"WWWhat's a stunning woman like you doing toiling away in a place like this?" A slurred, drunken stutter slithered into my ear just as I turned to return to my post.
I barely had time to react as a broad, rugged hand stumbled toward my face, its movements jarring and unsteady. Time itself felt as if it were slowing down, each heartbeat echoing in my ears as I realized I was on the brink of danger.
Instinct kicked in, and I deftly pushed his hand away, sidestepping the impending threat with a grace born of necessity. A few paces to my right, a short man with messy brown hair in semi-formal attire lost his balance and crashed face-first onto the floorboards with a thud. The tavern erupted into laughter, the sound rippling through the crowd like a wave.
"Roger! Not again!" The manager stormed over, brandishing a wooden paddle, and with a swift motion, delivered a sharp smack to the comatose figure sprawled on the floor. "When will you learn? Day after day, you stagger in here, dead drunk, and try to make a scene with my employees!"
The laughter intensified, fueling the raucous chatter that followed. Regulars eagerly filled newcomers in on the oddities of our establishment, often including unsolicited opinions about my appearance, which I tried to shrug off.
I cast a glance at the customer I had just served. Remarkably unfazed by the commotion engulfing the tavern, he continued to savor his meal with an air of composed elegance, slicing his food with a knife and chewing thoughtfully, as though he were miles away from the chaos swirling around him.
Just then, the door swung open, allowing a group of four to file into the tavern, each member deep in an animated debate. Their conversation quickly lost my interest, and duty beckoned, so I stepped forward to greet them.
After guiding them to a table and taking their orders, I slipped into the kitchen to steal a moment of respite while their meals were being prepared.
As I observed their party, comprised of three men and a woman, I noted their strikingly similar leather armor paired with an array of weapons. It was clear from their interactions that the dynamics ran deep—they weren't just comrades in arms; they were intertwined in ways that spoke of friendship and loyalty.
The female archer nestled next to the tall, poised mage, who leaned on his cane as if it held not just weight, but stories of its own. Both sported marital bands, a testament to their bond. The other two—one a swordsman and the other a knight shielded in armor—either remained single or had relationships beyond their party.
Listening to their light-hearted banter and playful jabs, one couldn't help but deduce that love and camaraderie thrived among them, creating a vibrant tapestry of companionship."WWWhat's is a beautiful woman like you doing working your ASS~ off in a place like this?" A drunken stutter greeted me the moment I turned to return to my post.
I was met was a broad rugged hand approaching my face with staggered movements. The hand seemed to have slowed along with the speed of the room but in actuality, it was my perspective of time slowing as i was about it be endangered.
My thoughts caught up to the situation and diverted his hands away from my face flawlessly dodging a random drunken assault.
A short brown-haired man dressed in semi-formal attire staggered to my right before tripping over himself and falling face-first to the floorboard. The crowd erupted into waves of laughter as the drunken individual lay on the face motionless.
"It's Roger again huh," the manager walked over to the cause of the commotion and then used a wooden paddle to slap the passed-out drunkard.
"Roger! When will you fucking learn, day after day you show up get dead drunk then try to assault my employees!"
The laughing of the crowd grew as the scene played out. Their conversations started the revolve around the situation the regulars were either explaining stuff to first-timers or other half-drunken men making comments about my appearance.
I glanced back at the customer that I just served. Despite all the commotion that just went on, he was completely unfazed by it. Still slowly indulged in his meal with strict elegance, cutting into his food with his knife and then chewing into it.
The door sounded again and a group of four entered the the tavern with each member locked into a debate, their conversation wasn't anything of great interest and my job came first so I stepped forward and greeted them accordingly.
After offering them a table and taking their orders i went into the kitchen to take a breather while their meals were being completed.
Their party consisted of three men and a woman each carrying a different weapon while all being dressed fairly similarly in leather armor. Judging by how they interact with each other I could tell their relationship statuses among their party.
The female archer was sitting beside the tall hair mage who carries a cane and they were both wearing marital bands while the other two men in the party a swordsman and a knight that uses a shield both seem either single or they are dating someone who's not of their party and isn't married.
Their conversations would lead one to assume that not one member of their party is single.
I sheepishly smiled as I approached their table with a tray in my arms. Their party camaraderie was warm and welcoming even to outsiders but their loving relationship especially between the magician and archer was quite envious.
….
—Author—
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