I don't own digimon.

Chapter 11

Checking In

Ella made a beeline for the Black Cat Inn from the cafe.

Sure, the lost profits could hopefully be amended over the next couple days. Maybe. Kind of would depend on how much business she could get. If this mess with Distant Harmony dug into her time, then there was a chance of things not going well for her. But that bridge could be crossed when it was reached.

This still left the issue of one Madame Von Strauss. The nerve of that woman to just storm into her show. Sure, it had paid to be prepared for her arrival to an extent with the fake meteorite. But that didn't change the fact that she had just returned from a long business trip. The last thing she needed at this point was some woman (well, they looked like a woman) thinking they were so great and powerful that they could take anything that they want with little to no consequence. It really grinded her gears, refusing to leave her head alone.

"You alright there, Ella?" Cinemon remarked, getting a head shake from the artificer in return. A sigh followed.

"I should just make Madame help me clean up this mess." she muttered, taking a left. That way, she and Cinemon could see the damage caused to the window. Among other things. "Technically, it's her fault that this happened."

Cinemon just rolled his eyes. At most, it was kind of an exaggeration to say that this was all somehow Madame's fault. If it was, then her behavior could be predicted to an extent. But the show earlier seemed to say otherwise. Why else would someone like Bubbles catch her by surprise? Perhaps there was more going on with her. Then there was Marigold's conversation with Bubbles. What was so important that she needed privacy compared to the other conversations? Try as he might, no good answer came to her. So the artificer pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Does Madame come by often to the inn?" the dog feline digimon remarked, focus shifting back to Ella. While he didn't really have a problem with Madame (outside of the whole mess with the grunt and his own inner monologue), having a clearer picture would do both of them some good. Okay, maybe Cinemon would come out ahead in this situation. But that's beyond the point.

"That's the thing." Ella muttered, the window coming into view. While the glass shards brought about by the grunt's departure were minimal at best, this would still need to be repaired. Not that Ella really had the qualifications to do such a task. Maybe a mending scroll for this situation? Or perhaps finding a glassworker and getting a new window tomorrow. "Every time I show off a new invention, she has the nerve to steal it for her personal collection."

Very carefully, she pushed the glass shards into a pile. While not the best way to go about cleaning this (you're risking a massive number of cuts doing it this way), the shards were no longer in the middle of the walkway. One can only hope that no one stepped through while they were away. Or if someone did, they were able to find proper medical attention. I've seen my fair share of accident involving broken vials. That stuff can really hurt you if you're not careful. In between 'entries' (or whatever I'm supposed to call these things), I had the pleasure of monitoring a brewing class. Potions, not beer. Can't stand that stuff one bit. The class was all unruly, so I had to make an effort to keep them all under control while the teacher (an older man) gave the lesson. Wasn't half bad. Up until the class clown had the bright idea of acting like a complete jackass and dropped some gunpowder into their cauldron. The next couple seconds were the make or break moment… The idiot didn't mix it right. Which meant we now had a sentient blob of potion goop intent on telling everyone how it felt (wonderful, but annoyed that people were chasing it at the moment). Especially since the blob took us on a full-on tour of the school. Sure, the chase was surprisingly slow (we were making healing potions for this class). By the time we finally caught the little bugger, classes for the day was just about over. Which meant having to go back to the classroom, clean up this idiot's mess and then run back over to here. I did make sure to have a bite to eat along with some water. I would be an awful narrator if I didn't keep track of my own needs as well as these people.

"Okay. That's one thing down." Ella announced, catching a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her turret came back out, all ready to unload on this mysterious person. But nothing came of it. Kind of rude of them to do that. "Probably nothing."

That mystery unsolved for the moment, the pair made the trek back to the front of the inn. In retrospect, maybe flipping the sign to 'closed' would've done a little bit of good. Or at the very least, resulted in less people inside the inn itself. Though, you would probably be more concerned by the fact that random people were making their way inside and making themselves at home. Can't be that good for business.

"It would seem you're quite popular right now." Cinemon remarked, watching his partner just sigh. They head on through, with Ella taking up her spot at the reception desk.

"I trust that you're all here to check-in?" the artificer inquired, watching the entire crowd approach. The first customer appeared to be would you believe, one of the grunts from Distant Harmony. Maybe you should forgo the mask at least for the moment?

"I would like a room for the night." the grunt whispered, setting down a meager bag of coins. Ella opened the bag up and spilled the contents onto the desk. A head shake followed. Out of all her work stuff, this was sometimes the worst. "Not enough, is it?"

Ella's eyes told the full story. Scooping the coins back up, they all return to the bag. Handing it back, they step away from her desk.

"Could I ask you something?" the artificer inquired and watched her customer stop and turn back around to face her.

"Yes?" the grunt asked, watching Ella take a deep breath. So they prepare for the inevitable question. Perhaps they're more surprised that they aren't getting their ass kicked for their trespassing. Could be a mix of both.

"Does 'the artisan' ring a bell, by any chance?" Ella inquired, watching the grunt's face turn ghostly white. They mumble something under their breath and step back towards the desk. They look around, eventually focusing in on the artificer for the moment.

"What do you want to know?" the grunt whispered, getting a deep breath in return. Ella got out a pad and pencil, focusing back on the grunt.

"Anything that you know, really." Ella whispered. "He showed up earlier and threatened to fight my friends and I tomorrow. Depending on what you tell me, I might let you stay the night."

She watched the eyes of the grunt widen upon hearing that. Quite possible she had just struck the jackpot. Or maybe this was a bridge too far.

"For starters, he was our boss." the grunt started, expression masked for all. Kind of annoying. "Had a grudge with everyone for one reason or another…"

Ella rolled her eyes. If this was how this whole conversation was going to go, it might have been better to keep her mouth shut and just let this idiot walk on out. A lead at this point could give all the edge they need in the face of this coming threat.

"So what exactly did you and your friends do to piss him off?" she remarked, tone of voice almost betraying the way she felt right now. No one else noticed though. Had they, it would've probably scared them off the property. But judging by the face that the unlucky grunt was probably sporting at the moment, that wasn't quite the question he was expecting to be answering today. The answer seemed to be evading him at the moment. Or this was how it usually went. I really hope not.

"Uh… existing? Maybe?" the grunt remarked, looking away after saying that. Definitely not a good answer to such a question. Even if Ella was resisting the urge to bring her turret. Not before asking one more question.

"By any chance were you trying to get the drop on me?" the artificer continued, Cinemon at the ready. Wasn't necessary for the moment, because that grunt was making a beeline for somewhere. Possibly another inn. Or perhaps, somewhere secluded.

"You could've just let them stay the night." Cinemon muttered, a groan being the response. While sure, expecting Ella to just change her ways from justspending a couple hours with him. But a teensy-bit of progress would be nice. Probably asking for too much here. Kind of like assuming a college of invention wizard is somehow an artificer. One, they aren't. Secondly, there's a huge difference of technique and methods between the two. The former's biggest draw is their ability to just pull some magic out of thin air and hope to god that it's the spell you needed but forget to memorize. Just bad wizard etiquette all around. You have one job - casting spells that fit the situation (hopefully). You can't just rely on the forces of luck and/or anarchy, hoping to god it all works out. Strategy, people.

As for the latter, they've been trying to get their curriculum together for the last two years. They all made an effort to be mostly transparent to their prospective students. It's only a matter of time before they'll be ready. I just know it.

Oh right. Back with our pair, Ella scooped up the coin bag left behind and set into what I can only assume is the till. Well, hopefully that's the till. Which prompted the next person to come up to the desk. Would you believe it? It's another grunt. This one at least got a chance to actually emote for a time,

"Uh… could you hide me?" the grunt whispered, looking about the place. When they were certain no one was really watching per say, their attention returned to the artificer. "This crazy snake thing tried to adopt me and now, she wants me to eat a whole rat. A whole rat!"

Ella rolled her eyes. As claims went, this one sounded… believable. While the members of Yvonne's clan attracted a motley crew of strange creatures, she had heard about the snake. But that didn't explain why this person decided this place in particular was the best spot to hang low and hope that the snake lady wouldn't find her. Or why they were all fidgety even while standing in front of her right now.

"I'm going to assume you don't have any money either?" Ella inquired, a reluctant chuckle from the grunt serving as the answer. Not a good sign. "I would make you talk, but something tells me you don't know anything."

The grunt began shaking her head. Perhaps she was searching for an answer to satisfy this strange request. Wait. How did she know to look for an answer. The last grunt made an effort to keep some level of secrecy. Which means…

"As much as I would like to tell you something about my boss, I got nothing." the grunt announced, looking about for an opening. Doesn't look like there is one at the moment. Oops. Should've planned a lot better in that regard.

"Well, all we know was that he was a merchant of death before this." the grunt mumbled, the sound of someone slithering echoing into the Inn. "Something about statues and causing 'accidents'. No one understanding him."

Ella scribbled the information down. While helpful, this told her nothing in regards to weaknesses. Still better than the information the last grunt had to offer her. Not that this was saying much in the slightest. Especially with such big pieces unfulfilled at the moment.

That was the least of the artificer's worries, judging by the end of a snake's tail that had just pierced through the wall of the inn. You would think such a creature would have the common decency to try the front door first. Judging by the rattle at the end the size of a table, that's one big snake. Where the hell does one even keep such a creature? Let alone feed it? Or even love it for that matter? The alleyways? But then you have to deal with

"Hey!" Ella announced, taking the time to deploy her turret. Not entirely sure how much good that will do. For a snake of that size, you would be lucky to even have it notice the projectiles coming yo-

Whipping around with a grace that I don't think Ella or even Cinemon was really expecting, the snake now faced them down. Blind snake lady, to be exact. Fangs flashing their way, the scales around them a beautiful shade of blue.

"Hi…" Ella started, doing her best to keep her focus on their new visitor. But something didn't seem right. If such a beast had just crashed through the side of the building, while hadn't the stained glass fallen down? Better yet, such a large hole should've resulted in the whole front collapsing in. Yet it proudly stood strong to taunt the beast. Nor were any people really running away in terror. Like you think they would. Is this place really that big of a magnet for the weird? Possibly. This isn't it though.

"Cinemon, can you do something for me?" Ella inquired, her partner swiveling to face. Whisperings of something follow. Silence was all I got. Not that they I would really reveal what they said to each other right here. That could be for later. Or not at all. Whatever the case, her partner approached the snake.

Mewl!

Without the infusion power, not so threatening of an attack. Can't quite decide on the sound though. Is it more of a bark? A meow? Eh. That's a question for other people to debate later down the road. Right now, we need to get to the bottom of this giant snake. Judging by the way the snake's body was now perfectly still, the jig was up.

"Fire." Ella whispered, aiming her turret towards the still open door. A single shot rang out, but then… nothing. "Thought so."

Dispelling her device, she approached the doorway and took the time to look both ways. Just in case there was somehow one more trap waiting for her outside. There wasn't. So the artificer motioned for her partner to come over.

"I guess your hunch was right." Cinemon whispered, their focus shifting toward the culprits of this strange act. As it would turn out, there had been an actual snake lady. It was just that she was more… human-sized. Her scales shined a shade of dark blue, making her ragged cloak and collar all the more striking. A blindfolded gaze stared at the pair, clawed arms finishing the look. She was joined by a succubus. Much like her companion, she too was wearing a collar. Though, hers seemed to have some kind of diamond studded piece of metal. I guess that's their version of a ring then? I like it. Of course, she too was clothed in rags. Though, hers looked more dirty than that of the snake woman's.

They look more pissed than really malevolent.

"By any chance could we have the girl hiding in your Inn?" the snake woman inquired, Ella taking a deep breath. In between the trouble caused on both ends, the temptation to ask for compensation was quite high. But it drifted away as quickly as it had appeared. Especially with Cinemon silently judging how she was

"Will you make sure to keep her out of trouble?" the artificer inquired, watching the couple look among each other. A nod eventually followed. "You can grab her. I won't stop you."

They watched the pair step on through. There's no real struggle by way of the grunt. If anything, it would seem she had learned her lesson. Hopefully.

"Sorry about that." the succubus remarked, the trio heading off back towards the alleyways. Ella and Cinemon reentered the Inn and took their position.

"So are all succubi here in Aldia like that?" Cinemon asked, a head shake coming as the answer. So he turned his attention over to Ella. While no one else seemed to be willing to check in,

"Some swing more in the direction of males, others both ways." Ella explained, getting a nod from her partner. "From the stories I've heard, they're some weird offshoot one of the actual devil varieties. Who in turn, breeded with Yvonne's people and got us this strange hybrid we have today."

Cinemon shot her a confused glance. He hadn't expected an answer such as the one he had just been given. Made him even more curious.

"Care to divulge your source?" he inquired, but Ella's lips were sealed. "Or is this just a part of the job?"

A chuckle, followed by a smile.

"The latter."

Notes:

Coming off of Yvonne, I actually had trouble with this one. Mostly just trying to keep the flow going, on top of keeping the plot going. So we have little tidbits on our upcoming villian.

.

Next Time: They served their purpose. Not the intended way, though.