The Apprentice Assassin (Complete but editing) MxM

One Eye Open

This whole town is in serious need of repair, I can't expect the inn to be any better... Thomas thought as he looked at the entrance to The Drooping Dragon Inn. The paint was peeling off the walls, the wooden planks were rotting, and the doorway leading in looked like it was going to fall off its hinges at any moment. Thomas lightly grabbed the door and opened it before walking in, ignoring every instinct in his body that screamed otherwise. When he adjusted to the light, the detail stunned him. Lavish, hand-embroidered purple curtains hung over the windows. The walls were all painted a deep red, and masterfully made pictures were hanging around the room. Looking down, he noticed that even the wood was fancy. It had been stained, and the dark mahogany wood seemed to scream royalty. Wow, talk about change in scene. He thought as he noticed smoke rising from a small fire pit in the center of the room. Small wisps of steam rising from the hole heading for a small chimney chute in the ceiling. 

Being careful not to bump into any of the dainty looking chairs around cooking pot, Thomas approached the pot and lifted his visor. The smell of simmering meat danced around his nose, making his mouth water. Wandering closer to the fire, he noticed a large crank on the side of a small device that looked like a gondola. As he looked down into the brickwork below, he saw a large chunk of pig was laying in a massive bowl. There was a pile of red-hot coals beneath the pot keeping the liquid bubbling, and that's when Thomas noticed there were vegetables floating in the pot. Large chunks of potatoes and carrots were floating around near the top of the brown liquid. The door opened, and Thomas looked over to see Barry. "It smells great right?" Barry spoke up quickly making his way towards Thomas. "We had a pig slip, and break her neck this morning rolling down the local hill. I figured we should honor her memory with something delicious, so I bought this portion of the big girl." 

"You also planned on killing your wife with this roast weren't you?" Thomas remarked, looking back over to the bubbling cauldron with slightly less appeal.

Barry started forward towards the large mahogany bar table with a dark chuckle. "Hey, the death of your wife is something memorable." As he got to the back of the bar table, he pulled out a large leather-bound book and a quill. "Okay friend, if you give me your name I can log you into the best room in the house!"

"It's uh, Thomas, but you don't have to do that. Just a simple room is fine with me." Thomas stated as he looked over to the man. Barry's head was the only visible part of him behind the massive wall of wood. "I am rather hungry though, when will dinner be ready, and how much for a bowl?"

A quill scratching on paper echoed throughout the room as Barry wrote in silence. "Give me just a moment, and I'll get a bowl ready for you. Would you like some bread to go with that? I baked it myself! We even have real butter to spread over it!"

"Uh, sure, but how much does it cost...?" Thomas replied looking back down to the fire as his stomach began to growl. Honestly, I don't even care how expensive it is. This smells amazing!

Soon the rattling of dishes clinked behind him. "It's no problem at all friend, dinner's on me! After all, you saved my life remember?" He made his way over to Thomas. In one hand was a large plate with half a loaf of bread on it and a large pat of butter beside it. In his other hand was a bowl with a large knife and a metal spork inside it. "So uh, do you always hide in that big coat of armor, or do you molt once in a while?" He asked handing the bread to Thomas before he reached for the lever near the cooking pot. "It must get toasty in there when the summer seasons come around." He continued while forcing the crank around to raise the pot above the fire to a point where he could reach it. 

"I mean, I can take it off, but I don't usually," Thomas replied as he ripped the bread in half and dumping the creamy butter over it. "It has a nice cooling generator in the back that is fed by the electricity I generate when I walk. It's also got a standard-issue power core, so when it's on I can be stationary and the battery will maintain it. Most of the time, my suit is self-sufficient!" Barry put a thick stick into the gear to stop it from going back down and began cutting into the roast. Thomas smiled when he saw the large portion of pork that Barry skewered with the knife before putting it in the bowl. Using the spork, he made sure to get a bunch of vegetables and a healthy dose of the broth.