Everyone except Rose and Rick had arrived early to prepare for the morning rush. Thorn found a spot at a table where she could watch the entrance to the tent and observe everyone working. Under Thorn's watchful glare, Richard and Bob grew nervous. Meanwhile, Batty kept glancing at the tent entrance, hoping that Rose and Rick would show up separately.

Rose and Rick entered the tent together. Batty swore silently, and Bob and Richard quickly glanced at Thorn.

Rose patted Rick on the head and said, "Have a good day, Rick."

"You too, Rose," The imp squeaked.

"Rose," Thorn roared, "Where were you last night, girl?"

"I was with my crew," Rose said, walking towards the coffee station.

"Your crew or your imp?" Thorn said scornfully.

"The imps are part of our crew," Richard blurted out, immediately regretting his impulsiveness. Thorn's scornful face turned to Richard, who found the wooden table intriguing.

Rose turned to Thorn, "The imps are part of our crew." She pointed to Batty, "So is Batty and Greg."

"Who the flockox is, Greg?" Thorn swore.

"Hey, that's me," Greg said as he entered the tent. He looked at Thorn, then at Bob and Richard, who were making hand motions to shut up. Greg wasn't the sharpest Battleax, but he knew from experience when to keep his mouth shut. He stared directly ahead as he walked to the kitchen for breakfast.

Doug walked in behind Greg. He looked at the angry old Shaman and followed his friend to the kitchen without a word.

"Who's that?" Greg asked inside the kitchen.

Betty, Ben, and Doug hushed him.

"She can hear you," Doug said.

"What? No way," Greg said in a hushed voice.

"I can hear you!" Shouted Thorn. A loud commotion came from the kitchen, and the tent became silent.

Batty brought Thorn a hot black coffee in the largest cup they had. She gave the old Shaman a smile.

"Thank you, girl," Thorn said, nodding at Batty, who bowed her head in respect before returning to her station.

Mick approached with a plate full of bacon, eggs, and toast. He also brought a large glass of water and a fork. Mick followed Batty's example and bowed his head before leaving.

Thorn picked up the fork and stared at it. Richard nudged Bob, who was trying to eat his BLT. Both Orcs were amazed when the old Shaman began to eat with the fork easily.

"It's not the first time I've used a fork, pups!" Thorn hissed. Richard and Bob quickly looked down at their own breakfast.

Customers started to arrive. The line quickly grew in size and out of the tent entrance. Thorn watched the line as she tapped the table with her sharp nails.

"So, is that the health inspector?" A human said to Bob, pointing to the old Shaman.

Bob glanced at Thorn and said quietly, "No, more like the angry old great aunt." Thorn gave Bob a glare. "Who we all respect and fear."

"Yeah, I've got one of those. At least yours doesn't have a lovestruck lich hanging around," The human said with a laugh. (Yes, Dear Reader, another story for another day.)

The line began to move smoothly. Everyone seemed pleased to receive their coffee and breakfast. Mick kept Thorn's water and coffee full at all times.

"What is your name, little cousin?" Thorn asked as Mick filled her glass of water.

"Mick," Mick said, saluting her, "I keep everyone from being thirsty and take the dishes away."

"You've done an excellent job, Mick," Thorn commended.

"Thank you, Great Orc Thorn," Mick bowed his head and dashed off to the next table.

Thorn's scowl eased for a moment. When she scanned the line, her scowl returned. A familiar figure stood in line next to a small, plump man. Thorn shouted as she stood, "Battleax!"

Battleax turned to the sound of his name. His eyes went wide with surprise when he saw Thorn. Battleax and Thorn stormed toward each other as the tent went quiet, and the universe held its breath.

The two larger-than-life legends stood before each other, Thorn standing taller than Battleax. They both stood their tallest and glared at each other. Suddenly, Thorn slapped Battleax. Everyone in the tent gasped, the gods took bets, and the universe chuckled.

Battleax rubbed his face, "Yep, I deserved that. Sorry about standing you up." (Yes, Dear Reader, that is a story for another day) Battleax gave Thorn a toothy smile. She returned the smile, and then they began to laugh.

Everyone released the breath they had all been holding.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I see you still have all your teeth," Battleax said.

" I do, and I still have a few of yours," Thorn said, jiggling her necklace, which appeared to have several teeth strung.

"That's where they went," Battleax said, examining the necklace.

"Daddy?" Batty said as she and Greg approached the Shaman and the Barbarian.

"Hey Batty, hi Greg," greeted Battleax, acknowledging his children.

"Greg?" Thorn asked.

"It's a phase," Battleax said as Greg rolled his eyes and left the tent to begin his patrol.

Battelax shrugged and said, "Batty, this is Thorn. Thorn, this is…"

"We met," Batty and Thorn said together.

Battleax laughed nervously, "Of course you have."

Thorn slapped Battleax on the back and said, "Join me for breakfast, old man." She motioned to the table. Battleax quickly kissed Batty on the cheek and joined his old friend. "Two large black coffees and two BLTs for me and my best nemesis!" Thorn shouted.

When the line saw there would be no epic fight, the tent began to buzz with conversation again. Everyone wanted to share opinions on who would lose in the battle. The consensus was that everyone standing around would be killed.

Soon, Mayor Hamilton joined the two old friends. After a few squeaks from the mayor, Thorn was laughing with the little man. Richard was impressed with how quickly the mayor could win over even the most savage of beasts.

A lone orc walked into the tent. Rose waved him over to the coffee station. He seemed nervous walking past so many humans and other races.

"George," Rose exclaimed, "I'm glad you showed up." Rose turned to Batty, "Batty, this is George, George, this is Batty." Batty and George shook hands. "George has experience with coffee."

George gave Batty a big toothy grin. "We had an Elf named Sam who brewed a mean cup of coffee. Before battles, he'd make us several pots. He is a great sword, uh, man." Batty and Rose looked at George, who was increasingly embarrassed. "Uh, I don't actually know if Sam is a boy or a girl. I was always too embarrassed to ask."

Batty laughed, "No worries, My dad did that too. He thought our elven bard was a boy for months."

"George , grab some food and then get back here. We have a lot of coffee to make today," Rose said. George saluted and ran off to the kitchen.

Soon, more orcs appeared. They ate and began to work. Most fell in line with the imps and learned from them quickly. The imps were used to the head pats and "little cousin" but never felt they were being talked down to (except for the noticeable height difference). The orcs and the imps soon worked together as if they had known each other since birth.

Orcs known to cook joined the twins. After a few incidents, they all worked in the kitchen in unison, each taking regular breaks throughout the day. Several younger Orcs joined Rose, Batty, and George. George took charge like a general commanding his army and had the younger Orcs making coffee like pros in no time.

Those who had a knack for numbers, which meant they could count past ten without removing their boots, joined Richard and Bob. Richard took the opportunity to take a break and join Thorn, Battleax, and Hamilton.

Richard sat at the table with his black coffee. "Hello everyone," He said.

"Ah! My new and old best nemesis are all around the same table." Battleax sniffed, "It's like a family reunion without weapons."

"No weapons? Says you, you old coot," Thorn said, laughing.

Battleax laughed, "Well, drawn weapons."

Richard realized that the Shaman and the Barbarian were armed for war at any moment. This realization unnerved him and made him realize that this would have been his life. He looked back at the chaos of the restaurant and smiled. This may not be so bad.

"How's the food business, pup?" Battleaxe said, bringing Richard back to the conversation at the table.

"Very good," Richard said. "Now, with the village here, we can serve more food."

"Ah, uh, yes," Mayor Hamilton interjected. "Speaking of which, I'll need you to come by to complete the paperwork for a permanent establishment." The Barbarian and the Shaman shuddered at the word "paperwork."

"Yes, of course," Richard said, "I can come by today and do that."

"Good, good. You know who has been giving me a lot of grief over this. I'd like to get this out of the way before she finally finds a way to cause actual trouble," Hamilton said.

"Of course, I understand, Mayor." Richard said, "I'll leave when lunch starts."

"Excellent. Well, then, I'm off." Mayor Hamilton said, "It was lovely meeting you, Shaman Thorn." The mayor gave the Shaman a respectful nod and left.

Chief Richard nodded to Battleax and Thorn as he left the table. He wandered outside the tent for some fresh air. The Orc camp in the field next to the large tent restaurant was bustling, with everyone setting up a more permanent camp. A smile grew on his face seeing the Orc children playing. This was a good life for them.

Movement caught his eye as some humans attempted to creep around the big tent. He approached the corner to see the League of Species Relations having an animated discussion. His keen hearing picked up what they were saying.

"We order, eat, and then leave pretending we are sick."

"No one is going to believe that. The food is too good, and no one else will get sick."

"We order, eat, and don't pay."

"You have to pay first."

"Oh yeah."

"We run in and yell fire."

"That's stupid."

"We set fire to the tent."

"Not bad, but could someone get hurt?"

"Isn't that the point?"

"You leave and don't come back."

"No, that won't work. We must do something or Fire Pants will have our heads."

"You leave, or Greg throws you."

"No! The last time Greg threw me, I bruised five ribs. But I did clear the fountain."

"Not bad; I bet I could make it to the gate."

"Maybe. You throw like an Orc."

"Enough! Fire Pants will be really mad if we don't at least try something."

"I really like that you call her Fire Pants," Chief Richard said.

"Shh, if she knew, we'd get into more trouble," This human decided to look back at who was talking, "Uh, hi."

All the present League of Species Relations members turned to find they had an audience. Greg and Doug had joined Chief Richard. "Hi, boys," Richard said.

"Hi," all the humans (except Greg) said in unison. A few waved.

"There are six humans and three of us," Richard said. "We'll throw two each and see how far they'll go. The winner gets a double serving of dinner."