Exton

Ike sighs.

She tells Monty not to set a place for Tori, she is eating in her office at the Gallery and will be over after she closes up. She sent her clerk home early. The shifter had gotten a call from her sister and needed to see her. She was going to try to reach the Good Doctor about the latest update. It wasn't good, but she closed off any access to the information before Ike could touch on it.

Ob glances her way as he helps Pandora get Chloe settled in her high chair. Absinthe settles on the back of it, waiting patiently. Ob snaps his fingers and the dragon glides to her personal perch next to Chloe. She preens, bobbing her head at the family Alpha.

Since more Fae have started coming to the Tavern, Monty started adding meals from the Other Realm. Torrent had brought him a cookbook from Gladwynn Hall. It contained a collection of recipes from many lands, including the Unformed Plane. Twillon had found him a supplier willing to bring fresh ingredients for some of the more obscure items, things that couldn't be substituted with something from this Realm. He had added several dishes to tonight's menu, anxious to see if they were liked.

There was one dish in particular that he was worried about. It called for Troll, but Twillon had assured him that elk meat was a good substitute if soaked in a garlic marinade for two days. Twillon, Torrent, and Weebit had already put in their orders for it. Surprisingly, so had several shifters, even when advised of its strong garlic flavor. The only saving grace to the recipe, in Ike's view, was that you threw out the marinade, sliced the meat thin, and cooked it with root vegetables. That, and you simmered it for hours before serving. The end product actually didn't smell any worse than some Italian recipes he had tried. Still, Ike was not going to risk a bite.

The band starts setting up. The Shifters have made a big following for themselves, although they still don't have a name. Byte waves as he lugs in his soundboard. He asks after Tori, telling Ike to tell her that Viper was kicked out of the band. He broke group rules one too many times. He said Tori would understand. Ike touches her sister's mind. Tori acknowledges and shuts her out. Ike had just enough contact to know her sister was talking to Silk. She withdraws without trying to touch her again.

She helps Monty dish up food as Patti mans the bar. The waitresses are busy as the Tavern begins to fill up. Immersed in the work, Ike never realizes how quickly time is passing.