Chapter 1: Chapter 1
As Erela used the extra-shaggy towel to thoroughly swab the insides of the drinking glass, she stared across the room of the tavern. Over the head of a drunkard leaning back, heartily laughing, and past the adventurer and his gang, planning their next quest, was a looming figure in the corner table. He didn't fit in the chairs, nor in the tavern atmosphere, and it made her scowl. She knew exactly what it meant. It was without a doubt a damnable orc that had found his way into this tavern, no doubt brooding over breeding the next generation of orcish warriors. She sighed at the thought of more orcish people, but even more than that, she wished there were none.
And then a thought occurred to her as she set the glass back on the bar. Maybe she should do something about him. Kick the nasty orc out of her tavern, yes, that's it!
"What are you making sour faces at, Erela?"
Erela looked to her left to find her sister standing beside her, holding an empty bowl of stew and two mugs with leftover bits of foam at the bottom.
"Ah, it's nothing, Meredy," she replied. "I was just thinking of kicking that ugly orc out."
Meredy gave Erela a quizzical look. "Did he actually do something?" she asked, her voice dripping with her usual snarkiness.
"Oh, you know how it is," Erela responded as she took the mugs to the counter for methodical cleaning, trying to hold in a sigh. "All orcs are the same, Meredy. They're dumb, and all they know how to do is fight and breed elven women. It's just so annoying."
"Erela..." Meredy said in a low voice as she leaned closer to her sister, "...what if they're looking for someone to breed with?"
Erela shot her sister a glare before turning around, pretending to be interested in her cleaning operation. "Very funny. I have half a mind to kick him out, you know."
"Well, I ought to get back to work. But you should know, not all orcs are as you say. There are some that aren't like that. But you can't judge them all on that one."
Erela looked over her shoulder at Meredy as she scrubbed the inside of a mug. "You're an orc lover now? Gross."
"There's no getting through to you, Erela!" Meredy called out as she retreated, returning to the tavern floor with a new set of topped-off mugs.
Erela's little run-in with her sister just reinforced her growing interventive side. She put down the partially cleaned mug and began to walk out from the bar and over to the table, arms folded across her chest.
"Excuse me, sirs," Erela said in a voice that could not be mistaken as anything else but that of a woman who was annoyed at everything. "I'd like to ask you to leave my establishment."
The large figure looked over at her, showing his typical orcish face, two big tusks and a head devoid of hair. "Did I do something?"
She made up some lie that to her, was probably true. "I saw you ogling my sister. It's not appropriate behavior."
The orc blinked in surprise, and then saddened. "I'm very sorry, I've been trying to keep to myself, I didn't mean to give off that impression, Erela."
"Did you just say my name?" Erela asked as she peered at the orc with cold eyes. When he said her name, she felt a pang of anger. Orcs should keep her name out of their mouths
The orc though, just panicked. He fiddled with his oversized hands, and began to stutter. "I'm sorry, miss! I, er, I mean, I mean..."
He sat in silence for a second, thinking hard about something. "Erela, I have a confession to make..." He slowly reached into a bag beside his table and began to rummage. After a few moments, he produced a wonderful bouquet of flowers and held them out to Erela. Petunias on one side radiated hot pink, contrasted to the clean white of some peonies and any holes were fitted with all-rounder mums.
Erela took them, confused at first. The orc was almost pathetically nervous and his face showed it.
"I've been watching you ever since I first came in here," the orc said with an awkward smile, "I've admired your beauty, and moreover, how you run the tavern, practically resuscitating this lame town with your establishment."
Erela blushed, feeling a warmth on her cheeks. Her entire body was swimming in a torrential sea of emotions, locked by the fact that she was blushing in front of another person.
"I- Wh- I don-"
"Please, please take these flowers and I'll go. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable." He stood up to leave, his body huddled together as he walked out the door. Erela stared at him in astonishment, and then reached out a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait! Don't go!" she exclaimed in surprise as she quickly dragged him back to his seat. "I think I got the culprit mixed up, or, or, whatever! You don't have to leave, you did nothing wrong!"
The orc stared at the elven girl who had completely changed her attitude towards him. She was now looking at him with a newfound adoration, one that seemed she didn't even understand herself.
She blurted out, "Wait right there, I'll take my 30 minute break soon, we'll have a drink and talk about all this nonsense."
The orc nodded slowly, a faint smile growing on his face as he watched her retreat to the bar counter, legs shaking slightly as she walked with a skip in her step. She retreated behind the back doors to the kitchen area and stared down at the bouquet, her mouth forming a trembling smile before squealing. Meredy was in the back preparing a meal and gasped when she saw her sister, before breaking out into a teasing laugh.
"Well well well! Erela got flowers from someone, and now she's all flustered!"
"Shut up!" she snapped at her teasing sister. She knew she was so weak to romance but damn it, she had no idea why. Something about the chivalrous kind, one lathered in kind words and genuine respect.
"...I wanna take my break," she sternly broke to Meredy, still clutching her flowers to her chest near the door. Meredy didn't like the idea of having to do double the work, but seeing her sister like this, well, who was she to step in the way of surprise romance with this mysterious lover?
She simply responded with an, "Alright then, but finish your current tickets first!" before returning to her work with an amused smirk on her face. Erela went about finishing said work with vigor that made even Meredy stop her cooking for a few moments and stare at her in delight, blonde hair whipping around as she ran about the workstations.
The orc waited for what seemed like forever to his heart in anticipation for her return. Finally, he spotted the shaky steps of the lithe girl, as she held a platter high above her with a bottle of wine and two glasses balanced on top of it. She approached him and set down the platter with a bit too much excitement, creating a clatter that had her quickly apologizing as she took her seat at his table.
"And s-sorry for the wait!" Erela sputtered, having practically forgotten her blatant rudeness to the orc from before. He smiled at her as he picked up one of the glasses and poured wine into it before handing it to her.
"No problem," he replied with an easy smile on his face. "I would have waited all day for you if necessary."
How his words struck, each one like an arrow in her heart! She faltered over her lines, trying to describe the wine she had brought but failing in a way the orc absolutely adored. "Um, well..." she started, trying to force words out of her mouth. "It's- uh, This wine is from our best year! I- I- It's... expensive..." she finished with a cough.
He noted the obvious fact she was a hodgepodge of flustered feelings now. Obviously, his tactic of classic romance was working. Perhaps too well, because she forgot to even ask his name. "I'm Odan, by the way." He held out his hand and Erela looked at it blankly for a moment before shaking his hand vigorously and nodding her head in confirmation that yes indeed, it was a lovely name. She found herself unable to let go of his hand as they sat there and stared at each other like two doves.