Flesh & Blood

Chapter Two

The Cheeking Lounge settled into North Heldal so easily it was as though it had been around since the beginning of time. It was nothing more than a glorified stone cabin with three blossoms painted on the window where a sign with neon lighting was hung stating that the lounge was open. There were holes in the building, small but large enough to compromise the warmth inside, that the owner had filled using her enchanted blossoms. Vines wove and crawled up the side of the building to sprawl over the crooked roof, thriving in spite of the sheer cold outside.

Located just far enough from the heart of town that it attracted bored teenagers and adults who were down on their luck, it was the optimal place for creatures looking to get together and disassociate. The owner grew, gathered, and prepared various herbs, weeds, flowers and roots in her shop for her customers to smoke. That's what Luca and I usually went for: some distraction from the constant monotony of a town we knew we could never leave.

"Gods this place is the best," Luca said, flashing me a grin. I agreed and followed him inside, walking a little faster to keep up with his long-legged stride.

There were dozens of neon signs hanging on the walls inside, bathing the patrons in dizzying shades of pinks and deep-sea blues. A group of demons sat in the corner on the blind side of the swinging front door, their big black eyes watching every customer that walked in, their smiles too wide for their disarmingly beautiful faces. One demon, in particular, eyed Luca for just a moment too long for me to let slide, so I moved into his line of sight and brandished my claws for him to see. The 'fuck off' written on my face didn't need voicing. He raised his hands in surrender with a mocking smile on his face, looking far too pleased with himself as he made his way to the door and left the lounge.

"Hell's teeth, you attract attention like this everywhere we go. It's exhausting," I grumbled when another creature, female this time - a wood nymph, judging by her mossy green eyebrows and the twigs and leaves tangled in her hair - caught sight of Luca and gave him a smile and waved. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to stand by my side. Luca looked over his shoulder and spotted the wood nymph, his blue eyes widening before he gave her a dopey smile and returned her wave.

"What's wrong with attracting a little attention?" He asked, his eyes lingering on the nymph over his shoulder before turning to look at me. I rolled my eyes.

"You're literally so dense, how are you even still alive?" I mocked him. He elbowed me in the side before shrugging.

"The unfriendlies leave me alone because I've always got a big bad ghoul at my side," He answered. I elbowed him in retaliation as I tried to suppress a satisfied smile that was tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Everything was hazy with the smoke billowing up from where other teenagers sat in groups, bundles of rolled flowers and herbs burning between their fingers as they inhaled the saccharine smoke. The air felt thick, dense with the sweet smell of creatures cheeking blossoms and inhaling florals. Tension rolled off my body in a warm wave of relief as we approached the counter set up at the back of the building.

"Black Hollyhock," I ordered, pointing to the darkest blossoms among various plants pinned up on a lattice leaned against the back wall. I tossed down the exact change for my order. The shopkeeper, Olive, was tall with sharp features and straight platinum hair that she kept slicked back to showcase her long, pointed ears. Her pale face was tinted pink and blue from the signs, mixing in some spots to create an unearthly shade of purple.

"Hello Darcy," Olive greeted me, her crystalline eyes flickering down to my fingers, stained permanently black from the tips to my knuckles from years of smoking my favorite flower and cheeking its blossoms.

"Hey, Olive. How's business?" I asked her, leaning against the counter as I waited for her answer.

"Busy," Olive responded, the same answer she always gave to that question and snatched my money up. "How are your folks? Still stocked on hydrangeas and lilies?"