I hadn't been paying attention enough while we were outside to notice, but as soon as we entered, I realized where we were. 'Miss Mel's' was a 'costume café' that a few of my daughters have worked at. The owner is an Otherworlder named Mel. She never talks about her old world; she just complains about a dragon named Jeffrey.
Years ago, I asked her why she didn't talk about her old world years ago. She said, "This place has magic and cat girls. I live in a kingdom where the crown princess is a polyamorous lesbian who has publicly stated her intent to invest heavily into researching magically assisted pregnancies for same-sex couples when she gets the throne. All we had back home was ol' Jeffrey and his constant need to see his hoard grow. Why would I think about that place when it's so much better here?"
" Welcome to Miss Mel's. How ca---" The waitress at the reception desk freezes when she notices Lyra. " Lyra, how are you? I haven't seen you in months. Table for three? Is that Vayla? I didn't know she was back in town. Should I let Mel know you're here?" the waitress quickly unleashes a torrent of questions.
Lyra responds to Ann's questions in order. "Hey Ann, I'm fine. Work has been keeping me busier than I'd like. Yeah, just the three of us. She just got back today. I don't know how long she'll be staying. Please don't bother Mel. We just want to grab some lunch and be on our way."
Ann led us to a table where she took our orders. Lyra ordered a salad, Vayla got some cookies, and I ordered the most incredible thing an Otherworlder had ever brought to Kreth. It was better than penicillin or steam engines. It was like concentrated happiness. It was pizza!!!
While waiting for our food, Lyra asked me, "Are you going to be working all day tomorrow."
" Yeah, I have to get some mundane weapons done in the morning to find my current commission, and then I'm going to be working on 13 for the rest of the day," I replied
She seemed worried as she looked at me and said, " Alright, I'll stop by in the evening and make you dinner; otherwise, you'd probably just eat one of those horrible Otherworlder instant meals."
"Cup noodles are awesome. You just add water and get tasty noodles," I stated indignantly.
She lets out an exasperated sigh. "I blame you for why most of my sisters can't cook."
"Eliza tried to teach me, but she gave up after I nearly set the kitchen on fire," I said, killing the conversation.
Eliza was the woman who raised me. She took me in when I was five. I don't remember anything about my life before then, and if Eliza knew, she never told me. She was a master smith and taught me everything I know. I met Asra shortly after Eliza took me in, and we became fast friends.
For nine years, things were going smoothly. I had assumed additional responsibilities, managing some of the less significant orders myself. Eliza finally deemed me capable enough to learn the art of crafting Living Blades. However, during her teachings, Eliza appeared to be anxious about something. Then, a few days after I completed crafting Lyra, she vanished mysteriously.
Our food arrived swiftly, and we ate with light conversation. None of us wanted to return to the previous silence. My mood immensely improved as I devoured the glorious pizza.
After eating, Lyra took care of the bill, and we headed towards her auto-carriage. The walk back to the auto-carriage was uneventful, and once we hopped in, Lyra set the navigation. Vayla sat across from me, looking straight into my eyes.
"If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?" I tense up at Vayla's question. Vayla does this sometimes, asking questions irrelevant to what's happening just because she wants to know the answer. And I had an answer. I'd had one for a very long time. The only problem was that I couldn't tell anyone what it was.
I have come across many stories that portray shape-changers in a negative light. They are often depicted as tricksters who use their powers to deceive and manipulate others. On the other hand, if they cannot control their powers, it is seen as a curse, something to be feared and fought against. Being locked in a form other than one's original is considered a dreadful curse and a mockery of the person that was'.
There was a story of a man who got turned into a pig by a witch. The reason why the witch did it varies from telling to telling, but they all end the same. After the witch is killed for the crime of casting such a despicable curse and because they now have no way to turn the pig back into a man, they kill it to release the spirit of the man from his torment.
If that was how they treated someone who had it forced upon them, what would they do to someone who did it to themself?
"-ad, Dad!" Vayla yells, breaking from my daze. She has a worried look on her face and looks like she is about to stand up. Lyra watches me from next to the navigation screen, clearly concerned.
"Hmm, oh, yes, sorry, I got distracted. Um, I would wish for you and your sisters to have long and happy lives," I said, trying my best to appear sincere. Vayla looked disappointed at my answer. We sit quietly for the rest of the trip, Lyra's eyes not leaving me.
As soon as we arrived home, Lyra started making tea. Vayla and I sat at the kitchen table, which was smaller than the larger one in the dining room. The table could accommodate seven people, while the one in the dining room could seat up to 15.
I reached for the cookie tin that always sat on the kitchen table and opened it. After taking a cookie, I placed the open tin on the table.
"Did Asra make these cookies," Vayla asked, looking at the cookies hopefully. I barely have time to nod before she has three cookies in her mouth.
"Yes, they are. She still brings a new batch every few weeks," I replied. Asra had started bringing me batches of cookies every few weeks after I finished Hannah. She would always say that she wanted to make sure we had good snacks on hand.
After a few moments, Lyra placed a cup of tea each in front of Vayla and me before sitting down with a third cup.
For a few hours, I listened to my daughter's stories. Lyra shared some of the minor cases she was working on, while Vayla enthusiastically detailed her average day. It was evident from how she spoke that Anya and her usually did everything together.
Then, it was time for me to shower. The day had been long, and it wasn't over yet. I still had dinner with Asra. I hope we don't talk about anything too serious. I'm not too fond of all this thinking I've done today.
gNatonthewall Hello everyone. Thank you so much for reading and favoriting. The story passed 100 readers after the last chapter, and I honestly never thought that many people would ever want to read something I wrote. The next chapter should be out early next week, and it should be the longest so far.
I hadn't been paying attention enough while we were outside to notice, but as soon as we entered, I realized where we were. 'Miss Mel's' was a 'costume café' that a few of my daughters have worked at. The owner is an Otherworlder named Mel. She never talks about her old world; she just complains about a dragon named Jeffrey.
Years ago, I asked her why she didn't talk about her old world years ago. She said, "This place has magic and cat girls. I live in a kingdom where the crown princess is a polyamorous lesbian who has publicly stated her intent to invest heavily into researching magically assisted pregnancies for same-sex couples when she gets the throne. All we had back home was ol' Jeffrey and his constant need to see his hoard grow. Why would I think about that place when it's so much better here?"
" Welcome to Miss Mel's. How ca---" The waitress at the reception desk freezes when she notices Lyra. " Lyra, how are you? I haven't seen you in months. Table for three? Is that Vayla? I didn't know she was back in town. Should I let Mel know you're here?" the waitress quickly unleashes a torrent of questions.
Lyra responds to Ann's questions in order. "Hey Ann, I'm fine. Work has been keeping me busier than I'd like. Yeah, just the three of us. She just got back today. I don't know how long she'll be staying. Please don't bother Mel. We just want to grab some lunch and be on our way."
Ann led us to a table where she took our orders. Lyra ordered a salad, Vayla got some cookies, and I ordered the most incredible thing an Otherworlder had ever brought to Kreth. It was better than penicillin or steam engines. It was like concentrated happiness. It was pizza!!!
While waiting for our food, Lyra asked me, "Are you going to be working all day tomorrow."
" Yeah, I have to get some mundane weapons done in the morning to find my current commission, and then I'm going to be working on 13 for the rest of the day," I replied
She seemed worried as she looked at me and said, " Alright, I'll stop by in the evening and make you dinner; otherwise, you'd probably just eat one of those horrible Otherworlder instant meals."
"Cup noodles are awesome. You just add water and get tasty noodles," I stated indignantly.
She lets out an exasperated sigh. "I blame you for why most of my sisters can't cook."
"Eliza tried to teach me, but she gave up after I nearly set the kitchen on fire," I said, killing the conversation.
Eliza was the woman who raised me. She took me in when I was five. I don't remember anything about my life before then, and if Eliza knew, she never told me. She was a master smith and taught me everything I know. I met Asra shortly after Eliza took me in, and we became fast friends.
For nine years, things were going smoothly. I had assumed additional responsibilities, managing some of the less significant orders myself. Eliza finally deemed me capable enough to learn the art of crafting Living Blades. However, during her teachings, Eliza appeared to be anxious about something. Then, a few days after I completed crafting Lyra, she vanished mysteriously.
Our food arrived swiftly, and we ate with light conversation. None of us wanted to return to the previous silence. My mood immensely improved as I devoured the glorious pizza.
After eating, Lyra took care of the bill, and we headed towards her auto-carriage. The walk back to the auto-carriage was uneventful, and once we hopped in, Lyra set the navigation. Vayla sat across from me, looking straight into my eyes.
"If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?" I tense up at Vayla's question. Vayla does this sometimes, asking questions irrelevant to what's happening just because she wants to know the answer. And I had an answer. I'd had one for a very long time. The only problem was that I couldn't tell anyone what it was.
I have come across many stories that portray shape-changers in a negative light. They are often depicted as tricksters who use their powers to deceive and manipulate others. On the other hand, if they cannot control their powers, it is seen as a curse, something to be feared and fought against. Being locked in a form other than one's original is considered a dreadful curse and a mockery of the person that was'.
There was a story of a man who got turned into a pig by a witch. The reason why the witch did it varies from telling to telling, but they all end the same. After the witch is killed for the crime of casting such a despicable curse and because they now have no way to turn the pig back into a man, they kill it to release the spirit of the man from his torment.
If that was how they treated someone who had it forced upon them, what would they do to someone who did it to themself?
"-ad, Dad!" Vayla yells, breaking from my daze. She has a worried look on her face and looks like she is about to stand up. Lyra watches me from next to the navigation screen, clearly concerned.
"Hmm, oh, yes, sorry, I got distracted. Um, I would wish for you and your sisters to have long and happy lives," I said, trying my best to appear sincere. Vayla looked disappointed at my answer. We sit quietly for the rest of the trip, Lyra's eyes not leaving me.
As soon as we arrived home, Lyra started making tea. Vayla and I sat at the kitchen table, which was smaller than the larger one in the dining room. The table could accommodate seven people, while the one in the dining room could seat up to 15.
I reached for the cookie tin that always sat on the kitchen table and opened it. After taking a cookie, I placed the open tin on the table.
"Did Asra make these cookies," Vayla asked, looking at the cookies hopefully. I barely have time to nod before she has three cookies in her mouth.
"Yes, they are. She still brings a new batch every few weeks," I replied. Asra had started bringing me batches of cookies every few weeks after I finished Hannah. She would always say that she wanted to make sure we had good snacks on hand.
After a few moments, Lyra placed a cup of tea each in front of Vayla and me before sitting down with a third cup.
For a few hours, I listened to my daughter's stories. Lyra shared some of the minor cases she was working on, while Vayla enthusiastically detailed her average day. It was evident from how she spoke that Anya and her usually did everything together.
Then, it was time for me to shower. The day had been long, and it wasn't over yet. I still had dinner with Asra. I hope we don't talk about anything too serious. I'm not too fond of all this thinking I've done today.
gNatonthewall Hello everyone. Thank you so much for reading and favoriting. The story passed 100 readers after the last chapter, and I honestly never thought that many people would ever want to read something I wrote. The next chapter should be out early next week, and it should be the longest so far.
