coaxed.
Marlix grunted. “Fine.”
They pushed through the doors. Tables and people packed the alerina, a more expansive edifice inside than was hinted at outside. Males—it was impossible to distinguish alphas from betas—congregated, as did mixed gender groups and a few breeder clusters. In his periphery, he spotted a male caressing a female’s hand across a table. At another table, a couple leaned close, the male gazing at the female with such lust it was a wonder he’d hadn’t taken her on the dusty floor of the alerina. To view such behaviors was like watching a troupe of performers acting out his private perversions.
No, this place would not alleviate his troubles.
At the rear, males perched on stools fronting a long counter. Behind the massive plank, a beverage keeper dispensed libations from a large tapped barrel. A female bearing a tray laden with foaming potables breezed by with a smile.
“Take any seat you can find. I shall be right with you.”
Marlix glanced doubtfully at Urazi, but his beta pointed to a tiny vacant space in the corner. The clearance was tight for Urazi, and Marlix had to hunch over the table in an uncomfortable fashion. “I do not see how this is going to help,” he grumbled and set the water jug on the floor by his feet.
The female appeared and set a basket of roasted acca nuts on the table. “Two ales?” she asked.
“Yes,” Urazi answered before Marlix could decide.
She slapped down a tankard in front of each of them. A head of foam topped each beverage. Marlix raised his to his lips and took a gulp. Like liquid-fermented panna . He had imbibed the finest liquors and wines, but never had he partaken of such a crude, plebian concoction. The full-bodied liquid went down smooth but then left a slight bitter aftertaste. He made a face, then raised his tankard to Urazi and downed the contents of the stein. He belched and wiped his mouth.
Urazi followed his example.
The female beverage server returned. “Two more?”
Marlix still did not know how to handle Tara or Anika. Perhaps it took more than one ale to find clarity. He signaled an affirmative answer.
* * * *
Night had fallen by the time Marlix staggered out of the alerina, leaving Urazi in conversation with a female patron. While the half-dozen hearty ales Marlix had downed had not inspired a solution to his problems, the fermented beverages at least had shrouded his troubles in a pleasant fuzz so they did not stab at him so acutely.
With the exception of the two baskets of nuts he’d consumed, neither he nor Tara had eaten since early in the day, so he followed his nose to a small shop selling meat pies. After purchasing a couple, he headed for the hut. Several wrong turns later, he found it. Uncertain of Tara’s mood, he clutched the water jug tighter, fortified himself with a deep breath, and tiptoed quietly inside.
Chapter Ten
Curled up in bed nursing bruised feelings and a burning bottom, Tara jumped when the door smashed into the wall and Marlix stomped in, his booted feet thumping on the wooden floor. She squeezed her eyes shut to feign sleep.
She thought she smelled food, and her empty stomach growled, but she doubted Marlix could hear, considering the amount of noise the inconsiderate baboon generated as he stumbled around the dark cottage. She heard a thud as he bumped into the table, then a crash and a curse.
More shuffling and swearing, some rustling. Then: “Are you as-sleep?” He slurred his words.
Her eyes sprang open to find the hut lit by a warm glow. She kept her back turned to him and stared at the wall. “Are you drunk?” she asked incredulously.
“I do not understand your”—he belched, and from the shadow he cast, she saw he pounded his chest with his fist—“question.”
“Have you been drinking alcohol?” She rolled to face him, wincing as her backside connected with the bed. Hours had passed, and her ass still burned like she’d been bitten by an army of fire ants. She
Marlix grunted. “Fine.”
They pushed through the doors. Tables and people packed the alerina, a more expansive edifice inside than was hinted at outside. Males—it was impossible to distinguish alphas from betas—congregated, as did mixed gender groups and a few breeder clusters. In his periphery, he spotted a male caressing a female’s hand across a table. At another table, a couple leaned close, the male gazing at the female with such lust it was a wonder he’d hadn’t taken her on the dusty floor of the alerina. To view such behaviors was like watching a troupe of performers acting out his private perversions.
No, this place would not alleviate his troubles.
At the rear, males perched on stools fronting a long counter. Behind the massive plank, a beverage keeper dispensed libations from a large tapped barrel. A female bearing a tray laden with foaming potables breezed by with a smile.
“Take any seat you can find. I shall be right with you.”
Marlix glanced doubtfully at Urazi, but his beta pointed to a tiny vacant space in the corner. The clearance was tight for Urazi, and Marlix had to hunch over the table in an uncomfortable fashion. “I do not see how this is going to help,” he grumbled and set the water jug on the floor by his feet.
The female appeared and set a basket of roasted acca nuts on the table. “Two ales?” she asked.
“Yes,” Urazi answered before Marlix could decide.
She slapped down a tankard in front of each of them. A head of foam topped each beverage. Marlix raised his to his lips and took a gulp. Like liquid-fermented panna . He had imbibed the finest liquors and wines, but never had he partaken of such a crude, plebian concoction. The full-bodied liquid went down smooth but then left a slight bitter aftertaste. He made a face, then raised his tankard to Urazi and downed the contents of the stein. He belched and wiped his mouth.
Urazi followed his example.
The female beverage server returned. “Two more?”
Marlix still did not know how to handle Tara or Anika. Perhaps it took more than one ale to find clarity. He signaled an affirmative answer.
* * * *
Night had fallen by the time Marlix staggered out of the alerina, leaving Urazi in conversation with a female patron. While the half-dozen hearty ales Marlix had downed had not inspired a solution to his problems, the fermented beverages at least had shrouded his troubles in a pleasant fuzz so they did not stab at him so acutely.
With the exception of the two baskets of nuts he’d consumed, neither he nor Tara had eaten since early in the day, so he followed his nose to a small shop selling meat pies. After purchasing a couple, he headed for the hut. Several wrong turns later, he found it. Uncertain of Tara’s mood, he clutched the water jug tighter, fortified himself with a deep breath, and tiptoed quietly inside.
Chapter Ten
Curled up in bed nursing bruised feelings and a burning bottom, Tara jumped when the door smashed into the wall and Marlix stomped in, his booted feet thumping on the wooden floor. She squeezed her eyes shut to feign sleep.
She thought she smelled food, and her empty stomach growled, but she doubted Marlix could hear, considering the amount of noise the inconsiderate baboon generated as he stumbled around the dark cottage. She heard a thud as he bumped into the table, then a crash and a curse.
More shuffling and swearing, some rustling. Then: “Are you as-sleep?” He slurred his words.
Her eyes sprang open to find the hut lit by a warm glow. She kept her back turned to him and stared at the wall. “Are you drunk?” she asked incredulously.
“I do not understand your”—he belched, and from the shadow he cast, she saw he pounded his chest with his fist—“question.”
“Have you been drinking alcohol?” She rolled to face him, wincing as her backside connected with the bed. Hours had passed, and her ass still burned like she’d been bitten by an army of fire ants. She
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