Still, the coins in her pocket filled her with a quiet sense of pride. She’d begun her first foray into building up the capital to take over the Capital with her ‘new, innovative’ ideas, and yet, the quiet jingling and weight of the coins also made her nervous. She needed to get a coin pouch or something that would deter any would-be pickpockets. Shaking her head, she walked down the two doors it took to get to Evergreen, entering the brightly lit...bar? Cafe? She wasn’t quite sure what to call it.
The large windows facing the street let in copious amounts of sunshine, making it seem much brighter and cheerier than how it was portrayed in movies. Despite that, there was the stereotypical bartender’s area at the back of the room with bottles and glasses lined up prettily on custom-made shelves. There was also a healthy stream of traffic into a back room which she assumed was a kitchen, given that the servers kept coming out of it with steaming plates of food.
She clutched her little metal box tightly, unsure of what to do. Did she just find a seat? Did she wait to be seated? Did she go to the counter to order? Her indecision seemed to spark the pity of one of the waitresses because she came over and asked kindly, “This your first time here, luv?”
Not your luv, dearie, but whatever, she’s here to help! Don’t be picky about what she calls you…
Jade smiled merrily and nodded a bit shyly to disguise the brief flash of discontent she’d had there. “Yes, it is. Is it that obvious?” She laughed a little nervously, trying to crack a joke. She never claimed to have great interpersonal skills…
“Just a wee bit. Well, come on in. Next time you can just find a seat you like. For now, why don’t you come over to my section? I’m Felice, by the way.” Is she trying to get a better tip? Jade just smiled and nodded again. She didn’t care where she sat, as long as she got food, and fast. She was led over near one of the windows, which she was pretty happy about. It meant she could people watch! She cheerfully sat down and smiled at the waitress, her look saying, ‘well?’
Getting the hint, Felice smiled. “Ah right, first timer. We serve set meals here. Today’s specials are the steak, pork chops, or the blue salad. Each comes with two sides and a mug of juice and costs five leaves. Anything on top, you’ll pay extra for. For sides, you can choose between a baked potato, mashed potato, grilled carrots, broccoli soup, rolls, or roasted corn.”
Jade regarded at her speculatively for a moment, then nodded and declared, “I’ll take it.”
The poor lady was nonplussed and maybe a little annoyed with her. “Which one?”
Jade smiled innocently. “All of them. I want one of each dish and side. And the three mugs, of course.”
Felice seemed a little bewildered still, though less annoyed as she tucked a piece of wispy brown hair back behind her ear. “Are you waiting for someone to join you?”
“Nope, just me! Can you maybe sneak me ahead though? I’m starving!” She said the last part with dramatic emphasis, even though it was entirely accurate.
Hesitantly, the slightly aggrieved waitress asked, “Did you want me to bring it out all at once?”
Jade just grinned and shook her head. “No, just bring whatever’s ready out. I don’t need it all in front of me at the same time!” She laughed softly, and the waitress muttered a soft confirmation before scurrying away. Admiring the box in her hand, she set it on the far end of the table by the window, figuring there was probably enough room, and opened it up gingerly. She pulled the sculpture out, covered as it was in its protective cloth. She put the cloth back in the box, then placed her phoenix on top of it so it was still reasonably safe, but now glowing softly at her.
A giddy smile soon took over her face. This was the first thing she’d ever bought with money she had earned herself! (She didn’t want to count the bribe.) She found herself just staring at it dreamily. Where was she going to put it? If the library was safe, maybe she’d leave it there. It could give her courage in the darkness.
Fairly soon, thankfully, Felice brought her first dish out with a mug. It was the steak, baked potato, and grilled carrots. Setting it down on the table in front of her, she chirped, “Here you go—is that one of Damian’s creations?” She had paused mid-sentence to stare at the beautiful figurine on the other end of the table.
“Thanks for getting this out so fast! And yes, it is.” She ignored the shocked look on Felice’s face as she picked up her fork, stabbing a few carrots and shoving them in her mouth. She chewed, moaning very quietly in bliss.
“It’s so pretty… When did he hire a light mage to help him?” Felice asked in curious awe, seemingly fascinated by her phoenix.
Jade smiled, chewing furiously before she swallowed and answered with a soft snicker, “When I walked into his shop and accidentally lit this phoenix up.” She then proceeded to cut her steak and shove it in her mouth ravenously. Mmmm… It was delicious. She started cutting everything as she chewed for easier access as quickly as possible, pausing only occasionally between bites to sip at her juice.
“You’re a light mage?” Felice eyed the still skeletal Jade before her incredulously.
“Mhmmm. Healer too.” She paused only long enough to give her an emphatically short response before digging in again. You did not try to get between a girl and her food! Aside from that, she needed to let people know there was a healer around so she could get practice…and money.
“Oh.” Felice seemed dumbfounded, but then her sharp brown eyes quickly focused in on how quickly Jade was plowing through the plate in front of her. Startled, she said quickly, “Oh, I’ll be right out with the next meal.” Jade just nodded happily, enjoying her food. She scurried away, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Felice had flagged another waitress on her way to the kitchen and they had put their heads together, whispering furiously.
The two of them returned shortly after that with the other two meals and mugs. The new waitress was staring at the plate Jade had just finished polishing off as she was finishing her juice with a satisfied sigh. “You finished that already?” She seemed utterly shocked, but Jade just smiled sweetly at her.
“I’m a growing girl, and I feel like I haven’t eaten a thing all day.” You know, apart from the three plates of pancakes and eggs this morning. And the half a pig for her midnight snack, but those didn’t count; they were forever ago! They just set the plates and new mugs in front of her, collecting the now empty plate and mug she’d just demolished. She happily started digging in again while they stared at her in amazement for a second. “So good!” she mumbled happily.
Deciding to leave her alone to eat while they went to attend to other customers, she happily munched on her meals. She had slowed down a little bit though, given that she’d alleviated the worst of the hunger pains. It was really good food, and she could see why Lucas had recommended it. For only a laurel and a half, she had gotten three decent sized plates. Granted, at that rate, she’d only last a dozen meals before she ran out of money, so while it was amazing, she’d need to see if there was a cheaper, but still filling and delicious, alternative.
When she was winding down, finally full, Felice came back again. She cast another admiring glance at her phoenix until she asked politely, “Would you like anything else?” She was still masking her obvious surprise that the waif had managed to eat everything in front of her. When Jade shook her head, she continued, “That’ll be one laurel and five leaves then.” Nodding, Jade reached into her pocket and pulled out two laurels, handing them over to her. Felice smiled and took them, saying simply, “I’ll be right back with your change.”