Knight in Dulled Armor

Chapter 10: Rapid Remedy

Work is slow until my shift ends. Thankfully there aren't many customers I have to plaster a smile on for. While I'm grateful for the light workload, especially with my fatigue, I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to heading back to my room. It was mostly busy work, sweeping, table cleaning, a couple of orders, but also a bit of laundry to set up the empty rooms.

Admittedly, I've been reveling in the tasks that don't require me to do much more than standing. The tavern feels awfully warm today, even with the heat I thought I'd gotten used to by now. I take my time folding the excess linen, the cool laundry room offers a slight remedy to my hot flashes.

Marietta and I hardly speak, and though I'm not completely sure I've done wrong, I feel bad for making her feel this way. I'm certainly not going to confront her about it, hoping it will fade as her stresses with Val's health did.

Val for the time being, is bedbound. I decide to order us both food and drinks to take back with me, making my way to the order window. This also serves as an excuse to push back returning to my room. Hidorah works longer shifts than I do a few times a week I've noticed. Though I'm sure he couldn't complain about the extra coin.

I greet him, surprising him behind the countertop. "Hello Hidorah, what kind of food does Val like?"

"Oh, you're finally done with work!" He exclaims. I watch him jot down something and pass the note to another cook.

"It hasn't been that long since we've last talked," I shrug.

"Yes, but I've been waiting to talk to you,"

"Oh?"

"You know what this means, right?" He asks.

"Uh?"

"Well, first of all, I owe you a thank you. So, your food is on me for tonight,"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"It was obviously you who healed my palm," He chuckles.

"Oh, I suppose that's a bit more plausible, isn't it?"

"It's a good thing to know, aren't you excited?"

"I kind of just feel... Dizzy? Everything that happened has left my brain feeling foggy at best,"

"That's fair, you should try and take it easy tonight," he says, giving me a small wave as he heads deeper into the kitchen.

I linger at the window for a moment, turning to stare at the bar behind me. One drink is obvious; Val had ordered the same thing almost every visit to the tavern. I pour him a glass of whiskey only to find that the bottle had emptied a small bit lower than I usually fill it. Not wanting to open a new bottle tonight, I top it off with about a shot glass worth of water. For myself, I pour a simple wine.

"So... What have you made us?" I ask.

He sets Val's plate down. It's of course practically the opposite of my tastes; meaty, spiced food with more grain than veggie. It makes sense seeing the way he is.

Hidorah sits himself on the cushioned barstool with a long sigh after setting the plates down. He stares at me with a smirk as collect our drinks. An iced whiskey and wine, simple, easy. "What?" I ask, tired of him staring at me with that obnoxious grin plastered on his face.

"So, only one bed, right?" He says, his smile still there to my disappointment.

"What? Oh-" The words fall out of my mouth and clatter to the ground, forcing everything else to quiet. Only one bed. The sentence played through my mind over and over. The glass of wine vibrates in my trembling hands.