novelraw Chapter 316 - 256 - How Much Trouble They Got Into
Chapter 316 - 256 - How Much Trouble They Got Into
Vince understood why Shouri wished them good luck--the cafeteria was nuts! People acted like they had to fight for the last scraps of food, despite the poor working Resonators rushing in and out of the kitchen with fresh servings. He couldn't imagine the chaos in the kitchen proper.
"Just get me strawberries," Zephyr decided, hiding in her Maestro's jacket.
Miro stuck close to the Maestro, as he took in the dizzying sight before him. Yes, it certainly was a cacophony of people. Every time he ended up in a situation like this, it really drove home how numerous Maestros and Resonators were compared to Naturals.
That being said, there were surprisingly a few Naturals sprinkled within the mayhem. No one paid them any mind, and they acted just the same as their furless contemporaries. "Non importa da dove vengono, le persone sono persone…" mumbled the Natural.
"Alright, Shouri was right, fuck this." Mila grabbed her Maestro's hand and dragged him out of the insanity. Miro clung to the boy's jacket as they made their great escape.
Now in the lobby, the quartet was safe from the madness, but still hungry.
"I wanted breakfast," Vince whined quietly.
"Let's just go buy breakfast somewhere," Mila proposed.
"But we paid for breakfast here," Vince pointed out.
"Technically, it came free with our room," Zephyr countered, popping out of her hiding spot.
The boy sighed and looked to their Natural companion. "What do you think?" he asked.
Miro looked back at the bustling crowds that gate-kept breakfast. "I do not mind looking elsewhere." He held up one of his paws, his brown hunter's loop firmly secured.
"Good enough for me I guess. Let's go looking."
Downtown Jenteri wasn't nearly as hustling and bustling as the hotel was. Given enough time, people would pour out of their lodgings to take in the sights. It was probably better to start now, rather than wait for the crowds.
That being said, the streets weren't totally barren--there were plenty of others who either had the same idea as Vince's group, or simply made the intelligent decision of partaking in the festivities early.
A group that definitely took advantage of early lack of crowds were the vendors. Many were still prepping even after the head start they had last night. Some of them even made shows of it, and demonstrated their crafts. A painter worked on a live piece, a fire and earth Resonator cooperated in glass blowing efforts, yet another earth Resonator shaped metal as they created little trinkets to sell.
And of course, there was the food.
Many food stalls, just like their fellow craftsmen, made a spectacle out of prepping their food for the day. A stoat Resonator tossed an onion into the air, and quickly slammed down on it with his open palm. When he lifted his hand, the onion had been perfectly diced. The feat earned quiet applause from the small crowd who gathered to watch (some even dropped some coins in the stall's tip jar).
"Oh, I wonder if that zalavan girl has her booth set up," Mila spoke up.
"Yeah… uh, what's her name?" Zephyr waggled a finger while she tried to remember.
"Holly, I think," Vince filled in.
"That was it!" the fairy exclaimed.
A good idea--one which gave them a direction for their aimless wandering. It was quite a walk from the hotel, and it really made them appreciate how massive this festival truly was. The four's stomachs roared in protest as the fine fragrance of freshly cooked foodstuffs assaulted them from all angles.
Not helping matters were the displays of culinary talent all around them, as eager vendors hoped to attract early customers.
"Maybe that Solana lady can recommend us some good stuff?" Vince offered hopefully.
"They did offer us lunch. Maybe they'll give us brunch instead?" Zephyr pushed their hope timetable up a few hours.
Eventually, they found their way back to the stall where they had met Holly. Sure enough, she was at the front counter, making her the only Resonator to be doing so. Solana, her Maestro, was in the back with the other two Resonators of their party, working away.
"Oh! Hey!" Holly immediately spotted the group and waved them down.
"You remember us?" Vince asked as they approached the stand.
"Well, it's kinda hard to forget about the group with the fairy and the Natural. Not exactly many groups wandering around like that," Holly snarked, with a smirk. "You enjoying the festivities?" asked the plant.
"The hotel cafeteria was a mad house," Mila scoffed.
"So we came here instead," Zephyr added, hoping the implication was clear.
"That's a heck of a walk for breakfast…" Holly mused to herself. "Hey Lana! Get some of those Desert Gliders up!" the zalavan shouted to the back. The Resonator's order was absolute, as the Maestro didn't question what Holly demanded and got to work. It was an odd arrangement that none of the four guests had ever seen before.
Either way, the quartet waited in quiet anticipation for what was about to be served to them.
Four plates were passed to Holly, who in turn, set them out for their four guests. She even provided a red drink to compliment the meal.
"Enjoy," sang the zalavan.
"Oh!" Miro exclaimed. "That is why this sounds familiar!"
"Hm?" the other three turned to the fox Natural.
"They be serving this back in my homeland, it is a common lunch," Miro told the trio.
Vince looked at his plate. It definitely looked unique. A pita bread sandwich with meats slathered in a tangy dressing with lettuce, onion, and served alongside some kind of green and red mixture with what looked like rice.
"It's tabouli, has parsley, bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and onion, with a splash of olive oil and lemon juice. It's a local specialty," Holly explained.
"It is very good! Authentic!" Miro exclaimed with delight as he sampled his own tabouli.
"Wait, isn't Miro from Kalanichi? Why is this a local specialty?" Mila questioned.
"The story goes some Natural travelers settled here in the 1800s and shared their recipes with the locals. Apparently, they were well received as the local Jenteri residents of the time kept making these dishes until it became something this town was known for," explained the zalavan. "Solana has a habit of picking up new dishes to make whenever she can," Holly added.
The meal was filling, and the cherry limeade included with their dish was the perfect compliment.
"Great. Now that you're all nice and fed, we can get down to business."
None of them liked Holly's smirk.
Vince gulped. "The meal wasn't free, huh?"
"It was free in the capitalistic sense that you're not trading money for our goods or services," said Holly. "No, I want a favor from you lot."
Uneasy glaces were exchanged between the four, before the Maestro of their group finally spoke. "What is it?" asked Vince uneasily.
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Holly grinned. "You and her are gonna take over the cash register and customer service," the zalavan pointed to Vince and Mila.
"I don't do customer service," the cat countered.
"Too fucking bad, you are now," Holly grinned.
She wasn't sure why, but Mila found herself intimidated by the petite Resonator.
"What about me and Miro?" asked Zephyr.
"Fantastic question! Us three are gonna drum up interest for the ol' booth here. A zalavan, fairy, and Natural are bound to attract a ton of interest," Holly explained.
"Are you sure that's safe?" questioned Zephyr wearily.
"Sure. He's a Natural, and I'm gonna bring by knife and seeds. We'll be fine," Holly waved off the concern.
"Knife?" Mila raised a brow.
With practiced ease, Holly drew a blade from her hip, flicking it out and pointing it at the cat in one solid motion. The click of the blade locking into place was the only indication the zalavan had even drawn her weapon.
"I've had a lot of practice." She grinned.
Mila looked to her Maestro, who shrugged. Zephyr too, also shrugged and decided to just go with it. Miro clapped, impressed by the dexterity of the plant girl.
"I suppose if no one else has a problem with it," Mila finally gave in. "Feels like something he'd get worried about," mumbled the cat.
Vince and Mila were left with Solana and her other two Resonators. The unusual trio of Holly, Miro, and Zephyr took off.
Holly and Miro handed out business cards to festival goers they passed by. The card not only had a small map showing the crossroads where their stall was located, but even had a shortened website address that led right to an internet map of their stall's location. Given the composition of the party, more people were willing to check it out.
Zephyr was born for advertising, as she took cards one at a time and fluttered over to perspective customers, depositing the card in their hands before fluttering back to Holly and Miro.
Things were going well, and they were set to run out of business cards. Zephyr grabbed a card and took off to find her next perspective victim, when she became one herself. As she fluttered off, she was swatted out of the air by a sudden hand that came out of nowhere.
The fairy was hit hard by the sudden attack against her and taken out of the air. Miro managed to catch her in a bed of sand he grabbed, and quickly retrieved her. Holly had one hand on the blade at her hip, and the other in her green bag that hung next to her.
"What the hell, man?" Holly complained.
"The fuck you say to me?" asked a burly man. By his side was a massive Resonator, built thick like a tank. Definitely much larger than the puny trio before before them.
"Apologize, now," Holly snarled, the blue rhythm in her eyes glowing in fierce defiance of the injustice before her.
The Maestro looked between the zalavan and Natural, and finally the fairy who was coming to after her smacking.
"She shouldn't have flown in front of me," the Maestro snorted.
"You reached out for me. I know I had plenty of space," Zephyr groaned, pulling her glasses from her face. "Great, the lens are cracked," she grumbled.
"Apologize," Holly repeated her demand, her glower intensifying as her hands traced the edges of her bag.
The Maestro turned and swung at the stubborn plant that dared demand anything of him.
"Wrong move," she mumbled.
Shouts erupted from the crowd, as out of seemingly nowhere lightning burst out of a Maestro. He was ejected from Holly's personal bubble and thrown to the ground.
"You fucking bitch!" The man's Resonator, a rhinoceros, tried to charge the plant, but his feet were suddenly sinking into a pool of tar.
Holly whipped her head to the side to see Miro knelt next to her, a paw on the ground--the source of the sudden tar pit trap.
"Buco Trappola, very nice," Holly smirked.
However, the smirk was wiped from her face as the crowd parted.
"EVERYONE FREEZE!"
"God damn it," Holly sighed.
"He's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me," Vince repeated as he and Mila waited in the police station with Solana.
"It'll be okay. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation," the chef offered, patting her fellow Maestro on the shoulder.
"I knew it was a bad idea letting them go off by themselves," Mila grumbled, mentally kicking herself for going along with it.
Everything had been going so smoothly. A huge line of people were gathered by the stall and the five who stayed behind were beyond busy keeping up with all of the orders.
That was until the police showed up asking if Zephyr and Holly belonged to them.
From what they were told, a street fight had broken out, which the missing trio were at the center of. While sparse on the details, the two Maestros were asked to retrieve them down at the precinct and answer a few questions.
The questions simply amounted to what they were doing, and confirming the fairy and zalavan were properly registered. A simple flash of the green and white tuners confirmed this fact and the group was retrieved from their holding cells.
"You're free to go," an officer said, leading the mischievous trio out from the back.
Poor Miro looked mortified, and rubbed his neck where the rhythm dampening collar had hung.
Zephyr was indignant about the situation, her glasses missing and generally ruffled up from her previous swatting.
Holly had her head in her bag, as she carefully scrutinized its' contents. Satisfied everything was there, she addressed her Maestro. "Some guy swung on us, so I taught him that he should keep his hands to himself," the zalavan informed the two Maestros.
"How?" Solana quizzed.
"Carica Traboccante," Holly answered.
"Rank?"
"Moderato."
Solana's judgmental gaze sharpened, which Holly faltered under.
"Fine, it was Lento, but he hurt her!" the zalavan grumbled.
The chef smiled and tousled her Resonator's grassy hair. "Try to make it less flashy next time."
"Fine fine," Holly rolled her eyes. "Sorry for getting you mixed up in that. Can't stand guys like him," said the plant.
"No, I appreciate it. Just glad they believed us," Zephyr commented.
"Maybe because we did not use attack spells," Miro theorized.
"Probably! That was what I was going for at least. He needed to throw the first punch. Not my fault he ran fist first into an electrical outlet." Holly shrugged.
Admittedly, Vince and Mila didn't know much about zalavan. To say this incident piqued their interest was an understatement.
Zephyr fluttered over and collapsed on Vince's shoulder. She rested her head against her Maestro's cheek
"Sorry," she mumbled.
Vince gently laid a hand on his tired Resonator, offering her his rhythm. "You didn't do anything wrong--I'm just glad you're okay."
Solana smiled. With how close his Resonators were to him, she knew what kind of Maestro Vince was, and she found herself appreciative of his presence. Part of her wondered if he would join her on their journey to Dalliva. He seemed like he'd be the perfect fit for the guild they were going to scope out.
Only time would tell.