Chapter 15:

A princess that didn’t wish to work

 

Hezcann and Taccilas observed as Izuchi downed the woodwine glass, not a single drop left in the shot. 

“That was… Quite good, actually.” Approved Izuchi, a rare smile she expressed.

“Really? I didn’t like it.” Taccilas condemned.

“Well, it did taste a little bit like liquor. Maybe you’re just too young.”

“You’re barely one year older than me.” He grumbled, setting his own empty shot down on the counter.

“And yet look how much more idiotic than me you are. It absolutely must make a big difference.” Bragged the princess. Those in the room were left unsure where her pride came from, but its taste permeated the air nonetheless.

A mirage, perhaps- or maybe an impressive ability to convince oneself that irrelevant material had remarkable weight. 

At the moment, Taccilas knew too little about the princess to say for certain. 

But amongst the possibilities as endless as the stars, of one thing he was positive: 

His supply of patience was in danger of running dry.

“...Hezcann, sir, what will be our job?” 

However, a stable supply of cash was far more important.

“Let’s see…” Began Hezcann as he caressed his dark beard. Thought stole him away from the scene for a short moment, himself immersed in the chores the new hires would take over-

-Or maybe, the chores they wouldn’t. “First of all, things you won’t do. You won’t touch the bar. No matter the circumstances, you’re not stepping behind this counter.” Hezcann gestured to the area around him. Bottles, plates, glasses, charms- and also a rifle- surrounded by stone and wood that shared shades of brown. A small fence door, no higher than Hezcann’s waist, sealed the entrance.

“Secondly, you won’t take the stairs to the second floor. Don’t even get near them.” He pointed towards the stairs that had taken him and Izuchi upwards, wooden their making. 

“As long as you don’t do those two things, I’ll be nice and keep your intestines inside your body!” With that, Hezcann’s smile grew from ear to ear. As if uttering words like those was the bread and butter of his every day, even a chuckle escaped him.

“What’s on the second floor?” Questioned Taccilas.

“That’s for me to know and for you to chew on.” Taunted the blue-eyed bar man. 

“Now, onto what your job will be… As waiters, you obviously gotta take orders and bring them to me, then take those orders back out to our friends. You gotta wipe the tables, sweep and mop the floor, do the dishes- but not the glasses! I do the glasses…” Hezcann counted with his fingers as he announced Taccilas and Izuchi’s tasks.

 “And that’s about it for now, I’ll make sure to tell you if I forgot about something. Any further questions?”

“Can I borrow some gloves?” Asked Taccilas.

The bar man shrugged. He was unsure why his new employee would be concerned with such a garment, but he had a scarf wrapped around his neck in the middle of summer. “Sure boy, I don’t see why not.” 

Hezcann chose not to pry.

“Thanks!”

“Isn’t there a contract we have to sign or something like that…?” Now inquired the princess.

Hezcann’s expression turned puzzled when he heard the question. “...Contract?”

“Yes, a formal agreement written in stone.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant! Don’t worry about that.” 

“...What?”

Hezcann rested his face on his palm and leaned on the counter. Others would’ve said his face was too close to Izuchi for comfort, but neither of them seemed to care about such a thing. “You see, the woodwine you just drank has a few special properties, but one of them is that it’ll intoxicate you specifically when you try to steal from me or act ill-mannered towards our clients.”

“Oddly specific, isn’t it? Did a Gifter make it?” Izuchi’s left eyebrow was raised as she replied.

“Well, it goes a little bit deeper than that, but it’ll do for our purposes. And yes, a Gifter Artisan, specifically.”

“Who was it?

“Me, of course.” Hezcann smiled as he replied, confidence beaming from his eyes. A visage that Izuchi didn’t believe likely, considering the man had pointed his rifle at her not long ago.

Although it was hard for her to imagine how a brown drink could make someone so proud. 

Hezcann brought his hands back down on the counter. “Well, that’s enough of that. We open in less than 30 minutes and I’ve yet to clean the floor and organize the tables. So, please get to it, missy, boy.”

And so began work at the Sea Bee.

 

Taccilas and Izuchi first sweeped the floor. Unfortunately, neither was exactly the most adept person Hezcann had ever employed. 

Hezcann himself had walked upstairs to perform a task unknown to the boy and the princess.

Taccilas seemed to understand the simple task he had to perform, but at times, his movements were too brusque and he ended up destroying the piles of dust he made before picking them up.

Izuchi, on the other hand, couldn’t even make tails or heads out of the task. “Why do I even have to do this?” The princess complained.

“I’ve told you, we need coin.” Replied Taccilas as he completed yet another pile of dust.

“I’m a princess! I’m not supposed to be licking the dirt off the floor, that’s someone else’s job.” Izuchi was resting her hands on top of the broom and her head over them, doing nothing more than occupying space.

“It’s not like you’re helping either way.” Blurted the boy of the scarf, black gloves now covering his hands.

“Of course I’m not, this is your job, not mine.” Hissed the princess. 

“But Hezcann said-”

“That old fuck can say whatever he wants, I’m not gonna work for him.” 

“Then I’ll take your pay!” Exclaimed Taccilas, the excitement of amassing a larger sum of cash caused him to disperse a pile of dust he had managed to collect.

“What? No, you absolute buffoon. I’m the one who’s keeping all the money, it’s my right. Aren’t you with the military? You should know this.”

“I’m… Not? Why does it matter?”

The princess raised her eyes and observed Taccilas, who was still diligently sweeping the establishment’s floor. “You’re not?”

“Nope.”

“How is it that you got on that warship then?”

“Stole her.”

“...And Mitali was alright with that?”

“Yep.”

Izuchi had been told countless stories, and amongst those stories there were a great many about war and battle. She had heard about warships disappearing and being taken far from their homes, raided and looted.

It wasn’t uncommon.

But such stories usually revolved around a band of pirates or sailors. A group that could wrestle control of the ship out of the hands of their enemies and take her for their own.

They included men with outstanding skills-

They sang of terrifying weapons of ancient degree-

-And they told about men who set their lives on their comrades’ hands.

“Huh…”

Yet here was this scarfed boy.

One shorter and younger than her, that acted not unlike a child at times.

For whom no songs had been composed.

No epic had been written.

And no endings had been told.

He had done what only formidable warriors in synchrony could achieve.

Or perhaps, it had all been a fluke- an occurrence that didn’t reflect Taccilas’ true character. After all, Mitali seemed to have some sort of control over the ship and she seemed comfortable enough around Taccilas. 

She knew what answer she would prefer, but alas the truth avoided her.

 

Once sweeping was concluded, the two proceeded to mop the floor. Izuchi had taken up a mop and was performing her task alongside Taccilas. “Oh, decided to earn your pay?” Prodded the boy.

“...I’m just absolutely bored.” Was all that the princess voiced.

The rest of the preparations went mostly in silence, the tune of the radio being enough to entertain the minds of both.

Songs played, upbeat tunes to get those early risers out of bed, lilt in the sound. Pianos, trumpets, and drums all singing to the swing. Taccilas stepped to their rhythm and cleaned as if dancing with his mop, swaying their bodies together, to and fro- left to right. 

Izuchi observed him, her body stiff as a trunk unlike the boy’s unburdened movements. Confusion had come to dominate her eyes, but she chose not to question Taccilas, leaving him to his dance. 

Not a pleasant tune for her, perhaps, but definitely better than the melody that guns and fire had brought to them the day before.

Then a pause- a soft crescendo came, and the song ended. The radio announcer then delivered the name of the piece- “Lovely White Wolf” a new hit making the rounds through the Duchy. 

The song was followed by a number of news that didn’t capture Taccilas’ attention. The first one spoke about the increasing tensions in the Eastern border, the next-

Taccilas only paid attention to one story before being overwhelmed with boredom.

And so the minutes passed by, and the opening hour arrived.