HAPPY HOUR

Orc's and Trolls.

She entered the bar, a bit earlier than usual. The familiar hum of chatter surrounds her as she glides in, donning her pristine uniform. Tonight, her hair is expertly woven into two braided pigtails, a departure from her usual routine. Taiga's pristine makeup is acutely hiding the bags under her eyes.

"Hey, Taiga, what's up?" Derrick greets her, and a genuine smile lights up her face in response.

She goes to the staff room, drops her backpack, and holds a small package of cookies in her hands. Loue had made a offensive amount of  cookies last night. Her jaw was still hurting from the attempt to eat those things.

"Yo, Shagrat!" She peeks into the kitchen, a space ruled by the meticulous Orc. Only a select few are granted entry into his pristine domain. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"

The Orc turned around from the industrial sized oven. " Ask Shagrat for anything and he will do his best to make little Taiga happy." His voice was deep and raspy. Shagrat, the towering Orc standing at almost seven feet, dominates the space with his formidable presence. His blueish-gray skin, adorned with thousands of tattoos and scars, tells a tale of the battles he fought in his time as a warlord. A traditional Orc Mohawk, intricately braided, crowns his head. His intense, brown-almost-red eyes gaze out from a face adorned with fangs, each one embellished with rings and engravings.

Without crossing the border off his territory she showed him the bag of cookies. "Can you help me figure it out what went wrong with these?"

The Orc squared his shoulder's at the sight of the foreboding cookies. "Pretty Bird can't cook. The kitchen is battlefield that can be conquered only by strong warriors!"  He was brandishing a wooden spoon as a makeshift sword.

"That's why I am asking for your help." She made a slight dramatic face. " You are the best and without your help Pretty Bird will never conquer his own territory."

"Shagrat is happy little Taiga came to him for aid. Give Shagrat cookies and he shall unfold the evil plot of the enemy."

The Orc took a handful of cookies from the bag and trow into his mouth. The sickening crunch sounds echoing in the kitchen."Thank you!" Taiga remembered to say.

Munching on those rock-hard cookies, the Orc let out occasional grunts of "Heresy!" in between crunches. After demolishing the entire bag, he turned around, adopting a menacing stroll to a table in the kitchen's corner. "Disgraceful!" he muttered, settling in with a feather pen and paper.

Taking his time, he wrote something, folded the paper, and sealed it with wax. Handing the letter to Taiga, he declared, "Pretty Bird fought bravely, but the enemy bestowed Pretty Bird in this battle. Give Pretty Bird this," emphasizing the importance. "Pretty Bird must follow Shagrat's war-plan; only then will Pretty Bird conquer his foe."

Assuming a formal stance, Taiga declared, "Then it shall be done, Chef!" She smacked her right hand on her left chest, offering a respectful bow. A grunt of approval signaled her exit from the kitchen area.

From the sixty tables available at The Den, only four were occupied. Taiga was making sure the straw and napkins were neatly stocked.

Her thoughts, with a will of their own, drifted back to moments spent with Gerome and Loue. The couple's Nest, as Loue affectionately called it, was always soothing. Two years of shared laughter and easygoing friendship were etched into the fabric of Taiga's memories.

She vividly recalled the amusing and awkward day when Loue declared Gerome as his mate. It was a moment punctuated by a gun pointed at a Peacock's face. Back then, Gerome, a very straight guy, responded with a defensive stance. Loue, ever calm, explained that despite the confusion, they simply belonged to each other.

The ensuing months she saw them navigating a heavily sexually charged friendship, a bromance so palpable that even the most innocent bystanders would find themselves holding their breath.

As she was told, it was Gerome who altered the dynamics of their relationship, candidly admitting that the intensity was driving him insane.

Taiga couldn't help but envy the love they shared, the unwavering confidence they had in each other.

Her die-hard romantic side perennially danced in the realm of epic love, where she yearned for a knight in shining armor. From childhood, she swooned over fairy tales, secretly wishing on falling stars and daydreaming about a love that echoed the pages of storybooks.

In the face of life's harsh realities, Taiga remained the curator of her dreams. Resolute in her stance, she refused to settle for empty promises and feigned smiles. True Love's kiss and all the romantic jazz were not mere fantasies for her; they were the aspirations she clung to.

Despite the challenges, her heart craved a family to call her own, a home with a white picket fence, and someone to embrace her as she slept.

Aware of her own beauty, Taiga wasn't oblivious to the admirers who cast their gaze upon her. From the transition of childhood to womanhood, attention from both Humans and Aliens had been a constant. While she couldn't deny enjoying the attention, the truth remained that none of them offered what she truly sought.

The allure of a life mate was tempting, yet it didn't quite align with her desires. This relatively new concept for humans, the idea that someone is perfectly tailored for you and vice versa, seemed cute but lacked the depth she yearned for. Deep down, Taiga wanted the gradual journey of falling in love, the process of understanding and being understood without the weight of obligation.

The sound of laughter snapped her back to the present—a table adorned with a couple and their two children, a genuine family. It was a sight that stirred emotions, something Taiga barely recalled from her own childhood. The longing for such a connection, a true family of her own, echoed within her.

"A penny for your thoughts." Ian was the definition of a heartthrob. With blond hair and hazel eyes.

"Pfff, I was wondering what would I do when a unicorn walks in " Taiga raised her hands to her coworker jokiling asking for the promised penny.

"How can you still believe unicorn's are real?" Ian laughed shaking his head in disbelief.

"Dude... I literally served lavender beer to a motherfucking pixie two nights ago. They are out there somewhere. Believe me!"

"First, they are called Lumynar not pixies. Secondly, if you want to see an Alien unicorn, you will have to go where they live." He patt her in the head. " I don't want to crush your dreams but, under all that glitter they are still horses."

"Whatever..." she raised her hands in mocking dismiss.

"Ian, don't upset Taiga again." Derrick called approaching the idling duo.

"I am not upsetting her." Ian quickly defended. "We are just discussing the existence of Unicorns."

"They don't exist." Derrick answered looking straight at the girl face. She was about to argue when he cut her off. "And even if there's something that remotely resemble a unicorn somewhere, that doesn't make them real."

"You two are just cruel!" Taiga puffed her cheecks pretending to be angered." Unicorn's are real!"

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