Meeting New Acquaintances

"Nyitzcha, we got customers coming!" Yoku shouted behind them, closing the door. Janette spun around to take notice that he didn't lock it, just to be safe.

As they walked in, Felix and KuliKuli looked around at this new place they found themselves in. It was quite larger, he didn't recall the shop matching the size from outside. Indoors, it looked quite different and unique at least to them. For Reta and Janette, one could sense their familiarity from such locations by their nonchalance attitudes. The environment and architecture was all crafted from oak wood, with thin support beams keeping the top floor steady with a lantern hung on each one for lighting. The flooring seemed shiny and polished, somehow clean while maintaining that familiar creek with each step. Plenty of circular tables set up with a number of stools for each customer, and currently no drinkers on sight.

At one corner, the walls camouflaged a flight of stairs creeping upwards. Against that wall was the bar stretching to the far end with an open gap for access. Plenty of shelves stacked and filled with hundreds of shiny bottles with corks for lids, as well as plenty of heavy barrels stacked at a corner with a large on sat upon the bar leaning table on its side with a drink dispenser point inward.

"Ay, we've plenty 'a customers walkin' er fleetin' about! What'll it be this time, ey?"

Felix and KuliKuli spun around, searching for where that voice originated from. No worker behind the bar, just a lot of empty tables, some of them with empty mugs on top. Looking at Janette and Reta, both of them shrugged while Yoku snickered from a distance.

"Ay! I said what'll it be, are you tone deaf!?" That voice shouted before muttering a few choice words as light footsteps could be heard around them. KuliKuli hugged Felix's arm, feeling worried and uncertain who was speaking to them. By this display, they could hear Kou Yoku begin to laugh hard with Janette and Reta catching on and stepping back in shock as the stool by them was roughly shoved aside.

"Ay, AY! Put yer good fer nuthin' eyes to bleedin' use, I'm right 'ere!" The voice bellowed before delivering a kick to the shin. Felix recoiled as both he and his Nekomata looked down, with the latter squealing in utter shock and cupping her mouth a bit too late. Below them, standing proudly above four feet with her hands to her waist and an angry scowl stood a tiny woman, complete with a pair of leather boots that reached her thighs, a leather skirt, and a funny looking circular pad on her chest that seemed to resemble a dish platter, only it seemed a tad rusted with four belts shooting out from it and wrapping around her torso to keep it secured.

"What are ye bleeding hearts looking at eh? Never seen a dwarf run a business before?"

"No, nothing like that." Felix replied, feeling embarrassed with both girls and Yoku now laughing behind them. "Sorry, we're just looking for a place to stay. He mentioned you guys had some beds?"

She grunted, blowing one of her overly large twin tails or bunches away from her face. "Ye, we've a few, what's it to yah? Got any coin in dem breeches?"

Janette stepped in. "I do." She said before counting. "We're five total, got about four beds?"

She nods. "Ay, but what good will a bed do to a cat? We don't take in cats, woman! Kou!"

He stood up straight and answered with a slight stutter. "Er-yes, chief!"

"Didn't I make me-self clear that there be no more pests in my residence?" As she spoke, she casually walked beneath several tables before appearing in front of him, with his back against the wall. He nodded fast, feeling a nervous sweat coming in. "Then where in yer simple-minded lil head did you go off, invitin' em in like it be yer property, hm?"

"S-sorry chief, th-the girl said she would pay extra!"

"They won't make a mess, I promise!" KuliKuli pitched in.

"And if there are any damages, which I doubt you will find, I'll pay for it. Agreed?" Janette added, catching the dwarf's attention. She walked up towards her before leaping atop one of the tables to me eye to eye with her.

"Ehh, I hear ye loud 'n clear. You say ye got the coin, how 'bout ye show em fer once? Lot a lads 'r jus' talk, what say you?"

Janette smiled and answered with a casual shrug, reaching into her waist pouch and retrieving a medium sized pouch with quite a lot of metal tinkering sounds stemming from it. Dropping it onto her small hands, the dwarf kept up eye contact while opening it and pulling out a handful of gold coins. "The pay'll be fifty for each, 'n I don' do beds for cats!"

"Noted, just three then-"

"Two!" KuliKuli squealed before covering her mouth again. Felix had quite the puzzled look on his face, only two?

"Two beds it is. Kou will be takin' yer to ye quarters, but I got rules. Don' touch mai door at de end a' de hall, n' don' be making a ruckus when I'm asleep. Any messes will cost extra, dis ain' no brothel n' I ain' yer mummy! Yer clean fer yerself, got that!"

"Understood." Janette leaned back and counted the number of coins in her pouch. "This should cover the cost for two."

"Good, yer work a good business." She smiled, collecting the coins and passing them to Kou, who then put them away under his apron. "Take 'em to there rooms. Will it be bedtime for ye?"

"What about drinks!" Reta called out, clearing her throat and leaning over the bar, grinning. Janette sighed and passed a small pouch to her.

"That's your limit, knock yourself out. Guys?" Felix and KuliKuli nodded and followed behind Kou, who led them upstairs.

"Oh!" KuliKuli gasped before waving at the barkeeper. "Thank you so much! What's your name?"

She snorted. "Name is Nyitzcha, 'n ye say it like Neez-cha! No funny names er 'nunciations eh?"

"Oh. Well thanks kneez-cha! Tell your mom we said thanks for the beds!" She cried before following them upstairs.

"What! What the blazes' my mum got to do with dis? Yer calling me small, dat what dis is!?" She huffed, gritting her teeth.

Kou Yoku winced and pushed the couple upstairs along with their cats. "Second door to the right, here are the keys! Lock the door, keep yourself safe!"

"KOU! Ye helpin' stow away the bleedin' enemy, das coming out of yer pay!" He winced and rushed towards her, leaving KuliKuli to catch a listen of him calming her down as she continued shouting and kicking away stools.

"Yeesh, why is she mad? I wonder if I was that mean when I was little?" She wondered before being pulled into her room by Felix.