《Spiko's Journey》11. Chapter: On the Menu is …
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Creak Smack
With speed the door slammed into the wall. Bouncing back to her, which netted it a softer kick this time. Annoyed stares shortly hushing over to her, then back to more pressing things. Now looking around the quite room, with more people than she ever saw being present at one single place. There was a wonderful spread before her eyes. With happy little jumps, rushing forward to were good food seemed to be most abundant. An enormously large table. Holding so much, it seemed to slightly buckle under its load.
Wisdom base stat observed. Wisdom 5
Frowning at the blue window. It flashed and dissipated into small shiny fragments. Which seemed to form a short-lived smile, as they fell towards the ground.
Weird. Doesn’t matter… FOOD! It's time for fooooodd!
With glee she started eying the things before her with greedy sparkles in her eyes. Drool pooling in her mouth, reaching out for a large piece of meat.
Bump
Huh?
Fondling the area, close where the meat was, with both of her hands now. Frowning really hard at whatever kept her from it. Her tail’s tip started to swish around with small but sharp movements. Pressing her cheek against the invisible barrier. Ravenously starring at the meat. Demanding it should come out of there, silently in her mind.
“Hey newbie. The line starts back there.”
“Nhh?”
Looking up to a burly man with a slightly dirt-stained apron. Her attention wavered between the two things before her.
“See, there were plates and cutlery are stacked. Man, they must have told you nearly nothing. I guess the search is still going on?”
Pointing to the end of the line. Where now people started chuckling heartily at her expense. A wild blend of body sizes, clothes and ears was neatly lined up. Scratching the slight itch on her left ear, after she had lifted her cheek from the firm press to that barrier.
“Nhh? Spiko needs to go back there? But there’s no food right there…”
“Ha, just wait till you’re up. You can ask any of us to dish out as much food as you want. But don’t waste it!”
A bit morose he shook his head. Mumbling curses onto the people that thought this was a good idea. While waving around a well-used cleaver. Indicating that she should move on. As the next in line, was looking at her strangely.
Twunk
As he cut down into the heavenly chunk of meat. Right there before her eyes. She dragged herself to the end of this hellish place. Step by step, the twitching of her tail spread further down to its base.
… again waiting … but it seems to be quick? .. ahh … waiting …
With her ears unhappily twitching. She put herself into the dreadful thing.
… waiting in a line! … everyone’s still crazy.
Shaking her head. Gulping down the large amount of drool that kept accumulating. Shifting with nervous energy back and forth. She stood there, with a stack of plates on the wooden tray she shifted slowly forward. Touching and pushing the tray ahead of her, just a bit further. While her bindle shingled out a soft rhythm. The movement slowly got her closer to her personal heaven.
No one said I can’t just get more than one! No waiting in line, never again!
Smirking, because that was a great idea. She tenderly moved up towards the bliss. Fully ignoring any of those gross smelling things offered to her.
What meat should I get … looks like different animals. The pain of choice~
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When her attention hadn’t been on the people around her. Someone just slapped a stale smelling hard round piece of stone, onto the upper most plate. At least from the short contact she had, it did so.
Sniff
With a quick, mostly unconscious, whack. The weird stone skipped over the floor. Skipping till it slithered under a table, the thing went out of sight. A few more times, someone managed to put things that lacked a way to describe them on her top-most plate. Each time, with a quick motion she whacked it too. A few times she noticed it, but quickly got stealthy. Placing it on the plate of the person in front of her. When he hadn’t looked at his own spread of food. Because whatever that goopy stuff was, she had no intentions of ever being hungry enough to eat it.
Meat~ Meat~ Meat~ Only nice juicy meat~
Her antics were so cheerful, that even the servers just chuckled. Forgetting that the whacked food was going to waste, the moment the chipper attitude got to them.
Sigh
If only they had such cheerful young lasses around here all the time. Most of their customers were grumpy older men. Or rowdy young ones. There was a splattering of females in the crowd. But all of them were more of the body sensitive, muscle packed variety. Most times those were even more grumpy than the old ones. Which hadn’t managed to change their job in all the years since their induction.
This place is really packed~
The overall atmosphere was thick with the smell of sweat, ale and naturally the food. No flowery conversations were had. Everyone kept mostly to themselves or in small cliques of people that knew each other. A heavy weight seemed to be on everyone’s mind. Automatically they shoveled food into their mouths, while absentmindedly starring past it. Only a few had soft conversations with each other.
“Why are we even still looking. If I were them, I would have bolted off into the wilds seconds after that.”
“They just can’t let it go, don’t ask me. I know as much as you.”
Not really listening to anyone's conversations per se. Her ears roaming over the few ones she could make out. Still made her lose concentration on the nice smell. Which she was getting ever the closer too.
“Is it true, that they nabbed over 50 heavily drunk thieves and murderers.”
“Ya, there were like 11 dead bodies even.”
“By the gods.”
If Spiko had looked closer. She would have noticed how groggy everyone in here was. Thick black areas were shading the skin under their eyes. Some were even face down, snoring deeply. With heads laid down on soft vegetable mush or just the hard wooden surfaces. But there were critical things to do.
“Lass.”
“Meat!”
With the sincerest look she could muster. Holding out three plates in one hand, while nodding her head to her fourth and fifth one still on the tray. She beamed at him. With the willpower to move worlds.
“Haa … fine. But you better eat it all.”
One slab after another, rough cut goodness was dished out. Soon he had finished filling up the plates to his standards.
“More~”
“Lass, that’s enough to feed three. Come back when you chowed it down.”
“Nhh …. pleeaessssss~”
Rolling his eyes, he put another few slaps onto of the already precariously shifting pile of plates and meat. Now Straining her arms, a bit. Spiko shuffled to an empty seat.
It always cleaner to eat from a table~
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Slap Plat
As she put it down a piece wiggled free. Heroically she dove for it.
Plop
… well, it’s just dirt.
With a shrug, she picked the meat up the ground and chewed on it. While holding it in both of her hands. A bit tough but it had just the perfect layering of fatty parts. Big chunks got ripped out by her. Shaking her head, from side to side. While pulling on it.
“Hey, you can use a knife too. Haha.”
“Who thought manners to you lass.”
“Can’t you see she’s a demi-human. Must be a culture thing. Shut up idiot.”
Now stuffing her face. While totally ignoring the remakes. The blissful moments could have lasted forever.
Pat
Burp
“Ahh … that was good food.”
Rubbing her belly over the robes that wouldn’t even stain from her greasy hands. Her eyes closed and head leaned back.
I could do this every meal time. Nhh, yeah. Didn’t even need to give any of those coins. Might be that everyone is crazy, but they’re nice crazies.
Flap
Burp
“Ahh … good~”
Enjoying the warm afterglow of a well-deserved meal. Her ears twitched. Free of the robes cowl, that hung loosely on her back.
Wasn’t it to silent now?
Peeking out a look around her, with her left eye. Closing it quickly. Then doing the same with the other. Opening them fully now. Without any remorse she looked blankly at them.
“Uhh … why’s everyone looking at Spiko … didn’t do anything!”
Passive observed. Instant Bluff. +5 Charm when not in combat.
Passive failed. 78 /91 Targets were not affected by [Instant Bluff].
Duo to having taken negative actions in the last 48 hours against them.
``Combat´´ Effect has lingered.
Angrily going with her hand through the two boxes that pooped up. She guiltily righted herself and looked around.
Everyone looking at me.... what did i do? Eat too much meat? No one said not too!
“ITTTT’S TEHEEH! DEMMMIHUMAAAAN WOOMMAAANNNN!”
“”“GET HER!”””
Relieved. She grinned at them. As a bunch of them yelled the same thing.
Ahh good. It wasn’t the meat. They just want to …
Realization hit her. As someone tackled her from the side. Trying to grapple her down to the floor.
Wahph Wap Chromp
“AHH! MY EAR!!”
One long eared man instantly regretted his action. As she rolled on the ground, losing a good chunk of what she bit off in the motion.
Pfft
The rest instantly got spat into the face of someone that started unsheathing a weapon. While he now tried wiping the blood out of his face. She slapped him.
Crash
He took down four more, as he flew into a table. With some people still sleeping soundly there. More and more people were running at her. Noticing the disparity between her and the bunch of angry people. There was only one thing to do.
RUN!!!!
Screaming to herself, she startled away into the angry mass. Bulldozing into one unfortunate man’s stomach. Effectively using him as a shield to smash against a bunch of others. She scrambled up the small moaning pile of bodies. Looking for her things. Seeing someone taking her stuff. With a few others pulling together and grouping up. As everyone started to get what’s happening. Her mind wandered to all the possible things to do.
Twang
An arrow barely missed her. Lodging itself in a wooden over turned table. That hadn’t been like that moments ago. Now really having a heartbeat rhythm that made her skin vibrate, her cheeks flush with color. She leaped forward, as a cannonball of unaltered primeval fury.
Crash
“Get the door blocked! Don’t let her run! She’s fast!”
“Move those tables up!”
“GET HER!”
“WE WILL BE SO RICH!”
“Lads, get those chairs!”
“AHH!! For the MONEY!!”
“Block the windows! Get the damn WINDOWS covered!”
Some crazed others collected. But overall, a chaotic mess. People pushed, shoved each other. Weapons couldn’t be pulled out of their sheaths. As others were too close to them. Arrows flew, but any shot directly at her. Were akin to ask the gods, to put one into their own ally's bodies first. With a pretty please attached to the prayer.
Waapp
Colliding with a woman this time. The green skinned one stumbled, then keeled over with foam forming on her mouth. As she full on headbutted her into the stomach. A pained shuffle started below the green body. As multiple people were now trapped underneath the goliath like woman. Scurrying over the slightly twitching body, avoiding all the arms grabbing for her from the sides. Trying to escape this quite terrible place now. She aimed, tensed her muscles and jumped straight at the thief, who held her stuff in his clutches.
Bop Plhat
Crunch
Hitting him in the face, feet first. Warm blood spurted on her street-dirt covered foot soles. As her momentum really had connected, quiet neatly with the smallest amount of flesh. The unfortunate's nose had gotten smashed to a pulp. Instantly knocking him out, he couldn't even complain or muster any defense. Now Spiko turned herself one-hundredth-eighty degree, with a quick jerk. That twisted the poor man's nose into a grotesque mockery.
“SPIKOS STUFF!”
Before he could even hit the ground, an outstretched hand snatched her things back. Pressing them carefully against her belly. She bolted for the only way not full off all these people.
Clack clack creak Clack
Scampering up a staircase. The noise below grew into a roaring. Everyone instantly realized that this was a multiple story high building. Now that they really thought about it. With a small delay, the first angry faces stomped up the stairs too.
"No No!nOOONooNoOO! Gotta get out! Gotta go fast! Gotta go NOW!"
Further and further up she went. One bend in her exit route after another, she climbed up the stairs, further and further onwards. She stopped following the direction of the staircase, when an arrow whistled past her head. The feathers touching her left ear. Made her miss the next curve up. Ramming straight through a thin wooden door, she rolled across the soft carpeted floor.
crash Brok creak
Then shoot forward with renewed vigor. A door opened before her moments later. Sleepy faced a duo was just starring at her with hatred. As her muscles pulled together in a reflex to dodge.
“What’s all this ruckus about. Can’t you be quite.”
Barely clothed both of them were just right there in front of her escape path. Doing the only thing possible. Crashing into the man, with a quite soft robe on him. Grabbing onto the woman's leathery straps. Using both to change her trajectory, she jumped off straight into the vacant room. While still holding onto the soft robe, which she realized was colored in a weird hue. But the softness was what mattered. Before she really could get to further delving into the topic, her nose alarmed her of a true danger.
“EWWW SMELLS LIKE SMOKE!!”
Rubbing at her eyes in quick hectic successive motion. The thick smoke of incense was drifting in lazy swaths through the air. Not being able to look ahead. She missed the important point of the window, which she flew through. Moments later, when her eyes had cleared a bit. The feeling of jumping forward stopped. She looked around herself, with a quick jerk of the head.
“Ah …”
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