I don't own digimon.
Chapter 9
Getting to know you
With the bodies now buried, the question of where to eat remained. Sure, they could go back to the black cat inn. But that would mean having to clean up the damages done earlier by the grunts. So our heroes made the short walk back to that district. No words really said, the sound of footsteps the only real sound. Outside of Yvonne debating on whether or not to put her helmet back on. A decision process that eventually resulted in said helm being left off for now.
"Any suggestions, Madame?" Blaze inquired, watching the thief switch back to their 'lady' form. To make sure a certain someone didn't get any ideas, she held Bubbles's hand. Not that the dragon really minded. Sure, Madame's hand was kind of cold. That just meant he would need to warm it up. Nicely.
Sadly, no answer exited the thief's lips at the moment. So Yvonne made her way over and picked them up. This came as a complete surprise, judging by the swinging of arms and legs at the moment. Not that Yvonne really seemed to care.
"Is that better?" the barbarian remarked, feeling her armor clang against Madame's footwear. As feelings go, not the worst thing inflicted to her. More, it was on the tail end of annoying. Like child screams. Except amplified at one of the annual clan gatherings. Yes, (nearly) everyone was supposed to be there. But she kinda felt bad for the younger children. While most orcs, succubi and their beloved made an effort to get out of their homes, it was a bit harder for the children. In between homeschooling and their parents work at times, little time was left for them to be on their own. Which was where she came in. As the 'appointed' guardian of the alleyways, she played her hardest with the kids. All while making sure the peace was relatively kept within. Or something like that in preparation of her eventually becoming chieftain. Or something like that. Yvonne wasn't entirely sure what awaited her there in the future. "Could you please stop that?"
Madame rolled her eyes and delivered another kick. Her opponent didn't flinch. If anything, they were resisting the urge to go for a punch for just offering a higher view point. Hunger seemed to be winning out over pain, but not for much longer.
"How about the place over there?" Ella suggested and pointed to a ramshackle building. Well, ramshackle was probably pushing it. Charming was a better term here. Sure it looks like the building could come down at any moment, but that's half the fun of eating at such places. Today might be your lucky day or might not be. You never know until you step on through. Or something like that. Kind of like... Evocation. Oh yes, that weird group of magic that just doesn't know what it wants to be. Some are in it to heal people, others to cause pain and destruction. A weird juxtaposition, you actually end up with a lot of performers. You would think that a whole lot of them would be sculptors or demolition experts, but I guess that isn't people's style. Even if some of them would be perfect for it. Had to help run one of their meetings the other day. It felt like I was at one of circuses. You know, those groups that travel all around the country? Something like that. Except we're all in a school for mages. And not, I don't know, Bards. Like seriously, why are they the ones who get to have their fancy-smancy colleges? Sorry. I got off on another tangent. While I have nothing against bards, it's still just a teensy bit unfair they get to call their schools 'college'.
"Sounds good to me." Yvonne remarked, another clang to her armor following. So the barbarian grabbed hold of her passenger and set them down. While she wanted to add in a smart response of sorts, she was too hungry to really come up with one. "I'll pay."
Madame still rolled their eyes. More because they got on everyone's nerves than anything else. After, she grabbed hold of Bubbles's hand. Warmth still present, he was a touch confused by what had just happened. Don't really blame him. Maybe he'll get it when he's older or something.
"Sorry about that." the thief whispered, the grip between them warming up slightly as the group made a beeline for the eatery. On closer inspection, it appears unlikely that such a structure would collapse on you without warning. Why else would every wall look to have supports attached to the pathways? Maybe.
Inside, the place was pretty basic. Just a bunch of tables lined up with benches to sit on. At least they made sure to give room between the benches. The kitchen where I work didn't understand that concept. They also don't understand why everyone leaves after getting their lunch or dinner. The meals served are rarely good to begin with. Hopefully our heroes getting something that actually tastes like an ounce of anything had been put into it.
"Welcome to the Shaky Walls Cafe." a voice greeted as our heroes entered. On closer inspection, they appear to be a succubus. Still weird seeing one not trying to flirt with everyone and get. As for her outfit, we got a green pinafore with a white apron and a set of flats. Blonde hair and emerald eyes add to the look, even if she was a bit on the shorter side compared to those we saw earlier in the alleyways. Dang. It's been quite a day so far. Can't be that much more that can be packed in at this point.
"Oh Yvonne! What a pleasant surprise."
Yvonne took a deep breath, handing over her helmet to Blaze. After, the barbarian approached the waitress. A deep breath followed, gaze right on her.
"Hi Marigold." she greeted, digging into her armor's secret compartment. A teddy bear came out. None worse from the wear. Hopefully. "By any chance could you get this back to your daughter?"
She held the bear out, only to receive a confused look in return. It made no sense to the barbarian.
"Aren't you living with her at the moment? Wouldn't it be easier and dare I say, far more romantic to just deliver it back to her?" Marigold explained, watching her guest fall over. She held a hand out, helping Yvonne back up. "It's okay if you have a crush on her."
Yvonne's face turned as red as a flame, an attempted exit following. But Marigold was still holding on. Which made it quite a challenge to break away in that regard.
"Or is that not the case, dear~" she cooed and Yvonne looked away. Why was she so insistent that there was something going on between her and Marulyn. In her own eyes, she was as ugly as it got. Bald, cocooned in steel - forever fated to be enclosed most of the time. What if she was somehow wrong about one of those things? Or perhaps this was one of those you're beautiful just the way you are morals.
"Okay. I might have a passing interest in her." the barbarian muttered and watched Marigold perk up.
"You have my blessing." the waitress cooed and watched Yvonne scurry over to a table. A slight chuckle, then she pulled out of a notepad. "The usual?"
All she got was a groan. Which I'm going to take as a yes. Then she swiveled back over to Blaze.
"You're that guy who likes to dance, right?" Marigold remarked and got a nod in return. Followed by red cheeks. Nowhere near as red as Yvonne's face. "Keep up the good work."
Blaze nodded, letting his gaze circle around for a menu. While the place looked sturdy, it reminded him of his own home to an extent. Reminders of Dave flooded his head, in a good way. I think. After lunch he would need to get some dance practice in on top of getting a more concrete living situation for the two of them.
"Do you have menus, by any chance?" the fighter inquired and Marigold pulled one out. Just a single page, enchanted to withstand the wear and tear of people ordering and possibly using it for questionable things. Wouldn't surprise me. She handed it over, watching Blaze examine it for a few moments. "I'll have a salad."
Marigold nodded and was handed back the menu. Which our fighter took as his moment to join Yvonne at one of the benches. After, the succubus turned her attention to Ella. She did make the effort to bend down.
"Checking out the competition now, are you?" the succubus continued and watched Ella take a half-step back.
"What if I am?" the artificer remarked, trying her hardest to stand as straight as possible. It's an alright intimidation tactic. Not sure if it really works on people taller than you. "Personally, I'm only here because my friends got hungry after some stuff happened."
Not the smoothest way to put it. Especially since it brought Marigold's attention over to Cinemon. "Are you a friend of Ella?"
Cinemon looked over to his partner. Were they really friends quite yet? If anything, they had only met a couple hours ago. Acquaintances seems more fitting right now.
"Not quite." he answered, sitting so he could be around Ella's level. "I'm still getting to know her."
The words roll out and Marigold's gaze swiveled over to the dog cat digimon. Then she chuckled. Not the response I was expecting here. I guess this is somehow normal to them?
"I guess you have me beat in that department." the waitress remarked, Cinemon receiving a soft pet in return. Looks like he enjoyed it. "Anything in particular that you desire?"
She handed Ella the menu. The artificer gave it a quick scan, eventually pointing to a set of ribs.
"Wonderful."
Menu handed back, Marigold focuses in on Madame. A look away, followed by a sigh. Unlikely shame, but more frustration.
"Can we get through this without you trying to choke me out, please?" Marigold explained, gaze right on the thief. The look she got in return was not quite the one she expects, or perhaps wanted to see. The mumbling of something followed. More than enough to get a growl from
Madame still put a hand on her whip, only to find Bubbles's hand refusing to let go. They tried to shake free. No budge. So their attention shifted over to the little dragon.
"Princess, mad?"
His remark caught Madame by surprise. Part of them wanted to shove the little dragon and just walk away. The other part just wanted a hug or some form of affection. Neither could decide what they wanted right now. Someone else made that decision for them. Funny how that works.
"Embrace!"
Bubbles wrapped his arms around Madame. Height difference be damned. In return, Madame just stood there. Patiently waiting for her moment to escape. Didn't come for them (sadly).
"I'll just have the usual." Madame muttered, Bubbles finally letting go. After, the gaze of the waitress turned to Bubbles. A deep breath escaped her lips.
"Do you think I can talk to you, little guy?"
Bubbles stared towards her, only to nod. What follows, is the pair heading off to a far-off corner of the eatery. Madame just joined her teammates.
"Talk?" Bubbles whispered, watching Marigold nod. After, she takes a deep breath. There's no good way to explain this to someone so young. But she's going to try anyway.
"Yeah." the waitress remarked, sitting herself down on the floor. "I'm a… 'friend' of Madame's. Kinda."
Bubbles just looked at her funny.
"They're quite fragile. One wrong move and… boom! They fall apart into a million pieces." Marigold continued, taking a deep breath. "When that happens, you need to help them and her put it all back together."
Bubble just nodded and got a slight head pat. He wasn't entirely sure why this strange woman did that, but the gesture was nice. Especially since it gave him an idea. Digging into his pouch, the princess dolls came out. He set them in his lap and lightly tapped their heads. While no sound came out, Bubbles assumed they enjoyed the gesture.
"I'm guessing you like princesses then?" Marigold continued, shooting Madame a quick look. Her hope was that the thief would understand her reasons for doing this. Even if I'm not entirely sure why exactly she's doing this. I get that Madame is supposed to be something inherited. But why exactly? What purpose does having someone like her around serve. Oh well. Question for some other day.
Marigold's gaze returned to Bubbles, who gave the succubus a nod. "Is there anything that I can get you?"
All the succubus got was another funny look from the dragon. A guess could be made in regards to Bubbles's diet, but it's far more likely that he'll eat just about anything put in front of him. Or not.
So she scribbled something down on her pad and carefully took Bubbles's hand. That now settled, Marigold led him over to his teammates.
"Sorry about that." she explained, catching a look from Madame. Which was then followed by her pulling out the whip. But Marigold just ignored it. Instead, her focus was on the digimon at the moment. Probably not the best idea here, whatever works for you? Yeah. Something like that. Especially since none of them have menus currently.
"I'm fine with nearly anything." Balamon explained, slithering down Blaze's arm to be easier to see. "I'll take a plate."
Marigold nodded, attention shifting to Munbimon. I don't think ghosts are ever good customers when it comes to eateries. The whole 'intangibility' thing makes it hard to consume anything. Unless they somehow have ghost food. Wait. What would ghost food look like? General assumptions would be some kind of gelatin, but we can do better than that.
"Pass." Munbimon explained and Marigold moved over to Phusitmon. As tempting as making the obligatory pun might be for some, not me. He's hasn't cotton the fever for food. In retrospect, that sounded better in my head. Definitely going to stay away from puns once more.
Nonetheless, it was now Kollmon's turn to order. Not entirely sure what a mole of all things would want to eat really. Dirt? No, that those supposed house creatures that exist out on some backwater world. Capable of holding massive groups of adventurers all while being the size of a large creature. Sort of thing that scholars debate endlessly for some reason over their insane top speed. Oh right. Where were we? Yes. Ordering food.
"Do you like by any chance, have some worms and insects?" the mole digimon remarked and got a head shake from the waitress. "Oh. I'll be totally fine then."
Having just said that, she found Madame's attention now on her. Thankfully, the thief decided to put their weapon down."Hey. I'll like chow down when you're not looking."
That guarantee wasn't enough for the thief, grumbling something under their breath. She gets up on her tippy toes and turned to face her partner.
"You'll eat whatever I give you." she snarled, catching a look from Bubbles. He got ignored. Not that the dragon really seemed to mind. "If you're still hungry, then maybe you can have some."
Okay. Was not expecting her to say it like that. That works too.
"Like, understood." Kollmon muttered and shifted her sitting position, trying her best to see over to the rest of the digimon. Nonetheless, Marigold slips the pad into her dress.
"I'll get those orders in." Marigold explained and made her exit. But not before throwing a wink Yvonne's way. The barbarian let out a groan, head buried in her gauntlets. Helmet did make it to the table. So there's that going for them.
"So how do you know Marigold?" Ella inquired and Yvonne sighed. Pulling her head back, she focused in on her teammates.
"She's the mother of Marulyn, my roommate/girlfriend." she explained, bringing the teddy bear out and setting it within the helmet itself. Kind of scary. But not really. "She let me borrow her teddy bear and I've been trying to get it back to her."
A chuckle echoed out from the kitchen. An unseen gauntlet shake is all that comes out that remark.
"Sounds rough." Blaze remarked, attention shifting away from the barbarian and over to Bubbles. "Can I ask you something?"
The dragon nodded. Though he was knee-deeping in crafting his next story with his princesses. Rather than, I don't know, anticipating his next meal.
"What were you trying to do with the bodies before we pulled them to the cemetery?"
Bubbles stared down at the table. Then it was back to his teammates.
"Heal." he whispered, a little clump of green appearing in his hand. As quickly as it appeared, the clump vanished. "Nothing left."
Everyone's gazes turned to Madame. Who just shrugged. Though within, part of her was ready to go on another rant about secrets to keep. But it was held in.
"Okay. Maybe I messed that up." the thief remarked, feeling a claw on her at the moment. They ignored it for the time being. Probably helped that their food was on the way and they didn't need to fill the space with conversation.
"Here you guys go." Marigold explained and began placing down plates in front of our heroes. Starting with Yvonne, we have a plate of eggs, bacon and… lettuce? Okay. Two of those three fit. Not sure what lettuce has to do with this. Especially since Blaze's salad looks to have lots of strange green leaves that I don't quite recognize. Maybe those are in the same family as the lettuce.
"Thank you." Blaze remarked as Marigold set down Ella's plate. Was not expecting ribs. Probably coated in a sauce that uses booze as one of it ingredients. Since you know, dwarves and stuff. She even brought an extra one for Cinemon to have. How nice of her.
Which brings us nicely to Madame. Who got a pile of what can only be described as mush. Yeah. I'm not entirely sure that's even edible. Or tasty, really. Makes Bubbles's sandwich all the more perplexing. What exactly does this woman have planned? Couldn't tell you myself.
Marigold walked off, leaving our heroes to chow down. Except for one.
"Yuck." Madame thought, poking the gloop with her spoon. A 'gloop' sound followed, the contents looking ready to bubble up. "How is this the usual sh- I mean I would order?"
So the thief let their focus turn to Bubbles. Currently poking his sandwich, his dolls had been put back to bed.
"Could we… trade?" she whispered and watched the dragon nod. The swap that follows is pretty obvious. Not that anyone really cares. What is an issue (for Madame at least), was the unwillingness to use a spoon. "Don't bury your face into it. Use a spoon."
She held a spoon out, placing it in Bubbles's hands. While he gets the general idea of the utensil, he's not quite there.
"Just grip it and scoop." Madame continued, helping the dragon grab hold and pushed the device down into the goop. Of course, the actual process of getting the food to Bubbles mouth was a bit of a challenge. But eventually, he did get the hang out of it.
Madame finishes the sandwich in a couple bites, with Ella and Cinemon finishing around the same time. Yvonne took a bit longer with Blaze of all people choosing to take his time when it came to salad eating. Had nothing on Bubbles's goop though. Quite a bit after the fighter finished the last bit of veggies, the last spoonful went into the dragon's mouth. A hug to Madame followed.
"I'll pay." they muttered, setting down some coin in the process. After, it's back to her teammates. "Meet back up at the black cat inn tomorrow?"
Judging by the nods, they were all in agreement. So she and Bubbles made their exit. Ella followed right after.
"Do you want any help with Marulyn?" Blaze inquired and watched Yvonne shake her head. With that, he and Balamon made their exit.
Grabbing her helmet and the bear, she got ready to go. Effort was made to make sure Munbimon was on her back. No, I will not make the obligatory pun.
Yvonne and Munbimon followed right behind. Maybe this time, the barbarian would find her. She knew it.
Notes:
Overall, this was a bit of a challenge to write. Mostly because a lot of this chapter was just editing it while writing it. Outside of that, lots of setup and some changes for the long term. That's just life.
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Next Time: Well... We're totally a couple. Maybe.