[Bardona]Fox in the Henhouse
Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:19 pm
Frost 14, 4621♔♔♔
Taking a short drag from her cigarette in its long holder Nim blew the smoke away from the patrons and towards the door which was propped open despite the cold. It would seem, though, that with potions of tea brewing hot behind the bar marking teller from patron her domicile and workplace was heated well enough. People were coming in from the cold kicking the sleet off their boots and replacing their shoes at the door, some opting to only wear socks while others wore intricate slippers to beat the cold on her hardwood floor. She sat on a chair behind the bar in her true form, smoking while lazily mixing a brew. She yawned.
"What day was it?"
In truth, the night life was all she lived for. Few people knew about her true trade but she loved crafting poisons for the Entente. Some prolonged stomach pain here and there... It was enough to keep the right people around at soirees, but so few knew how to do her craft. She had dirt on quite a few people and it was her fuel for rising to the top of the social ladder.
It was surprisingly slow there that day because of the first onslaught of cold breaching Bardona's streets with harsh rains of sleet and hail. It was enough to keep most people indoors, not pursuing shops. Nim was about to head to the basement and tell Dimitri to come head the shop when the door swung open. A young human Entente pair came through the door, letting in the hail and rain, before quickly heading inside. One had covered the other with their jacket and shook it off when they got in the door.
"Excuse me. Two extra strength black tea?"
Came one of them after they stepped up and greeted Nim. A boring request but she obliged. After serving them she went downstairs to the brewery and gathered Dimitri.
"Well aren't you looking feral."
He quipped, commenting on her true form.
"My patrons find it charming. You know it's true."
Rolling his eyes he jumped down from the barrel of wine he was sitting on and headed upstairs. Thankful for her respite she sagged and tore off her hat, waving it on her face. The humdrum of the day was getting to her. She was ready to take her shoes off but didn't dare undo the straps which held everything together.
As the morning rolled on she served few people and not many would come and go through her store. It was why her next blunder, so unlike her, would cross her for the entire week coming. Scratching behind her tall ears with slender fingers her tail twitched at the end as she recomposed herself, carefully adjusting each strand of stray hair under the hat as she readied herself to go back out. Dimitri wouldn't stand "guard" duty for long, he was bored and frustrated even on the busiest of days. Adjusting her shoes anyway she made her way upstairs back to the first floor. Unfortunately, when she hit the final step she tripped, careening out of the door and into someone who was standing near the door way. It was the two people she had just served, her wild abandon had spilled a cup of tea all over the white jacket they were wearing.
"Excuse me?!"
They yelped, wiping the great stain on their front. The other grabbed them by the arm and started dragging their friend back out the door into the freezing cold, sneering at Nim all the way. Plenty of patrons saw and began filing out as well, clearly second hand embarrassed for Nim and her blunder. Only a few patrons remained sequestered from the violence in the library nook Nim kept of her records and tales. Not just her own but other's works as well, it was a nesting ground of free nonfiction with a few fiction books written by Nim's favorite authors here and there. Quite a few of the books were centered around herbalism and folk healing techniques for certain ailments. It was where she learned all she knew. Some people thought she was a witch, of the worst degree. Though it was said in more of a cruel jest she couldn't help but deep down feel like the bullies at soirees were somehow right. How couldn't they be? They all knew of her afterlife and secret dealings, if they were anyone. As long as no one piped up she wouldn't care what they said about her in private.
Dimitri said nothing to her, just merely shook his head in disappointment. He returned to his brewery downstairs. Nim waved a hand through her tail and considered grabbing a book herself when the door swung open again, through the sleet and rain it was hard at first to make out their form.
