Oh, look, we've reached 30 chapters. Neat

Chapter 30 – Bounty Hunter Bean Part 3

As the following days went on, Bean was starting to get the hang of the bounty-hunting gig. When Bean and Elfo, Luci, and Koga head out for their next job, Bean is always the first to charge in. Bean had also begun asking Koga to give her more tips and lessons with sword practice. Of course, Koga was reluctant about this. Being a teacher is something Koga wasn't bad at but didn't ever want to do. But Bean was being pretty persistent with him wanting to teach her.

"Come on, Koga. You have to teach me all that you know. You're, like, super different from what I'm used to!" said Bean

"Look, Bean, I'm a busy guy, ok? I have other things I have to attend to," said Koga,

"Like what? Those dumb herculean beetle fight clubs you've been going to?" She said, crossing her arms and slitting her eyes at him.

"HEY! I'll have you know that herculean beetle fighting is an exciting sport! And training them to win takes a lot of time!" said Koga, pointing his finger defensively at Bean. Bean would then give Koga the LOOK. That particular look a woman gives you when they know they caught you in your nonsense. Once Koga realized this, he sighed rubs his head. "Alright, alright... I'll teach you a bit more."

"Thanks, big guy," said Bean, smiling victoriously. Of course, the attention that Koga was receiving from Bean didn't go completely unnoticed. Not in a positive way. Elfo was becoming annoyed by how closer Bean was getting to Koga. He was beginning to try everything he could to garner attention and even going far as to try and fit a bunch of biscuits in his mouth to try and impress her, which resulted in him almost choking to death. Elfo would continue this constant attention-seeking by butting in on Bean's training session. His blood would boil every time Koga had to show her how to perform a sword maneuver correctly by placing his arms around Bean to fix her posture.

"You know you should try and do stretches, too," Koga commented as he slid his hand down Bean's back. "Your body is all stiff." He, Bean, and Elfo were at their usual training spot in Dreamland. It was in an old secret place where Bean, her older brother Tavish and their gang of friends used to hang out. "I've never done proper stretches before," said Bean, her cheeks red. "Mind showing me how?"

Koga scoffed. "Jeez, you royal type don't know much about anything, do you?"

Bean shakes her head. "We usually have servants do that for us," She said, smiling at him. "You know…messages and all of that!"

"Well, getting a message is one way of loosening up,"

"Can you give me one?" Bean asked quickly.

"Uhh…" Koga stared at her for a few seconds. "Umm…sure, lie down on your stomach."

Bean nods and places her hands around her shirt, but Koga quickly stops her. "WHOA! No need to do that!" He said frantically. "Just lay down already!"

Bean lays down on her stomach, and Koga places his hands around her shoulders and starts the message. Bean let out a couple of sighs of satisfaction. "Ahhh yeaaah…dang Koga, you're good at this…" She said, with her eyes closed and letting out soft, relaxed moans. Bean had been held by other men before. But when It came to Koga, all those other men couldn't compare. It was at this point that Elfo had enough.

"Um, AHEM!" said Elfo loudly.

Koga looked over at Elfo. "What's up? You wanna message too Elfo?"

"No, I do not want a message," said Elfo, with much sass behind it. "I've just come to say that… you're not doing that correctly."

"Huh?"

"Scoot over, please," said Elfo, and Koga did just that. Elfo sat where Koga was, placing his tiny hands-on Bean's shoulders. "You have to get in like this." He said as he attempted to message Bean's shoulders. Elfo didn't want to admit it, but his tiny hands weren't messaging any muscles in Bean's shoulders. Elfo tried his best to at least get one compliment out of her. But unfortunately, Bean wasn't saying anything. "Umm Elfo…" said Bean. "Your hands are too small for this…"

Elfo stopped messaging and said, "Oh, ok, umm…maybe I should walk on your back instead?" He said, sounding a bit embarrassed and nervous.

Bean turned to Elfo and said, "No, that's ok. But thanks, though,"

Elfo lowered his head, moved out of Koga's way, and went to sit back at the spot where he was before. "But if you need me to message spots that Koga can't reach, I'll be over here!" After Bean and Koga let that awkward statement from Elfo sit for a few seconds, Koga finished giving Bean the message, and he moved on to show Bean the proper ways of stretching.

Bean's body felt wonderful after Koga's message, and she felt a new surge of energy flow through her. "Dude, I feel great!" said Bean cheerfully. "I have to get a drink with all of this!" Koga just sighed and chuckled. "I knew you were going to say that," He said, looking over at her. As the three made their way to the bar, the trio heard the sounds of the knight's armor clanking behind them. The three turned around and saw a group of knights heading their way, followed by the sounds of cackling laughter. The knights were escorting a pale-looking woman wearing a dirty green dress and scarf; her face had a few boils, and her hair was of a Burnett color tied in a ponytail. One of the knights stopped walking and lifted the visor on their helmet. It was Pendergast.

"Ah there, you are Koga!" said Pendergast jubilantly. "Guarding the Princess even with her banishment!"

"Oh yeah, it's all fun and whatnot," Koga replied, his eyes on the witch who was being escorted to the castle. "I see you guys caught a witch?" Pendergast would probably smile and say, "YES! We caught the culprit abducting people and killing them in the woods. Dating back to the Hansel and Gretel cold case. "

"So, has that witch been laughing the whole time while you guys were escorting her?" Bean asked.

"Yes, she has," said Pendergast, his happy expression quickly changing to a tired and frustrated look. "We even found her laughing like that too."

"You found her like that?" said Koga, his interest in the witch had grown a bit.

"Indeed," Pendergast nods. "Well, anyways, continue on your duties, Koga!" He closed his visor and hurried to catch up with his fellow knights.

"Well, that's good they caught the killer," said Bean. "Anyways, time to quench my thirst!"

"You two go on ahead," said Koga. "I'm going to see what this witch is all about."

"Alright, see you, Koga. Come on, Elfo!"

Once Koga walked off, Bean and Elfo entered the bar. As they entered, Bean looked over at the group's table, and her eyes widened. Tavish, Bean's older twin brother, sat in the seat where Bean usually sat. Tavish had his face deep in a book, wearing his usual green formal wear. But Tavish wasn't alone. Merkimer, the once human prince of Bentwood, sat In another seat at the table along with Luci. "What In the hell? Tavish?" She said as she walked over to the table. Tavish looked up from his book and placed his eyes on his younger twin sister. "Oh, greeting's sister," He replied, sounding calm and slightly disinterested as he always was at times. "I knew you'd be in here eventually." Bean rolled her eyes at Tavish's comment and then looked at Merkimer. "Oh my god, you haven't been eaten yet?" She said, shocked at Merkimer still being alive. "That's what I said as well," said Tavish quietly as he cast a glare at Merkimer, not moving his head from the book.

"Greeting's to you too, Tiabeanie! Oh, how I've been longing to see you since our wedding! So beautiful as the day I laid my eyes on you when you killed my brother!" said Merkimer. Somehow he still kept his smug flirting smirk, even in pig form.

"That was an accident! He's the idiot who kneeled over a throne full of swords!" said Bean, crossing her arms. "And Luci, you've been hanging out with them all day?" She asked, looking over at him. "To be honest, I mistaken Tavish for you, and I just didn't feel like leaving the castle," Luci replied. "And I tried annoying your brother to see how it would work. So far…nothing." He takes a puff of his cigarette and blows the smoke over at him. Tavish just fanned it away and continued reading

Bean scoffs. "Yeah, good luck with that. I'm surprised to see him out of his room, let alone in a bar," She looked at the book he was reading. "Jeez, all you do is read!"

"You should try it sometime, sister," said Tavish, "It might bring back some of the brain cells you lost."

Luci snickered at his comment. "He's most certainly the funnier sibling,"

Bean lets out a small irritated groan. "What are you even doing here anyway?"

"That's an odd question," said Tavish, turning a page in his book. Ever so often as he did this, he would look over at Luci. "It's a public place where anyone above age can come in and spend their time. I have that right as well." Bean rubbed between her eyes and groaned even more. "I'm asking because it's not like you to be in bars!" She said, growing more and more irritated at her brother. Tavish took a sip of the water that he had ordered. "That's not any of your concern, is it?"

"Oh my god…." Bean groaned again while she rubbed her head. "Why do you have to be such a- "

"But Tavish," said Merkimer aren't you meeting that woman you told me about?"

Bean's eyes widen. "No way!" Bean said, dumbfounded. "You have a date?" Her jaw dropped slightly.

"It's not a date," said Tavish. His annoyance levels were already hitting their peak when he cast a glare back onto Merkimer. "I'm only here to meet Cecilia. The place where we usually meet isn't open till late evening."

"Who's that? She sounds nice!" Elfo asked as he grabbed a seat.

"Cecilia is one of our old friends, I guess you can say," said Bean. "We've known her since Tavish and I was little."

"Ahh, dating the childhood friend, I see?" Merkimer said as he smiled over at Tavish. "Was it love that was growing over the years? Building up deep down, my jolly old friend."

Tavish sighed. "This is why I don't leave my room…."

"Have you got to second base yet?" Luci asked. "What's she like? Is she a big nerd like you? You know the nerdy types aren't all that bad. They can be pretty freaky too."

"Cecilia is not a freak, nor have we together," Tavish said, his tone deepening with his growing irritation. "I don't have any need to have intimate relationships. They're just a meaningless distraction."

Bean shakes her head. "This is exactly why you're just going to grow old and die alone, big brother."

"I don't mind passing on alone. It sounds wonderful to have that peaceful silence as my soul leaves my body," He replied with no hesitation in that statement.

Luci and Elfo stared at Tavish in complete shock. Luci would say, "Now that's what I call a stone-cold son of a bitch!"

Merkimer was against this. "No, Tavish! I will be by your side! I, your best friend in this dark, cruel dank world, will be there to hold your hand and comfort you as you pass!"

"How thoughtful of you…." said Tavish, with apparent sarcasm in his voice that everyone picked up on except Merkimer.

"Say, isn't this Cecilia woman supposed to be here by now?" Merkimer asked.

"Ouch, stood up," Luci added in.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon. She's running a few errands for me," said Tavish, correcting Luci.

Bean would bare an angry expression at her brother. "Are you seriously having her do royal errands for you?"

"She insisted," said Tavish. "It was nice of her to do so. Now I can catch up on my work."

"You mean work as in," Bean said, doing quotations with her fingers when she said work. "Sit on your snobby ass and read books all day while she does stuff you're supposed to be doing?"

"That's such a negative way of putting that sister. You say that like we're not royalty who uses servants,"

"Cecilia isn't a servant! She's our old friend!"

"Who decided to do me a favor,"

Bean's temper began to grow. "You know what-I-you-OH SCREW IT! I'll get a drink later!" She said shouted as she turned around and stormed out of the bar. Elfo looks over at Tavish. "Well, this was a nice conversation! Bye!" said Elfo as he hopped out of his seat and followed Bean. Luci looks over at Tavish, "Hey, if you ever feel like life is too dull and you wanna end it all, hit me up!" He hops off the table and follows Bean and Elfo.

Merkimer frowns at Luci. "My goodness, that cat is so vulgar…."

Tavish eyes Luci as he leaves the bar. "Yeah…a cat…."

After leaving the bar, Bean, Elfo, and Luci head straight to the bounty hunter building. Bean kicked open the door, which garnered a comment from Debra saying. "Oh great, now you're doing it too," Bean ignored her and she went looking at the bounty board. Debra noticed how upset Bean was and looked over at Elfo and Luci. "What's up, her butt?"

"Eh, her brother just annoyed her all," said Elfo.

"Which one? The fish or the clone?"

"The clone," Elfo and Luci replied in unison.

"Ah," Debra nods.

Bean snags off a piece of paper and walks past Debra, Elfo, and Luci. "I'll be back with the bounty in ten minutes!" She said as she exited the building. Elfo and Luci hurried along and hopped on the horse that Bean mounted, and they were off. The whole time she was riding, both Elfo and Luci could hear Bean curse under her breath about Tavish. Once they arrived at the spotted location, Bean could hear the cries of a woman coming from the distance. She snaps the reins and rides off to where she heard the scream. Once Bean arrived at the scene, she saw not only her bounty but four other men. There was a woman with black hair who was wearing a full black dress with an ankle-length white top. "HEY! BACK OFF!" Bean shouted as she hopped off her horse, drew her sword, and charged at the men.

Bean took out the three men and the bounty she was after with ease. Of course, not killing them at all, just knocking them out. Bean looked over at the woman lying on the ground and asked, "Are you ok?" She said as she held her hand out to her.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," The woman raised her hand and took Beans. The two of them gasped as they met eyes.

"Bean?"

"No way," said Bean. "Cecilia?"