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Tafel let out a massive yawn before opening her eyes. She was greeted by the beautiful sight of the moon and stars hanging in the sky overhead. A smile appeared on the demon’s face as she exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes again. With a sight like that able to be seen by simply opening one’s eyes, wasn’t it worth sleeping out in the open like a homeless raccoon as Lindyss had so kindly put it.
After a few seconds, Tafel’s eyes shot open, and she sat up before looking around. Vur was sleeping on the ground beside her, hugging her waist. The demon blinked and looked up at the sky again with a furrow on her brow. She had gone to sleep during the sunrise thanks to Vur’s persuasive words, and now it was nighttime. It seemed like she had slept all day, perhaps even longer. Her head tilted to the side, and for some reason, she thought she heard the resentful voices of the blacksmiths who may or may not have been waiting for her to arrive long after the smithy’s closing time.
Tafel climbed to her feet and placed her hands on her hips as she looked around again from a higher vantage point. Lights shone out of the tree Lindyss had claimed for herself, but the majority of it was blocked by leaves and branches. The demon made her way towards Lindyss’ tree and knocked on it. Stumbling sounds rang out followed by faint laughter. A few seconds later, the tree’s door opened, and the most beautiful elf Tafel had ever laid her eyes on came into view.
Tafel blinked and leaned to the side where she saw Lindyss and Erin sitting on some chair-shaped bark growing from the floor of the tree’s interior. Tafel’s eyes widened as the moonlight glinting off of several bottles caught her eye. Now that she was getting a better look at the room, the whole floor was more glass bottle than wooden floor. “Auntie…?” Tafel asked, a chill running down her spine. “Did, uh, something happen?”
“Yeah,” Lindyss said, gesturing towards the reddish-pink-haired elf in front of Tafel. The liquid inside the half-empty bottle she was holding sloshed as she did so. “A phoenix came looking for you because you left behind a mess with Mary when you invaded someone’s mushroom cave.”
“We didn’t leave behind a mess,” Tafel said and frowned. “We broke the dimensional monument, and the tower claimed the whole cave along with everyone defending it.”
“If you didn’t make a mess, a phoenix wouldn’t have found out,” Lindyss said. “And a phoenix found out, so you obviously overlooked something.”
Tafel pursed her lips. “Auntie,” she said. “How much have you had to drink?” She looked at the reddish-pink-haired elf who was staring at the demon in a daze—as the disguised elf had been doing ever since she opened the door for Tafel. The demon blinked. This drunken mess was a phoenix? Then again, Minerva was a sloppy drunk too. Maybe phoenixes were inherently poor at handling their liquor.
“How much have I had to drink?” Lindyss asked and raised an eyebrow. She gestured towards the floor with her chin. “Count the bottles and divide by three.”
Tafel stepped past the dazed phoenix disguised as an elf and walked into the tree. “Divide by three?” she asked and looked at Erin, who was lying on her back and giggling to herself. The fairy queen was as round as a ball, and floating above her, there was an object that was constantly changing in shape, color, and texture. Tafel looked at Lindyss. “Did Erin drink as much as you?”
“Of course!” Erin shouted, causing Tafel and Malvie to flinch. “Who do you think I am? I’m the great Erin Koller.” Her voice decreased in strength, and she let out a hiccough. “I can drink just as well as anyone else.” The fairy queen hiccoughed again. “Don’t you look down on me.”
“You heard her,” Lindyss said upon seeing Tafel’s disbelieving gaze. The cursed elf gestured towards Malvie. “Her name’s Malvina, Queen of the Forest. I didn’t trust her at first, but after getting to know her over a few drinks, she doesn’t seem to be too bad of a person—a bit vain, though.”
“You’re supposed to keep comments like those inside your head,” Erin said before hiccoughing.
“It’s not like she doesn’t know it,” Lindyss said and turned her head towards Malvie. “Right? What are your thoughts on vanity?”
“Am I vain?” Malvie asked, tilting her pointed ear towards Lindyss like a dog perking up upon hearing a sound. “Of course, I’m vain. What’s wrong with that?” She placed her hands on her hips and wobbled a bit before standing up straight. “People find ways to improve their abilities all the time. My vanity is simply the strengthening of my beauty.”
“Wow!” Erin applauded. “Well said!” The fairy queen tilted her head to the side and stopped clapping her hands. “Or was it? I’m not sure…. This wine makes it really hard to think.”
Lindyss waved at Tafel, catching the demon’s attention. “Seeing as we’re all phoenixes except for Erin, I decided it wouldn’t be so bad to introduce her to you,” the cursed elf said as she gestured towards Malvie. “She wants to know who you’re a descendent of. If you show her your imprint, she might recognize it.”
Tafel blinked. Evidently, Auntie was lying to Malvina and didn’t want Tafel to accidentally spill the beans. Tafel looked at Malvie and nodded. “I don’t mind showing you my imprint,” the demon said. “But I’d feel more comfortable if Vur were here too.”
“Vur?” Malvie asked and tilted her head. “Alright. If that’s what it’ll take, do what you must to bring him here.”
Tafel nodded as her horns glowed silver. A portal appeared beside her, and she stuck her hands through them, grabbing onto Vur’s legs which were on the other side. She lifted and pulled his sleeping body through, keeping him off the floor as she held him in her arms. The portal closed, and Tafel placed Vur on a nearby leaf that acted as a bench.
“You’re not going to wake him up?” Malvie asked, staring at the snot bubble extending from Vur’s nostril.
“No,” Tafel said. “Just having him here is enough. If you go crazy for some reason after seeing my imprint, he’ll wake up and stop you.”
The drunken disguised phoenix snorted and glared at Tafel. “I’m the respected queen of Great Canopy. It’s quite rude of you to insinuate I’d behave in a demeanor unbefitting my position.”