get up and snap at Sarah. "Ugh!" But the moment they got up they were faced with the bulky armor of a Ram Force guard. "Uhm...I'll be leaving now..." They quickly made their way out along with everyone else but the tavern's staff and Gregor.
When everyone unneeded was cleared out a blue carpet was rolled out into the tavern going all the way to the main counter then after a pair of Ram Force guards took post at the door, it was finally time for the guest of honor to grace these sad commoners.
"~Good day to all~" Angelica greeted the Heated Scale with a royal wave and a flash of her silver grill as she came in with her rainbow parasol in hand which was handed off to her parasol guard. "Hmm?" Once inside she scanned the room for a certain silver-haired passenger hat-wearing boy.
"Ah! Hello, Lady Ovis!" Gregor slowly sauntered up to Angelica so as not to get the attention of her guards. "And what brings you here today?" He took off his feathered cap and bowed to her with his tail feathers in full view behind him.
"Hmm? Can I have one of those?" Angelica pointed at one of Gregor's tail feathers sticking out behind him. "Wait? Make that all of ~them~" She added after thinking it over.
"All of them?" Gregor meeped, standing back up straight, and brushed some of his feathers. "Haha? My lady, you must be overthinking this, yes? You see these feathers are not old enough to be plucked just yet. One would be itchy, but all would be...rather painful if I must say."
"You must be brave to face any hardship put on you, Mr. Reeve, as is your duty to your town" Angelica informed Gregor before clapping her hands, and her guards moved in on the Avian man.
"Wha-wha-!" Gregor was held by his neck by one guard and bent over. "MMM!" Then the other took a handful of his tail feathers. "Gen-KAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as his feathers were painfully ripped from his backside. "Ahhh..." And was left flinching on the floor while the guard held the feathers to Angelica.
"Oh? They aren't as soft as I thought, and the color isn't too lustrous? Throw them away!" Angelica scoffed at the feathers after rubbing one of them between her fingers, and as ordered, her guards threw them back at Gregor on the floor. "However..." She pointed a finger at Gregor, and he froze, watching her move the tiny digit to his bag of muffins. "...I would like some of those."
"Ah! But of course! Please take as many as you wish my lady!" Gregor gladly offered despite his shaking legs and an arm filled with his plucked feathers.
"I only need two..." Angelica waved a hand as her guards got to moving with one taking the muffins from Gregor and got a table for two ready. "...that one..." The other one went to the far corner of the room where Bread was hiding in a barrel after Angelica pointed at that exact one. "...bring him here." She tapped on her foot, and the barrel was brought to her. "Out you come!" And with a simple kick, the whole thing fell apart, revealing Bread curled up inside.
"Hiya...Lady Oivs." Bread slowly waved to her as he got up. "Wah!" And was picked up by one of the guards and then forced to sit at the table they set up with Angelica joining him. "Ugh?" He fidgeted in his seat, trying to not stare at Angelica.
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"So? How have you been, Bread?" Angelica asked, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers and held up a wine glass for Moco to shoot some apple juice into it.
"Good?" Bread answered, unsure of himself as Angelica's guards hadn't left them and were bearing down on the boy. "These are good right?" He asked nervously chewing one of the muffins Mari made.
"I suppose even if they were made by 'that one' they are still rather good," Angelica answered, nibbling on hers while glancing at Mari watching from afar. "~Mmm~" But even with the way she addresses the other girl she couldn't help herself from enjoying the treat taking bigger and bigger bites out of it.
After finding out where Blake had sent the leftover members of his guild. Angelica took it upon herself to come by and see Bread each day, hoping for the chance to convince him to come with her and get added to her kingdom of debtors then she could ask for something else from her brother Stefon When her Rainbow Knights win as she always says.
"Hey, Bread, could you come help me count the pumpkin seeds for tomorrow?" Mari came up to the two dining kids and tugged at Bread's arm, not giving a care to Angelica or more importantly, guards who moved to stop her. "Os."
"OOORAHH!" Os roared, turning into a giant pink copy of what looked like Saffire as a Dragon, and crunched down on one of the guards' arms while pushing the other away with its slimy claws.
"Oh? What's this? A lowly maggot and her vomit trying to disturb me and what's mine?" Angelica asked, with a hand under her chin while she spun her glass around.
"I told you before, Sheepy, he's mine..." Mari glared at the Ovis noble, tugging Bread some more. "Let go!" She yelled at Angelica after the noble grabbed Bread by his left arm while Mari held his right.
"Now, now, I do not see your mark on him anywhere? So, he's up for grabs!" Angelica shot back, pulling Bread close enough to brush a hand to his face. "But don't worry, I'll be sure to brand you to make sure you always know where you belong." She flashed a smile at Mari, getting the glint of her grill in the other girl's eyes.
"As if! My brother's gonna beat all of those dumb knights you have and make you fix our guild house!" Mari yanked Bread over to her side, catching him in her arms, and made the young boy's face turn red. "Top that!" She stuck her tongue out at Angelica.
"Hmph! How childish!" Angelica scoffed at the challenge and threw some of her hair at Mari. "If by some chance my knights were to lose I would simply offer that brother of yours any amount of money he'd want so I might as well get him now!" Once again she pulled on Bread holding him from the front while Mari had his back. "And once that's done you can get some training to be a part of my knights..." She held Bread's face in her hands and then paused. "...Ah! If that happens, then you're going to need a new name, hmm? Oh! Donn! Yes, that would be lovely, yes?"
"That's dumb! And we already changed his name, and everyone likes it!" Mari pulled Bread back with Angelica fighting her along the way. "Grrr!"
"WAH! Ple-AH-se! STOP!" Bread tried to get away from them, but he only found himself as a toy being fought over by a pair of puppies.
"OOORAH!" While that was going on, Os was having a battle with the two guards and had gotten one of them trapped inside itself. "OORGG!" While the other one was holding their own, bashing away most of Os' claw strikes with a parasol.
"Well, this going about as usual," Vasha muttered, lighting her pipe as the normal customers were gone. "Ah, that's ~better~" She took a long drag and then blew out a few smoke rings.
"Huh?" Moco's eyes followed the rings up and down as they drifted by. "Wheee!" Then floated through them, getting some of the smoke in her water ring, turning it a little cloudy. "Hehehe! Come on, Bread! Play with me!" She went over to Mari, Angelica, and Bread and grabbed the boy by his head, pulling him free from the madness and into her own.
"This is...worse!" Bread coughed up smoke as Moco flew them through a circuit of rings made by Vasha.
"Hey! Give him back! He's mine!" Mari and Angelica yelled up at the flying Merechild. "Huh!?" Then stared at eachother. "No! He's mine! Stop copying me! Arghh!" They screamed at eachother, swinging their arms around but not actually hitting the other.
"Hehe! Here!" Moco was all smiles, dropping Bread out of the air and right on top of Mari and Angelica still 'fighting' each other.
"O?!/My lady!" Os and the guard broke up from their fight and pulled the two girls apart.
"AHH-GUH!" Leaving Bread to smack into the floor with his head going through the floorboards.
"That's coming out of his pay," Sarah told Vasha, rubbing her long face.
"That's the sixth time in two days." Vasha took note of it in a small book titled 'Bread's Mistakes'. "At this point, he might not be able to buy a piece of himself."
"Funny. If that Smith was here, I'd have him fix this for free." Sarah groaned, resting her head in her claws as Mari and Angelica got back to bickering over who should get Bread. "That's starting to get on my nerves."
"Well, you can't get rid of her, she's your highest-paying customer." Vasha pointed out, pushing a piece of paper that had the cost of renting out the whole tavern on short notice to one of Angelica's guards. The one that got swallowed by Os to be exact and was getting pink slime all over the place. "Os, get yourself together!"
"O!" Os shook a little, and most of its pieces came back together with the rest of it drying up.
"Hmph! Well, if you are going to be so disrespectful! I shall be taking my leave post haste!" Angelica turned her nose up at Mari, having her fill of foul word-throwing for today. "Goodbye! Donn, I will make sure to take you with me ~tomorrow~" She blew a kiss Bread's way as she went past him.
"Hah, yea..." Bread waved at her with a goofy smile even if what Angelica meant was him being a slave to her getting a kiss blown at him felt nice.
"Not happening, Sheepy!" Mari yelled as the little Ovis lady left. "And you! Wipe that smile off your face!" She smacked Bread over his head, almost throwing him over.
As the guards were trailing behind Angelica, they stopped to stare at Os who stared back at them.
"Os made a hand of slime that held up to fingers which it used to point at itself then the guards with them doing the same.
"I do not fathom as to why a member of House Ovis has taken so much interest in such a lowly rat." Gregor glared over at Bread getting slapped by Mari for still having a smile on his face. "It truly ruffles my feathers as that girl doesn't know greatness when she sees it?" He pulled at his shirt, trying to look as proud as ever.
"Kind of lacking a few of those right now," Vasha muttered, taking down the profits for today with her joke getting a laugh out of Sarah.
"Hmm!" Gregor leered at her, but the curvy Goblin blew smoke at him. "Sarah, please tell your workers to refrain from making comedy out of me or else!" He warned the still-giggling lizard. "Do you hear me, Miss Sarah!?" He leaned in on her with his neck alone.
"He-! Yes! Reeve Gregor!" Sarah quit her laughter and meekly nodded to Gregor. "I'll be sure to tell her that right away!" She backed away slowly as the Avian man kept leering at her.
"Good...I will be leaving you for today but worry not! I shall return tomorrow for some...hmm?" Gregor paused to think about what to get next, pecking at one of his muffins. "Walnut brownies?" He rolled his eyes at Mari.
"Okay, Mr. Gregor!" Mari stopped, beating on Bread, and waved over at Gregor as he left. "You're helping me get stuff this time!" She pulled Bread along as they went to the back.
"Oi, bird, what happened to your ass?" Gram asked once Gregor came out outside and noted fewer feathers tailing behind him.
"None for your concern, do-Kah!" Gregor jumped away when Gram tried to bite at his leg. "Forgive me!"
"That's 'wolf' to you," Gram smirked, letting his scar show off his fangs to the bird who was sweating hard. "Hah, I'm just joking! Can't cause trouble for my Alpha, now can I?"
"Ah...yes? That would be bad? For him!" Gregor shook a finger at Gram before getting as far away as he could from Gram.
"Hah, I like that bird." Gram chuckled, laying down to get some sleep in. "Hmm?" But raised his head after his nose caught something. "Blood?" Sniffing the air some more he got the hint of blood but not much else maybe someone got a cut on their finger. "Meh, nothing..." He grumbled, laying back down.
"Up and at 'em! Gram!" Mari jumped out of an open window and right on top of the Greater Wolf with a basket in hand while Os was inside its jar on her back. "We're gonna look for walnuts!" She cheered, tugging at Gram's fur. "Bread! Where are you!?!" She yelled into the tavern when Bread didn't jump after her.
"I'm coming!" Bread appeared coming out of the window, too, baskets in hand. "Ugh!" But the moment Gram twisted his head around to stare at the boy he froze. "A-a-ah, can I?" He nervously asked, sitting down on the window frame.
"Fine...better than slowing down for you." Gram allowed it as he rose from the ground. "Ugh!" And stretched himself out a little with a few pops and cracks coming out of him. "Can't wait for Alpha to get back here I need a good workout..."
"Wanna race then!" Moco shot out from the tavern's door in a jet stream of water, making loops in the air before floating over Gram. "Did ya think you could go somewhere without me!?"
"A race, huh? That sounds good, where to?" Gram turned to Mari on his back.
"There!" Pointing over at a forest in the distance that Mari set the finish line of the impromptu race.
"Hah! Easy! Hope you don't get wet!" Moco surrounded herself with water. "Ready!" Then sent a thumbs-up to Gram.
"Set!" Gram grinned back at her then raked at the dirt with his paws all too excited with this little race.
"Uuuhhh!" Bread, on the other hand, was starting to think it might be better to stay with Sarah and clean up. "Gotta hold on tight!" He tried reaching around for something to hold on to which was Mari. "Huh?" However, there was one barrier that stopped him from holding on tight to the girl in front of him.
Which was Os slowly turning pink as three eyes glared at Bread belonging to Blake, Saffire, and Gram. "O?" Until it turned red and the eyes winked at Bread.
"Never mind..." Bread grabbed some of Gram's fur and braced himself.
"GOOOO!" Mari cheered, and in the next moment, Gram took off, leaving claw marks where he was while Moco was shot out like a cannonball with water trailing behind her.
"Lost your chance to go with them," Sarah mused to Vasha as she was going around cleaning the place up after Angelica made everyone leave. "And could you help me?" She turned to the Goblin smoking at the main counter.
"The last time I went off with a group of idiots; I got tied up by a perverted blacksmith who stared at my ass half the time and then got brought by him," Vasha dryly answered, getting up to help Sarah out with cleaning.
"He hasn't...you know...made you do 'stuff'...?" Sarah started then trailed off, leaving Vasha to connect the dots. "...I mean he's got all those girls around him and..."
"No. Surprisingly he's been treating me well; I get clothes, food, a bed...hell he even pays me." Vasha went through some of the things Blake has done for her 'because he wanted to' as he always told her. "That Chief's for you, a really weird guy." She muttered, swiping some dust around with a smile.
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Outside of Troville
"YAHOOO! YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!" Moco cheered, zooming by Angelica's carriage while washing it down with some water.
The driver and guards remained stone-faced as the sudden shower hit them then came a rumbling from behind.
"I'm just giving you a head start!" Gram appeared, jumping over the carriage, and landed in a cloud of dust before he took off after Moco with Mari cheering him on while Bread was hanging off his tail.
However, despite all the commotion going on outside Angelica was far more concerned with the magic mirror in her hands that had a figure of Weiss, the captain of her Rainbow Knights on it. "So? That's how things went, yes?"
"Indeed, Lady Angelica, and I must say again, it was mostly my fault as I wanted to be fair and could not bring myself to harm a horse." Weiss had finished giving Angelica a rundown of the events of the guild battle sadly ending in her defeat. "Your knights and I are ready to take any punishment you have for us."
"Yes, that will come to pass once you are all here and I am going have to talk to my bother about the renovations of his guild house but more importantly..." Angelica informed Weiss twirling some of her hair around with her free hand. "...You said Greenbit won his fight, YES!? ~Ooooh~ I knew he would! But how did he do it!? Did he get a new transformation!? Was he hurt badly!? Was it a close battle!? Also, tell him I miss him so dearly! And that I love him so much! And remind him that he promised to sleep with me for each day he was gone! And that..."
Weiss simply nodded along as his lady was rambling about her undying love for Greenbit all while biting her fingers in excitement, drawing blood like the first time he told her that Greenbit was the only one that won a match.
Chapter End