Private Tales The Monday Hip-Hop Bop

[Mercia]

Lyra smiled warmly at Hop as he greeted her, open the door wider so she could step inside. She looked over to see Archimedes and Periwinkle, and her smile grew just a bit more, reaching her eyes. Really she liked the little dragons so much, and it was often hard not to search for them the moment she came in. She did glance around elsewhere to see if the others were present, but it seemed they were elsewhere. Which was fine. She expected she’d be seeing Jade soon enough.

“Hello,” Lyra said to Hop, stepping up over to him at the table he was currently at. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me.” She said, seeing that Periwinkle was asleep and so she made sure to keep her voice low. Didn’t want to wake the precious angel up after all. “Hopefully I’m not intruding too much.” She mused, before glancing back down at her stained sleeves.

“Also, I hope your day went much better without me being around to muck things up; I promise my bad luck isn’t contagious,” she added, with a teasing chuckle. The situation wasn’t the best but Lyra felt that with the couple of hours that had passed that it just made more sense to laugh it off. Focusing so heavily on something often wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, or rather, it just made her stress levels so astronomical that she had learned not to focus so heavily on each and every little mistake hours later after the fact.

“Oh, I don’t have spare clothes with me, is there a place where I could change?” The dress over the blouse would easily cover everything; really, the dress could be worn without the blouse, but it didn’t have that same effect of being a governess, did it?

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

"I suppose I'll have to take your word about your bad luck not being contagious, although if I start seeing more black cats and broken mirrors than before, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call you on that," he said.

He was being coy with her now the way he was with many female guests who dined at his cafe. In a short while, he could finally ease his mind by learning who this woman really was, and more importantly, if she had any ulterior motives. There was a lot for a diner owner to be worried about, not the least of which being food critics, journalists, and perhaps worst of all, competition. Given that she was a lone woman with a pen and a notebook, she could be any of them, and she might be taking advantage of his kindness now to get a "backstage" look at the Cafe. Well, not on his watch, she wasn't.

"You can change in the guest washroom over there," he said, pointing. It was a little room with a locking door that guests could use to wash their faces and hands when they were done eating. "I'll fetch a bucket with some water, and, of course, Jade."

He left her to her own devices for a moment while he ran upstairs to his room and looked for the little green. She wasn't apparent in the room, so he spent quite a few minutes turning up various pieces of furniture and looking in nooks and crannies like the closet. After too long a moment, he finally found her--fast asleep on the one green pillow on his bed, seemingly the perfect camouflage for a tiny dragon.

"Jade, we need to wash that guest's blouse now," he said, walking over to the little dragon, who promptly rolled over sleepily onto her back, her little legs dangling in the air. Hop shook the pillow a little bit, knowing he might pay for it later. "Come on, she might be a journalist," he said, as the dragon grumpily awoke from her slumber, snorting in discontent. "I'll sneak you a little extra something later as thanks. Come on," he said. Jade finally acquiesced, slowly climbing onto Hop's arm, up to his shoulder, yawning as she reached the top. With that, Hop returned to the ground floor, hoping to get the bucket but wondering if Lyra was already waiting for him once he cleared the last step.

Lyra Rosewood

 

[Mercia]

Lyra laughed openly at Hop’s teasing before she followed where he pointed his finger and nodded her head. She glanced back at Hop and smiled.

“Take your time, please! No rush.” She added. Although there probably was a rush, she was sure he wanted to get on with his evening. So as he went up the stairs, she went to the washroom, shutting the door and locking it as well, one never knew, after all. She got undressed just enough so she could peel the stained blouse from her before buttoning the navy dress back up. It didn’t take a very long time and Lyra was back out, looking over her blouse.

Should she fold it before handing it to him? Or was that too pretentious? Or should she only hand it over to the dragon aptly called Jade? Or not hand it over at all? Maybe she should just go and clean it herself? With a sigh, Lyra at least properly folded up the blouse, finishing it up as Hop was coming down the stairs. She looked over smiling the moment her eyes landed on the dragon. She was precious, really. And she looked so sleepy it was cute! Wait, sleepy?

“Oh no, did I disturb her?” The smile quickly turning into a frown.

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

Hop responded quickly as he walked back into the dining room.

"No, not at all, Jade usually wakes up around this time anyway, so she probably wouldn't have been asleep that much longer anyhow."

It was a lie, to be sure, but he wondered if Jade could tell the difference.

"Anywho, I just need to grab a bucket of water, and then Jade will be happy to assist you with getting that blouse as tidy as can be. Wait one moment, please."

Jade hopped off Hop's shoulder as he went to the back to find a bucket. While he did so, Jade walked to the edge of the tabletop, looking intently at Lyra--or, more specifically, Lyra's blouse. Jade's tail started swishing back and forth as the little green saw the coffee stains again, and if one looked closely they could see a small intelligence working in the dragon's eyes. Before long, Hop returned with the bucket, which was now mostly filled with water.

"Now, how it works with me is that I start washing the clothes, and Jade 'jumps in' to help whenever she feels it's necessary," he said, setting the bucket down in front of Lyra. "Whenever you're ready, go ahead!"

Lyra Rosewood

 

[Mercia]

Lyra nodded her head at Hop’s explanation of why Jade looked tired and grumpy, and deep down Lyra knew it was because she had been peacefully asleep. That was her fault, completely and utterly her fault. And she did feel bad because Jade could be sleeping and having sweet dreams right at this very moment if it weren’t for her being a klutz. When he left to get the pail of water, she bent her knees just a bit so she could be eye level with the little dragon.

“I really am sorry for disturbing you from your sleep, Jade,” Lyra murmured, her words truly genuine. “But I really do appreciate this, so much so that you can’t even begin to fathom how deep my gratitude is.” And then Hop was back in the room and Lyra straightened up, looking as if she had done something naughty and Hop caught her with her hand in the cookie jar.

Lyra blanched for a moment as Hope explained how it would be. Would she… would she actually might get to touch Jade? Even if it was by accident, Lyra couldn’t hide that gleeful smile at the possibility that she might just feel the smooth dragon scales glide along the back of her hand or even her wrist.

As a little girl, Lyra had gone through the normal tomboy phase all little girls experienced. She loved being excited, exploring and going on adventures. She’d dig her little hands into the dirt, climb trees, inspect bugs, and had even chased after lizards and snakes to catch them. She was fearless then, like nothing could ever hurt her. To this day, she still had a little soft spot for snakes, and dragons were sorta like a big lizard, was it not?

“O-okay, here I go.” Lyra said softly, but solid resolution and determination filled her eyes. She knelt down in front of the bucket and placed her blouse inside, throroughly wetting it before she began to scrub at the stains on the sleeves. She was a woman after all, and lived alone, so her fingers moved deftly yet gently against the fabric.

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

Hop found it peculiar that Lyra seemed to be feeling some genuine distress that she'd woken up Jade from her evening nap. Of course, she didn't have the context that sometimes Hop would wake them up just to make sure they ate in the morning, or at night. Or sometimes just because he felt like messing with them. Maybe she'd never owned a pet before. Still, her sincerity was endearing in a way, even knowing that this still might all be an act, something which Hop would clarify very, very soon. He watched as she knelt before the bucket, and began to massage out the stains.

In moments, Jade flapped down from the table, landing across from Lyra. She inspected Lyra, starting with her face, then looking down to her arms and eventually her hands, watching the blouse with a sudden fascination--particularly the stains. She swished her tail back and forth until finally the blouse was at a good angle, and she loosed some of her dragonbreath onto the stain. The breath was warm and had a strong, fresh aroma, but more importantly, wherever it hit, the stains would disappear.

As this happened, Hop seized the opportunity.

"So, Miss Lyra Roselane," he said. "I couldn't help but notice a journal and a pen this morning during the coffee incident. I must confess, I feel it would only be polite at this point to reveal your true intentions with that book. Do you work for a publication? Should I be concerned for my Cafe's safety? The words of a food critic can be worse than the whole building going up in flames, you understand, and a bad review from you could put both I and the little ones in a tough situation indeed..."

It was a bit honorless to ambush her while she was doing something so delicate, but Hop's shrewdness was what had saved the little ones in the first place, back in that black market deal he still wasn't entirely sure happened...

Lyra Rosewood

 

[Mercia]

Lyra did her best to try and hide her nervousness, although she continued to cast quick glances at both Jade and Hop. Hopefully she was doing everything right, hopefully they weren’t judging her for how she cleaned. When Jade used her magical cleaning dragon breath, Lyra was about to exclaim how incredible it was but Hop beat her to it. Or rather, he began talking about something completely different although he did mention the dragons.

“What?” Lyra looked up at Hop, her expression a mixture of confusion and hurt. “Do I really come off that smarmy?” She asked in a soft voice, uncertainty evident in her tone. She had stopped washing the blouse, and while she understood he could maybe think that she was a journalist by her journal, the way he had come off had seemed like he was trying to corner her into confessing something she wasn’t. She frowned after she sighed, shaking her head.

“I’m a governess, not a reporter.” Lyra explained, glancing back at Hop. “I’ve been coming here for so long, pulling out my journal to write. Why do you think now, all of a sudden, that I’m someone with ill intentions? Because of my accident from this morning?” Her frown deepened. She felt rather upset by this accusation that wasn’t a full fledged accusation. Perhaps it was because Hop had seemed genuinely concerned about the event from this morning, and that his offer hadn’t seemed to be unctuous.

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

Wait... she had the journal the whole time?

Hop had to admit he was feeling a bit prickly about the situation now, as he had functionally invited over a quite-innocent woman to his cafe after hours, for the sole purpose of interrogating her... Although, in all fairness, he did know the blouse would get cleaned and with such expensive clothing, things like that were a small miracle. Before the dragons he couldn't remember the exact number of dress shirts and vests he'd had to toss due to cooking accidents, guest accidents, and general clumsiness...

Still, it seemed she was quite hurt by his accusation. And perhaps there was good reason for it.

"I uh... erm... I'm sorry, Miss Roselane," Hop said, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling. "I must seem quite boorish now. I hope you'll forgive me; I just get so protective of the little ones..."

Of course, he wasn't about to reveal why to a complete stranger, and even though by now he figured Lyra was quite harmless. Jade was getting impatient though, and took matters into her own hands, applying her breath again to the blouse and gently washing again with the type of precision only tiny dragon hands could.

"I actually hadn't noticed the journal before today. Even though you've been in every day, it never really crossed my mind to really think about it... which makes me twice the fool, given this exchange. I hope you'll accept my deepest apologies, as I did corner you about this, which was neither fair nor couth of me..."

By now, the blouse was done, and Jade picked it up, flapping her little wings and hanging it on the back of a chair for the time being. It was completely spotless and smelled of that pleasant aloe scent they had discussed earlier.

"I know it sounds strange, but I see so many faces that I think they all blur together. The people come in and out of the cafe, but I don't really see them, not the same way that you probably do. It's all orders and payments and special requests and I get lost in it sometimes. Yet I won't hire help because of the little ones--I'm a little distrustful of strangers, and I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to one of them from someone I let in."

He took a step back and stroked a sleeping Periwinkle, who crooned and rolled over, exposing his soft underbelly, which Hop scratched gently.

"A critic is one of the worst things that a restaurant can fall afoul of, so you must understand my paranoia. All the same I hope you'll forgive me and consider coming back tomorrow. There's actually going to be a competition with the cafe across the way, a few blocks from here, and I'll need all the customers I can get."

Lyra Rosewood

 

[Mercia]

Lyra could always respect someone who apologized. And she could also respect that sometimes assumptions were made but only because they had the best intentions. She glanced down at Jade as she cleaned, moving her big and clumsy human hands out of the way. She was listening to Hop speak, considering everything he said. She wasn’t sure if perhaps his apology was completely genuine, maybe he only felt bad because now he was wrong? Yet the woman looked at Hop as he finished, seeing him pet the dragons, and thought that he really couldn’t be all that bad. There was no way something like that could be possible.

After all, Lyra had always been told that a man who was kind to animals was kind to everyone. Seeing how someone treated people and animals were often a good way to figure out if someone was genuinely kind. Perhaps the offer to wash her blouse was all some sort of secret plan of his to corner her, but if it were for the sake of protecting his business and keeping the little dragons fed, was it not a plan with good intentions.

“Hop, I, well, first.” Lyra began, standing up as well now that her blouse was hanging on the chair. “First, please call me Lyra, and if it’s alright, I’d like to call you by your first name as well. Second, thank you for your apology, I forgive you. Third, I can see where you’re coming from. Really, I do, and I don’t think it’s foolish to protect what you love and care about. I can see your business is important to you, and while you may technically have staff, they’re not quite… the common staff you usually see at inns or cafes or restaurants. Fourth, of course I’ll come back tomorrow but… and this is the last thing, but I am quite curious.” She took a deep breath.

“Why are you protective? I mean, other than not wanting harm to happen to the sweet little angels, but, if you can trust them around guests, why not trust them around an employee? I mean, there’s the whole hiring process and you can ask if they like dragons or are afraid of reptiles, can’t you?” Lyra inquired, tilting her head to the side.

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

Hop deliberated for a long moment before answering Lyra again. It wasn't an easy question to answer, and he still wasn't sure if he could even trust her with this information. Even if she wasn't, well... part of the issue, she might inadvertently spread rumors, which could have the same result. However, he'd ambushed her here to uncover a truth for himself, which had been both rude and inconsiderate. He didn't have time to think through exactly everything he would tell her, so he just opened his mouth and let whatever came out be his answer.

"Lyra... do you know the going rate for a little dragon on the black market?" he asked. His voice was solemn, and unlike most of their previous interaction, very sincere; the mask of the waiter was off, and the real Hop was laid bare. "You'd be forgiven for not knowing. After all, most people don't have encounters with such criminal elements..."

He looked out the window, staring into the distance at the sunset. The light was already growing dim in the little cafe.

"It was a day like any other, I guess. I was making my way back from the market when I noticed something strange about the wagon in front of me... In the small crack in the curtains, I thought I spied a small blue snake peeking out... Out of simple curiosity, I followed the wagon around until the driver and his bodyguard both went inside a tavern, perhaps to pick up a drink for the road, or something else... I went up to the wagon and peeked inside. It was a whole collection of various magical creatures, filled almost to the brim... In the back there was the littlest blue dragon, whose tail must have been what I saw..."

"Almost at once I realized what I was witnessing. And I felt something rise in me, perhaps the passion of my youth, or something else. But I picked up the little dragon in his little cage, and I was about to leave with him, only for him to squeak at me, his nose pointed at the wagon. Then I saw the rest of them, all the little dragons, who I thought he must be telling me about. I quickly gathered as many of them as I could, leaving them in a nearby alley as I went back for more and more... Finally I had gathered all six of them, just as the men returned from the tavern..."

"...but I'd left the curtain awry, and one of the men noticed. I hid along with the dragons in the alley, as I heard them shouting and raving... It seems I'd taken much from them. Their primary haul, even. 'That's 900,000 gold!' I heard one of the men shout... So I took the little ones and ran. I ran back to my little cafe and I closed shop for a whole month while things blew over..."

"...and that's why I can't hire anyone. I can't trust anyone to find out. Even if I hired someone who wasn't connected, they might steal one of the little ones and make their life's fortune just selling them back... I can't let that happen. I won't. I'd stake my life on it."

He finished his tale with an authority to his voice, a real conviction denoting his sincerity. It was the first time he'd told anyone about this at all. But it was too heavy a secret, and that only contributed to him relaying it to Lyra. Now, he desperately hoped that it was a secret she could also keep, and while it wasn't fair to have told her, she did ask...

Lyra Rosewood

 

[Mercia]

Lyra didn’t know the cost of little dragons. She figured they had to be cheaper than regular dragons, right? Or were they more expensive because they were miniature? Actually, how much did dragons cost in general? How much money did Hop have to spend on them? Did he maybe have to take out a loan? Was he still paying that loan off? Lyra’s fretful mind calmed down, as Hop began speaking.

She listened intently to his story, her expression changing along the way. Really, he was a good story so it should only be expected that her expression changed from curiousity to excitement to fear and then to one of content. She’d much rather have the dragons here, working, cared for, and obviously much more happy than they would’ve been if they had been sold as exotic pets. Or… would they have been sold as exotic pets? Lyra couldn’t keep the worry down, thinking that maybe if they were being sold for so much, that perhaps they were used for other things?

“Hop?” Lyra inquired, a hint of trepidation in her dulcet voice. “I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer, but this cafe is known for the little angels— I mean dragons! Wouldn’t someone have tried to break in and steal one? Or they could just very easily tie you up and lock you in a closet while they went about kidnapping— dragon napping?— And then… well, I suppose you could make a police report.” Lyra paused. What was it that she exactly wanted to say. She frowned at her rambling.

“What I want to say is, you trusted me with this sort of information. You even allowed for me to come in after hours, just so you could help me clean up my clothes. You even showed me Jade’s nifty ability. Now, I may be a woman, but if I knew magic I could knock you out with some pretty, flying sparkles or whatnot.” She then beamed at Hop. “You say you can’t trust others but really I think deep down inside you’d like to. Dragons are wonderful and all, but don’t you feel a sense of relief for telling me your story? That’s your heart telling you that perhaps doing everything on your own is wearing you down. Sometimes you need a partner in crime.”

Hop Littlethorn

 

[Hop Littlethorn]

Lyra had many questions, and, unfortunately for Hop, they were all mostly fair.

"I think you may be right about the strain it's put on me to keep all of this to myself for so long. I always justified it as saying that their 6 lives were worth more together than my own. I took great pains and loans to get a shop on this part of the city years after I rescued them, with the hopes that most of the underground that might look for the little ones wouldn't frequent this part of town, as it's more well-patrolled and... for most criminals, out of their price range, frankly. I am safe here. I even paid extra for magical locks to put on the doors at night. And the windows are too small to break through..."

"...I think most secrets are eventually too heavy to keep. You have to sell someone, or something about them. And this is one that has weighed heavily on me for so many years now. I would think that maybe it's been long enough that they wouldn't come back for the little ones, but... It's a terrible fear. I'm not quite sure I can describe just how terrible. And now that you know, well..."

He looked to Periwinkle with a stern expression, then back to Lyra. The blue watched him intently.

"Periwinkle, fetch my knife."

The blue swished his tail, tilting his head.

"The big one. The one we use to carve the sausage in the morning."

Periwinkle tilted his head further. Hop looked at Lyra with murderous intent.

"This is a secret that can't escape, Lyra, and now you know too much--"

Hop stopped and gave a big smile, shortly before bursting into laughter.

"I'm kidding, oh heavens--but you should have seen your face! Gods, if I were to carve you up for this I might as well have sold the dragons back and retired early. I don't know what kind of man does that sort of thing, tells someone secrets and then kills them afterwards. It's preposterous, really. Anyway, I'm sorry--it was good to tell someone, even though I think my heart might burst through my chest even after having told you."

It wasn't the best of jokes, but Hop felt he was being far too serious, and that wasn't really normal for him. No, he was far too cheerful for that. Even when he was being a bit impish.

Lyra Rosewood