“I’m not going in there.”
“Don’t be such a baby.”
“Don’t care. Not happening.”
Adelphine drew a sharp breath. So far, she had failed in her efforts to coax a resolute Jade through the door at the bottom of the stairs, and into the tavern. Any more of this, she’d just… two flicks of a wand, one brief incantation… Oh. No. Act normal. Count to ten. Then count to ten again.
“We need to talk to you, and we can’t all sit on your bed.”
“Just tell me what it’s about and we’ll all be on our way.”
“Jade, it’s a conversation, not a proclamation. There are three people in there who are making time for you when they could be doing something else, as am I. Move.”
“No.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I suggest that you all get on with your day and let me get on with mine. If you want me out, you just have to say.”
For once, Adelphine was actually taken aback. Not that she cared much for social niceties, but she rarely met anyone equally blunt.
“Has it occurred to you that we might have other matters to discuss? Among other things, we were hoping you’d help us with something.”
Oh, here we go, Jade thought. She had been wondering when a price would be placed on the clearly not-so-free bed and board, and how high it would be.
Time to grab her backpack and run. Then again, maybe she was overreacting? Might as well hear them out before she gave up her comfortable room and all the perks that came with it.
“We can meet up somewhere else.” She named a nearby café.
“We are not meeting up somewhere else. We run our own establishment, and that’s where we conduct our business. What’s the problem, anyway?”
“The poltergeist! The poltergeist is the problem!”
“Keep your mitts off the till and you’ll be fine.”
“I was just looking for a soda,” Jade scowled.
“Oh, of course. Sorry, my bad.”
“Won’t he go for me if I go in?”
“He’ll keep an eye on you, that’s for sure. But we convinced him to keep a low profile when there are customers about, unless there’s a good reason.” It had taken a while – several centuries, in fact, but presumably it wasn’t wise to go into such detail.
“So I’ll be OK during the day?”
“Sure.” Mostly. Probably. Hopefully.
Jade reached out for the handle, then froze all hunched up.
“Just get on with it, will you. I’m right here; you’ll be fine.”
Jade opened the door and stepped into the room. It was a very different sight from that night, with soft morning light flooding in through the old-timey windows, vases of daffodils on every table, a blazing log fire and a completely dry floor. A few dozen patrons were nursing assorted hot drinks or picking foil off their complimentary Easter eggs.
Predictably, Mirko was seated in the one corner of the room that the sun didn’t reach. She kept meaning to ask him about that, but invariably forgot.
Josse and Zina were waiting with him, and Jade also recognised a woman with a Fifties hairdo whom she had seen around but hadn’t yet met. She was about to ask Adelphine for the glamour girl’s name when a sudden shiver went down her spine. Her body had reacted before her brain had even registered the soft touch of breath on her neck, and the disembodied voice whispering in her ear.
“Draaaache…”
It was hard to keep walking with a case of full-body goosebumps, but she made herself stay the course. The short walk to the other side of the room seemed interminable. Eventually she sank into a free chair with a sigh of relief, and with her back to the wall.
“Hi Jade, good to see you,” said Josse. “Would you like a hot chocolate? Or would you prefer something else?”
A waiter arrived to take their order. It was the one with the half-hidden neck tattoo. When he noticed her looking, he flashed her a smile that very nearly left her flustered.
Adelphine rolled her eyes, and Josse waited until the dashing distraction had departed before starting the conversation. He was glad that she was feeling better, but he’d been wondering if she had any plans. There was no rush, he said, but maybe she was thinking of enrolling at uni, or getting a job? Or of going back home, wherever that was?
“Look, I’m really grateful for everything you have done for me, but I’m not ready for any of that. If you want me to move out, go ahead and just say so, and I’ll be off.”
“It’s not about that,” he replied. “You’re welcome to stay. Mirko and Zina brought you, and any friend of theirs… you know.”
“Any friend of theirs will be given a chance to not piss us off,” Adelphine butted in.
“Put a foot wrong and you’ll be out on your ear, no matter who you’re friends with,” the other woman added.
“Obviously,” Josse replied. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce you two. Azélie, this is Jade; you know why we’re here. Jade, this is our head of security.”
“You have a head of security? As in, a whole team and someone to run it?”
“If you hadn’t noticed, we’re doing a great job,” Azélie commented.
“Why do you need guards? Don’t most bars have a burglar alarm and maybe some webcams?”
“It’s not just the tavern. As you know, Ladrache has things covered over here, although Azélie does include it in the team’s rounds,” Josse explained. “We also own the buildings in the alley on the right, and we’ve had a few problems.”
“Never mind that,” Mirko cut in. “The main point is that you’re OK for Jade to stay.”
“We are, that’s perfectly fine. We just thought it was time to see how things are shaping up.”
Josse stopped to gather his thoughts.
“I don’t know why you were living rough,” he continued. “If there are issues you need to resolve, if you have a home you want to return to, or a destination that you are heading for. We’re not asking, but we’ll listen if you want to tell us, and we’ll help if we can. Or you need more time to just breathe. That’s all up to you.”
“Thank you,” Jade mumbled. She didn’t know what to say, and there was a weird wave of emotion building behind her tough shell. Then again, hadn’t Adelphine explained that they now wanted something in return? It wouldn’t do to get carried away.
“I don’t know what to say,” she ventured.
“That’s OK,” Josse replied, while Zina licked Jade’s hand.
“Well, there’s something I’d like to say,” Mirko said. “Thank you for looking after my friend, despite the fact that she’s a stroppy brat. I hope that she’ll develop some manners eventually.”
“Ugh,” said Azélie. “Enough with the soppy sentiment. I was just here to lay down the law: behave, or I’ll make you regret it.” And with that, she left.
“OK already,” Jade replied. “Adelphine said I was to help you with something?”
“If you have time. It’s not a priority, and we first wanted to be sure that we’re not diverting your focus from more important matters. But yes, we could do with a hand.”
He explained about Mr Obnoxious and his review-bombing campaign, and about the importance of generating income from the tavern not just because livelihoods depended on it, but also because it subsidised affordable housing in the alley. An incomplete version of the facts, but a truthful one nonetheless.
Jade had expected far worse in the way of requests. Joining the tavern’s social media “task force” was hardly a chore, and she was soon swapping ideas with Ingrid at a table nearby.
“…for the first hundred customers who drop by to cheer us up. Mention ‘Mr Obnoxious’ to claim your free drink – we recommend the Dancing Cockroach, our new signature cocktail,” she was overheard saying half an hour later.
“Great idea,” Ingrid replied, laughing. “But I guess we’d better explain that the recipe’s insect-free.”