Arkley Falls

The Barista's Story

It's been a few years since you moved to this town, and while you'd always been nervous about the magical creatures and monsters there, you'd finally adjusted to the extraordinary version of ordinary that was unique to the place.

You'd made friends in those last few years of high school - some human, others not - and had graduated pretty high up in your class. You had considered going elsewhere for college, but decided against it, as you'd miss your family and friends too much if you left.

So you'd settled into a nice little job in a corner cafe that you'd visited a lot as a student. The owner, Mr. Caldric, was a tall, jolly werewolf that had given you the job the day you'd inquired about his help wanted sign. He'd said he recognized you from all the times you'd hung out after school, and was glad that you'd felt safe in his store, even if you'd rarely ever bought anything.

"I know it's hard for humans to adjust to living in such a place," he told you one day when the topic was brought up. He looked at you in an appraising way before chuckling. "You didn't seem to have much difficulty, though."

"I'd always had a bit of an imagination on me, even before we moved here," you responded with a smile as you'd slipped the tray from the counter. The dishes rattled noisily as you took the orders to their designated customers.

As you pass the door with your last order, it suddenly swings wide, knocking the tray from your hand and the glass shatters on the floor, the cream tea splattering everywhere. You hold your wrist, it being jarred painfully from the impact, and look angrily at the door, prepared to give such a careless person a piece of your mind. But the words die on your lips as you set eyes on the figure silhouetted there.

Or rather, the part of him that was.

He was far too tall to fit in the frame, and as you watched, he ducked under and into the cafe, having to turn sideways due to the width of his massive shoulders and the powerful wings on his back. In the fluorescent lighting, his skin glowed a crimson red, brighter than skin had any business doing. His long, long tail whipped behind him as he straightened, and his massive horns shone as though polished. He wore nothing but a too-tight black t-shirt and a pair of faded denim jeans, fitted as though painted on his muscular legs. When he was finally through the door, he glanced down at you goggling up at him.

And winced.

"Oh, hell's bells; are you alright?" he asks, leaning down and extending his massive hand. His spiked brow furrows as he takes in you holding your wrist. "Shit, I did it again. Hang on," he says, making a gesture and holding his hand over your arm.

A warm red light gathers in his palm for a moment, and you notice the pain was gone. As he pulls his hand away, you flex your wrist and marvel; it felt better than it had before it was hurt. He looks over at the mess on the floor and makes another gesture, tracing a symbol into the air that glowed briefly before disappearing. The spilled drink and broken glass gathered themselves together and reformed, setting themselves safely on a nearby table.

"I'm sorry about that," the demon says as he picks up your tray with two fingers and hands it to you. "I've got a terrible habit of not knowing my strength in the mortal realm. I cause so much trouble for everybody around me. Sorry that was you today," he says, looking as sheepish as a demon of his size could. You continue to stare up at him, and notice that his cheeks had tinted a sort of purple tone...

---

You didn't really think much of him at first other than the fact that he was the first demon you'd seen in town since you'd started living here. That, and the fact that he was by far and away the biggest magical creature you'd seen so far, in both height and musculature. And you'd met the town baker; an enormous Minotaur named Barrett.