Chapter 217

217 Pranks And Delicacies

Tidas reclined comfortably in the booth as he talked with Alfred. He hadn’t been able to see him for a few months, so they were catching up while Tidas waited for Skye. He’d been enjoying himself, but felt like he was being watched since he’d sat down. He couldn’t sense any magic, but had made a subtle notion to Alfred about it.

“Not too busy this afternoon, hmm? Expecting anyone special?”

Alfred knew what Tidas had meant because he’d gotten the distinct feeling of being watched as well. He’d assumed it was the magistrate, or whatever woman had been lurking around his tavern the past week or so. The only reason he knew was because of her perfume; it reeked of overpowering flowers.

As Alfred began to think of the smell, a new, but familiar one hit his senses. A unique mix of cherry blossoms and citrus that he’d only ever smelt one person wearing before: Skye. He cranked his head to look towards the door, but saw nothing there. ‘Strange.. I could’ve sworn I smelled her here.’

“Something wrong, Al?” Tidas inquired with a creased brow.

Hesitantly, Alfred asked; “When was Skye due here?”

Tidas turned to look out the window; “She should be here soon. So long as she didn’t have too many patients today. Why do you ask?”

Alfred shook his head; “Nothing.. So, anyways; what did Karena do when she saw the pet dragon?”

Tidas inhaled a sharp breath; “Oh, don’t let Skye hear you say that. Zazzy isn’t a pet to us, she’s family.. And Far more intelligent than a dog.”

.....

Alfred smirked; “Didn’t you just tell me that she melted an outdoor fire pit at Skye’s father’s home?”

Tidas laughed nervously; “Aye, I did say that.. But she’s Much better now. Listens almost every time we tell her something, and I swear Skye can almost understand her.”

Alfred crossed his arms over his chest while maintaining his smirk; “Weren’t you just in the process of telling me about how she has escaped from your room to track down Skye? All the way to the king’s quarters?”

Tidas grunted; “No, you’re right again.. But it was hilarious watching her freak out like that!”

After the two finished chuckling, they lifted their mugs and drank. That was when Alfred saw Skye coming out of the kitchen doors, stealthily crawling on the floor. He nearly choked on his cider, prompting Tidas to ask if he was ok. After clearing his throat, he managed to get out; “I’m fine, I’m fine.. thank you. Ahh, you were saying?”

Once he began talking again, Skye resumed inching closer. Alfred had subtly given her the thumbs up under the table, so she knew he was on her side. As she slowly positioned herself behind him, Skye readied herself to grab his shoulders, and scare him. Right before she did it, a thought occurred to her that she didn’t like.

Grabbing the Commander of the RMC from behind might not end the best for her. He could easily flip her or worse, not knowing it was his wife pulling a wee prank on him. Technically, she could most likely avoid injury altogether by using her Tank trait, but that would ruin her strategies for the Mage Trials. Opting for the safer option; Skye covered his eyes instead.

Tidas immediately grabbed his wife’s hands with intent, but stopped the moment he’d touched them. He’d know her scent and the feel of her skin anywhere; it was Skye. He smiled as he pulled her hands off, and gently tugged one forward. She was now leaning against the back of the booth with her upper body pulled to one side, and partially hanging over him.

Tidas had leaned to the opposite side so he could turn his head to see her face. With a cheeky grin and an amused tone, he said; “Hello, wife.”

Putting on her best winning smile, Skye replied in an equally amused voice; “Hello, husband.. Yer lucky these booths have short backs.”

Tidas grin grew; “And you’re lucky I know you so well.”

“...Ok, ok, ye win! Now release me! Me feet are danglin’ and it’s embarrassin’!” Skye tried to sound angry, but was partially giggling as she spoke.

Releasing his wife, Tidas grinned broadly as she walked around and sat down next to him. Right as she did, Klaus and Ronnie walked in through the front. Ronnie had a knowing smile on his face, and Klaus kept his stoic expression as they came to stand in front of the booth.

“I knew it wouldn’t work! He ain’t the Commander for nothin’! YER face was hilarious!” Ronnie laughed loudly as he finished speaking.

“Oh shut it, fanboy! I did too surprise him! I felt him tense,” Skye turned to her husband; “Did ye tense? You were tense, weren’t ye?”

Tidas stifled his chuckle so as not to offend her. Skye seemed oddly determined that her prank not be considered a failure, which technically it wasn’t. He was shocked to have hands suddenly block his view, but the circumstances weren’t threatening in any way. Alfred hadn’t reacted at all, and the moment he’d touched her, Tidas knew to whom the hands belonged.

Not wanting to spoil her fun, Tidas replied; “Aye wife, I tensed. I was surprised to have someone sneak up close enough to me to cover my eyes.. Since when are you so light-footed?”

Skye stuck her tongue out at Ronnie, then beamed in satisfaction; “I have been trainin’ with Shasta. Maybe her prowess has rubbed off on me a wee bit.”

Tidas laughed boisterously; “So long as you don’t start acting like her,” then kissed the top of her head as he finished, “I like you the way you are.”

“... Ye know, ye make it hard to enjoy teasin’ you,” Skye stated as she leaned up slightly to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

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Renee watched the three from a table and chair set that was on the other side of the room. A pang of jealousy emanated from her heart. ‘I wish Alfred and I could be silly like that with each other.. But why is a prince and princess actin’ like that in public? Tis disgraceful...Well, this is Alfred’s place, and they are good friends. I suppose they’d be comfortable here.. Arg.. Do they have to be so.. lovey-dovey?!’

Losing herself in her thoughts, Renee didn’t hear Alfred calling out to her as she zoned into her task of folding dish towels and such. He had to physically get up and shake her shoulder lightly to bring her out of it. When he had, the first thing she did was apologize with a sheepish grin.

After reassuring her, Alfred asked; “Will you help me prepare and bring out the food? It’s always easier with another set of hands.”

Nodding her agreement, Renee followed after her boss to help him with the dishes. As they made the plates side by side, she couldn’t help be sigh contently. Doing things like this with Alfred was special to her. ‘We may not act like a couple of love-struck pups, but I think this is.. more us. Why was I comparing us to the royals out there? So stupid.. I know I’ll never have the closeness I want from him, but at least I have this..’

Once they’d set the plates into the trays, Renee and Alfred served their budding patrons. Skye and Tidas sat next to each other while Klaus and Ronnie sat in the next booth closest to them. Alfred set his two tray down at the couple’s table, while Renee served their guards.

“Today I made roasted Red Grouse in red wine, red current jelly, rosemary, sage, garlic, and sweet onions. The mashed potatoes are mixed with butter, garlic, and a bit of cheese. Oh, and that little side salad has a sweet raspberry vinaigrette on it.”

Skye literally had to keep the drool from dripping out of her mouth. The pheasants looked delectable, and the buttery garlic smell wafting from the potatoes made her stomach gargle in anticipation. With a bright red face, Skye asked if there was more.

Alfred chuckled happily; “There’s plenty more in the back if you’re still hungry afterwards.”

By the time they left the Cat’s Paw tavern, Skye had eaten the same amount as Tidas; three pheasants and four helpings of the sides. They even topped off their meal with a cup of warm cider before actually leaving. It was an extremely enjoyable meal. The red wine and currents had all but killed the gamy aftertaste that pheasants were known to have. Right before they left, Skye got the ingredients list for Alfred’s sauce.

As Skye had been chatting with Alfred, Tidas dismissed Klaus and Ronnie for the day. He would be with Skye until their shift was over, so there was no point in them following any more. Excited for the chance to get some extra training in, they headed off to the arena. Leaving Skye and Tidas to themselves.

The trip to the R&D Department took a little over an hour due to the amount of people out and about. As the weather warmed, the streets would become even more crowded at all hours of the day. It would make her morning Shaman rounds more difficult due to it. She already got stopped constantly on the street by curious people. She could only imagine how bad it would get once the weather completely warmed, and Spring arrived.

The couple spent the entire hour talking and laughing with each other. He told her of the minuscule progress he had made on the prosecution of the magistrate. He told her of the encounter with Marco right before the library incident. She fake-shivered in disgust as she recalled how close she’d come to being completely alone with Marco..

Tidas had nearly fallen off of his horse when Skye told him of Peggy’s morning antics. She hadn’t told him about it until they’d cleared the bulk of the crowds. She didn’t want complete strangers hearing her tell him about the fit she’d thrown while standing naked on their bed. It irked her that he’d found the situation so funny, but it allowed her to broach a troublesome subject to him.

Once Tidas had calmed himself, Skye began to speak; “Glad ye found the situation so amusin’, but we have a rather important issue to discuss.. Zazzy is getting big enough that she Needs to get proper exercise daily. I don’t want her growth to be affected because she’s cramped. She’s a dragon; she’s probably chompin’ at the bit to get some fresh air.”

As they trotted up to the Research and Development Department, Tidas asked; “What do you mean? The only thing she seems to want is you.”

Handing their reins off to a stable hand, Skye replied with a soft smile; “That’s true. She’s me wee, scaly Momma’s girl.. That’s why I have to do something, Tidas. I can’t just leave her locked up in the palace all day! We’d be no better than Marco if we did that..”

Tidas sighed as he took his wife’s hand, and began to walk up the steps to the R&D Department; “I’ll talk to my father about it either tonight or tomorrow. But right now, there’s someone I’d like you to meet..”