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The Big Oof! Volume 2 Chapter 60: Rise and Shine
🕑 Added 2023-09-14 19:14:00 +0000 UTCIt was a brand new morning and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting a soft, warm glow over the city. Auri, who had another mind bending night of tutoring the two freaks, had finally been able to find a solid night's sleep in her shared room with Azeline.
However, her peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted when Azeline flung open the shutters. “Rise and shine!” The damnable Northern woman yelled cheerfully. “It’s time for breakfast!”
The sudden influx of early morning light hit Auri's face, causing her to groan and bury her face deeper into her pillow. “Mrrrrrmmmhhh!! Leave me alone!” She moaned, her voice muffled by the pillow.
Unfazed by Auri's grumbling, Azeline simply grinned. "Oh what happened to the shy and timid Auri?" she chirped, her voice far too cheerful for the early hour. "Get up, get up, get up!” The blonde shook the poor redhead, eliciting a muffled and frustrated scream from her victim.
"Shy and timid Auri is still asleep, you fiend!!" Auri suddenly sat up with a snarl on her face. "You're dealing with an angry and tired Auri now!" She shouted, pointing at Azeline with her frazzled hair jutting in every direction.
Azeline couldn’t help but laugh. "Well, grumpy and tired Auri needs to get up too!" she declared, pulling the blanket away from Auri's. "We've got a big day ahead of us and you gotta watch the boys stuff!"
“I WILL LIGHT YOU ON FIRE!” Auri threatened, she pointed and glared at her harasser. "By the heavens, the hells and all in between! I will burn this entire building down with all of us in it!!”
At this point, Azeline’s laughter grew louder at Auri's threat. "Oh, I’m sure!" she responded, her tone teasing. "But you still have to get up!" Azeline tossed Auri one of her dresses hanging from a hook on the door before walking out of it.
Auri in returned, glared bloody hatred at the door for a few seconds longer, contemplating on best to torture her assailaint. “ARRGHHH!!!” She yelled, throwing her face into the pillow.
She laid there with her face buried into the pillow for a few more moments before finally sitting up with a groan. Auri’s glare then shifted towards the dress Azeline had tossed at her and narrowed her eyes.
“Damned KNAVE!” She cursed, standing up and walking over to the pale of water they had in the corner.
Dunking her hands inside and taking out a scoop of water, Auri splashed the cool liquid onto her face allowing the sudden chill to help wake her up a bit more. She then took a moment to just stand there, contemplating her life and her situation as the water dripped down her face and onto the wooden floor.
“What am I doing with these… Buffoons?” Auri sighed to herself, her voice barely a whisper. She looked at her reflection in the water, her face distorted by the ripples. "Can I really afford to just… play around like this?" she muttered, shaking her head.
Her life had always been one of cold calculation, a necessity given her... unique circumstances. She had always been careful, always been discrete, but now, she found herself in the company of a group of insane misfits, and damned goddess who was banished by her own kind. The very thought should have terrified her, but instead, she found herself... enjoying it.
However, her thoughts drifted to Inquisitor Rhea and her damnedable order. Auri’s blood pressure rose a bit as anger flared within her. The woman herself was… tolerable, but the Inquisition as a whole was a different story. They were relentless, ruthless, and had a single-minded focus on their mission that left no room for mercy or understanding. They were a constant thorn in her side, and now one of them had forced themselves onto her as if she was a cheap whore.
Auri wanted to spit at the thought, but quickly realized she was in her own room and that would be counterproductive. Instead, she let out a frustrated groan and dipped her hands back into the bucket to draw out some more water. This time, her hands floated to the top of her head, wetting her hair and letting the cool water trickle down her scalp and neck. The sensation was refreshing, a small comfort in the midst of her turbulent thoughts as she calmed her nerves.
Suddenly, a soft, warm glow emanated from Auri's hands, casting a gentle red light around the room. Steam began to rise from her scalp as she ran her fingers through her hair, effortlessly untangling knots and smoothing out each strand. As if by magic, her hair seemed to come to life, twisting and turning on its own accord, arranging itself into a neat, intricate braid. The glow faded as she finished, leaving her hair looking as if it had been styled by a professional.
With a final sigh, Auri straightened up, her hands falling to her sides. She glanced at the dress Azeline had tossed her way earlier. It was simple, but comfortable - much like the other dresses she had brought with her. Her gaze then drifted over to the side to see Azeline’s belongings and a tinge of juvenile irritation flared within her.
Subconsciously, her hand drifted together as a tiny swirl of flame sparked to life between them. A spark of petty revenge flickered in her eyes as she stared at Azeline's humble pack. With a mischievous smirk, she directed the flame towards it, but stopped herself before releasing the flame.
Auri sighed, the flame dissipating from her hands as she shook her head. "No, even I think that’s too cruel," she muttered to herself, realizing that this kind of response seemed far too disproportional. “However, I WILL have my revenge, fiend.”
And with that, Auri picked up the dress Azeline had tossed her way earlier and quickly dressed herself. Once she was good and ready, she took a moment to smooth down the fabric and adjust the fit. With one last glance at her reflection in the water bucket, she nodded in and made her way out of her room.
The familiar sound of loud chatter and rambunctious laughter greeted her the moment she descended the stairs and into the tavern's dining hall. With a scowl, Auri peered around the room and saw nothing but thugs and mercenaries, cheerfully indulging on their morning drink until her eyes fell upon her companions. They had already gathered around their usual table with their plates piled high with food and Auri couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight.
“Is there a special occasion? Why are they serving meat and eggs?” Auri questioned as she pulled a chair. Her gaze fell on the heaping plates of food, a stark contrast to the usual bread and porridge they were served in the mornings.
“Something about the Tavern owner's daughter successfully giving birth or something.” Bennett said, impassively as he took a bite out his scrambled eggs. “The fact I can have scrambled eggs again makes me unreasonably happy…” The engineer murmured, his eyes closing in contentment as he savored the taste.
Even Yana was pleased seeing the nuisance as she sat smack dab in the middle of the table, shoveling as much food as she could into her tiny mouth. Grabbing a cleanly cut piece of ham, the small fairy bit down with her razor sharp teeth and seemingly ripped through the thing as if it were paper.
The sight was both fascinating and slightly horrifying to watch. A literal goddess was sitting in front of her, eating as if the damned thing was a mortal and not a divinity. "I see that Yana's enjoying herself," she commented with an eyebrow shooting up.
Elijah, who was seated across from her, looked up from his own plate and gave her a nod. “I’d rather use the term ‘placated’, and that's only for now.” He replied, sliding an empty plate towards here. “But, I’m glad you could finally join us. Help yourself, the eggs are surprisingly good.”
Auri tentatively nodded and glanced at Azeline who had a strange look on her face as she too stared at yana.
“I swear, the Vanir eats more than all of us combined…” The Northern woman commented, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Where in the hells does she put it all? I mean she eats more than I weigh!”
Before anyone could respond with any of their theories, Ulina pulled out a chair and sat down at their table. She had a warm smile on her face as she looked over the motley crew. "Well, aren't we a lively bunch this morning?" she said, her tone light and teasing.
"But I've got some news," she continued, her tone turning serious. "Remember that job I mentioned with those merchants? Well the tasker organizing it has finally given us the details and the go for the job."
Azeline, having already heard the news, just nodded as she finished chewing. “Ya, and the merchants aren’t very keen on meeting us, but they want us to guard the cart that's running tonight.” she said before taking a swig of her milk. “However… if we perform exceptionally well, we just may get our meeting!” She wagged her finger at the rest of the crew with a smirk on her face.
Bennett leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he processed the information. "So, we're just doing grunt work, then?" he asked, his tone dry. "How... delightful."
Elijah, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the news. "Quit bein’ a bitch, Ben" he said, shrugging. "It’s a job and money’s money. I’ll take whatever I can get."
Bennett's eyes narrowed at his Captain's retort, his lips curling into a snarl. “Yeah, sure, but I could be using this time to be learning MAGIC,” he responded with his usual attitude. "You know, something that could actually be USEFUL in the long run."
“Okay, and how do you propose we fund whatever the hell you’re doing?” Elijah shot back in a condescending tone. “Last I checked, all your magic bullshit costs more than a fucking house in this world. Go on, I’ll wait.”
Before Bennett could open his mouth to retort, he was cut off by Azeline. "Enough!" she snapped, her voice echoing through the room causing the entire tavern to momentarily look at her. "I don’t want to sit here and listen to you kvetch at each other first thing in the morning!” She exclaimed, her tone stern. “We've been hired to do a job, and we're going to do it. Now, let's finish up here and get ready. We've got a long night ahead of us."
The room fell silent, save for the grumbling of the two men as they begrudgingly returned to their breakfast and the snickering fairy in the middle. She seemed to find the whole situation amusing as her tiny wings fluttered in delight. “Idiots!” Yana giggled before she continued to munch on her food, seemingly oblivious to the glares directed her way.
Even Auri couldn't help but huff a breath of amusement at the scene. Shaking her head, she reached for her own plate, piling it high with eggs and ham. "Well, at least the food is good," she muttered to herself, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
With a mouthful of food, she turned to the rest of the group, her eyebrows raised in question. “I assume you guys want me to watch the stuff again?” Auri asked, her voice slightly muffled by the eggs. She swallowed, washing it down with a gulp of water before continuing. "Just let me know whatever you guys need."
Elijah tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully before meeting Auri's gaze. "Ya, sorry. I know it must be mind numbingly boring for you," he said apologetically. "But before we go, could we do some more reading practice?" He asked, his tone hopeful. "I think I’m pretty close to getting it all down."
Auri blinked in surprise, not expecting the request. She glanced around the table, noticing the other’s raised eyebrows. "Well, I suppose a little more practice wouldn't hurt… But," she finally conceded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I don’t see what else I could teach you, though. You’ve already progressed a lot further than I have, technically."
Azeline, who had been quietly observing the exchange, suddenly broke into a teasing grin. “Maybe he’s just using it as an excuse to get you alone in a room with him,” she suggested, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“W-What are you suggesting!?” Auri slammed her hand on the table, snapping her head to the Northern woman. “B-Bennett’s going to be there, so stop whatever’s going through your filthy fiendish mind-”
“Actually, Yana and I are doing magic shit.” Bennett interjected, not even bothering to look up from his plate. His casual correction sent a wave of laughter around the table, and Auri could only gape in disbelief.
Elijah, who had been quietly observing the exchange, raised an eyebrow at Auri's flustered state. Seeing her point at him, he shrugged. "Y-You! Say something! Tell them they’re wrong!!" Auri stammered, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.
Lifting his hands up in a surrendering manner, Elijah shrugged his shoulders and wore an expression that said he wanted no part of this conversation. “I’m keeping my ass out of this.” He said, shaking his head. “I know better than to walk face first into traps like this, so I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut.” He finished before turning back to his food, leaving Auri to fend for herself.
Completely outraged by the man’s neutrality, Auri, huffed in frustration. "Fine! Be that way!" she growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll just... I'll just… ARGH!!" She bellowed before grabbing her plate and standing up and storming for the staircase.
The table fell into a stunned silence for a moment before a snicker rang out causing everyone else to burst into laughter. Even Elijah couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as he watched Auri's retreating figure. "Well, that went well," he commented, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Suddenly, an angry roar echoed from the corner of the dining hall where Auri had stormed off to. “WELL, ARE YOU COMING!?!?” She yelled, her voice filled with frustration.
Elijah, caught off guard, quickly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, a mix of feigned panic and amusement on his face. "Coming, dear!" he called back, grabbing his own plate and standing up. He shot a quick, cheeky smile at the others after hearing another angry growl from Auri before hurrying after the woman.
The rest of the table sat there and chuckled with a malicious, yet light hearted glee at the spectacle. “Watch out, she may look to get back at you.” Ulina said with a playful voice as she looked over at Azeline.
Azeline merely shrugged, a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, I'm not too worried," she replied, picking up her mug of milk with both hands. "What’s she gonna do? Lecture me to death?”
“Probably curse you or whatever witches do these days.” Yana randomly interjected, her voice muffled as she chomped down on a juicy piece of meat. “I wouldn’t be - nom nom- surprised if she set you on fire!” She continued with a gleeful look on her face.
The table fell silent as everyone turned to look at Yana as if she was patently insane. "What?" Azeline finally broke the silence, her voice filled with incredulity. "Yana, you've been hanging around Eli too much. You're starting to sound like him."
Yana, in response, simply shrugged her tiny shoulders and went back to her meal, seemingly unbothered by the reactions she had elicited.
“To be fair, if Auri was going to curse anyone, it’d be you Aze.” Bennett teased, earning him a playful glare from the woman.
As the group continued their laughter and friendly banter, time seemed to fly by. The morning sun gradually climbed higher in the sky, casting a warm glow through the tavern windows. The noise level in the dining hall gradually increased as more patrons trickled in, adding to the lively atmosphere.
Before they knew it, the morning had given way to early afternoon. They all had spent hours talking, eating, and even arguing a bit, but it was all in good fun. But soon breakfast had finally come to a natural end and everyone got up to attend their own errands for the day.
Azeline followed Ulina into the kitchen, presumably to help with the day's preparations or perhaps to sneak an extra pastry or two. Yana, on the other hand, hitched a ride on Bennett's shoulder, her tiny wings fluttering excitedly as they trudged their way up the stairs. He decided that he might as well join Elijah and Auri for a little reading practice while the offer was on the table.
With the group fully dispersed, the tavern returned to its usual bustling self and Bennett found himself standing before the door to his room. Just when he wrapped his hand around the door knob The engineer suddenly hesitated as his mind was filled with the memory of the last time Eli disappeared with a woman.
Lowering his hand, Bennett instead elected to press his ear against the door and try to listen for any signs of... well, anything that might suggest he was about to walk into an awkward situation. He knew Elijah and Auri were in there, and while he didn't THINK they were doing anything... intimate, he also knew that the probability wasn’t 0. Hell it wasn’t even a low probability now that he thought about it and the last thing he needed was another wooden mug sailing at his head.
After a moment, he heard the faint sound of voices - nothing suggestive, just the normal tone of conversation. Satisfied, he opened the door and waltzed right in.
"Excellent, you two aren’t... preoccupied," Bennett announced as he stepped into the room, his tone dry. He glanced around the room, taking in the sight of Elijah and Auri sitting at a table with the datapad on it.
Elijah looked up at Bennett's entrance, a smirk playing on his lips. "What? Were you expecting something else, Ben?" he asked, his tone teasing.
Auri, on the other hand, simply rolled her eyes at the two men. "The fact that I’m getting used to this group's incorrigible behavior and comments is in itself, a tragedy." she commented, her tone exasperated. "Now sit!! We have a lot to cover before you leave tonight." The woman barked, pointing at the other chair.
Bennett simply shrugged, pulling up a chair to join them at the table. "Alright, alright," he conceded, "Let's get to it then."
"Hmph…" Auri huffed in response, her eyes narrowing slightly at the man. She turned her attention back to the datapad, her fingers gingerly navigating through the holographic beam of floating light to pull up reading material she had made. “Eli just finished reading a short story, I can have you read it as well.
With a nod, Bennett settled into his chair and flicked his finger across the datapad to send the story back to page one. As he read aloud, he kept his voice steady but slow and pronounced each word carefully, adjusting whenever his tutors instructed. As the hours passed, the room was filled with the sound of the two men’s voices and Auri's occasional corrections.
-
The floaty sun overhead painted the sky in hues of orange and pink while Elijah, Bennett, and Azeline found themselves standing outside a particularly nondescript shop in the center of the city. The three couldn’t help but lazily stand around as they waited for the occupants inside to finish whatever they were doing and give them further instructions.
“Ah… I do apologize…” A woman said, pressing her hands together apologetically as she stepped out of the still open door. “My name's Laza, I’m Arcine Brother’s Trading Group’s representative and I’d like to apologize that It’s taking a lot longer for our scribes to count the money…” Laza bowed once more out of embarrassment.
Elijah, ever the charmer, waved his hand dismissively with a warm smile on his face. "No worries, madam, we understand. These things can take time." He said, shifting his cloak slightly. “Actually, we’d prefer if you’d wait until the cover of dark.”
Laza's eyes widened in surprise and concern. "At night? B-but the streets are most dangerous after sundown!" She warned, clearly taken aback by the suggestion as her eyes danced between the three. “We already have problems transporting our money and goods during the day, so surely the night would be worse with all those thugs, killers and rapists roaming about!”
Azeline chuckled lightly at her concern. "Oh don’t worry, I feel you there.," She reassured her, a knowing smile on his lips. "But I promise you, these freaks work best at night.” Azeline continued, adjusting her shield.
The word ‘freaks’ had Elijah turning his gaze back to Azeline, his eyes twinkling with light-hearted mirth. "Ouch Aze, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" he joked, his tone carrying an undertone of feigned indignation.
Turning his attention back to the representative, his demeanor changed subtly. The playfulness remained, but it was accompanied by a certain allure that was hard to ignore. Throwing an arm around Bennett’s neck, Elijah pointed at himself and wore a confident smile. "But, allow me to assure you, madam," he began, his voice a warm, soothing melody against the evening's chilling whisper. "Those who truly do skulk in the night, they are the ones who should be fearful."
He took a step closer, his gaze steady on her, a confident smile playing on his lips. "With us at your side, any unsavory characters that dare to step in your path would do better begging at your feet. And for you, dear lady," he extended his hand in a gallant manner, "we would gladly serve as your personal guardians of the night." His voice was lower now, bordering on intimate, as if sharing a secret just between them.
The Representative blinked in surprise, her cheeks flushing a soft pink under the warm sunset. Elijah’s words were not lost on her, nor was the playful gleam in his eyes as she placed her hands on her chest and looked away bashfully. "W-well, if you're certain..." she finally conceded, her tone filled with reluctant acceptance.
"Utterly certain, dear lady," Elijah responded with a wink. "Rest assured, your goods, and more importantly, your peace of mind, are of utmost importance to us."
“I-I appreciate it…” Laza murmured as kept her hands repeatedly floated between her own neck and the center of her chest. “I-I should inform the others of the adjusted plan!” She suddenly stammere out before running back into the building.
Both Bennett and Azeline simultaneously let out an exasperated sigh as they slowly turned their heads towards Elijah. “Is there anything you won’t try to sleep with?” Azeline asked with a judging look.
“No.” Bennett answered for his Captain, his eyes equally narrowed. “If it’s female and has a pulse? He’s going to try and fuck it.”
Stuck between the two, Elijah’s head snapped between the two with an almost offended look on his face. “Aye, yo. What the fuck?” He responded furrowing his own brows. “I don't recall seeing a rule against making our clients feel comfortable," the man retorted, shrugging his rifle into a more comfortable position. “If people like you, then-’
“Then you get away with more stuff and ask for more shit- yada yada , cope, seethe and whatever other bullshit that’s leaving your mouth.” Bennett finished for Elijah, waving his hand dismissively. “We both know better than to feed into your garbage, Eli," Bennett finished, shaking his head in mild amusement as he wandered inside the building.
Azeline shook her own head as she followed the engineer inside, leaving Elijah there alone with his thoughts.
“It’s okay Eli, you may be a lecherous and base brute, but you’re MY lecherous and base brute.” Yana’s voice resounded from within his cloak, prompting the man to just throw his arms up in defeat and march in after his crewmates.
