A Busy Few Months

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A Busy Few Months

December, January, and February were always busy months for bars in Hell.

December was the upcoming Cleanse, and people blowing their money on booze just in case they didn't survive. One last grand "hurrah" before the end.

January, celebrating surviving or mourning those lost during the Cleanse. Some overlapped it with celebrating the deaths of the lost that they despised while they themselves survived.

February, well, Valentine's Day. Lot of heartbroken people looking for a drink to numb the memory.

All three meant squirreling away plenty in the "Emergency 'We Fucked Up' Fund" in addition to the usual bills.

The Inkwell itself had plenty of customers, most of whom seemed to be trying to sus out what in particular was up with the periodically-mentioned "Private Collection" some customers seemed to be allowed to see regardless of class. Though a good chunk of them ended up buying books anyway. Largely from the filthier sections, but it made Ethan happy.

Meanwhile down in the Private Collection, Ruth had plenty of booze to sling and sob stories to listen to. Everyone needed a bartender to lend a sympathetic ear to every now and again, after all.

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For someone who rarely takes time to herself, exploring bookstores is a quiet enough hobby. No pressure to socialize, a possibility of a reading nook to pre-skim before buying... just have to find a place in Pride that isn't ransacked and also isn't a tacky overly shiny store that's probably owned by the Vees.

This is the eighth store Thalia's investigated. It's a little small for her height and wideness, but that's her problem in most places. "Afternoon," she greeted the front desk, "do you stock cookbooks here?"

"We do," Ethan said with a nod. He pressed a few buttons to lock the register and stepped out from around the counter. "This way."

As the Dalmatian hellhound led the way towards the appropriate set of shelves. The Inkwell was crammed full of as many shelves as possible.

"Any particular style of cooking you're looking for?"

"Some vegetarian and some for using wild game meat," Thalia hummed in thought. "...Trying to eat less processed food. Think it's been why I've been getting migraines, you know?"

"So not necessarily full vegan." He quickly scanned through the books before tapping one of the large bookshelves. "This entire bookshelf is vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. As for wild game, that's a bit smaller." He moved to another bookshelf and put his hand on a shelf. "This shelf has to do with preparing and cooking wild game. Sorry there isn't more, but not a lot of people in Pride are looking to go hunting for wild animals that aren't, well, fellow demons."

"Hah. That's certainly true - I think if I were going to add that to my diet I would go to Cannibal Town for a recipe book," she huffed in amusement and slightly rolled her eyes, gratefully pulling out a promising book. "I've made a hellborn friend from Wrath... he's been excited to share some things. I thought I'd try and match the enthusiasm," she admitted with the briefest hint of a smile.

"We have a few cookbooks for cannibalism here, but you'll definitely find something more definite in Cannibal Town."

Ethan gave a small smile at that. He might be the more serious of the Inkwell duo but he did enjoy his job. Talking about books in any context was far more relaxing than the rat race he'd originally been part of.

"If you're looking for more Wrathian recipes to try, we've definitely got more cookbooks on that than wild game preparation, but there's nothing like authentic Wrathian food from an actual Wrathian." His tail wagged in memory. "They've got barbecue down to an art."

"It's been a while since I've had actually good knock-your-socks-off barbecue, that's for sure. If you get any books from Wrath, I'd love to come back for them, honestly," she nodded, a faint smile as she discreetly didn't comment on the wagging tail. Dogs and hellhounds were so charming. "I'm also still trying to get a better understanding of the local vegetables... everything's an awful lot more finicky to grow than trying to work with a spaghetti squash," she joked a little. "This roasted Spit-Trap plant sounds good, though... hmm..."

He moved to another shelf to show her the Wrathian barbecue cookbooks they had on hand along with the two bookshelves on gardening.

"Never had roasted Spit-Trap. Then again, never was a fan of it because it was always served boiled." He grimaced. "Do yourself a favor: Don't try it cooked that way. It's stupid easy to make a dirt cheap but it's awful."

Edited 2024-02-07 14:17 (UTC)

"Boiled vegetables are just sad, most of the time. I think soup is the only time it's any good in the first place, and even then it's pushing it," she rolled her eyes in agreement. Blech! "At least soups are good for making food in bulk. Potlucks and meetings and such."

"Agreed. Though casseroles carry better for those. Plus it's a perfect 'I'm too tired to think about cooking' sort of thing: Just dump a bunch of ingredients in a dish and bake."

He paused for a moment before finally deciding he was long overdue for an introduction.

"My name's Ethan, by the way."

"Thalia, it's nice to meet you," she greeted, bowing her head and offering her hand to shake. "Has this place got a little reading nook for customers?"

"Not exactly," Ethan admitted. "I mean, we don't mind if you browse through the books so long as you don't damage them...or use them for trying to use them as some sort of weird secret communication thing." He pointed up at one of the discrete security cameras. "We had to install those because of a bunch of weirdoes trying to use the shop to do that."

Part of him wanted to tell her about the Private Collection. Her way of dressing passed the dress code plus he got the feeling she really was just wanting a place to read. A quick glance at his watch showed that it'd open in a few minutes, and he realized he hadn't picked the Book of the Day just yet.

Perfect.

"There's a really great book on Wrathian barbecue. Ruth -- she's the owner and my friend -- swears by it. If you let me snap a picture of it real quick for our Sinstagram, you might like it."

Glancing up at the camera, Thalia huffed lightly. Security made perfect sense. "Having a secret code can be amusing, but getting involved is not always wise. Fair enough," she agreed, pausing to look at the book he was referring to, holding it out to be photographed.

Ethan took the picture, cropping out Thalia's face for privacy reasons, and posted it up as the Book of the Day. It was a rather popular barbecue book so there were no issues with not having enough on hand.

Happy as a clam, he pocketed his phone.

"I need to get back to the register but give a shout if you need helping finding anything else."

"Appreciated. I'll be there in a moment," she nodded him off. She wanted to pick out a new novel for her casual reading as well, and after a while of perusing and mulling it over, she picked out a mystery romance. That'll do, it had an interesting enough hook on the inside cover.

Taking her books to the front, Thalia retrieved her wallet from under the wing tucked into her side, counting out the payment in bills.

Ethan's tail wagged as he saw she'd picked out the book he'd suggested and made the Book of the Day. He rang everything up and gave her the total.

"Would you be interested in seeing our Private Collection?" he asked.

Well. That sounds intriguing. Thalia pauses before glancing up.

You know what. Why not.

"Sure. What've you got for me?"

It really was taking quite a bit of self-control not to bounce around her like a puppy.

"This way."

He led her back into the Employees Only area before opening the trap door in the floor. It led to a staircase with another door at the bottom with light filtering out of the frosted glass window.

She had to crane her neck and scrunch a bit, but that's just because she herself was quite large - carefully going down the stairs, she entered the speakeasy.

...Oh. A speakeasy! ...Huh. She'd only ever read about those. She must've passed the 'vibe check' with the hellhound fellow. Awkwardly, Thalia gave Ruth a wave. "Hello there."

"Hi! I'm Ruth! I own the Inkwell up top and the Private Collection down here!" The imp-succubus hybrid gave a wave of her own. "What can I get you?"

"This is a pleasant little surprise down here. Wow," Thalia chuckled in amusement - she'd have to see if she could bring Sten down for a nice private time drinking.

"Moscow mule, maybe?"

"We try to keep it on the downlow since it's neutral territory. Overlords are allowed so long as they don't stir up shit."

She got started on the Moscow mule, adding just the tiniest bit of flair since it wasn't busy. The appropriate copper mug was grabbed by her tail to slide onto the bar just before she poured the scoop of ice she'd grabbed with her hands into it. Vodka and ginger beer -- both excellent quality -- were free-poured into the mug with just the right amounts from long practice. She sliced off a wedge of a fresh lime before squeezing the rest into the drink. A quick stir and the wedge as garnish, and she slid the finished product to her new patron.

"Rules are simple: Don't start none and there won't be none. No turf wars, no fighting period, and no disrespecting the booze. The last one got added after a couple of people brought in actual blood last Halloween to see if I'd make a literal Bloody Maries. Which I do but I've got a supply that's been vetted and cleared of all sorts of gunk. Keep it on hand for the cannibals. I don't know where any brought-in ingredients have been, and I don't serve anything that might leave something on the glasses despite cleaning them that could poison a lot of people."

She leaned on the bar counter.

"That and the fact our patrons don't spread this place around save those people they trust helps keep this place as somewhere somewhat exclusive to relax. No door fee, but you have to dress right and figure out the book code. Which you either did to get in here or Ethan liked the look of you enough to make an exception. Break the rules, and you get hit with our charm that makes you remember you were here but you can't remember any details or even how to get in.

"So now that we got all that out of the way, time to sit back and enjoy yourself, Miss...?"

"Thalia. It's a pleasure to meet you," she nodded, taking the mule appreciatively and sipping at it. Ohh, pleasant, chilly. Thalia took a moment to seat herself at the bar, pulling her skirts aside and careful not to bend or break any of her feathers.

"I am glad that the hellborn are able to set up somewhere nice and establish rules. Hopefully you don't have much trouble enforcing them. I could see why customers would want a place like this, a break away from... everything."

"Grandma Ruth used to tell me that if you want something bad enough, sometimes you need to make it yourself," Ruth agreed with a grin. "And for the most part we haven't had any issues. We've only had two bans since we opened last year, just enough to show people that we're serious.

"Wanted some place that felt exclusive without having to be rolling in souls, you know? That's how we came up with the book code."

Thalia nodded in understanding. She shared a lot of Sten's sentiment about the hellborn... the Sinners were unwelcome and unwilling intruders in their home.

"Do you have security to reinforce it? Or are you able to handle that yourself?" she gestured vaguely to Ruth in question. Never underestimate a hellborn, after all, even if they're small!

Honestly, Ruth was fairly neutral on the Sinners. They'd been here since she was born and would be here long after she died. Besides, there was plenty of space in the other Rings if she wanted to get away from them.

"So far it's been fairly easy to manage. Ethan and I are always armed, and he was originally trained to act as basic security for his previous job. You do not want to see the sorts of holes he can put into you even if you're a sinner," she said dryly. "That and the book and dress codes ensure that you have to have an IQ above room temperature to get in, making you more likely to appreciate our cozy little den and not want to lose access to it. Had a few people show up who weren't fond of one another, but they agreed to stay out of one another's faces while down here and in the shop. Still have to pay money to the local overlord for 'protection', but that's Pride for ya."

Right, protection rackets - Thalia rolls her eyes a little at that. "Who's the guy you're paying, if you don't mind me prying? Completely fine if you'd rather brush that off, of course. I just know the headache of getting caught owing things to those assholes."

"Overlord Zestial's turf. Could be worse though. Least he's polite when he sends his 'reminders'."

"Mmm," Thalia nodded and hummed, tilting her head a little. It wasn't Sten, who was obviously her first pick of Overlord, but...

"Could be worse. He's also one of the more 'dignified' sorts. Does he partake in the business at all?"

"Nope. Hasn't realized what's in the basement either. Then again, he rarely comes in person and he isn't into social media as far as I know. We pay our dues to his people, and he leaves us be."

"Better for it I think. Turf wars are nasty. I'm an enforcer for my Overlord, but most of what we do is pull people out of the crossfire," she hummed, taking another appreciative sip. "I won't bring work in here, of course - but if you need an extra hand outside of it I wouldn't mind dropping by to help."

"I appreciate it, but right now I don't really have the budget for it," she said. "The last two people I thought about hiring thought I stuffed my mattress with souls or something. I definitely can't afford hiring on anyone for the amount they were asking for."

"No, no, don't mistake me - I wouldn't charge for something like that," Thalia chuckled and lightly gestured with her hand. "I like to protect places I visit from getting busted up when I can. And I can see myself coming back, is what I mean."

Ruth thought for a moment. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're here when trouble goes down, I'd appreciate the help. But if it looks like you're coming back here specifically to protect the place, some dickbag hoping to get in good with Overlord Zestial is going to use it as grounds that your boss is making a play for this place and turn our shop into a big smoking hole. I don't wanna fuck with overlord politics more than I absolutely have to."

It'd been a while, since the little blue imp had come by. Since she'd said her goodbyes, committed to disconnecting and leaving forever.

Now, though... Now, she'd made a choice. A very... permanent one. The cost was high, and she'd paid it, willingly.

But in exchange, at least, she could reclaim this.

Time to visit her favorite bookshop-slash-bar. Somewhat awkwardly, she stepped through the Inkwell's doors, looking around a touch... nervously.

"Renee!" Ethan beamed at her, wagging his tail eagerly. Nobody else was in the shop at the moment, so he abandoned his post. "You're back!"

At Ethan's approach, she couldn't quite help the smile that came onto her face. "Hello, Ethan. I... yes. There was a change of plans, and I'm here to stay. So I thought- I just wanted to say hello."

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Ruth'll be ecstatic if you want to head to the Private Collection," Ethan told her. "She missed you a lot and not just because you were one of her two favorite guinea pigs."

"I'd love that, Ethan. I'm probably going to have to rebuild my collection, I'm afraid- but at least this is a good place to start. I, ah... I missed you both, too. Very much."

"Not as much as you think you'll have to," Ethan told her. "We sold some of it, but the bulk of your collection's still in storage."

She smiled brightly. "I'll have to reclaim what I can, then, but for now... it's good to be back. I'm going to go say hello to Ruth, but- take care of yourself, Ethan. And thank you."

"She'll be excited to see you."

Ethan led Renee to the back and opened the trapdoor leading down. Once she was low enough to avoid getting beaned in the head, he shut the trapdoor.

Ruth glanced up from finishing off a martini and serving it. Her eyes widened before she beamed.

"Renee!"

She climbed up her stool and launched herself into the air, flapping over to hug the blue imp.

"It's so great to see you!"

Renée returned the embrace, smiling up at the proprietress. "It's good to see you too, Ruth. Guess... who had a change of plans?"

To put it mildly. "I'm... here to stay, I'm afraid. So it would appear that you aren't going to be rid of me for a while."

"Oh no. How horrible. I don't think I'll ever recover from the disappointment."

The smile on her face gave away the clear sarcasm in the statement.

Ruth gave Renee another hug. "Come on! Let's celebrate! What're you feeling today?"

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A Busy Few Months

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Guess what notif never arrived? I am SO SORRY

AS IT TURNS OUT I AM ALSO BAD AT THIS

Five thousand years later...