[SS] Friends with Benefits

“I can cook somewhat.” It was a quick declaration but she was hardly a slouch when it came to cooking. Sara specialized in her own ethnic dishes but she was fully capable of cooking and preparing simple meals. “Ah, but I can’t really handle meat so cooking any meat dishes would be a no-no.”

Cooking probably was not the best option, so she placed her finger on her chin as she tried to list through any relevant skills she had. Unfortunately, that meant knitting and goldsmithing were completely out of the picture as far as useful skills went.

She was a bit peeved that Nikolas knocked on her conversation skills as she did fancy herself to be pretty good in terms of social interaction despite her background. She may have had no real need to prove herself, but she could feel a small part of herself nagging and shouting out “I’ll show him!”

She was perfectly capable of exercising proper social graces.

“I can clean decently enough and act as a waitress. Preferably the latter.”

Achievement: Competitive Spirit unlocked.

"Prove it." Nikolas spoke in response to both of them and stood up from where he sat while walking towards one of the many tables. Seeing their master moved had stirred the hounds that were still nearby. Orias had taken Theron near to where she often lays towards the entrance though still in eyesight. Leon had emerged from the outside while sitting near the back patio doors and Argo seemed to have followed Nikolas.  

It was simple and like just throwing someone in the deep end, the bartender truly wanted to see how they would react on the spot. "You work here as a team. Be respectful, be observant and give each customer your full attention. Follow these guidelines and you will do well." Nikolas spoke attempting to explain the gist of how things work.

So basically, take the customers orders and then bring them to Atsa who would be acting as the bartender in this scenario. Normally the bartender would pass it onto the kitchen staff, so in this case just bring them back to me Atsa. Saravati, take the pen and paper and use that to take the customers order and let's see how you go. "

It was a simple challenge, the bartender wanted to see how they actually work. Though there was more to it than just taking orders. Nikolas would be watching carefully on how they react and approach the situation once they rise to the challenge.

"Start when you're ready." Nikolas spoke while pointing towards the direction of the menus currently sitting in a pile and the notepad on the bar.

“Aye aye, sir~” With the enthusiasm of a cheerleader ready to run out into the field, she saluted her new (temporary) boss and affirmed her readiness with a quick salute before picking up the pen and paper she had been directed towards.

With a deep breath, she walked up to where the bartender had taken his seat carried the menu. Without a single hint of hesitation, she stopped in front of the table and gave a big smile befitting of the infamous mantra ‘service with a smile’.

“Welcome, sir,” she said, maintaining that upbeat attitude without a single drop in the rhythm.

“What can I do for you today?”

In retrospect, a bar may not have been the best place for such an upbeat performance, but live and learn.

It was a simple approach and it did feel like she already had some experience. As someone who most likely has the most by being the tavern owner; Nikolas could easily tell she was trying the service with a smile method and while it's normally the correct approach it was far too obvious.

"Well.. menu?"Nikolas mentioned who cut it short since there was no point in actually going further there. Normally the impressions are done upon first interaction and that is what cements the relationship between the waitress and the customers in that instance.

She made a mistake already.

"There is no point actually taking the order when you don't have the menus. I mean how I'm supposed to tell you? Already as a customer, there are doubts about the service here. However, I'm not going to judge you harshly since this was the first time. Just keep it in mind to take a menu from the pile that was right next to the pen and notepad on the bar. If you forget—mention the special offers. Normally it would be the most ordered items of the day like—Pint of larger for just two euros or we doing Sunday roasts. So when you make a mistake try and cover it. You got to think proactively and react to the ever-changing demands that customers bring. Also, the smile is good, but you may be overselling it."Nikolas tried to give feedback, but it been so long since he had to train someone this was a refreshing experience.

Thinking this he would turn towards Atsa who was waiting near the bar.

"Why don't you give this Waiter thing a go? You may need to assist depending on the amount customers."

Yikes. He’s quite the critic.

Were she a weaker girl, she would have found the berating she had received to be quite disheartening. But, it was plenty evident that learning from screw-ups would eventually lead to eventual deftness. Her eyes drifted towards the menus that she had neglected and she frowned, albeit slightly.

In the end, mistakes were mistakes. She would simply remember it for the next time and try again. That’s all it boiled down to in the end.

Before Nikolas turned his attention to Atsa, she gave a quick ‘aye, sir’ before putting the notepad and pen back where she had picked it up from. She had to give some acknowledgment that she had listened through his criticism, after all.

As the attention had finally been turned away from her, Sara leaned against a wall and took a breather. As her thoughts cleared, the image of a face had popped into her head. It left a warm and fuzzy feeling. After all, she personally kicked in that head. That feeling was called sympathetic nervous response.

I hope she’s alright.

Sara took a quick step towards the door.

Well, maybe I should check on her.

She took another quick step.

Just in case.

As furtively as possible, she slipped out of the venue and climbed up the stairs, subsequently searching around until she found the room with sleeping Vita.

Seeing Vita in a peaceful sleep, Sara could almost call her adorable. It was hard to believe that she was the one breaking into people’s private greenhouses not even a few minutes ago. She just needed to remember to apologize after she wok—

Wait...what’s that smell?

Due to the stillness of the room, a strange, almost alien smell began to waft into her nose. She hadn’t sensed it at first, but it had likely been diffusing throughout the room for a while. Her mind focused as she tried to trace the source of the scent and it led closer and closer to Vita’s face.

Fearing the worst, she waved her hands right above the sleeping girl’s face to make sure.

She’s been drugged in her sleep!

But who could have done this? What dastardly fiend could have put such a young, defenseless girl out like this and possibly ravish her?

Moreover, where was this fiend right this instant.

Sara put on her figurative detective’s cap and readied her ‘I’m motivated’ face. It was time for this young magical detective to get to work!

A waiter? Was Nikolas really considering using him as a waiter? The shaman had spent the majority of his time here simply trying to undo the bad impression he had made. He hadn't even managed to convince the girl in the upstairs room that he wasn't insane. How was he expected to deal with customers in a fashion that could be considered normal? He was followed around by an eagle and he looked far more like an explorer of sorts than a waiter. The only thing Atsa really had going for him in the situation was his amiable nature and the fact that Sara had gone first.

"Sure! I'll give it a try."

Despite the shaman's lack of experience he still accept the request with a smile on his face and a similar level of enthusiasm to his coworker that had gone before him. All he had to do was smile, get Nikolas' order, and make sure not to make the same mistakes that Sara had made. Atsa had flinched when the tavern owner had criticized his new coworker's performance but if there was any benefit it was that he could try learning from those mistakes.

Before heading over to take Nikolas order the shaman made sure to collect the pen, notepad, and a menu. Just as Sara had done before him he approached Nikolas with a smile on his face and spoke in the most welcoming and friendly tone he could muster. The smiling and the welcoming tone came natural to the shaman even if the idea of being a waiter did not.

"Welcome to Ye Olde,"

Atsa placed the menu on the counter in front of Nikolas. While he had no idea if he was doing well or not at least he had taken care of the menu. Now then all that seemed to remain was getting the bar owner's order. However, for a moment the shaman found himself distracted as he watched Sara leave the bar area and start heading over to another place in the building. He had to wonder where she was going? Yet before he could put anymore thought into the matter he realized that he still needed to finish his job as a waiter.

"How can I help you today?"

You can never be so certain of one's ability until you at least try. For someone who said they would be far better at cooking rather than being a waiter, they seemed to have done a pretty good job at the former. Either way, Nikolas had thought it was good that he could multitask, it would help the overall efficiency of the service provided to the customers later on.

"You did a good job." Nikolas simply said having not noticed that Sara had already gone. Atsa clearly had listened and learned from watching Sara's performance which was good. It didn't mean she had don't it bad, though she did forget a vital part in serving a customer in this sort of industry. You know by not providing the menu for people to order from so they can spend their hard earned money. It was a minor grip in his eyes since if the customers were more forgiving he wouldn't really care, but in these days people are likely to take the first excuse possible to make a complaint.

And for an establishment like his own, it survives mainly on reviews.

Though the truth behind this place wasn't going to be simply tanked by a few bad reviews.

However, the numerous hounds in their presence raising their head would spell a sudden turn as something outside had stumbled against the bins outside.

"Ugh..."

As the proprietor and self-proclaimed magician playacted and Saravati discovered the treachery that had been perpetrated against the empress, unbeknownst to all, a new player entered the stage. She wore a pair of overalls, but didn't seem to have anything on underneath them. She had skin the color of bronze and her ochre-colored eyes were framed by red glasses.

Face flushed and gait uneven, the source of her suffering was more or less clear. Alcohol was said by some to be both source of and solution to all of life's problems, but it was clear that in this particular instance it was playing the former role. Being normally poor with the substance, the girl practiced abstinence as a rule, but while visiting some acquaintances of hers in town, things had gotten out of hand and she had accidentally drank someone else's glass.

From there, one thing led to another, a series of events more like a downhill spiral than a chain that she more than likely wouldn't remember anything about come the next day. But for now, there were only three things on her mind. They were nothing complicated.

Water for her head. Food for her stomach. And a bed to sleep it all off in.

In her search for the aforementioned, she had found the perfect place for an out-of-towner like herself to procure it at all: namely, Nikolas' inn. Theoretically, there shouldn't have been any problems now that she had found her way to her destination. She would simply hand over whatever money she had on hand, drink some water, eat some food, and find her way to a bed.

But unfortunately for Nikolas and his guests, she was drunk. Drunk nearly to the point of incoherency.

And as such, the Dvergr who went by the name of Marian Slingeneyer raised a golden saw and soundlessly entered the building not through any door or even by breaking through a window, but by rearranging the outside wall of the building such to allow her entrance. Far from out of place, the additional entrance blended into the building as if at had always been there. Even if assisted by magic, it was an astounding display of carpentry by any measure.

...The skill of the Dvergr was such that such a result could be achieved without even thinking, even while dead drunk.

It was thus that the remodeling began.

The bartender had great pride in his establishment. It was the result of hard work and achievement that he created a sanctuary like this one. Though it was only an outpost for the Anglican church and weren't even a vital hub for them on the continent. Which was fine, since it avoided too much attention. However, things can happen just as randomly as the face of the customer that enters through the door.

At least, in this case, a newly existing door as the intruder with brown skin and braided silver hair had found her way into the kitchen. The perfectly organised hub for food creation had been disturbed by the sudden inclusion of another door. It appeared right behind one of the many counters were food would be prepared on and acted as a low barrier for the new intruder though there was no doubt that would no longer be the case eventually.

The first ones to react to this intruder had been one Dromas the Thunder Lord who was outside of the building and raised the alarm with his thunderous bark while Cronus had snuck into the kitchen from the other side growling. Normally the hounds wouldn't be aggressive to anyone if they entered through the front door.

Emerging through the building elsewhere though often results in aggression.

Dromas' bark was loud and immediately could be heard by everyone in the tavern.

"What now?" Nikolas reacted as he stood up along with the other hounds in the room reacting by their ears perking in response.

They all seemed to be gazing in the direction of the kitchen.

Theron though had seemingly vanished from everyone's gaze.

Saravati Nair

The room was one of the many guest rooms that people could rent for the night or for how long they require. A single bed that was in the middle of the back wall and with wardrobe and bedside cabinet on either side. It also had its own fireplace fixture and additional lightning across the room and a bin near the door. It only had one window with blackout curtains and it overlooked the back with the greenhouse.

It was perfectly kept and homely though Vita's sleeping body at first seems the most out of place. She seemed to be gently placed on the bed, though the dirt and dust from being kicked through the greenhouse remained on her person. This indicated no attempt to even undress Vita to keep up with the cleanliness of the room.

Nikolas probably had weighed the wrath of the caretaker against the accusations of being a perv and found it was easier to deal with the former.

The room could always be cleaned again.

On closer inspection, there were small pieces of glass like dust on her body and over the bed around Vita. There wasn't much to tell, though the smell she had detected which gave fears of a drug now gave off a potent smell which became even more noticeable as she remained longer.

It gave a strong ethanol or perhaps barley smell? Both?

Either way, the detective mage would be disturbed by the sudden sound of Dromas' thunderous bark.

"Well that can't be good."

A sudden uproar began in the tavern as Atsa heard Dromas suddenly raise his voice with an aggressive bark. If he Shaman had tried focusing on what the dogs were saying he probably could've used his magic to hear exactly what was going on. However, given the situation and everything else that had happened to him today he felt fairly certain he knew what was happening. After all he highly doubted these hounds were the type to overreact to something small and insignificant.

It was also especially unnerving that as far as the shaman could tell the people clearance field has never been taken down meaning that whatever had spooked to dog's so much was probably a magician. Could his day possibly get any more troublesome? Was being robbed and accused of insanity not enough for the universe? Regardless with the way things were going today he doubted there was any chance he was going to escape whatever was behind that door simply by running.

With that logic in mind the shaman rose to his feet, moved over to his backpack, and pulled out what seemed to just be an ordinary white fur scarf. After quickly wrapping the scarf loosely around his neck he looked back at the bar owner. If they were going to go deal with this problem they might as well deal with it now instead of giving the intruder anymore time to prepare after all.

"Guess its time to go find out what all the commotion is about"

Despite the fact that Atsa said this with a light smile across his face it would be painfully clear from the rest of his body language that this day was exhausting him to no end. At this point it was going to take a lot from anything on the other side of that door to surprise him. Atleast that was what he thought going in but as always the odds didn't seem to be in his favor. Without waiting for Nikolas, the shaman moved towards the door of the kitchen and pushed it open.

A bronze skinned girl wearing a pair of overalls and wielding a golden saw was what came into Atsa's sight as he opened the door. While the shaman didn't remember ever seeing an entrance that connected the kitchen to the outside of the tavern the new door even though its strangely seemed to blend in so well. While he doubted the door had been there originally he had bigger issues to deal with. Such as why the girl had broken in and not getting cut to pieces by her saw, whether it was a spiritual item or not.

"Ummm, do you need help with anything?"

It didn’t take long for Magical Detective Sara ☆ to catch a glimpse of the insidious pieces of glass dust laying scattered around the young victim, either. Between the smell of alcohol and barley rising from them, she could only deduce one thing.

“THE CULPRIT IS ALSO DRUNK!”

Yes, that was clearly the case. The culprit had spilled his drink when he had drugged the poor girl.

That fiend! How could he?!

Leaving her in such a messy state was nothing short of horrendous. If nothing, it was further evidence that this heinous criminal must be stopped.

Though, she should probably report this crime to the barkeep before she made any attempts to seek out and bring this monster to justice. The last thing she wanted was to be in any further debt due to her blaze of glory.

But, that all changed the moment a sudden set of barks reverberated throughout the building. At that moment, any hope of alerting the manager first went down the drain as her mind only shifted to one possibility.

The only person the dog could be barking at was the culprit!

Case closed.

Now she just had to go find the bastard and bring him to justice. With grace...well, elegance had died down in actuality as she bolted towards the stairs. It would take a bit of time for her to reach the source of the bark.

She could only hope the criminal wouldn’t escape in the meantime.

"U-Ugeh. The hell?! A sonic defense system...? Why does an ordinary inn have something like this?!"

The dogs' barking, to Marian, produced an experience not unlike having a strongarm strike the bell, with the bell in this case being her head. Already she had had a headache, and so the heavy noise exacerbated the pain greatly. She'd given a pained groan in response without thinking, but even that only stretched her pain further.

Her reaction—counter—to the dogs' barking was immediate and swift. She chose three actions to undertake, and her commencement of them was utterly without hesitation.

First, she would shut up the terrifying mutts that were causing her such pain. Her saw shot out from her hand and towards the louder of the dogs behind her, outside of the door. With the speed and unexpectedness of it, evasion would be impossible for a simple hound. And from the start, it only needed the slightest touch to get to work.

And following that touch, it would bound like a rocket as if self-aware towards the other dog back inside with the same alacrity. And once the work was done, it would fly back into her grip like nothing had occurred. And with that, the greatest of the noise would have stopped. The afflicted animals would have all stopped backing. From the outside, nothing about the dogs would seem to have changed. But if you were peer into their throats, there was something very out of place. It was a lock. It seemed to be connected to the throat itself, and it was. If it was cut, it would bleed. If it were torn out, the flesh would be gone forever. It was not interfering with the dogs' breathing, but with it there, much less barking, even whining would prove impossible.

But Marian didn't stop to think on such things. It was simply another day, another craft. Of far greater priority was to get as far away from this scene as possible... To a toilet, specifically. She really felt like she was going to puke.

Choosing the door furthest away from all the other sources of noise in the building, she was somewhat confused by how there seemed to be sometimes two, sometimes three of them, but quickly solved that issue by wielding her hammer and fixing them into place. There were three, and she chose the first from the right. For a second, as she passed, she thought she saw them splitting further into four or nine... But she must have just been tired.

The mystery of the inn's defenses was something she would have to determine (Was it an enemy attack? Someone who wanted her skills? A disguised ninja mansion?), but right now, the dancing colors in her eyes, the aching in her head, and the sensation of acid in her throat all indicated that she truly must find a toilet of some kind first. Without any knowledge of the layout of the building or any chance to ask anyone for assistance, she would have to determine it for herself.

As she continued running as far away from the blasted hellhounds as she could get, she gave a simple tap of her golden hammer upon the wall to her right. With just that—on this side of it, at least—the wall ceased to be. Any and all wood, stone, or insulation that lay between Marian's eyes and any pipes, plumbing, or wiring fell away just like that. And with that she had all the information she needed. Though plumbing was hardly her specialty, a craftsman of her skills could certainly determine the direction of something like a washroom given a whole wall's worth of pipes.

The closest is... Above and to the right!

Having determined such, she wasted no time searching for a stairwell.

Instead, she just created one.

If anyone had been present on the second floor to witness it, they would have been quite surprised by the sight of a whole opening up on the floor, and a bronze-skinned girl with a pale face pitching forward unsteadily but at high speed from it.

But no one was there to witness it. In fact, the only possible witness had just left that very location. Indeed, if only Sara had remained a few moments more on the second floor before rushing back to the first, she might have been the first to come across the intruder in person.

But as it happened, she was already well on her way downstairs, and Vita remained deep asleep. As such, Marian was able to obtain access to a restroom, lock the door behind her (while in a rush, she had at least enough maidenly awareness to do that), and commence her business.

She puked her guts out.

Nikolas Remes just stood there as he watched the entire thing, the bartender, had to be honest, he was clearly curious as to what just invaded his humble abode. Not far behind Atsa, the man was kinda speechless as he watched the structural adjustment to his home. This could be considered an attack on his person, but Nikolas wasn't the type of a man who acted on emotion.

He would though make his way past Atsa, whos attempt to catch the invader's attention was simply ignored and approached Chronus to see what happened to them. Checking on the young hound had only made Nikolas sigh as he looked up towards Dromas who was standing outside with the most confused expression a hound could display.

"You and me both boys, go on and go back to the others." Nikolas said indicating for them to stand down, though not before giving Chronus a pet for being a good boy. They did their job and now it was their masters turn to respond. He had noted the modifications on observation, though it was a simple understanding for Nikolas that this could all be undone if they take care of their new guest.

Since having studied the girl as she made her modifications to make it upstairs, the bartender had noticed the very notable signs of someone being drunk. Having been in this business for a long time now, he had noted all the signs and had faith the girl would reverse the changes made to his hounds.

Regarding the changes to the tavern itself? He may have to think about it.

He would turn to Atsa with a simple request.

"Why don't you go and check on our new guest?" Nikolas asked who then noted Sara had also shown having followed the disturbance. "You should check also, be considerate and see if she wants some food or water." Nikolas suggested as he went to one of the remaining sinks.

"I'll prepare the food and drinks." Nikolas had mentioned who should be furious at this point about what happened and he was but the bartender understood being angry who wouldn't solve anything.

In a way, this was still business.

“Food or drinks?” Sara was almost impressed with the man’s dedication to his job. Was the service industry just that ridiculous that it assimilated all who dared enter its domain? The more she thought about that prospect, the less she wanted her mind to delve into it, contrary to her usual curiosity. There were some cliffs that even she refused take the plunge from, in the end.

But that was hardly the issue here!

She had hoped to catch the dastardly fiend, but she had run across Nikki. It was hardly what she had been aiming for but she could still make this work.

“Forget all of that! Someone has poisoned Vita! It’s like she’s been put into some sort of coma!” She immediately started reporting everything to Nikolas. After all, she didn’t want to be scolded again and it was plain to see that not being upfront would lead to some pretty bad scoldings.

“She’s completely unconscious and unresponsive! Moreover, there’s a high chance that the culprit is inebriated!”

Oh, how unaware she was of how far from the truth she had landed.

“I haven’t seen the intruder, but it’s likely that they’re the one who did this! They must be after something in this building! Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of poisoning Vita! Or perhaps Vita saw what the culprit was truly up to!”

Wait, was she implying….

“Is there something valuable worth hiding that someone would go through that trouble to steal?!”

Truly Magical Detective Sara ☆ was a visionary beyond her years. She had found the true reason behind the culprit. Or at least, she had her feet on the proper path (or so she thought). All that was left was for the police chief to decide whether he’d be an asset or get in the way. Sara would be lying if she said she didn’t hope for the latter.

The attack on the hound had happened so fast and unexpectedly that the shaman didn't even have any time to react to the actions of the intruder. Instead he could only watch in horror as the mysterious girl's saw flew out of her hand directly towards the throat of one of the barking hounds. As the blade made contact with Chronus' throat Atsa could almost feel his heart stop for a moment before he realized that the dog's throat hadn't been slit.

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as he realized that the intruder attacked hadn't intended to murder the barking canines but just to silence them. The shaman prayed that the dog wasn't hurt in anyway besides for the lost voice but given the current situation it didn't seem like it was the best time to be checking on silent animal. There was a drunk, rogue magician on the loose and Atsa wasn't sure he was going to even be capable of doing damage control in a situation like this. With that logic in mind he was shocked when he heard what Nikolas said in response to what had just happened.

"How are you be this calm right now? There is a drunk magician with saw, that does who know what, wondering around the tavern right now. I'll go check on her but if I get that saw thrown into my neck I'm expecting workers compensation!"

It didn't help the shaman's confidence when in the next moment he watched as the girl took out her hammer and made her way through the tavern's walls. Forget workers compensation, Atsa wasn't even sure he was going to survive this incident anymore. If he died following this girl and Nikolas still served her the shaman swore he was going to haunt the man for the rest of his afterlife. At least that was his plan until Sara suddenly returned to the scene with an entirely new problem to be dealt with.

"Well I don't think we can just treat this guest like everyone else if they might've drugged Vita now can we? Though honestly speaking in the state she seemed to be in I doubt she could've been capable of anything like that. She looked as if she could barely even keep the contents of her stomach down. Which makes me nervous that we might have another uninvited guest. I'll go check on saw girl so I'll leave that problem to you two."

With that Atsa began his pursuit of the drunken intruder by following through the new entrances she had made throughout the building. Hopefully the girl was just totally wasted and didn't have a malicious agenda like the information from Sara seemed to imply.

There was the simplest explanation for Nikolas' calm demeanor regarding this situation. He was experienced in seeing people drunk and even magicians who are drunk. While this incident was wild, there were probably many other stories he can tell to rival this one. From a logical standpoint the poisoning of Vita, that would be a serious issue should be tackled first. However, Nikolas obviously knew the truth of what happened there, so in his mind, that was a situation that can be dealt with later.  

She was in no danger and only asleep.

"Well let's tackle one problem at a time. Poisoned or not, it would require concentration to create a cure to help Vita and having someone who can easily change the foundation of this building while drunk isn't going to help. So go back to Vita and check up on her make sure she's safe. Though don't provoke the intruder, we should treat them like a customer and deal with them like one." Nikolas had suggested through it wasn't entirely compatible with what Sara was asking. "Besides money and all sorts of alcohol, I do have the reputation of hoarding information. Though people seem to think its written down somewhere, but not here." Nikolas answered her question, noting that he had no need to keep the important information written down.

Stairs? The stairway didn't seem to be out of place but the shaman didn't have any memory of them being there before. At the same time there was no sign of any new entrances the girl could've gone through. There was really only one place Atsa could guess the mysterious girl had gone and that was up. He truly didn't have any idea what the magician was up to or why she had broken into the tavern. If it wasn't for the fact that Vita had been drugged he would've just assumed she had gotten drunk and broken into the tavern in her delirium.

As these thoughts ran through the boy's mind a cold sweat began to form on his brow as he realized what else was upstairs. Vita. The drugged self proclaimed empress who was completely helpless upstairs with a drunk saw wielding magician. Sure the shaman and the empress really didn't get along but as far as he was concerned no one deserved to get cut up by a saw in their sleep. Not even if she tried to get him thrown in an asylum.

Unfortunately, he had no idea what room Vita was being kept in so instead of running up the stairs going from room to room trying checking to see if she was inside until he eventually came across a locked door. There was no way for him to tell what was going on inside but if the saw girl had locked herself inside the same room as Vita he had to do something. Oh how he wished he had a spell that'd just let him teleport into the room instead what he was about to do. He really was going to have to apologize to Nikolas later for all the damage that had been done to the tavern.

"SORRY NIKOLAS!"

With that last yell Atsa's debt increased as he charged the door, raised his foot, and tired to kick it down. Praying the whole time he wouldn't find himself with a saw to his throat when he got to the other side.

Assuming Sara would probably leave to help Atsa deal with the problem on the first floor, the bartender turned away and went to prepare for what that uninvited guest may request. There was a little grunt of annoyance coming from him as his mind subconsciously noted the changes to the kitchen. These changes had made Nikolas pace back and forward throughout the kitchen, not sure for probably the first time where to start first and decided to get the glasses. A drunk who was suffering from the consequences of consuming too much would probably request water and so he decided to prepare it.

There were neat stacks of glasses having been cleaned earlier on the tray and he would put them away then leave one out to use. One after the other, Nikolas would put the glasses away in the cupboard that hadn't seemed to have changed location. Until one unexpectedly slipped out of his hand and smashed against the floor.

The bartender head immediately turned towards it and said nothing. His silence and stare though spoke more than any words one could muster.

Nikolas seemed naturally confident, the man though still considered young had experienced a lot in his lifetime. He has seen many things on his travels and met with numerous sorts of people. Though his confidence was only kept up with meticulous behavior and the assumption of control.

The way he trains his hounds, the way he cleans the kitchen and also how he would string a bow.  

He would often approach problems with prior preparation and while there was a sense of chaos and uncertainty in serving the public, the expectation of what they may require was simple. They would seek drink, food and maybe a warm bed for the night. This was easy to provide and was the purpose of the business in the eyes of the public. He even had prepared for situations that may resort to angry customers and possible burglary, the point being the tavern was his home.

The English would call it their own castle.

It was his home and not only was it a safe place, but it was also supposed to offer a safe space to others.

Now that was violated.

He has experienced trouble with drunk magicians beforehand and while some damage had occurred it was easily fixed. This one though was different, since it wasn't someone who just broke a table or threw a wave flames at the building. No. What this guest had done was not damage his tavern but changed it.

She changed not only part of the layout, but what he basically had built with his own two hands.

It was like one painter making changes to someone else work without their permission.

It was a violation of his own space and what made it worse she did something possibly irreversible to his hounds. As he thought about this he would take a deep breath, the bartender often blundered or made regrettable actions when he felt this way. Which wasn't the first time this day alone.

So he had to take it easy for a moment before taking the next step.

But any attempt to regain control of the situation would be derailed by a new voice from the front.

"Is there anyone serving?!"

"What now?" Nikolas said angrily as he made his way there and not only would he see his hounds bewildered probably having the same thoughts as him but locals were coming into the tavern like normal. One or two at first but another would follow shortly afterward through the front. People were coming into the tavern without warning and the assumption service would resume was expected.

It wouldn't hit him straight away, but the people clearing field had been broken by Marian's fiddling with the tavern. This had left the bartender stunned, the man who was confident and seemingly in control was left unsure what to do in a situation he should be very experienced in.

He wouldn't act or move until a customer would bark his order.

"What a gawking at there? I would like a lager please!"

"Y-Yes! Right away!" Nikolas responded with hesitation before getting straight to work.

Seemingly having forgotten about the guest upstairs at this time.

As Atsa was breaking down doors, Sara was running about like a headless chicken, and Nikolas was experiencing the beginning stages of a panic attack, Marian was at peace. Her head still ached and the taste of vomit was still fresh in her mouth, but she had reached the Holy Grail, her Garden of Eden: the bathroom. She might need to puke, but that was okay: the toilet was right before her. And opposite it was the sink, receptacle of glorious water. All that remained for her to obtain was food and a bed to sleep in, and all would be alright.

But the sound of violence from elsewhere on the floor reminded her that certain obstacles stood in the way of her procuring those boons. For this was no ordinary inn, but a booby-trapped den of monsters and devils, delighting in her suffering. Her entrance was greeted by yapping hellhounds, and their masters were to sure to have pursued her after her escape from them.

...Escape was not an option. She had passed by a bed on the way to the bathroom, and she had entered through a kitchen full to the brim with the scents of delectable delights. Booby-trapped or not, all that she desired was right here. She would not sit quietly and allow herself to be chased away. For Marian, there was only one choice: sieze the castle.

A plan was already coming to mind, but hiding herself came before all else. She flicked her hand, off her saw went, and where there was once a door there was now nothing but wall. A true locked room. One which she soon disappeared from.

---

Meanwhile, as Atsa burst into the room poor Vita had been abandoned in, nothing at first seemed amiss. She was sleeping as Sara had left her with no visible harm done (save the bruise left by Sara's foot).

The bathroom door was shut.

All the furnishings were in order.

The door he had broken down was laying uselessly on the floor behind him, the entryway it once protected now unguarded.

The bathroom door was gone.

All the furnishings were in order.

The door he had broken down was laying uselessly on the floor behind him, before unadorned wall.

Yes, there was nothing amiss in the slightest.

It was alright. The man was avoiding it, but he did seem to allude to some possibility of a hidden secret. Yes, there was definitely something hidden. Something so hidden within the depths of Nikolas’s mind that people would poison Vita to get it.

After all, there were all these guard dogs roaming around. Clearly, they were the Cerberus...Cerberuses...Cerberes...Cerberi? The fluffy three headed dogs to his Underworld.

While she may not have found out the secret that Nikolas had worked so hard to keep clandestine, she was now without doubt about its existence. A secret. An intruder. A victim. This was all that was needed for Miracle☆Magical☆Detective Sara to make her next move!

“Right! I’ll go after the drunk!” Taking the opportunity that had been founded by Nikolas being absorbed by the morning lunch rush.

Deciding she’d retroactively retrieve permission from the chief, she bolted way from Nikolas and back to the floor above, only to find a certain dog whisperer by Vita’s bed. Even more alarming

“The culprit kicked down the door! The vile fiend! They even erased the bathroom door from reality!”

She said, staring into the room from the empty doorframe. After all, there was something very wrong with the scene of the crime and that had meant that the criminal had returned had they done to finish the job they started?

The criminal could not get away would not get away with it. After all, they were clearly afraid of doors, right?

“Is she still alive?!”

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing. After all the effort the shaman put into kicking the door down all he found on the other side was an unconscious Vita. The drunken magician had completely vanished without a trace and Atsa wasn't sure whether that was a bad thing. Now there was a drunk saw wielding magician, who clearly had no problem casting spells on others, wandering the tavern without any supervision. At the very least he was relieved to fight out that the unconscious empress hadn't been there target.

The boy sighed as he realized he was going to have to apologize to Nikolas later for kicking down his door for no good reason. The man was already giving him food and a job, just how much more debt was he going to accumulate by the end of the day? In a very small place in the recesses of his mind the shaman began to wonder if purposely getting hit by the saw was really that bad of an idea after all. If he ended up getting hurt he might somehow find away to escape the debt he was almost certain he was going to find himself in.

Before Atsa could put anymore thought into the matter, however, he suddenly heard Sara's voice approaching the doorway. Of all the times for this girl to show up it just had to be right after he kicked the door down didn't it? To make matters worse it sounded like the girl believed the drunk was the one who did it. While putting the blame on the drunk would definitely save Atsa from his debt, he had a much greater fear that Sara was going to come into the room ready to fight anyone she could find. He really didn't want to end up getting dropkicked like Vita did. With no time to come up with a plan the shaman acted off pure survival instincts.

"It's just me! The drunk vanished! PLEASE DON'T KICK ME!"

Despite the urgency of the girl's next question the boy could only let out a sigh of relief. It seemed for now at least he had been spared a dropkick to the face. It took a moment for the shaman to snap back to reality and realize the full implications of Sara's question but after that moment he quickly moved over to the bed. It only took a moment for him to check Vita's wrist for a pulse and confirm that she was in fact alive.

"She's alive. Still unconscious but alive. For now at least maybe we should move here where we can make sure that drunk won't find her without us noticing"

Meanwhile downstairs the bartender was attempting to perform the fine of multitasking by serving the customers, but also investigate the broken chain in the network which created the people clearing field. The progress would be slow and probably almost impossible to achieve but at this point, he had to try.

It was the only way he can think about reclaiming control over the situation since it would be bad if the drunk magician changed the building with these people inside. His focus on these matters was so time-consuming the bartender had failed to notice someone that was missing. Theron was no where to be seen and this was mainly noticed by Orias who seemingly worried was looking around from her bad near the front, seemingly worried about Theron's location.

The puppy which has gone missing would actually be upstairs amongst the maze created by a deluded and drunk magician. The young pup sat on its own within one of many possible rooms in the building and the sudden changes that had occurred had spooked the poor thing. This has caused the pup to moan and whine, though it was hard to tell if its cries could be heard by anyone and the little pup cried louder.

Theron was in one of the many rooms whose entryways have been modified out of the blueprint.