bullyxtreme Episode Two Hundred and Twenty-Three: Gifts of Old
Episode Two Hundred and Twenty-Three: Gifts of Old
The Cat inched closer to the cloth bag, sniffing.Tension rode along my shoulder blades and I reached out, snatching him away. “What if it’s something that gives you welts?”
“Sable, the bag isn’t going to do anything to me.” He head butted me under my chin. “Set me down, it will be okay. I can open the bag…”
The bag rippled on the counter, which lifted it up and dumped it out.
More of the weird stones tumbled across the area before a small bowl formed in the wood.
“Those don’t look like the glimmery stones that were used earlier,” I added. The other stones looked like they’d been dipped in glitter. These were more a blue color, without sparkles.
The Cat blinked twice, then leaped back to the counter. “These are filled with magic.”
I immediately reached out to them, trying to get a sense of what they were. Like the pink people, they glowed softly in a golden light. No threads attached.
He padded closer and sniffed at a stone, then jerked back.
“Cat?” I asked, yet it was clear he wasn’t listening.
“This isn’t possible,” he mumbled. He glanced at me, then the stones, before eating one. He immediately sat down, and I swear a tear came to his eyes, but when I blinked it were gone.
“Cat…”
“It’s candy… Fey candy.” His voice barely a whisper. “Made from special tree sap. I made them for my children. They are a delicacy…”
“She called them her savings,” I said. I didn’t know what to do besides pet the Cat lightly. Normally, I’d pull him into my arms for a cuddle, but he kept staring at the dish of sweets.
“For some, they can temporarily help focus or increase magic.” He sniffed again, but didn’t move from his spot. His eyes went wide. “You should try one.”
Before I could ask if he was sure, he nodded.
I picked one of the blue not-stones up and popped it in my mouth. Sweet at first, it slowly warmed, like hot cider, but in a chewy form that melted. A zing went through my entire body, and it felt like I’d done a shot of espresso, but not. Like, no jitters.
I slumped on my stool and just let the feeling wash over me.
“It’s like a warm hug from someone you love,” I finally said out loud.
A paw wiped over the Cat’s face before he turned to look at me. He nodded. “That’s why I made them.”
“Well, we have some now,” I said. An idea came to me, but one I wasn’t sure would be a good one. “I could send them to Liluth, and she can send them out to your children.”
There weren’t many in the dish, but enough to share with all of those that remained of his direct children.
The Cat didn’t say anything and just lowered his head.
This time, I picked him up, and the candy vanished within the counter.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“It feels like we should take a break.” He didn’t complain as I scratched his ears.
“We have another customer that we need to deal with today,” he finally said, after a few minutes. He sighed, and I set him down on the counter.
“I doubt they will get…” I didn’t have a chance to finish my sentence about the layout of the shop when it changed. All of the boba tea stuff vanished from sight. Things moved fast enough I had to close my eyes and just hold onto the counter, trusting Betty to do what needed to be done.
Concern drifted up from my feet. “It’s okay, Betty, do what you need to do. I’m fine.”
The Cat nudged my hand when the shop stopped moving.
Two of the couches remained next to the fake fireplace, with crystals in the middle radiating warmth into the room. The bookshelves appeared on the back wall, filled with dusty tomes, the same went for the large table in the center. More dusty books filled the surface, and candles with spider webs and such.
“Does it really need to be so dirty?” I asked, quietly.
“Yes, otherwise he won’t sell us what we need,” said the Cat. “I know it looks horrible, but it is what it is.”
“You are not horrible Betty, just this arrangement is a bit, well, not us,” I added, patting the countertop. Then I sneezed.
The bells rang on the door and in walked a skeleton. An honest to goodness skeleton, with glasses on his head. Thankfully, I still sat on the stool, or I might have had a moment.
“Welcome to the shop.” The words slipped out without my mind thinking about it.
“Tell him to knock it off,” said the Cat. He glared at the person who slowly shuffled in. “And take his actual form.”
“A skeleton, really?” I asked, given the Cats’ comment.
The skeleton froze then chuckled. “Does it at least look realistic?”
I nodded slowly as the image vanished.
Replacing the apparition, a tall human appeared in jeans and a button up shirt. He carried a staff and a leather backpack. But most memorable were his dark green eyes.
“I guess I can practice later,” he added with a flourish. “There is a performance next week, and I need to get my part down.”
“Well, that was a fantastic illusion,” I said with a grin. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“You have coffee now?” He glanced at the Cat then back at me. “This is an upgrade, a massive upgrade. I’ll take a quad Americano with a couple of ice cubes and a splash of cream. Do you have any vanilla?”
“Yep, that’s an easy flavor.” I quickly got to work grinding the beans.
“You would think that, but out there, it isn’t. I’m thankful I know my way around and can visit the few worlds that do have it. Coconut is the same way. Rare fruit in the universe.” He approached going around the table then leaned on the counter.
“Today, I learned,” I muttered under my breath, as I emptied the first two shots into the to-go cup. Then I started on the next two.
“So, old man, are you buying today?” His question went to the Cat, who glared some more.
I glanced at the Cat, who just stared at the man before slowly looking at me.
“I’d like a coffee as well,” he added, as his tail flickered in the air. “Tell him we want the entire stash.”
“Okay, now I feel like this is a drug deal or something,” I said, without meaning to. It made me hesitate. That was supposed to be an inside thought, not an outside thought.
“Ah, I guess he didn’t warn you,” said the man, scratching the back of his head. “If I’m not in an illusion, you need to tell the truth around me. A weird quirk.”
“Not a quirk, a binding because of your past.” The Cat’s voice rolled through my head like he couldn’t stop it.
“Well, he wants to buy your entire stash,” I finally said. My mind raced at the things I might be able to find out if the Cat was forced to tell the truth. But I didn’t want to violate our friendship, either.
“Now we are getting somewhere,” he muttered as he leaned back. He pulled the backpack off his shoulder.
I added the hot water to the espresso, along with the rest of the shots, then waited a few seconds before I added the splash of cream along with a little vanilla. I stirred it all with a thin metal spoon. The last thing I did was add three ice cubes, before putting a lid on top.
Immediately, I started on a drink for the Cat. I still had my boba tea, which was still cold and not watered down, which was sweet. By the time I set the tea cup next to the Cat, several wooden wands were laying on the counter.
Each appeared out of his backpack. All were wood, though a few had bits of crystal embedded in them.
“Here’s the lot,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t think you’d want them all. How many magical wands does the universe need?”