Chapter Seven

 

 

Scarlet found her pack, her clothing, and everything else in her room with her. She walked to the bathroom and checked her reflection. Her hair was down and around her shoulders, but that was normal after a shift. Her skin still felt mineral-soft, and she could smell Hiro’s soap on her skin and hair. So, it wasn’t her imagination. She really had wandered out into the woods and found a tiger to play with.

She checked her small charm and wrinkled her nose. Based on the light, it was nearly noon, and she was hungry. There was a café next to the bar she had been at, so it looked like she was going to have to dress and go in search of sustenance.

She wasn’t in the mood to flirt, so she put on a pair of jeans and a clean shirt. Her sneakers were just as comfy as they always were, so they were the obvious choice.

Dressed and hungry, she left her room, and she nearly ran into Teebie on the stairs. The blue woman stopped and stared, “Scarlet, when did you get back?”

Scarlet rubbed the back of her neck, “I have no ideas. I did leave though, right?”

“Yes, you did. Are you hungry? I could make something up for you.”

Scarlet smiled slightly. “I am just going to grab a burger at the café. Do you mind?”

“No, of course not. Walking around might help clear your head. You appear to have been given a sleeping enchantment.”

“How long ago did I leave?”

“The night before last. You haven’t been gone long.”

Scarlet exhaled slowly. “Good. I was afraid I was missing more than a few hours.”

Teebie caught on. “Oh, no. You are fine.”

“Great. I will be back soon.”

“Take your time. They are building an ornamental garden outside the Axion. It looks to be wonderful when it’s complete.”

“That sounds interesting. Where is the Axion?”

Teebie looked at her charm and winced. “Sorry. It is made of fey magic, so you are not going to have an easy time seeing it.”

Scarlet nodded. “Right. Well as long as I can see the burger, my plans for the afternoon will be fine.”

Teebie smiled encouragingly. “See you when you get back.”

“Yup.” Scarlet continued down the stairs and out the door.

Outside, the day was bright, and the guests of the Crossroads were casually grouping and parting. It was a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Scarlet smiled at a few folk who smiled first, and she headed to the café. A table for one was open, and she slipped into it before the crowd that had been building behind her could make it in.

The age range in the café surprised her. There were guests in their late thirties and just out of their teens. She didn’t even want to guess at how old some of the fey were. She couldn’t see them, but she didn’t see a shifter mate as something they did just out of elf high school.

She ordered a burger, fries, and a salad with a glass of water. She wanted a soda, but she would get a fruit pie instead. The last thing she wanted was to be startled and carbonated. She ended up with belch-hiccups and that was never a good thing.

Scarlet watched the strangers becoming friends and others who had obviously just become lovers. It was a microcosm of enforced familiarity, but no one minded.

Her meal showed up, delivered by a cheerful shifter.

Scarlet whispered, “How do you see them all?”

The server smiled. “I don’t wear a bracelet.”

It was that simple. Her server winked and headed over to the next table.

Scarlet looked down at the bracelet that she was wearing, and she sharpened one nail into a thick claw, sawing away.

When the server passed her, she whispered, “Use a toothpick.”

Scarlet took a toothpick out of the dispenser and worked it into the knot. Her claw hadn’t made a dent, so this seemed a better means of removal.

The moment that the toothpick slid into the knot, people appeared where only blurry images had been before. The fey were there, male and a few female who had human blood. They spoke with anyone around them, laughed, and relaxed. It was amazing to see how very normal beings of magic could be in a relaxed atmosphere.

Scarlet snapped the toothpick, keeping it inside the knot. That little bit of interference was all that she needed. It was enough to see everyone around her and appreciate the varieties of relationships that were forming.

Sasquatch families were small; their courtships were basic. There was a female who was receptive, a male who was interested, and they changed into their human forms after mating. Details were worked out at that point. Conversation wasn’t common as few sasquatch bothered to learn how to speak while shifted. Her dad was an exception.

Watching the interaction gave her plenty of entertainment as she ate. When the server came back, she looked hopeful, “Pie and ice cream?”

“Sure, Sweetie, which pie?”

“Apple, please.” Scarlet clapped her hands together happily. “Can I have a cappuccino as well?”

The server—who’s tag read Molly—frowned. “I am sorry, but Matt is the only one who can wrangle our machine.”

“Can I make it myself?”

The astonishment was apparent. “Um, sure. I will hold your pie until you get your coffee then.”

Scarlet got to her feet and headed toward the shiny coffee bar. She checked the grinder, the water line, and the milk stock in the fridge. Everything was normal, so she got to work.

The server came up to her when she was pulling her first coffee shots. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you make a few more? It sucks to have to turn folks away, but it has been our only option. All morning it has been coffee or nothing.”

“Sure. Line up the orders, I will get them done.” Steam shot out as the machine vented pressure, but it did make her words sound dramatic.

The order slips and cups began to line up, and Scarlet got to work.

As she worked, a line of people began to form, so she drew images in the foam. Leaves, swords, shields, bears, wolves, bunnies, she just kept going, doing what she loved.

The servers came in and watched her work. She explained the machine, how it worked and how to keep from scalding themselves while her hands moved and the coffee streamed down into the little cups.

The order came in that made her pause. Draw a red panda on the back of a tiger.

Scarlet looked up, and Hiro was waiting, leaning on the counter. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, yeah. Are you done whatever you were doing?”

He lifted his wrist and admired the small tag. “Yeah. All checked out and authorized.”

She blinked slowly, and a blush crept up her cheeks. “Ah, new jewellery?”

“Yeah. My family is very keen to meet you, so I hope that our courtship can continue on pace.”

She grinned and got started on his coffee. “Hold that thought for two minutes.”

She mixed coffee in with some of the milk foam, set up her blank canvas and started to pour. She drew the tiger in the foam and then put the small red panda on its back. When it was done, she handed the saucer to him and inclined her head. “What do you think?”

He chuckled. “I think you need to work here.”

“I get that a lot. Well, at least everyone here now knows how to work the machine.”

Hiro frowned. “Isn’t Matt here?”

“Nope. No one can give me an answer as to why.”

“Huh. He must be hung over or something.”

Molly shrugged. “He takes off now and then; I just wish it wasn’t near the peak times.”

Hiro sipped at the coffee and raised his brows. “This is really good.”

“Thank you. Well, I guess I can just make mine and then have some pie.”

Molly grinned. “Coming right up. With ice cream.”

Scarlet made herself a latte with just a drop of coffee in it. She had inhaled enough coffee over the last hour to keep her alert for quite some time.

With the hot cup, she wandered over to the table where Hiro was waiting, and she sighed as she sat down. “That was bizarrely fun.”

He laughed. “And now you get pie.”

“Indeed. I am always willing to work for my treats.” She smiled at Molly as the plate of pie and ice cream was set in front of her.

The warmth of the pie was melting the ice cream, and Scarlet wasted no time in getting into her well-deserved reward.

“So, you spent your day making coffee?”

“I did. Did you really knock me out and then carry me and my stuff back to the Crossroads?”

He looked offended. “I didn’t knock you out. I just kept you under as I slipped into the window of the bed and breakfast. It is a spell specialty of my mother’s kind. I released it as soon as you were comfortable.”

“I still slept until the afternoon. What were you up to?”

“Oh, I brought my designs to Dira so that she can plan the move or the expansion as she likes. So, my contract here is done. I video chatted with my parents, got a guest contract, and found you here. So, here I am.”

He lifted his hand, and the dangling charm gleamed in the light. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, licking a drop of coffee foam off her finger.

The abrupt change from friend to suitor caught her off guard.

“Um, that’s... how did your parents take it?”

“My dad is planning a reception and already wants to call your parents, and my mother is quietly pleased.”

Scarlet realized something. “Right. A reception. Damn. My dad is going to want it done sasquatch style.”

“Neither of us are sasquatch.”

She winced. “No, but the ceremony is done in the human form. Nudist ceremony. We wear nothing that isn’t provided by nature from moonrise to moonset. The whole party is done in the deep woods, no matter the temperature or season.”

He paused and then smiled. “I think that is doable. I have nothing to hide.”

She blushed hotly. It was so much different in the light of day when they were both dressed. In privacy, she had no issues with nudity, but discussing it was rather peculiar.

“Would you like to go through the motions of courtship, or can we just schedule a bonding ceremony and spend a day in seclusion before dealing with family?” He cocked his head and took hold of her hand once again.

“Intimate seclusion?”

“It goes along with the binding ceremony. You have a limited amount of time to consummate before the magic takes over and forces you into it. It takes the heat and rut of your beasts and forces it into the human form. Things can get unpleasant if you delay.”

“Yeah, that sounds frightening.”

“But, if it is done under the control of the balanced couple, there is nothing more magical, to coin a phrase.” He paused, “So, do you want to do it the old-fashioned way, or just jump?”

She blinked. “You mean the courtship, right?”

He grinned. “Yes.”

“Well, I think that my list is pretty full right now, and the more I get to know you, the more things I will add to it, so we had better just jump.”

“You enjoy your coffee and pie; I will be back as soon as I make the arrangements.”

He kissed her on the cheek and left her in the café.

Molly came back and sat across from her. “Just like that?”

Scarlet laughed at how it must have looked and kept eating her pie. “Well, he is very pretty.”