April 11, 2018
"Alright, alright! I know it’s Spring and you're hungry! Just . . . here, take it!" Gren had walked through the portal and up the gravel path towards the familiar door of the Inn. A dozen or so House Finches had crowded around him, chirping and looking for food. They knew Gren carried seed in his pocket for just such occasions. Reaching in his pocket, he began flinging handfuls of thistle seeds in the air, and scattering some on a nearby bench. "Sheesh. I guess it is Spring whether it feels like it or not." Now that the birds were distracted, he was able to finish his walk to the door. He opened it while pushing the grey hood of his Ranger's cloak out of his face. "Izira, I'm back!" He glanced around the main room to see if she was serving customers.
No customers today, or at least for the moment. Spring also found its way into Izira's mind... cleaning! Sure the inn was usually practically spotless, but there's always something somewhere to get through. The lady of the inn was not immediately visible as she stood behind the bar and upon the bar rested stacks upon stacks of books. It gave the appearance that she had moved her entire personal library out of her office and had managed to locate even more books in the process. A few tables held a smaller portion of the tomes, and a closer inspection might suggest that she was sorting them, although the categories were not apparent. "Gren!" She tipped her toes up on her heels and peeked over the stacks. "You have perfect timing."
Seeing Izira there caused him to brighten, and her telling him he had perfect timing made him brighten even more. Then he paused as he thought that could mean something other than his arrival. "Uhhh . . . is that because you're happy to see me, or because you need my help with these books?"
She came around from behind the bar to give him a proper greeting, a soft welcoming kiss. The warmth in her eyes matching her smile. She tilted her head, the grin spreading. "It cannot be both?"
Her soft kiss made any hesitation about carrying all those books vanish. He looked almost bashful. "Yeah, it could be. Your book collection is certainly growing bigger every day, it seems."
She nodded, staying near his side as she looked over the stacks. "It is about it get smaller, at least for a moment. I plan to donate a portion of it."
"Oh, really? Who exactly are you giving them all too?" He picked up one of the books lying on a stack on a nearby table and absently rifled through it.
She lifted a little brow as Gren happened to pick up a book from the nearby table. It was titled, The Lonely Ghouls Lover, Izira smiled and looked down at the books on the table. There were many similar titles and books were ear marked or had cracked spines to indicate where the good bits were tucked away. A finger delicately placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I have not fully decided on where to best house all of them. Perhaps you will have some suggestions? It seems I was... neglectful in tending to items that had piled up on the lost and found." So many lonesome travelers. She moved toward another table. "I did set something aside for you."
Gren mouthed the words "Ghouls" and "Lover", before oddly looking the book over. He didn't notice any naughty pictures, so he just shrugged and put it back on the pile. "I know the Public Library in RhyDin usually has a used book sale going on. People donate their used books and the Library sells them to raise money. Other than that, nothing else comes to mind." He followed Izira over to the table she stood by. "What kind of books did you set aside?"
"I happened to find this... I thought you might like it..." She picked up a green leather bound journal with leaves etched in the spine. A few of the front pages were torn out and the remaining pages blank. "A bit used, but still just as good." A soft chuckle, there was some joke to herself in the statement. "The Library might be a good place for the more... lustful books." A tip of her head toward the table Gren had been by, "But I thought you might be willing to look through these and tell me if the Rangers could make any use of them?" On the next table she brought together various items that included books of maps, plants, survival guides, and journals of fire pit meal ideas.
"Oh, yeah, this is great! I can keep a journal of my forest patrols!" He flipped through the pages to make sure none were used, then he tucked it into an inside pocket of his cloak. He opened one of the survival guides and looked at one of the articles. "This looks promising. It's telling about the helpful properties of the White Birch. Its sap is drinkable and doesn't need purification. You can also make a nice tea from the tender twigs or the bark if you need to. The bark is also some of the best fire tinder you can find. Yeah, these should be very helpful."
"Lovely!" Izira looked well pleased for a moment, then took in the clutter on her bar, "Hm. I do not think I will get through this before night fall." Looking back to Gren, "I got a bit caught up with it... How was your day?" It was almost apologetic, her tone, for not asking sooner.
Setting the guide back down, he smiled back. "It was very busy. Despite the cold weather, the animals know Spring is upon us, and are growing quite lively. Hopefully things will warm up in the next week or so. It's time for nest building and . . . well, you know." He tried not to look embarrassed, but he still has a smile on his face.
She nodded, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Just the animals?" A small tease but the love behind it would take away any possible burn. She tipped her head to the former table with its troves of lustful books. "Those will likely go quickly from the library this time of year."
"Well, it has been a long Winter . . . " He is still a bit sheepish but the smile never left. " . . . and it is the season for Love . . . . " Before Gren can break out in song or do anything else romantic, voices could be heard approaching the Inn.
" . . . so Ferguson goes up to this woman and he's like 'Ma'am there's no smoking in this forest'. And she says 'But I'm not smoking'. And he waggles his eyebrows and says 'Oh hell yeah you are!' HAW HAW HAW!" The door burst open and there stood the portly, bald Ranger, Haddon. His drow companion, Moriana, followed behind, with her usual surly look at having to endure Haddon's stories. "Gren my buddy! I'm dying of hunger over here! I figured Izira could make me and Mori here some . . . . Holy crap, what's all this? Did this place turn into a library or something?" He pointed at all the stacks of books obscuring the bar.
The other rangers would not have caught it, the subtle difference in Izira's cheeks. The bar being a mess with Gren there was acceptable, since Gren had become as much a part of her life as the inn itself. But others, even those well known, she should have done the sorting elsewhere and she mentally scolded herself even as she extended the pair a welcoming smile. "Haddon, Moriana. I suppose your timing is perfect." She would look at the bright side, "I have a number of books to donate to the rangers and, now with your help, Gren will have less to carry on his own. I will, of course, be extending a proper level of thanks." That being food and coffee grinds to go as well.
"Missy! You're gonna make me work for my meal? What's this world coming too?" Haddon replied. Moriana punched him in the shoulder and glared.
Gren glared too. "Why don't you be nice for once and help Izira out after all the meals she's given you?"
"Oh, alright, if I have too", Haddon looked crestfallen. "But I want something special if I'm gonna be doing all this heavy lifting!"
Izira showed only amusement at Haddon's response. Being an inn keeper she'd gotten used to many sorts. "Are you suggesting the meals I have previously prepared for you were not?" She gave a curious look to Haddon, a bit of a smirk hidden.
"No, but I figured if they were free, then you were keepin' the really good stuff for yourself!" More punching and glaring for Moriana, and she pointed her finger imperiously to a barstool. "What? It's just a joke! She knows it's a joke! Although with all these books in the way, I don't know how she's gonna fit a plate big enough for my appetite here! HAW!" Haddon sat at the bar, found a napkin and tucked it into his collar like a bib, while Moriana sat down next to him, still giving him a sideways look.
"I do not believe they make tables that large." She playfully gibed back, moving with the pair and helping clear the space a bit further of the book collection. An additional space was cleared for Gren before Izira set a fitting drink down for each of her ‘regulars’.
Gren sighed and followed them all to the bar, helping Izira to clear a space. Then he sat down next to Haddon, taking a long drink of his usual Broot. "So what are you two doing out this way?" Gren asked them.
Haddon replied, "We've been protecting the entrance to your little love nest as usual, Gren my boy! It's hard work! Don't you know I caught a goblin sniffing around there once and chased him off? Just think what would have happened if me and Mori hadn't been there!"
Gren narrowed his eyes. "That was three years ago! I think you're just trying to score yourself a free meal!"
"Gren, I'm hurt! Do you really think I'd take advantage of Missy here just to fill my belly?" Haddon rebutted. Moriana nodded emphatically in the affirmative.
A soft chuckle, Izira moved toward the kitchen but paused as a book caught her eye. She almost picked it up, then did another glance over the books. "A.. small... request while I put your dinner together? I have not gone through the books on the bar fully... some of them... it is best not to read anything out loud." She made a small gesture with her hand to indicate magic. "I would not be pleased to return with your meal to find that you have somehow managed to turn yourselves into statues or bodies of snakes..."
Gren immediately turned pale and gave the books on the bar a nervous glance.
Haddon piped up, "Don't worry Missy, I'm the eatin' type, not the magic type! Your secrets are safe with me!" Haddon gave Gren and elbow to the ribs as if trying to get him to play along. Not knowing what Haddon was up to, Gren just gulped and weakly nodded yes.
"You are in charge while I am gone." A wink to Gren, she smiled and moved off to the kitchen. Picking up at least the one book as she passed and taking it with her. A black apron was wrapped about her waist, covering the soft heather pencil skirt, her blouse a brush of pink cream with loose sleeves. The book was tucked away into a pocket of the apron before she slipped through the swinging door back into the kitchen.
"Okay . . . " Gren trailed off as Izira slipped into the kitchen. Then he gave Haddon a questioning look.
Haddon was grinning broadly at him. "Now's your chance, Romeo. One of these books could have a love spell in 'em. You could make Izira so crazy hot for you that you wouldn't leave this Inn for a week!"
Gren turned red. "What? I would never do something so sneaky and underhanded! Besides, our love life is doing just fine, thank you very much! I don't need to use such devious means on the woman I love!"
Haddon threw his hands up in the air. "You two still aren't married after what, four years? I'm just trying to give you some help here!"
"We're doing just fine, and we'll get married when we are good and ready. Why don't you worry about your own love life?"
Haddon blinked and said, "What, you mean me and Mori?" Moriana held up a fist in Haddon's face and glared threateningly. "It's a joke, Mori, don't get sore! You'll spoil my appetite! Speaking of which . . . ", Haddon gave a few furtive glances towards the kitchen door then scooped up one of the books, pushing through the pages.
Gren pointed. "Hey! Didn't she tell you to be careful? You don't know what's in there!"
"Aw, come on, Gren, she just said don't read it out loud! It doesn't hurt to look, right? Besides, this all just looks like chicken scratch to me." Moriana looked over Haddon's shoulder. Her eyes slowly narrowed, then she began roughly slapping his shoulder and pointing emphatically back to the stack, as if telling him to put it back. "What? What's got you all hyper?" Moriana put her hands together and quickly separated them, as if simulating an explosion. "Really? Oh alright, I don't want to ruin my dinner anyway. What harm could the words brouka memena phooya do anyway?" Suddenly, the barstool on the other side of Moriana explodes into flames. Moriana smacks Haddon on his head, then removes her cloak, using it to smother the fire. "Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were telling the truth! I thought this was some kind of potion cookbook or something!"
Gren gaped and put his hands on his face. "Look what you did! You destroyed a perfectly good barstool! What's Izira gonna say when she sees that? You could have burned the whole Inn down!"
Moriana stood up once she doused the flames and put her hands on her hips, glaring at Haddon. Haddon shrugged. "Hey, I told you I wasn't the magic type!"
The doors to the kitchen opened with Izira holding a large tray laden with plates. A couple steps and she paused, the scent of the fire easy for her to pick up even if she had not seen it. One gets used to the smell after setting so many fires themselves. A cursory glance told her that everything seemed fine. She sighed and moved forward, using the edge of the bar to prop up the large tray. The food was not removed as she glanced over the three, the silent look worn by so many mothers that just knew something was up. "You all appear to have all your parts."
Gren can't help staring at the smoldering barstool until he gets another elbow from Haddon. "Aw, it's nothing Missy! I just had a little pipeweed while we were waiting! Ain't that right?" Haddon looked back and forth between Gren, who looked abashed, and Moriana, who looked like she was going to murder Haddon.
A quirk of her brow at Haddon, Izira started to unload her tray. First a basket of fresh rolls, covered to keep them warm, along with a dish of butter and honey. There were three plates, each with a good portion of smoked glazed ham, green beans, creamy mashed potatoes, and a small cup of brown gravy. "You know Haddon... a good magic user would know how to make it so if you spoke a lie to them you would never be able to taste a single thing that touched your tongue." A plate set out before Moriana as she spoke. The next plate was, out of order, placed before Gren. She held the final plate, waiting for Haddon.
Gren and Moriana stared at Haddon, waiting for his answer. Haddon grinned. "That's true, Missy, but such a kind and generous inn keep as yourself wouldn't be so rude as too cast a spell on one of her best customers, now would she?"
"You would be surprised, Haddon." Considering her history, making someone unable to taste food was very low on the scale of 'rude' behavior. She set the plate of food down before him, "You are lucky that fire did not land in your lap."
"I am. Then I couldn't enjoy this feast here." Haddon dug into his plate as soon as Izira set it down, getting stray mashed potatoes and gravy on his napkin bib. Gren and Moriana followed, not making near as much of a mess. Trying to change the subject, Gren asked, "Do you think there would be room for some of these books at the Compound?" Haddon replied, "I guess so, we don't exactly have a library, but we can give them to Perrigan and he'll know what to do with them." Haddon let out a large belch, then tapped his chest with his fist. "Just makin' room." Then he set about cleaning his plate again.
Izira is tempted by the thought as she didn't need a spell book to light a fire. But she did not. With a wistful smirk to herself, she set the tray aside and moved out from the bar. She followed her nose to the burnt stool.
Haddon almost swallowed the wrong way. "Ahem. Ah, man it's hot in here. Lemme take my cloak off." Haddon quickly whipped his grey cloak from around his shoulders and reaching around Moriana, threw it over the charred barstool.
"I could lessen the fire... if you are warm." At her words the fire in the large fire place on the other side of the room slightly dimmed. She continued, approaching the three on the other side - a hand brushed over Gren's shoulder. "Do you think I should make a plate for you to take back to Perrigan?"
"Hey, that would be great, if you could. I know he would enjoy that . . . "
Suddenly, the few embers left on the barstool lit Haddon's cloak on fire, causing Haddon to jump and cough explosively, having swallowed the wrong way for real this time. "MY CLOAK!" Haddon jumped up and poured his ale over his burning cloak. "Oh no!" Holding it up, he turned and looked at the other three, through the newly formed hole.
The fire caught her attention, looking as Haddon jumped up and put it out with his drink. A comment about Haddon learning his lesson stopped before it crossed her lips, she bit her lower lip in thought. Haddon would likely do it all over again, given the chance she thought. "How did that happen?"
Figuring the jig was up anyhow, Haddon came clean. "Hey, I didn't know you were being serious, I just thought those were cookbooks or something. How was I supposed to know they were real? Now I'm gonna freeze all the way back to the Compound. I mean, uh . . . . . sorry about your barstool. I can do some work around here, like chop wood or something, next time I come by." Haddon shrugged his shoulders as if trying to pass everything off as a big misunderstanding.
"The cookbooks are over there." She pointed to one of the table stacks, regarding the stool. "The barstool is replaceable. It is good it was damaged and not one of you." Her eyes moved back to Gren, "Some things are too important and cannot be replaced." With that she moved to find a cloth, she needed to soak up the beer used to put out the fire. "Gren should be able to lend you a cloak, he has a few here." She glanced to Gren, her look asking him if it was alright.
"Yeah, you aren't kidding", Gren said, agreeing with Izira. Then he got a shocked look when Izira suggested he lend Haddon one of his cloaks. "Why should I after what he . . . . ", then he stopped and reconsidered. "Fine, I'll see what I can find." Gren stomped down the hallway to go find a cloak.
"Thanks, Gren! You were always a good buddy! Sorry about this, Missy." Haddon smiled and rubbed the back of his head.
Poor Gren. She would make it up to him. To Haddon, "You will, of course, return the cloak when you come back to chop wood." There was no room for argument even though her tone was casual as she cleaned up the beer from around the charred stool.
"Certainly I will! His cloaks don't exactly fit me, if you know what I mean. Don't worry about that firewood, I'm a master woodsman! Speaking of which, being a master woodsman means I can't afford to skip meals, I have to keep my energy up! Haw haw . . . " Haddon sat back down and tucked his napkin bib back in. Moriana shoved him and pointed at the spilled ale that Izira was cleaning up. "What? She's got it taken care of already! Mostly. And she wouldn't want me to let this meal she worked so hard to cook us go to waste, right?" Moriana narrowed her eyes and reached for the last roll. Haddon was quicker and snagged it first, giving her a big smile with bread stuck in his teeth. Moriana gave him a disgusted look in return.
Thus is the life of the inn keeper, keeping up the inn. She cleaned up the liquid and regarded the nearby books to assure no damage had gotten there. Thankfully, the stool seemed the only victim of the night. Well that and Haddon's cloak. Izira took the cloth, leaving it in a sink behind the bar. She moved the stool behind the bar as well, for the time being. She topped off Moriana's drink and Haddon's. "I will see about finding some crates for the books to go back with you."
"Sounds like a plan! Hah, I haven't had a good Ham dinner in the longest time." Moriana held up four fingers. "Hey, four days is a long time!"
Gren returned, looking slightly sullen, and hung up one of his spare cloaks on the peg next to the door. Then he sat down and tried to finish his meal before it got cold. He threw his hands up a bit as he noticed all the rolls were gone already. Sighing, he quickly made the ham, potatoes, and beans disappear from his plate while Izira got the crates.
While the party finished their meal, she got the crates together and loaded. She also brought out several sacks, each marked with a letter. H, for Haddon, was some leftovers. M, for Moriana, leftovers as well as the coffee grounds she enjoyed. P, for Perrigan, Izira had packed a couple good meals for him that included a couple of sweets. As she packed the bags, she brought out three plates of a berry pie with a side of vanilla bean ice cream for the trio to enjoy. The last pack was marked with a G, another meal, homemade bread and jam for him to enjoy, along with a little love note.
"Hot damn! Berry pie! Haw haw, you know I love pie, Mori!" He gave Mori a nudge, prompting her to swat at him with her hand. They quickly finished their dessert, and Gren was grateful that Haddon didn't cause any more problems. "Do you want to come back with us? Say hello to Perrigan?" Gren offered.
Izira considered the question. It was less seeing Perrigan and more spending time with Gren that sold her on it. She nodded, "I think there is enough here that a few extra hands would not hurt. And someone has to make sure Perrigan is eating..." Izira sometimes thought the man worked too much.
"Great! I know he'd love to see you again!" Gren smiled, pleased that Izira would make the trip with them.
Haddon sat back and absently picked his teeth. "Man, maybe carrying that crate is a good thing, I'm gonna have to work off a meal that big." Getting up from his seat, he went over by the peg at the door to snag the cloak Gren left there for him. Coming back over to the bar, he tried to hook it around him, but it looked very tight around his thick neck. "Damn Gren, you're gonna have to put on some weight if I'm gonna be wearing your clothes." He tucked the bag Izira made for him under his arm. "H for Hunk. Haw haw."
"That's not what it means", Gren countered, then set his bag on top of the crate he was going to have to carry. He set his legs and lifted the crate into the air. "Hey, not bad. I can handle this." Haddon and Moriana went to their respective crates as well as they got ready for the trip.
Izira took up a smaller crate and the pack for Perrigan. She lingered to be the last one out, "You three go ahead. I want to make sure the inn is secure. I would not want any further accidents to happen while I am away overnight." She gave a bit of a glance to Gren and a smile. "It will be good to get out for a while."
"It will be! Alright everyone, let's go!" Gren went out first, fumbling with the doorknob and bumping the door open with his hip, while Haddon and Moriana filed out behind him.
"Alright, alright! I know it’s Spring and you're hungry! Just . . . here, take it!" Gren had walked through the portal and up the gravel path towards the familiar door of the Inn. A dozen or so House Finches had crowded around him, chirping and looking for food. They knew Gren carried seed in his pocket for just such occasions. Reaching in his pocket, he began flinging handfuls of thistle seeds in the air, and scattering some on a nearby bench. "Sheesh. I guess it is Spring whether it feels like it or not." Now that the birds were distracted, he was able to finish his walk to the door. He opened it while pushing the grey hood of his Ranger's cloak out of his face. "Izira, I'm back!" He glanced around the main room to see if she was serving customers.
No customers today, or at least for the moment. Spring also found its way into Izira's mind... cleaning! Sure the inn was usually practically spotless, but there's always something somewhere to get through. The lady of the inn was not immediately visible as she stood behind the bar and upon the bar rested stacks upon stacks of books. It gave the appearance that she had moved her entire personal library out of her office and had managed to locate even more books in the process. A few tables held a smaller portion of the tomes, and a closer inspection might suggest that she was sorting them, although the categories were not apparent. "Gren!" She tipped her toes up on her heels and peeked over the stacks. "You have perfect timing."
Seeing Izira there caused him to brighten, and her telling him he had perfect timing made him brighten even more. Then he paused as he thought that could mean something other than his arrival. "Uhhh . . . is that because you're happy to see me, or because you need my help with these books?"
She came around from behind the bar to give him a proper greeting, a soft welcoming kiss. The warmth in her eyes matching her smile. She tilted her head, the grin spreading. "It cannot be both?"
Her soft kiss made any hesitation about carrying all those books vanish. He looked almost bashful. "Yeah, it could be. Your book collection is certainly growing bigger every day, it seems."
She nodded, staying near his side as she looked over the stacks. "It is about it get smaller, at least for a moment. I plan to donate a portion of it."
"Oh, really? Who exactly are you giving them all too?" He picked up one of the books lying on a stack on a nearby table and absently rifled through it.
She lifted a little brow as Gren happened to pick up a book from the nearby table. It was titled, The Lonely Ghouls Lover, Izira smiled and looked down at the books on the table. There were many similar titles and books were ear marked or had cracked spines to indicate where the good bits were tucked away. A finger delicately placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I have not fully decided on where to best house all of them. Perhaps you will have some suggestions? It seems I was... neglectful in tending to items that had piled up on the lost and found." So many lonesome travelers. She moved toward another table. "I did set something aside for you."
Gren mouthed the words "Ghouls" and "Lover", before oddly looking the book over. He didn't notice any naughty pictures, so he just shrugged and put it back on the pile. "I know the Public Library in RhyDin usually has a used book sale going on. People donate their used books and the Library sells them to raise money. Other than that, nothing else comes to mind." He followed Izira over to the table she stood by. "What kind of books did you set aside?"
"I happened to find this... I thought you might like it..." She picked up a green leather bound journal with leaves etched in the spine. A few of the front pages were torn out and the remaining pages blank. "A bit used, but still just as good." A soft chuckle, there was some joke to herself in the statement. "The Library might be a good place for the more... lustful books." A tip of her head toward the table Gren had been by, "But I thought you might be willing to look through these and tell me if the Rangers could make any use of them?" On the next table she brought together various items that included books of maps, plants, survival guides, and journals of fire pit meal ideas.
"Oh, yeah, this is great! I can keep a journal of my forest patrols!" He flipped through the pages to make sure none were used, then he tucked it into an inside pocket of his cloak. He opened one of the survival guides and looked at one of the articles. "This looks promising. It's telling about the helpful properties of the White Birch. Its sap is drinkable and doesn't need purification. You can also make a nice tea from the tender twigs or the bark if you need to. The bark is also some of the best fire tinder you can find. Yeah, these should be very helpful."
"Lovely!" Izira looked well pleased for a moment, then took in the clutter on her bar, "Hm. I do not think I will get through this before night fall." Looking back to Gren, "I got a bit caught up with it... How was your day?" It was almost apologetic, her tone, for not asking sooner.
Setting the guide back down, he smiled back. "It was very busy. Despite the cold weather, the animals know Spring is upon us, and are growing quite lively. Hopefully things will warm up in the next week or so. It's time for nest building and . . . well, you know." He tried not to look embarrassed, but he still has a smile on his face.
She nodded, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Just the animals?" A small tease but the love behind it would take away any possible burn. She tipped her head to the former table with its troves of lustful books. "Those will likely go quickly from the library this time of year."
"Well, it has been a long Winter . . . " He is still a bit sheepish but the smile never left. " . . . and it is the season for Love . . . . " Before Gren can break out in song or do anything else romantic, voices could be heard approaching the Inn.
" . . . so Ferguson goes up to this woman and he's like 'Ma'am there's no smoking in this forest'. And she says 'But I'm not smoking'. And he waggles his eyebrows and says 'Oh hell yeah you are!' HAW HAW HAW!" The door burst open and there stood the portly, bald Ranger, Haddon. His drow companion, Moriana, followed behind, with her usual surly look at having to endure Haddon's stories. "Gren my buddy! I'm dying of hunger over here! I figured Izira could make me and Mori here some . . . . Holy crap, what's all this? Did this place turn into a library or something?" He pointed at all the stacks of books obscuring the bar.
The other rangers would not have caught it, the subtle difference in Izira's cheeks. The bar being a mess with Gren there was acceptable, since Gren had become as much a part of her life as the inn itself. But others, even those well known, she should have done the sorting elsewhere and she mentally scolded herself even as she extended the pair a welcoming smile. "Haddon, Moriana. I suppose your timing is perfect." She would look at the bright side, "I have a number of books to donate to the rangers and, now with your help, Gren will have less to carry on his own. I will, of course, be extending a proper level of thanks." That being food and coffee grinds to go as well.
"Missy! You're gonna make me work for my meal? What's this world coming too?" Haddon replied. Moriana punched him in the shoulder and glared.
Gren glared too. "Why don't you be nice for once and help Izira out after all the meals she's given you?"
"Oh, alright, if I have too", Haddon looked crestfallen. "But I want something special if I'm gonna be doing all this heavy lifting!"
Izira showed only amusement at Haddon's response. Being an inn keeper she'd gotten used to many sorts. "Are you suggesting the meals I have previously prepared for you were not?" She gave a curious look to Haddon, a bit of a smirk hidden.
"No, but I figured if they were free, then you were keepin' the really good stuff for yourself!" More punching and glaring for Moriana, and she pointed her finger imperiously to a barstool. "What? It's just a joke! She knows it's a joke! Although with all these books in the way, I don't know how she's gonna fit a plate big enough for my appetite here! HAW!" Haddon sat at the bar, found a napkin and tucked it into his collar like a bib, while Moriana sat down next to him, still giving him a sideways look.
"I do not believe they make tables that large." She playfully gibed back, moving with the pair and helping clear the space a bit further of the book collection. An additional space was cleared for Gren before Izira set a fitting drink down for each of her ‘regulars’.
Gren sighed and followed them all to the bar, helping Izira to clear a space. Then he sat down next to Haddon, taking a long drink of his usual Broot. "So what are you two doing out this way?" Gren asked them.
Haddon replied, "We've been protecting the entrance to your little love nest as usual, Gren my boy! It's hard work! Don't you know I caught a goblin sniffing around there once and chased him off? Just think what would have happened if me and Mori hadn't been there!"
Gren narrowed his eyes. "That was three years ago! I think you're just trying to score yourself a free meal!"
"Gren, I'm hurt! Do you really think I'd take advantage of Missy here just to fill my belly?" Haddon rebutted. Moriana nodded emphatically in the affirmative.
A soft chuckle, Izira moved toward the kitchen but paused as a book caught her eye. She almost picked it up, then did another glance over the books. "A.. small... request while I put your dinner together? I have not gone through the books on the bar fully... some of them... it is best not to read anything out loud." She made a small gesture with her hand to indicate magic. "I would not be pleased to return with your meal to find that you have somehow managed to turn yourselves into statues or bodies of snakes..."
Gren immediately turned pale and gave the books on the bar a nervous glance.
Haddon piped up, "Don't worry Missy, I'm the eatin' type, not the magic type! Your secrets are safe with me!" Haddon gave Gren and elbow to the ribs as if trying to get him to play along. Not knowing what Haddon was up to, Gren just gulped and weakly nodded yes.
"You are in charge while I am gone." A wink to Gren, she smiled and moved off to the kitchen. Picking up at least the one book as she passed and taking it with her. A black apron was wrapped about her waist, covering the soft heather pencil skirt, her blouse a brush of pink cream with loose sleeves. The book was tucked away into a pocket of the apron before she slipped through the swinging door back into the kitchen.
"Okay . . . " Gren trailed off as Izira slipped into the kitchen. Then he gave Haddon a questioning look.
Haddon was grinning broadly at him. "Now's your chance, Romeo. One of these books could have a love spell in 'em. You could make Izira so crazy hot for you that you wouldn't leave this Inn for a week!"
Gren turned red. "What? I would never do something so sneaky and underhanded! Besides, our love life is doing just fine, thank you very much! I don't need to use such devious means on the woman I love!"
Haddon threw his hands up in the air. "You two still aren't married after what, four years? I'm just trying to give you some help here!"
"We're doing just fine, and we'll get married when we are good and ready. Why don't you worry about your own love life?"
Haddon blinked and said, "What, you mean me and Mori?" Moriana held up a fist in Haddon's face and glared threateningly. "It's a joke, Mori, don't get sore! You'll spoil my appetite! Speaking of which . . . ", Haddon gave a few furtive glances towards the kitchen door then scooped up one of the books, pushing through the pages.
Gren pointed. "Hey! Didn't she tell you to be careful? You don't know what's in there!"
"Aw, come on, Gren, she just said don't read it out loud! It doesn't hurt to look, right? Besides, this all just looks like chicken scratch to me." Moriana looked over Haddon's shoulder. Her eyes slowly narrowed, then she began roughly slapping his shoulder and pointing emphatically back to the stack, as if telling him to put it back. "What? What's got you all hyper?" Moriana put her hands together and quickly separated them, as if simulating an explosion. "Really? Oh alright, I don't want to ruin my dinner anyway. What harm could the words brouka memena phooya do anyway?" Suddenly, the barstool on the other side of Moriana explodes into flames. Moriana smacks Haddon on his head, then removes her cloak, using it to smother the fire. "Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were telling the truth! I thought this was some kind of potion cookbook or something!"
Gren gaped and put his hands on his face. "Look what you did! You destroyed a perfectly good barstool! What's Izira gonna say when she sees that? You could have burned the whole Inn down!"
Moriana stood up once she doused the flames and put her hands on her hips, glaring at Haddon. Haddon shrugged. "Hey, I told you I wasn't the magic type!"
The doors to the kitchen opened with Izira holding a large tray laden with plates. A couple steps and she paused, the scent of the fire easy for her to pick up even if she had not seen it. One gets used to the smell after setting so many fires themselves. A cursory glance told her that everything seemed fine. She sighed and moved forward, using the edge of the bar to prop up the large tray. The food was not removed as she glanced over the three, the silent look worn by so many mothers that just knew something was up. "You all appear to have all your parts."
Gren can't help staring at the smoldering barstool until he gets another elbow from Haddon. "Aw, it's nothing Missy! I just had a little pipeweed while we were waiting! Ain't that right?" Haddon looked back and forth between Gren, who looked abashed, and Moriana, who looked like she was going to murder Haddon.
A quirk of her brow at Haddon, Izira started to unload her tray. First a basket of fresh rolls, covered to keep them warm, along with a dish of butter and honey. There were three plates, each with a good portion of smoked glazed ham, green beans, creamy mashed potatoes, and a small cup of brown gravy. "You know Haddon... a good magic user would know how to make it so if you spoke a lie to them you would never be able to taste a single thing that touched your tongue." A plate set out before Moriana as she spoke. The next plate was, out of order, placed before Gren. She held the final plate, waiting for Haddon.
Gren and Moriana stared at Haddon, waiting for his answer. Haddon grinned. "That's true, Missy, but such a kind and generous inn keep as yourself wouldn't be so rude as too cast a spell on one of her best customers, now would she?"
"You would be surprised, Haddon." Considering her history, making someone unable to taste food was very low on the scale of 'rude' behavior. She set the plate of food down before him, "You are lucky that fire did not land in your lap."
"I am. Then I couldn't enjoy this feast here." Haddon dug into his plate as soon as Izira set it down, getting stray mashed potatoes and gravy on his napkin bib. Gren and Moriana followed, not making near as much of a mess. Trying to change the subject, Gren asked, "Do you think there would be room for some of these books at the Compound?" Haddon replied, "I guess so, we don't exactly have a library, but we can give them to Perrigan and he'll know what to do with them." Haddon let out a large belch, then tapped his chest with his fist. "Just makin' room." Then he set about cleaning his plate again.
Izira is tempted by the thought as she didn't need a spell book to light a fire. But she did not. With a wistful smirk to herself, she set the tray aside and moved out from the bar. She followed her nose to the burnt stool.
Haddon almost swallowed the wrong way. "Ahem. Ah, man it's hot in here. Lemme take my cloak off." Haddon quickly whipped his grey cloak from around his shoulders and reaching around Moriana, threw it over the charred barstool.
"I could lessen the fire... if you are warm." At her words the fire in the large fire place on the other side of the room slightly dimmed. She continued, approaching the three on the other side - a hand brushed over Gren's shoulder. "Do you think I should make a plate for you to take back to Perrigan?"
"Hey, that would be great, if you could. I know he would enjoy that . . . "
Suddenly, the few embers left on the barstool lit Haddon's cloak on fire, causing Haddon to jump and cough explosively, having swallowed the wrong way for real this time. "MY CLOAK!" Haddon jumped up and poured his ale over his burning cloak. "Oh no!" Holding it up, he turned and looked at the other three, through the newly formed hole.
The fire caught her attention, looking as Haddon jumped up and put it out with his drink. A comment about Haddon learning his lesson stopped before it crossed her lips, she bit her lower lip in thought. Haddon would likely do it all over again, given the chance she thought. "How did that happen?"
Figuring the jig was up anyhow, Haddon came clean. "Hey, I didn't know you were being serious, I just thought those were cookbooks or something. How was I supposed to know they were real? Now I'm gonna freeze all the way back to the Compound. I mean, uh . . . . . sorry about your barstool. I can do some work around here, like chop wood or something, next time I come by." Haddon shrugged his shoulders as if trying to pass everything off as a big misunderstanding.
"The cookbooks are over there." She pointed to one of the table stacks, regarding the stool. "The barstool is replaceable. It is good it was damaged and not one of you." Her eyes moved back to Gren, "Some things are too important and cannot be replaced." With that she moved to find a cloth, she needed to soak up the beer used to put out the fire. "Gren should be able to lend you a cloak, he has a few here." She glanced to Gren, her look asking him if it was alright.
"Yeah, you aren't kidding", Gren said, agreeing with Izira. Then he got a shocked look when Izira suggested he lend Haddon one of his cloaks. "Why should I after what he . . . . ", then he stopped and reconsidered. "Fine, I'll see what I can find." Gren stomped down the hallway to go find a cloak.
"Thanks, Gren! You were always a good buddy! Sorry about this, Missy." Haddon smiled and rubbed the back of his head.
Poor Gren. She would make it up to him. To Haddon, "You will, of course, return the cloak when you come back to chop wood." There was no room for argument even though her tone was casual as she cleaned up the beer from around the charred stool.
"Certainly I will! His cloaks don't exactly fit me, if you know what I mean. Don't worry about that firewood, I'm a master woodsman! Speaking of which, being a master woodsman means I can't afford to skip meals, I have to keep my energy up! Haw haw . . . " Haddon sat back down and tucked his napkin bib back in. Moriana shoved him and pointed at the spilled ale that Izira was cleaning up. "What? She's got it taken care of already! Mostly. And she wouldn't want me to let this meal she worked so hard to cook us go to waste, right?" Moriana narrowed her eyes and reached for the last roll. Haddon was quicker and snagged it first, giving her a big smile with bread stuck in his teeth. Moriana gave him a disgusted look in return.
Thus is the life of the inn keeper, keeping up the inn. She cleaned up the liquid and regarded the nearby books to assure no damage had gotten there. Thankfully, the stool seemed the only victim of the night. Well that and Haddon's cloak. Izira took the cloth, leaving it in a sink behind the bar. She moved the stool behind the bar as well, for the time being. She topped off Moriana's drink and Haddon's. "I will see about finding some crates for the books to go back with you."
"Sounds like a plan! Hah, I haven't had a good Ham dinner in the longest time." Moriana held up four fingers. "Hey, four days is a long time!"
Gren returned, looking slightly sullen, and hung up one of his spare cloaks on the peg next to the door. Then he sat down and tried to finish his meal before it got cold. He threw his hands up a bit as he noticed all the rolls were gone already. Sighing, he quickly made the ham, potatoes, and beans disappear from his plate while Izira got the crates.
While the party finished their meal, she got the crates together and loaded. She also brought out several sacks, each marked with a letter. H, for Haddon, was some leftovers. M, for Moriana, leftovers as well as the coffee grounds she enjoyed. P, for Perrigan, Izira had packed a couple good meals for him that included a couple of sweets. As she packed the bags, she brought out three plates of a berry pie with a side of vanilla bean ice cream for the trio to enjoy. The last pack was marked with a G, another meal, homemade bread and jam for him to enjoy, along with a little love note.
"Hot damn! Berry pie! Haw haw, you know I love pie, Mori!" He gave Mori a nudge, prompting her to swat at him with her hand. They quickly finished their dessert, and Gren was grateful that Haddon didn't cause any more problems. "Do you want to come back with us? Say hello to Perrigan?" Gren offered.
Izira considered the question. It was less seeing Perrigan and more spending time with Gren that sold her on it. She nodded, "I think there is enough here that a few extra hands would not hurt. And someone has to make sure Perrigan is eating..." Izira sometimes thought the man worked too much.
"Great! I know he'd love to see you again!" Gren smiled, pleased that Izira would make the trip with them.
Haddon sat back and absently picked his teeth. "Man, maybe carrying that crate is a good thing, I'm gonna have to work off a meal that big." Getting up from his seat, he went over by the peg at the door to snag the cloak Gren left there for him. Coming back over to the bar, he tried to hook it around him, but it looked very tight around his thick neck. "Damn Gren, you're gonna have to put on some weight if I'm gonna be wearing your clothes." He tucked the bag Izira made for him under his arm. "H for Hunk. Haw haw."
"That's not what it means", Gren countered, then set his bag on top of the crate he was going to have to carry. He set his legs and lifted the crate into the air. "Hey, not bad. I can handle this." Haddon and Moriana went to their respective crates as well as they got ready for the trip.
Izira took up a smaller crate and the pack for Perrigan. She lingered to be the last one out, "You three go ahead. I want to make sure the inn is secure. I would not want any further accidents to happen while I am away overnight." She gave a bit of a glance to Gren and a smile. "It will be good to get out for a while."
"It will be! Alright everyone, let's go!" Gren went out first, fumbling with the doorknob and bumping the door open with his hip, while Haddon and Moriana filed out behind him.