As The Snow Falls

Chapter Three

 Bedrest for Andromeda was hardly bedrest at all. She would lay in bed from morning to noon, facing the violent protests of everyone the second she could try to get up. Then half past noon, they would start calling her for chores. Twelve Figs, Helia and Fermi's tavern, would open at three, once the sky would grow pink. On weekdays, it would close at twelve. On weekends it would close once the party got too rowdy. May that be young in the night, or early hours of the morning. That's what made Twelve Figs so desirable. Keep your drunken behavior in check and you can party all night.

Since the cold season had started, many came to the tavern for a drink to warm their chests and to get their legs moving and blood pumping. With the cold and the snow, most people preferred to stay out of the way of the snow storms.

Which Andromeda was doing right now.

Which she most certainly did not want to do.

"Meda!" Helia's voice called from down the stairs. "Can you help me with the cups quickly? It will only take two seconds!" Two seconds? A new goal for setting up cups. Usually it took three seconds.

A large bin of glass cups met Andromeda behind the bar, as well as Vixen.

"Oh," She smiled. "Hello. Wasn't expecting you here so early." He returned the smile.

"I heard you were on bedrest, Miss Nightworth." Vixen said charmingly.

"Hm, I wouldn't say that."

"Helia and Fermi invited me over just so they could get some extra hands on board."

"They don't need extra hands. They have me."

"Sure, yes." He tapped his fingers against his chin comically. "The same girl who's supposed to be on bedrest? It makes sense why they're so taken care of."

"If I'm supposed to be on bedrest, then how is it that I'm down here, doing this job with you?" A cat-like smile paraded across his sly features.

"Maybe it's just because you like me so much."

"I would probably like you a little more if I knew your real name." Vixen rolled his eyes at Andromeda's question, another thing she would never let up on. Not that she would ever know the answer, but she tried anyway.

"I would tell you if you wouldn't be scared of my name the second you heard it." Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"I'm shaking in my boots." She replied monotonously, sliding the last few glasses onto the second shelf.

"Fine, fine. I was really going to tell you this time." He watched Andromeda for a reaction, but she didn't give him the pleasure of any. "Tough crowd."

"The crowd that's supposed to be on bedrest." She sighed, picking up the now empty bin. "I'm getting the second." She opened the kitchen door with her foot, being met with several different smells.

"Smells good!" She called out.

"Thanks!" Fermi replied. "This version of End of the Week Soup is turning out pretty good!" Andromeda shriveled inwardly. At the end of every week, Fermi would take every leftover they still had in the fridge, pour it all into a large kitchen pot with chicken broth, and hope for the best. The leftovers were usually his previous cooking, or meals people had made for payments for drinks or thanks. Whichever it was, it was all humbled in End of the Week Soup.

"You checked all the meat this time, right darling?" Helia asked, planting a swift kiss on her husband's cheek before picking up the box of newly pressed napkins. Fermi's face crinkled in recognition.

"Yeah," He finally said, her tone still unsure. "Of course I did, honey."

"Hmm." Helia shot Andromeda a pointed look. One that they both knew well. Get out of the house for lunch.