"Date" with a general's daughter (II)

"WHAT'S UP, FUCKERS?!"

Everyone in the room turns. Gods, this is so embarrassing. Don't look at me with that grin, Nelen. You're the one who's responsible for this. Oh, well. At least their attention's onto us. Let's see... Chimerians, robed men, a couple of Nagas at the corners, lion men, and humans. Who would've thought?... Oh, wait. There are dwarves. I just didn't see them.

"We're formally issuing a tavern brawl. Here's the condition!"

Silence. Even the bartenders are listening. Nelen's unwavering voice echoes through the room like thunder, and a slight shiver comes down my spine. How does she sound sexy and commanding at the same time? Maybe it's because it's a part of demon charm? I'll never know... Ooh. Cheese. Don't mind if I do.

"Ye a fucking idiot, lass?!" A Snake in the back shouts.

"The last group left standing in this room will get a pouch full of Cings. Erm... How much is inside?" Nelen pats my pants.

"Let me check..... A lot."

"Count it."

"It's still full of thousands, so it doesn't really matter."

"Give me that. Did you motherfuckers hear what he said?! Whoever's left standing gets this pouch full of thousands!"

"Nel!" Esmeralda slaps her butt. She gasps and blushes.

"Sorry."

Murmurs spread through the room faster than a wildfire. Everyone scanned the three ladies from head to toe, so I joined them. Some of Nelen's hair drooped from her mask, and Esmeralda had no mouth. Arra's eyes stared firmly at me, and the design on her mask seemed to wrinkle as she smiled. A waitress near us drops a glass on the floor.

"All right! That it?" The same Snake downs a glass of wine.

"Not yet. You're not allowed to harm the girl in the black blouse and mask, blades aren't allowed, and let's wait until the place is clear." Nelen takes a couple of Cings, goes to the bar, and orders a bottle.

"Oh, no. She's drinking..." Arra whispers as she follows her and gives something to the bartender. The bartender nods and whistles, and the workers immediately started moving the tables and chairs.

"Do you want to join us?" I ask the waitress.

"Sorry. We're going to clear up everything. Good luck, though."

She smiles, cleans the glass fragments, and puts it on the trash bin. Oh, boy. I press my mark and my scythe comes out, but someone noticed and booed me because it had a blade. Gods. Why am I even here in the first place? It's weird, but at the same time, it looks fun. I wonder how Jean will react once he finds out that we lost his money because of this?...

I guess I'll know soon enough.

...

"What do we get for doing this?"

Arra shrugs at me as a waiter drags the last chair to another room. The chairs and tables are gone. All the cheese and wine is in the bar. Everyone's divided. It's the perfect time to start, but no one's moving. They must be getting a bit skeptical. I can't blame them, though. This whole thing's stupid.

"How do you usually start a brawl?" I ask Arra.

"Good question. Nelen knows."

"Easy. You make them angry. For example... The Chimerians think that all sects are idiotic!! Also! The humans discriminate other races, but they're too afraid to say it... I almost forgot! Dwarves are short, and Nagas are creepy!" Nelen takes a large gulp and wheezes. Drunk Nelen sure is noisy.

"Do you really think that would work? Only kids wi--"

"That's expected of the Chimerians, actually. They've been jerks since the very beginning." The largest of the robed men snarks as his friends laugh.

"Please don't believe her. She's just drunk." One tailored man hides behind his friend.

"What the fuck did you say about the Legion, you crazed fanatics?"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, bitch."

"Oh, you bastard. Now you've done it."

Great. The Chimerians and Hamir's followers are arguing. That leaves us with... Oh. The lion men are eyeing the humans. Well, I guess the only thing left are--

"Again! Dwarves are fucking idiots!!!" Good job, Nelen. You took the words right out of my brain.

"You bitch!!"

Someone threw a bottle of something, but I didn't see who it was. All I know is that my nose is itching, and the scent from whatever inside that is irritating. Nelen fixes her tunic and kicks a dwarf while his friends charge, screaming with their damn shrill voices. I follow Arra as she summons a pair of gauntlets and rushes towards the group of Nagas. The Chimerians and the robed men are fighting each other, and the humans are fighting with the lion men. It's a fucking mess, and I'm loving it.

"I didn't know Nelen's that bold." I pull her back just in time as one Naga swings his tail.

"She's only like that when she's got masks and drinks. Don't worry. It only lasts for only two hours. Demons have high tolerance towards alcohol."

"Then why is she acting like an old man?"

"It's because she's just that weak."

The copper smell of their scales sickened me, but it didn't matter to Arra. She ducks and kicks the belly of the green one while I got punched straight in the face. I grip the bastard's arm, but he flails it around and scratches my face. His nails dug into the polo shirt and he does a weird motion with his mouth before almost spitting at me, but my fist redirects his mouth's direction. A lion man growls and tackles him to the ground.

"Shit. There's glass on the ground." I curse as one of its fragments got stuck in my shoes.

"Not the time to be worrying about that." Arra giggles.

"Where's the two?"

"Don't worry about them. We're on a date, remember?"

"Haha. Yeah. Is this how you guys do it here in Stassi?"

"Haha. No. We're pretty normal."

"So how's the noble life?"

"Pretty boring. It gives me and the other nobles the unnecessary sense of superiority. To your left."

Arra's fist cracks as she lunges and punches the Naga herself. I hold her arms and spin her around just in time as a large, black man tries to grab her. He smiles and tries to punch me, but I dodge it in time before giving him a taste of his own medicine. Another man tries to kick me near the stomach, but Arra prevents it by leaping and kicking him in the chest.

"Define boring." I challenge.

"Imagine living a normal life. Going to school, getting a job, getting married, and wondering what else you should do." She stomps on the green Naga's tail.

"Okay."

"But everything's done for you. You still get grades even if you skip, you're automatically hired as a Lion, your marriage is decided, and you're stuck with feeling off-track."

"Oh, that's sad... Wait, what the fuck? You're getting married?"

"Yes. A few months from now, actually. Let's talk some more after this."

Well, this sucks. I've been played. There's that feeling in my chest again. What's the point of all this, then? Did she plan on breaking my heart all along? Should I just let myself get beat up? Maybe. A lion man summons a shovel with his mark and smacks me in the head, but it felt like nothing. Yes. I should focus on the fight.

"Sol! What are you doing?!" Nelen screams and throws a dwarf two feet away from me.

"Oh, uhh... Right. Jean's money is on the line. Don't worry. We'll win this."

The little shit Nelen threw starts to roll, causing me to almost trip and fall. Arra glances at me, worriedly, before punching the belly of the man who just shoveled me. I take three steps backward to ease the tension, never noticing the Chimerians and the robed men. A stray fist hits me in the neck, but the sound of glass knocks my attacker down. It's Esmeralda, and she's holding a broken bottle. The Chimerian sleeps on the floor while the robed men surrounds his teammates.

"Are you all right?" Arra lightly slaps my face.

"Oh, uhh... I gue--"

"BODY CHECK! HOW MANY DOWN?" Nelen slurs.

"Twelve! Four Chimerians, Dwarves, and humans are out!"

"Hear zat, love? Ve're Vinning!"

"Damn right we are!"

Wait. Was that Esmeralda? I think it's-- Oh. It's her. She's also drunk, and she's swinging those bottles hard. So this is what she meant by rowdy, huh? Holy shit. Oh, wait. Arra's getting outnumbered. I should help her out. A lone Cing hits the counter as soon as I picked the bottle, and a lion man hits the ground. Its friend grabs me from the side and throws me directly at her, and the impact sends us crashing to a wall.

"Sorry. I'll just fuck them up for you." I help her get up.

"Do you want to see if I can do it sooner?" She grins and dusts her clothes.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

"Alright. I'll take you up on that."

"You're going to lose."

She launches herself straight into one of them, punching the guy who threw me straight in the face. The rough surface of the stone floor rattles my spine as another lion man tackles me to the ground and tries to get a punch in. I tilt my head, elbow his stomach, and gave him a headbutt. So predic-- Ah, shit. The bastard bit my ear. This is bad. Fuck. He's not letting go with my left hand.

"OKAY! I NEED HELP HERE! THIS GUY'S BITING MY EAR OFF! ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT? NEVER MIND! I THINK I'M STRONGER THAN HIM."

Brown eyes tear up as I poke one of his eyeballs with my free hand, and he scrambles just in time to get hit by Arra's missed kick. She gasps and looks at me, and the only response I managed was to shrug it off and grin at her. A Naga tries to grapple with her, but with a swift motion, she grabs and throws him away. Esmeralda's getting bottle fragments everywhere, and Nelen just downed another bottle of whiskey. Oh. She swung it on one of the robed men. So that leaves with... Wait. Did Nelen beat the Nagas?

"C'mon, guys! Chop chop! The Chimerians are out now! Don't let them catch you!" The waitress who dropped the glass shouts.

"Wait, what? Isn't this legal?" I kick the cheek of a sleeping Naga.

"Of course it's not! Let's get this done before they come! I don't want to get arrested for this." Arra screams at Nelen before rushing to the largest of the robed men.

"Stop being reckless, hey!"

"You're not my dad!"

She giggles and chants something before slapping the man in the chest. Three of Hamir's children laughed, except for one. It's the largest guy. He's standing there, arms drooped down, sweat coming off the lower part of his face. He then drops to the floor. His friends tries to get him up, but Arra cuts him off by pouncing at him. Nelen rushes to us and grabs one guy's legs, making him squeal. He then taps the shit out of the ground because Nelen put her on a leg lock.

"Fuck you guys! I still have a lot of bottles!~" Esmeralda yells. Wow. She curses when she's drunk. That's cute.

"Yeah. I think that's-- Ah, fuck! Someone's still up!... Oh, it's you. Esmeralda, can you please calm d--! Ack! Don't throw bottles at me! We already won!... Wait, where's Nelen?"

"She's passed out over there. Gods. I told her to lay off on the drinks. She didn't listen." Arra shakes her head and helps her friend up. "Please worry about yourself."

"I'm vine, Arra! Zee? I have ten fingerz!"

"Yeah, but your other hand is around me. Sol, please restrain Esmeralda. I think she's still paranoid."

"No, I'm not! Erm... Who are we fighting again?"

Esmeralda looks around the room as Nelen tries to grope her friend. Arra sighs and lets her touch her breasts, and one bartender is nodding at me for no reason. Arra instructs something to the workers, and they start to lay papers all over the ground.

"What's happening?" I ask as Esmeralda elbows my face.

"Teleportation scrolls. It's a part of the many services here. You know, just in case brawls get out of hand. Just like today. It's a good thing that only bottles and bones got broken." The waitress from before whispers a spell and spreads the papers.

"You've had worse?"

"That, I can't say. Anyways, we'll get you guys out of here. Guys! Let's gather for the spell! One... Two... Ilyacus!"

...

Dizziness and nausea attacked me on both sides, and Nelen's vomit was all over the soil. Esmeralda kicked the bucket as well, spitting green water all over the blades of grass that scattered about. Random members of the brawl also sprawled on the ground, and Nelen's outburst of vomit energy sprayed the unfortunate dwarf men near her. Arra continues to comfort Nelen while I rub Esmeralda's back.

"Zat vas vun, vasn't it?"

"It sure was. Now let's get cleaned up. We still have the picnic and the drinking contest to look forward to."