The group went over the next hill and within fifteen minutes they arrived at the satyrs pub.
From the outside it looked humble yet folksy. Stacked stones and tree trunks make up most of the building's outer structure. It was tough to see through the high windows, but the music and voices could be heard from a mile distance.
Upon reaching the door, Angel gave it a knock. All noise inside was immediately silenced.
"Who is it?" One voice answered from the other side.
"Um...Potential customers." Angel answered.
A peephole located in the mid section of the door was opened and a pair eyes looked through it.
"Alright what have we got here? A tsuchigumo, an adze, a human, and a wendigo. Well seeing that none of you are palace guards who work for that Vox lunatic, I can certainly allow you inside- Wait a wendigo?! Holy crap! It's wendigo! Run for your lives!"
They could hear mass screaming and panic coming from inside the pub. Some of the customers were so over come with fright that they threw themselves out the windows. The satyrs who ran the place, put the whole joint on instant lock down with bars nailed on to every window and bolts chained to each door.
"I told you they wouldn't react positively to me." Alastor said.
"Huh, I really thought they'd before accepting since goats and deer are related." Angel said.
"What the devil are you talking about?" Alastor asked.
"Well aren't goats and deer apart of the same family?"
"No you idiot." Vaggie said. "Goats are in the same family as sheep not deer. Where did you get that dumb idea?"
"Well both have hooves and horns."
"So does an ox but they're not cousins."
"Getting off track here guys." Charlie said making her way toward the door. "Excuse me."
"Go away please!" The voice called again. "We do not offer service to creatures who feed on anything with a pulse."
"You've got it all wrong." Charlie argued. "Alastor is completely harmless."
Her three friends gave her a skeptic look.
"Okay maybe not completely harmless but he's not going to eat you. He doesn't eat anything with a the same intelligence of a human."
"Why should we believe you?"
"Well I'm an innocent human woman and he hasn't eaten me."
For a moment they heard several other voices converse among each other quietly, then the peephole was opened again.
"Is he a vegetarian?"
"Heavens no!" Alastor said.
"Then we can't risk it. Nothing personal but a lot of monsters consider goat 'the other white meat'."
"Oh come now, you're being completely unreasonable." Charlie said.
"Sorry ma'am but it's my pub, my rules, I'm not letting in a wendigo that eats meat and there's nothing you can do to change my mind."
"That lady's got gold." Angel said.
"Hold that thought."
The peep hole was closed and they heard the sound of bolts being taken down. At long last the door was opened by a bearded satyr.
"Right this way folks."
The pub wasn't as packed as it was about five minutes ago but some customers remained, though they were all real close together and staring at Alastor with intense fear. A few were even whispering about him.
"Don't make any sudden movements."
"Avoid eye contact."
"Does anyone have an open wound?"
"Try not to sweat so much, they can smell fear."
The group was seated at a table that was set up farthest from all the others and when they sat down, the customers stared at him nervously for another ten minutes before either continuing with their previous drinking and dining or just leaving the pub at lighting speed.
"How rude." Charlie mumbled in disapproval of everyone's behavior. "You have as much right to dine here as anyone else Al."
"Don't worry about me, dear. I'm used to it." Alastor said. "But at least they let me in."
"Only because I had gold." Charlie said. "Is this how it's always been for you? Constantly shunned like this?"
"Pretty much."
"That's terrible." She said with empathy.
"Yeah but we can open up to each other on our tragic backstories later." Angel said. "Right now I'm hungry and in desperate need of a good drink."
Another satyr, they're waiter, handed them each a menu and they all took a moment to look over.
"What will you four be having today?" He asked.
"I'll take a honeydew salad with tree sap dressing and to drink I'll have the nectar wine." Vaggie said.
"Grilled bass and a side of larva for me." Angel said. "And I want your strongest drink here."
"That would be the Dragon Shot but I must warn you it's not for those who are light weight." The waiter said. "It's our classic wine but without any form of sugar, mixed with hard whisky and dragon's blood. It's the most bitter drink known to man."
"Make that two Dragon Shots please." Alastor said. "And I'll have the bison ribs."
"And you ma'am?" The waiter addressed Charlie.
"Hmm...Not sure yet." She said re-reading her menu. "Okay I think I'll have nectar wine and a honeydew salad too but no dressing. I'll also take the stuffed partridge, I'd like to try some of those bison ribs and boar sausage it's not too much trouble, and for sides I'll take the fired unicorn horns and Pixie rolls. Do you all have any dessert here?"
Alastor, Vaggie, and Angel looked at Charlie in utter amazement.
"That's a pretty tall order your highness." Alastor said once the waiter said.
"Well I've never had much variety in my diet and everything here looks so good. I wanted to try everything but I thought that would make me look like a pig."
"Too late for that toots." Angel muttered which earned him a painful step on the foot from Vaggie. "Ow!"
"You know I actually find it very refreshing to see a woman not care about how much she eats once in awhile." Alastor said. "Most human women I've seen eat like birds."
"Or act like they eat like birds." Angel said. "Am I right Vaggie?"
"No. I'm actually a vegetarian." She said.
"But you ate eggs yesterday."
"So? Vegetarians can eat eggs. They just don't eat meat."
"But I thought adzes lived off of flesh and blood."
"They don't have to. I only did it for all those years because I was forced to against my will. Also what's with the grilled bass? I thought spiders only ate bugs."
"My great grandmother was a dolomedes yokai so I enjoy a little seafood. I also have a taste for Italian now and then."
"I thought yokai were Japanese?"
"They were. I just really like Italian food. You're not the only one who dines outside their biological diet."
The food was very delicious and well-cooked. Not one of them had a single complaint, and Charlie, much to everyone's shock, was able to eat everything on her plate. Though she did share the sausage and bread with Alastor. Apparently he was hungrier than he thought. The pub was quiet for quite awhile due to everyone's fear and distrust of Alastor, but by the time he and his friends finished their meal the tensity had died down.
In fact it had decreased so much that some of the other satyr employees started to gather in the pub's center and play music again. The type in which they were playing right now were in major and minor keys that employed complex harmonies. Folk music, a type of folk music that Charlie adored.
"Oh my Gosh! That's Breton music!" She cried excitedly.
Without thinking, she stood up from her chair and let the music lead her into a jig. The musicians noticed this and quickly picked up the speed of their song which encouraged her. In that moment a repressed emotion and passion seemed to overcome the princess as she lively danced about the pub with leaping movements. There was not one sign of self-consciousness and she didn't notice how all eyes were now shifting on to her. She probably didn't even notice when she began to dance on table tops. She couldn't help herself, she had spent sixteen years holding back so much passion and spirit, so much desire to express her inner emotions, that when she heard music that she favored, she just had to finally let it all go in that moment.
Her eyes were closed without a care, a free smile was on her face, and she danced with the elegant grace of a perfect ballerina yet had all the spirit of someone who danced merely for enjoyment. This was also the most beautiful she had ever looked to Alastor so far. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, her sincere smile and expressive steps were captivating. To him nothing was more entertaining than watching someone guided by true passion and that's what this princess was doing. She was throwing away all care for what others thought and letting her feelings lead her in this dance. What could be more beautiful?
She started to pirouette on the table but then she lost her footing and fell. Alastor was instantly running under her with open arms and she landed in his hold, preventing her from a painful impact. This shook her from her state of bliss and once again, she and Alastor blushed at being so close to one another.
"Thank you." She said trying not to sound flustered.
"You're welcome my dear but perhaps you should consider dancing with your eyes open?"
That's when Charlie finally noticed the whole crowd staring at her. Her blush increased ten fold. This was the most embarrassed she had ever felt. How could she allow herself to do something so stupid?
But then everyone in the pub erupted in applause, some even cheered and whistled.
"Why are they doing that?" Charlie whispered to Alastor.
"Why do you think? You were sensational up there." Alastor said.
"I was? Really?" She said genuinely surprised. "They really liked it?"
"You were magnificent."
He smiled at her in a manner that almost looked enamored. She gave him a similar smile.