Capítulo 173: - Denny's Diner and Troubles
The door as it opened let out a slight jingle of bells, the same bells that hung above the rafters and before the door, signaling the presence of someone new to the dinner. Its warm and musky interior was decorated with many tables, a bar, large animal heads and skins along the wall, and a feeling of home no one would want to leave.
It was home for Lia as it had been for many days. The owner of the Diner had offered her a place to stay in exchange she worked for what she earned. She saw no other trade as fair as this one.
Lia hung her cloak on a nearby hanger, the long rows of hooks that lined the walls for its many guests would normally be overflowing with hats and coats, but now it was empty with only small specks of dust.
She walked through the golden light that poured into the room, past the hanging curtains and through the dim lighting of the hall. She passed her hands slowly over the many tables, their chairs already laid out for the dinner's many guests that were soon to come.
It was warm inside, and the feeling of comfort she felt every time she entered was a reason to stay inside forever, enjoy the moments that they laughed with the customers, the times when she and the owner would toil away over a stove to try out some new recipe. A recipe that always tasted like dirt and mud water, but they tried nonetheless.
Making her way behind the counter Lia pulled an apron over her loose and comfortable clothes, the only thing she had to her name at the moment besides her sword that rested upstairs and the small pouch of copper she was paid for her good efforts.
She took out a large goblet - a wooden tankard for the night before and began to rub a cloth over its rough and warped wood. These tankers were hand carved by the owner himself, a wonderful woodsman and craftsman when he wasn't cooking.
Her life flowed by as she toiled away at polishing cup after cup after cup until she reached into the pantry and found no more cups to polish, to run ehr smooth skin over the rough exterior of the wood.
Then she took a glance in the mirror, her mind distracted for a moment as she saw the reflection and the eyes that stared back at her. But it wasn't her face, it was a man's, his red eyes glowing just like hers. A deep crimson red.
'Did you really have to do that?'
His mouth moved as the words came echoing in her head, but she knew he wasn't talking aloud, and that if anyone were to walk in now, they would only see her reflection in the mirror. Cain just had that type of charm on people.
'They were brutes. It's not like I did anything wrong.'
She turned her back to him and began polishing the plates and silverware, items that no matter how much they bought form the market, were never enough to suit the many hungry guests Denny's welcomed in with its big and rustic looking doors.
But Cain wasn't done with her yet, as his voice continued to echo in her head, she watched as her shadow pulled at himself to form a man - a figure she knew as his.
'Someone will find them. It will only be a matter of time.'
'I knew that. Hopefully it's soon so they don't bleed out. Maybe they can bend their limbs back together.'
She could hear Cain sigh, and she felt a rushing feeling of deja vu come over her as she was taken back to the many conversations she would have with him, the many talks they would toil away with over the campfires. It was before she met Rian and Lukali, and even after that he was something of another part of herself.
Something she couldn't live without.
A feeling of remorse and pain flowed through her blood that cooled her body that raged like a firing flame. It was the feeling of remembrance, the feeling of knowing what was past and what would never again be the future.
'You still think of them, don't you?'
'...yeah.'
She scrubbed away at the next fork, a crude one with only three prongs, the fourth broken off in some scuffle or something like that. It didn't matter to her. It was dirty and it provided a distraction.
'Remember the lessons I've taught you Lia.'
Cain was still ever present in her mind however, and every second she thought faces of Rian and Lukali would fade from her mind back into the cabinets of the past, his voice brought them back again, as if reminding her of the lessons their presence offered.
'I do. To forgive the mistakes of the past, but never forget the lessons it teaches you. To move on.'
'Correct. You've learned well.'
She scoffed as she moved onto the next plate. It was an hour before they opened, and the sun was just peaking above the many buildings that made up the horizon. Soon it would be time for breakfast, and the rush for some ale and good food would bring many in the city to their doors.
She needed to be ready before then.
'Anyone can learn anything when they've been put through a near death experience.'
She didn't let her eyes wander to the black hair, the hair that was several inches longer now and nearly fell to her waist. She would need to cut it soon, but Lia was more afraid of the headache she would get when she looked at it.
'It is a gift to learn anything, so treasure it.'
Yet she was never able to learn what color her hair truly had been before that fateful day. The day fire rained down from the sky.
Suddenly the door opened, and the sound of bells echoed out through the dinner, a man dressed in a dark wool coat entered and placed his hat on the hooks. He held a newspaper in his hand, an item Lia had not seen for nearly a year.
The young man walked past the many tables and chairs, seemingly uninterested in the feel for the dinner, the same feeling that Lia got as she ran her hands softly over the tables, the chairs and the walls decorated with wonders. His dirty blond hair fell like bangs over his forehead and his lean figure gave way to a grumpy face.
"Hello Christopher. Still not much of a morning person I see?"
"Never."
The man said as he laid down his newspaper over the counter, running a hand through his messy hair as he strung an apron over his front. He spared Lia only the smallest of sideways glances, a glance that was filled with annoyance as they met eyes.
"And I thought I told you my name was Chris, not Christopher."
She only smiled, turning her focus back to the silverware, the many forks and knives still in need of good polishing. Chris just eyed her from the side as he pulled out a large keg of ale from under the counter.
It had been only five days since she started here, a mockery of time compared to his two years of experience. But he didn't mind the fact the customers already loved her, or that Denny had grown very fond of her company, laughing with her over the many failed recipes they third created.
In his mind all he wanted to do was be done with this place, and if Lia could keep the smiles and laughter to herself for just a little while longer, he wouldn't have to worry about this place any longer.
But before he could go about his many chores for the morning, a voice broke though the silence that spread between them, a voice he recognized instantly as he sighed, his hands falling to his hips as the deep manly voice echoed through the restaurant.
"Chris, is that you? Come give me a hand with this in the back!"
Muttering under his breath, Chris sighed again as he turned to head into the kitchen drawing closer to the back door where he knew he would find Denny, the owner of the Diner and one of the most popular men in the city. At least in this small stretch of town.
With Chris gone and the sounds of the parade flowing down the street, Lia slowly smiled as she watched the sun come through the windows. It was a beautiful golden sight, a sight of social activity and people that Lia had long since missed.
It was nothing compared to the silence of the mountains and woods.
"Today is going to be a great day…"
***
Then the sounds of voices thundered in the air, echoing across the dinner with the cracking of the sky, light the sounds of the earth splitting apart as music filled the room and laughter took control of the reigns of the world.
People were cheering, many were laughing, others were dancing and playing their musical pieces as instruments of all kinds and music of all genres were welcome inside Denny's Diner.
That and the many drunken stupors of men and women as they raised their glasses and tankards, empty plates clattering in the kitchen sink as the sound of customers echoed in Lia's ears.
"More ale!"
"Let's get some eggs over here!"
"Oh, I can smell that bacon!!"
"Bring me some of them grit-"
"Screw your grits! Bring us more ale!"
Lia was in the midst of the crowd, jumbles of bodies moving around tables and chairs, crumbs from toast and bred, bits of honey and ale splashing around across the ground as more and more people yelled at the top of their lungs, cheering on the band of guitarists and fiddle men.
She balanced at least five tankards full of ale across her arms as she set them down at their three respective tables. But it wasn't long after she left them that she heard the occupants cheering for more.
She could only sigh as the fiddles played, the drums were beaten, and the sound of flutes rang through the air like birds. This was the noisiest restaurant on the block and even on this edge of the city, where the sun only shone over the tall buildings of the inner ring, casting shadows across the streets covered in bricks and bits of trash.
It looked like a city full of people, and the sounds offered little room for doubt. But even as Lia filled more tankards with ale, carrying plates over her head as she bobbed and weaved through bodies and around tables, she felt her heart flutter.
This place reminded her of the Great Hall in Kokono, the sound of cheering and laughing, the sound of denial that rang through the air filling the hearts of many with hopes and dreams, laughter and excitement to deter them from the shadows of the world around them.
If the people crying out for ale and more food could stay here forever, they would. But they knew that the day would call them, that their families would need them, and that this was just one small bump of happiness in a land of hills.
And Lia was determined to make everyone smile, everyone laugh, and let the world pass her by as the defending sound of laughter filled her ears.
She didn't want to see any more blood. She didn't want to see anymore death, fire or plague. She didn't want to feel hate.
She wanted to be in this moment forever, lost in the happiness and glee of the many masses of city folk who came from far and wide, just to laugh and enjoy themselves in the midst of this little world of theirs.
Dumping a large tower of dirty plates and silverware into the kitchen sink, already overflowing with more and more dirty dishes, Lia apologized to the washer, an older gentleman who had worked there for nearly ten years and had been one of Denny's first employees.
"Sorry about this Menta, I don't mean to cause you any trouble."
The old man brushed her away, a slight smile covering his face as he scrubbed the grease and grime away from the pale white lates. He had already finished three tall towers of plates, and they were dried and ready for use. This small tower was nothing to him.
"Hey, Lia!"
A deep manly voice drove Lia's attention away from the old man and back towards the kitchen where three chefs toiled away at cooking the flood of orders that came through from the hall. A man with a thinly shaved head and a large mustache on his face smiled at her as he beckoned her over, holding a small bowl filled with broth.
"What's that matter Denny, I've still got tons more people out there and Chris can't handle them all."
"Oh, pish posh. Let the boy have some hard work for a change. What I wanted to know was how today went?"
Lia pulled out a small pad of paper and began flipping through the number of orders that had already stacked up inside, the many bunches of writing jumbled together on falling sheets of parchment. The pad looked old and worn, as if it had survived many years of this line of work, but in reality, Lia had only just gotten this pad yesterday.
It just went to show how much they had to make at Denny's.
"Well, I think we just passed three hundred orders, and with another hundred on the way I'd say we're making good progress-"
"Not that!"
He brushed away all her reports as if it were a bad smell to his nose, the steam and the smoke from the many cooking fires that burned and sparked with flames on the crude stone and brick stove. His face was full of smiles and laughter, care and compassion - a care that Lia felt in her heart as a smile made its way onto her face.
"Tell us, how did your test at the Station go? Did you get your license?"
It dawned on her then that she still had her license and bounty notice in her back pocket, a bounty that would hopefully put some coins in her pocket and get her started in this city. A Bounty she would cut from the darkness and bring back into the light of this world.
With a warm smile on her face, a smile that was mirrored in Deney's as the other chefs and employees in the kitchen crowded around. Slowly, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her license, a thick bit of leather that held her name, rank and in the future would hold her entire world.
She didn't know when it happened but suddenly Lia found herself pulled in close for a hug, her face pushed against Deeny's chest as he laughed and cheered. The others in the kitchen began beating on the wooden counters like heavy drums, chanting her name as it echoed out into the hall, deafening the music and many cheers.
Then the door was thrown open, and Lia was before the many masses of people, eyes watching her with question and curiosity as Denny held two firm hands on her shoulders. With one hand and a voice that cried to the stars he raised his license high in the air and chanted to the crowd.
"Listen up boys! Lia's got her license!!"
It was like a pin dropped in the room, shattering the silence that settled in the hall, the one moment of silence that Lia knew would last in her heart longer than the seconds it lasted in reality.
Then the cries came like gongs that ran in her ears, men and women leaping up from their chairs as they chanted her name.
"Lia! Lia! Lia!"
Their drinks were in the air, their food was on the ground, and everyone in the diner didn't give a damn as the world was filled with laughter and chants, happiness and love. Lia would remember this, for it was the day she was welcomed with open arms and a warm embrace from the shadows she left behind.
"Next round is on me boys!!"
All that she could hear was the sound of cheers.
***
The sun was finally setting and as Denny waved goodbye to the last of his friends as they left his diner, Lia was in the back busy with the dishes. It was a long day, and her head was still pounding with the sounds of music and laughter.
It was quiet and these were the moments she loved the most, how the world just drifted and floated in the air. The hall was a mess as it always was, but it didn't matter. Tomorrow it would begin again, and she would have to run faster, battle the orders that came though instead of monsters.
Spill ale over the ground where she would spill blood. Cook eggs, bacon, soup and steak. She would no longer have to burn the flesh of others away.
At least that's what she told herself, a lie in a lie of her own little life. And Cain was there to remind her that she could not lie even to herself for long.
'Tonight, is the night.'
She stopped, the water and soap soaking into her hands as she slowly dropped the sponge and the plate back into the warm water.
'It is…'
'I know you're focused. I know your mind is clear. And I know you probably don't want to hear this from me again, but don't do it again.'
The images of the three street thugs from before flashed in her mind as she dried her hands on a nearby towel. She didn't even think about them until now. She didn't even worry if they were still alive or not, bleeding out in the gutters from the many wounds they now suffered.
Even if they made it, they wouldn't be able to rob anyone again. Was she too harsh? Was she being too loose with her power?
It didn't matter. Right now, she couldn't feel anything, especially mercy. Seh only felt the dull and cool night air as he opened the back door.
'Humans are weak. It's not my fault they break so easily.'
The moon was shining Tonight there would be blood. Tonight, she would instill in herself the same fire that burned in her chest.
She would give into the monster raised in her breath.
'Ture. But remember….'
She took a deep breath and let go as the world of darkness passed her by like the many stars that dotted the night sky.
'...you're not human anymore.'
Status de energia semanal
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