CHAPTER 400: ARC 6, CHAPTER 16: OLD TAVERN, NEW SURROUNDINGS

Much like the guild itself, this tavern was much bigger on the inside than the façade. However, the difference was not as egregious. The bar itself stretched from one end of the room to the other; the first thing seen when entered—a mere few steps away.

Yellow lanterns only brightened the gold shades of beer, along with the sweat dripping down the glass. The music of bards merrily cheered through the walls, from flutes to harps.

Some of the patrons stomped their boots to the beat against the wood, mugs and glasses clinked. Narrow was the walk from bar end to bar end, not that the flooring was not enough, but the legroom was scarce.

Tables and chairs flanked and filled up the space wherever it could, with a few patrons alongside it. Just as the five entered through the doors- "Thwack!"

Some burly person with a mohawk and several tattoos sucker punched a lightly armoured man, knocking him onto the ground right before their feet.

Jotou slowly stepped over the man and looked back at her party, "Yeah I think rinky-dink about covers it."

"We have to stay here with all this noise every night...?" Fumeko kept her hands on her ears as she walked in.

"No, we have to stay a couple floors up with all this noise muffled every night," the redhead replied with her brows arched.

"Tis an unruly establishment, truly fitting of the adventuring leitmotif; if it were not so, the void would step foot not in such a space. Odours of the drunkardly kind whacks at one’s sense of scent," Tiffany swivelled her head to take it all in.

"Welcome to a tavern. Look around, this is exactly where we belong. Everybody’s dressed up like a monster’s crawling out the dungeons and the sound of coin’s everywhere. We’ll fit right in," Hotaru swayed herself inwards.

"We could probably sneak into one of the guild’s offices with a sleeping bag and be better off," Fumeko sighed. "Where’s Asobi?"

"Hark, the elf lies there," Tiffany gestured through the swinging arms and waving hands of people towards where one of the bards played.

Asobi twirled her wand and did simple illusory tricks as white rabbits burst out of her top hat and hopped in the air towards and into the ceiling.

Some yelled and whistled and chirped before copper coins were thrown at her feet. She would have picked it up if it were not for the bard playing to glare and shoo her off.

"Oh great..." Fumeko’s eyes glazed over.

"Oh stop being grumpy. I’ll go get us some rooms," Hotaru moved towards one of the many barkeeps.

Fumeko leered with her mouth open... She looked back to the two blondes, "Why is she acting like we’re here to have fun? We’re not here to have fun. We’ve got investigating to do."

Jotou crossed her arms slowly, "Don’t worry about her, she’ll be back on task by the morning. But I doubt her focus is gonna be on the case we’re on while she let’s all of this sink in first."

"Of course," Fumeko crossed her arms as well. "What about you? Take a liking to this place?"

"Tis indeed a place."

"Too overwhelming?"

Tiffany scoffed, "Perish the thought. I, Stella Vespertillio, am comfortable most with the fabled kind in which we find in company with!"

"Crash!"

"Ek!" Tiffany hopped onto one leg as a glass of beer crashed somewhere nearby.

"Uh huh..."

"I’m gonna go see what they have to drink," Jotou waltzed over to the bar.

"Let’s go find a table," Fumeko walked off as well, Tiffany right behind.

Jotou sauntered up and took a seat in between all the patrons—thankfully with an empty seat beside her to give some breathing room. "Whatever you got that’s sweet," she ordered.

Within seconds, the bartender whipped up a orangish drink in a fancy glass and served it to her as Jotou flipped him a gold coin. "That cover it?" the blonde raised a brow.

"More than ma’am."

"Keep the change," Jotou took a sip of her drink and leaned her arms on the bar. Her eyes scrunched up the moment the liquor slipped down her tongue.

It was a lot more ’alcohol’ than any other taste. Feeling the warmth burning down her throat, she sighed; at least the aftertaste was quite sweet. "Well, could be worse," she took another sip.

"Heyyy doll face~ Wow, aren’t you a beauty," a muscular woman in a sleeveless top saddled up to the empty seat beside her. She slammed her wooden mug of ale onto the bar. "You a noble? New face ’round here."

"New to this part of town," Jotou jerked her brows up and took an exasperated sip of her orange drink.

"Runaway noble?" the woman grinned, pushing up the small scar on her cheek. "Adventurous. Where you from? House Veile? House Volpe?"

"A distant land known as Seattle," she rolled her eyes.

"Haven’t heard of that place."

"Tis distant," Jotou put her drink down to finally face the woman. Her brown hair messily tied up and scars going down her arms she was clearly trying to show off; she was much taller and bigger than the blonde.

"So, what’chya come here for pretty lady?"

"Have some things to venture. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know someone who goes by the Scorching Inferno, would you?"

"Oh," the woman’s face scrunched in an instant. With a sneer of disgust, "You’re one of those." She downed her drink and wiped her mouth with her arm. She got up and walked away, muttering under her breath, "Gold-digging fame whores."

Jotou watched her walk away. ’Alrighty then... Don’t mention that title...’ She sighed, but then sighed louder as she caught another person taking up a seat on her other side.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"I don’t know, can you?"

The young lad adorned in a gambeson smiled, raising his finger to get the barkeep’s attention.

"Hey sweetheart, can I get a name~?" another man in a leather tunic now took up the spot to her other side.

The young lad leaned forward and looked across the bar, "Hey, I was ordering the lady a drink, buzz off."

The man ignored him with a smirk and tried to look the blonde in the eye, "Who’s this chump? You know him?"

"Not exactly."

"She speaks!" the man cheered and reached a hand around to place it on the small of her back.

The young lad in a gambeson grabbed the man’s wrist before it could reach and gripped it tight, "No one ever taught you any manners? Don’t touch her."

Jotou stared at the colour of her drink before finishing it up with another sip. ’I don’t look that good, come on. My hair’s all frizzled and I feel dead tired.’

She heard one of the chairs topple, some back and forth arguing she tuned out and the next thing she turned to was the sight of the young lad and the man begin fighting onto the floor behind her.

’Are they really... fighting over me?’ Jotou smirked. ’How fun~’

The two who fought punched and wailed, slowly moving around till they were slightly out of view; it became less about the blonde and rather the insults.

"What happened?" Hotaru approached Jotou with furrowed brows.

"A fight broke out, I’m not sure why," Jotou shrugged and turned on the barstool to face her.

"Okay... Well, I got our rooms settled, I think it’s time for that ’later’ conversation. Are we sharing rooms or not?" the redhead hung four room keys from each finger.

Jotou’s head tilted to the side and glanced away. "Let’s just share rooms, it’s whatever."

"Fine."

"Great."

Hotaru lingered for a second. Then she turned and walked.

...

"How long are you gonna be like this?" Jotou worded out.

The redhead turned her head just enough to look back, "Like what?"

Jotou inhaled and shook her head, "Never mind."

Without another word the wolf-girl went looking for the two that had found a table.

"Ta-da!" Asobi threw a handful of copper pieces onto the table. Fumeko raised a brow to it, while Tiffany acted aloof. The magician took her seat, "Do you know if they have wine?"

"Now’s not the time to get a hangover," the brunette replied.

"S-says the girl with a mug of brandy."

Fumeko slowly turned her head to Tiffany with a leer.

"Glower at I akin to a demon summoned into mine servitude adventuring detective, it does no harm to one such as I," she boldly put.

"You haven’t ordered anything?" Asobi noticed the table only had that mug of brandy and a glass of water.

Tiffany shook her head. "Refreshments nay. Hors d’oeuvres and a meal, indeed I have."

"Tiffany’s never had alcohol before."

The blonde glanced at Fumeko, "I n-never told you that!"

"I could take a guess. Here, try some," she offered the mug.

"I-I’ve seen wince t-twice from drinking that."

"Comes with drinking, but if you don’t want it," she rescinded the offer.

Tiffany lowered her head and pouted a little. "Ahem. Thy lips have grazed upon the rim of thine stein. It suits I not to lay mine lips to taste of yours in an indirect encounter."

Fumeko gazed at the blonde and covered her own face with her mug to hide her slightly reddened cheeks and nose as she drank down the brandy in several noisy gulps.

"Huh?" Asobi scratched the side of her head with her wand.

"Altering the course of this subject, pray tell, what pesters those in the twilight waltz of romance?

"They had a spat. I think they’re trying to make it work again soon, just bad at it," Fumeko answered.

"I see..."

"Do we know why they’re fighting? What did they even argue about?" Asobi queried.

Fumeko held a hand to her chin and contemplatively watched her empty mug. "Jotou being too needy—Hotaru being too controlling," she whispered to herself. "Even if that’s what they’re fighting about...

Something must’ve started it," her vision blurred a little as she focused more. "Something that would’ve popped the lid off the kettle. Considering how they’ve acted over months, if the issue that came up was their current dynamic, it shouldn’t’ve started there.

Jotou was on the roof as usual watching the stars—Aru would’ve gone up to join her. This was on the night of March 2nd, the night after the attack at the courthouse and the police station.

Jotou and Aru stayed home to watch over Kineko while my dad went out to check the station." Fumeko finally looked up and said aloud, "Sobi, did Hotaru or Jotou try to leave or call anyone before the police station got attacked the other day?"

Asobi poked her wand under her chin, "Hmmm, not really. Jotou was gonna call Alicia, but Hotaru stopped her I think."

"Even then, they had the argument on the roof before

knowing the station got dragon-wrecked. However their current issue came about, it must’ve stemmed from a different issue entirely; it’s unlikely that that’s not the case.

What the hell would they’ve even been arguing about? Something I or you wouldn’t know? No, I can’t leap to that conclusion yet. The first issue would’ve lead into the next argument, relating to their dynamic.

An issue in a relationship? That could be anything... What’s common? More importantly, would it apply to those two that are canoodling all the time?"

Asobi and Tiffany watched as Fumeko rambled to herself while watching her empty mug for a good while. They looked at each other, to which Asobi gave a shrug.

"Cheating? But with who would that even apply to? Jotou’s too introverted and Aru’s too possessive. It’s not me, couldn’t be Daiyu, Arabella or Feyan don’t strike me as the types- The countess?" Fumeko’s face scrunched up. "No. No, Jotou wouldn’t’ve, there’s no way."

"No way to what?" the elf chimed in.

"Jotou wouldn’t’ve cheated on Hotaru with the countess."

"What’s cheating exactly? I mean, it’s not like it’s a game," Asobi took off her top hat and set it down on the table.

"When s-someone’s unfaithful in a relationship. Be that any sort of r-romance with someone other t-than the one you l-love," Tiffany replied, watching in a bit of awe as she saw the brunette’s eyes calculating.

Knowing the countess’s true nature, "No, it couldn’t be her. There’s only so many times Jotou or Hotaru could’ve even... It would’ve had to be sometime with some privacy.

Alicia doesn’t like women. Aru was always with people, the only time Jotou could’ve..." Fumeko looked up and fluttered her eyes in the direction of Asobi.

"Hm?" Asobi tilted her head and blinked a few times.

Fumeko’s eyes narrowed and brows furrowed in concentration, "Sobi, on Jotou and yours’ birthday, when she gave it to you, you two were working at that pet café, right?"

"Yeah! It was totally fun!"

"And you met that rat-woman who could give you dreams and whatever?"

"Mouse, she really doesn’t like to be called a rat," Asobi shook her head. "Iridina was her name."

"Did you two meet anyone that Jotou seemed romantically interested in?"

"Uhm... Nobody I can think of? We were only there for a few days and never really went back."

Fumeko slanted her head more, "When Jotou said you two could share a birthday, did you two do anything?"

Asobi contemplated with a hum, "Well, Jotou was smiling, there was a lot of things both of us saw in each other’s heads, so also a lot of emotions flying around. I was pretty happy and giddy so I was probs bouncing."

"Nothing else happened?"

"Mmm... We were holding hands and I think a lot of illusions were flying off of me. I was really really happy, I said it was the best birthday present, wished her a happy birthday and zoomed off—we still had work to finish," Asobi answered with puzzled brows facing the brunette.

"I don’t think Aru would care if you held hands or even hugged... That’s it? You two didn’t do anything else?" Fumeko stared as she interrogated a little more.

"That was about it," the elf shrugged. "Sorry, I don’t really know anything else about that."

Fumeko pouted to the side as she watched the jade-green eyes looking at her in confusion. She turned to face back her empty mug and sighed, "Then I think we can cross cheating off the list. I don’t really know how their argument started..."

"It’s okay Meko, I’m sure you’ll figure it out!" Asobi cheered.

"Let’s just put it to rest; whatever the case, we’re just gonna have to put up with it for a bit. The rose-coloured glasses are off it seems," Fumeko said to Tiffany as she caught a redhead approaching in the corner of her eye.

"There you three are," Hotaru uttered through the bustling noise, "Ordered dinner?"

"Tis an accomplished task."

"They offer food service to individual rooms, so Jotou and I will be having ours upstairs, the quiet will be nicer. You three have a pick of the rooms, they’re all the same almost," she presented three keys.

"Ah, tis crucial for experience, however tis not essential to be residing on one’s own is it?" a nervous yet confident Tiffany asked.

"You wanna share a room with me?" Fumeko offered.

"Uhh..." the blonde’s mouth stayed open.

"Is there a room for three people?" Asobi bobbed her head from one side to the other.

"I’m not sure, but I can go ask," Hotaru replied.

"Tis would be preferable, not of course to deny thy company detective-"

"You don’t have to explain. I’ll take a room alone if need be, Tiffany can stay with Asobi," Fumeko crossed her arms.

Asobi gleefully smiled and hopped up to take Tiffany by one hand, "We can decorate the room, with stars and glitter! After that, we can paint our nails- Oooo, your nails are so shiny!" her attention pivoted immediately.

"T-t-thank you."

Thus, the fateful four, now five, stayed in the tavern that roared all night, awaiting daybreak to truly begin their new mission. What all would they uncover here in an adventurer’s land? Little did they know...