Chapter 7: Down the hatch
The tavern in question was a massive four story building that resembled a giant oven made from stone held together with large wooden pillars. A warm, welcoming light shone from out of the round windows that ran along its flat surface and a balcony could be seen on the highest level with laughter and singing heard from within. A large wooden sign hanged above the door, carved carefully into it was what looked like a massive cauldron with a devil sticking her head out from the top with a massive smile on her face; it reminded me of those shapeshifters that used pots and pans as cloths….. Jinn of the… something (Not really worth remembering to be honest) and below it were the words: The Devil's Kitchen. The title put me off a little, but I really wanted a meal and Amina seemed to be hell bent on treating me to one!
A holstaur welcomed us warmly from behind the counter as we walked through the door and asked us if we wanted a table, (try to maintain eye contact Bain!) when Amina asked for a table for two a small (and rather emotionless) mantis girl quickly appeared in front of us wearing an apron and led us to a small table on the second floor that sat in a corner near a fireplace, Amina moved her chair over so that she was sitting right next to me and was now holding on to my arm with a blissful expression on her face (at least she had her cloths back on.)
The area was filled with monster girls, most of them were sitting at tables of their own, talking and eating amongst themselves, whilst others sat on stools along a bar being manned by a trio of Dwarves who laughed and gossiped with their patrons as they served them drink after drink after drink. (At least none of them seemed interested in raping me) The fireplace gave the area a warm, relaxing feel as the flames glowed pleasantly from within its metal bars and in the distance I could hear a woman singing something about eternal love. Altogether this made me fell strangely happy and relaxed; even Amina's tight grip couldn't kill the good mood I was in.
Shortly after taking our seats the mantis girl (did I mention she had a creepy look on her face?) asked for our orders: Amina ordered a pork pie with salad and I In turn asked for half a chicken with some corn. Sadly, Amina didn't seem to be worried about my age and asked for two pints of rum to go with our meals, the golden liquid tasted disgusting when I took a tentative sip from my mug and decided to chug the whole thing down to avoid hurting Amina's feeling any more than I already have! "Wow Bain! I didn't know you were so good with your liquor!" Amina was quite impressed when she saw me swallowing down my drink with massive gulps until the whole lot was gone in a matter of seconds! "Hehe, yeah well I guess I'm juuuust a naturaaaal ahahaha! (Why am I laughing so much?) Amina didn't seem to be concerned with my strange behaviour and started laughing with me, her head resting gently on my chest as though if she needed it to support herself.
"Did you want another one sweetie?" "Whaaa? Ah nah ranks, I think Illa have sooome water yeah? Before I knew it a cup of water sat right in front of me, I was so surprised by the cups appearance I my pressed face hard against Amina's and waved a shaky finger at the cup as though it were cursed. "How tha frrrrack did that get ere? It just appeared outa nowhere!" Amina turned bright red from my sudden show of affection and for the first time tonight, she looked more nervous than I did. "Um….. what do you mean? The waitress gave it to you remember?" "Whaaa? That emulous-emotionless weirdo gave it to me?" "…..Um Bain?" Amina whispered quietly, "Yeah?" I then noticed she was looking at something.
I looked over to where she was staring and realized that the emotionless weirdo was right at our table with our food in her arms and as she dropped the dishes in front of us I noticed her left eye twitching dangerously, quickly realizing my mistake despite the drunken state I was in. "Oh I'm showy," I said with as much sincerity in my voice as I could muster, "I'm a wittle fummy at the moment n not thinkin straight ya know?" The poor girl just gave a dignified "Hmpff!" and strode off to another table, leaving me feeling a little sore at my harsh words and stupidity, we spent the next half hour quietly eating our meals and as the rum slowly started leaving my system, my stomach and head was starting to feel rather unpleasant and I began wishing for a bed and a good night's sleep.
"So Bain," Amina asked after finishing her proportionately large meal, "what are you going to do now that you've lost that kidnappers trail?" Huh? Oh, well I'm not so sure to be honest" I replied without really thinking, "I guess after a good night's sleep I'll figure something out, can't just give up so soon right? Amina didn't answer; she began fiddling with her brightly coloured hair and bit down on her lip as she started thinking long and hard about the situation I was in. "If you wanted to…..you could sleep in my bed tonight." Normally that would have raised the red flag in my head, but with my strength fading and a hangover fast approaching I wasn't going to say no to a comfy bed. "Sure," I said lazily, rising slowly from my seat, "sounds good."
Amina quickly jumped from her seat and looked at me with wide eyes and reddened cheeks. "Really?" she asked, loud enough to turn a few heads our way and to worsen my already pounding headache. "Ahhhhh, I moaned, holding my temple in a futile attempt to ease the pain, "yeah yeah that's fine I just want to go to sleep." For a moment Amina just stood there, staring at me with tears welling in her eyes, "Are you really ok with sharing a bed with me?" Once again I didn't seem to realize the situation I was getting myself into and just gave a shrug and said "Yeah that's fine, now can we get a move on? Like a boiling kettle Amina gave a squeal that almost split my brain in two and rushed to my side to hold me in another bone crushing embrace, except this time she aimed for stomach (I don't think they'll let us back in here anytime soon.)
After helping the now fuming mantis girl with the mess I made on the floor (never drinking alcohol again!) Amina paid her the gold coins for the meal and guided me by the hand out of the tavern and into the streets, humming a sweet tune as she eventually led me to a large mansion that, for some reason, looked to be made from edible materials. Before I could make a comment on the strange structure before us she lead me to the back yard which had a large, yet otherwise regular looking shed made from iron and steel. "Ummm why are you taking me here?" She turned towards me with a gentle smile on her face; making me feel uncomfortable again "this is where I live sweetie!" "Oh, ok then….lead on." There were no lights inside so I had to rely on Amina who seemed to know exactly where she was going and before I knew it we were standing in front of what looked like the outline of a large bed, placing a hand on the covers I was amazed at how soft and smooth it felt which only further drained my strength.
Instinctively I began removing my cloths, I didn't care if Amina was watching, I was tired and didn't like sleeping with my clothes on (they were filthy anyway.) With only my breaches remaining I laid down onto the mattress, the warmth, the comfort, it was indescribable! It took me a moment to realize Amina hadn't joined me yet (rather strange considering her enthusiasm earlier) looking up at her I could see she was slowly removing her cloths as well, even though I couldn't see her details I could tell she was quite nervous and seemed to be having second thoughts. "It's ok," I said softly, gently grasping her hand and pulling her towards the bed, "I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor for my sake." Her hand was shaking, but she complied, resting herself down next to me as I rolled back to give her more room. We were now only inches away from one another, I could feel her breath on my face, despite her recent meal it still smelt fresh and sweet like strawberries, she was still holding my hand, but for some reason I didn't have the resolve to pull it away. With my last ounce of strength I whispered "Good night" and without waiting for a response, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.