#rsfoster

  Taking a deep breath I approached  the door, letting it slide open to admit me in.  Before me sprawled a large, open venue with many tables floating about and set elegantly. Tablecloths, silverware, and delicate glasses ready for guests, each adorned with dim orbs of light flickering above the table’s surface.  There were a few creatures still dining at these tables, given how late the hour was. .  Most had taken to the large, circular bar in the center of the room.  The bar itself gleamed like a jewel in the venue.  The enormous crystal structure in the center shone with many brilliant colors, as many spheres  seemingly danced and floated in and around the  structure.  Making my way over to the bar, I looked up for a moment at the ceiling of clear glass that framed  the vast universe beyond with gold trim panels. Elegant crystal chandeliers floating beautifully around the enclosed space in lazy intervals.  This impressive display fit well with the monster that controlled it all.  

An elegant looking blue fire elemental, who was wearing a handsome gold trimmed suit. The embroidered fabric decorated with stars and constellations shimmering upon it is the star of this show.  His fluid stride nearly a dance across the galaxy he had created in his domain. The enormous crystal structure behind him illuminating with new vibrant colors each step he took towards it.  Entranced, I took a seat at one of the stools hovering at the bar.  A small hologram menu popped up in front of me but I had no interest in it as I continued to watch the bartender approach a monster a few seats away .  After a short conversation, the planets floating near to the fire elemental began to sway and spin around him.  As the planets did this, the tips of his gloves and his sleeves began to glow.  The glow brightened each time he touched one of the planets and guided what seemed to be some… liquid from them to the glass that materialized before him.  The show of this ability was impressive  as this  seemed to capture the attention of most of the monsters surrounding the bar.  

He soon placed the drink in front of the monster he served, and exchanged a few more words with them  before they  reached out with a strange tendril-like appendage to accept the beverage.  I looked on with admiration as it sipped  the concoction, their  strange features seemed to relax soon after setting down the glass. A significant portion of the liquid now missing from it.  Seeing how quickly the drink took effect made me feel more anxious; if not a little excited, for what I was about to ask for.

“Welcome to Grillby’s” a silken voice rang clearly before me, causing me to jolt.  I turned to the source of the voice, my eyes looking up to rest upon the smooth, mature features of the fiery host who stood before me.  He was even more handsome up close.  “I see you did not choose anything from the menu, I presume you know what you would like.  A returning customer, by chance?” He questioned, with an inviting smile.

“It is my first time here, actually.” I fidgeted a little with my feathers, though I was trying to appear as if I knew what I was doing.

“Ah, I see, well, my name is Sol.  I will serve you this evening.  Perhaps I could suggest that you try Today’s Planet “Muntaria”?  It is quite refreshing, you can taste how healthy the trees of this planet are kept. ” he offered, guiding a decently sized blue-green planet around to demonstrate.

“Ah… well… t-thank you but, I’m actually here looking for something... specific?” I answered in a more timid manner now as I couldn’t help but notice how suave he appeared   His long white tipped flames held back in a neat ponytail floating and flickering about lightly. Paired with the smolder in his eyes, his blazing irises gently meet with my gaze. I felt my soul flutter a bit.

“Oh? What may that be?” he raised an inquisitive brow.

I looked down at the surface of the bar as I summoned the courage to request the drink I was searching for.  “I… I need inspiration. Creative inspiration… if there is a way to be specific with a request.  I want to do something... I just can’t seem to come up with anything.  All I’ve seen in my head lately is a blank page. I was told that coming here could, possibly, help.”

Looking up, my eyes were met with what could be either a surprised or impressed look on Sol’s features. He then shut his eyes in quiet serenity for a moment; his brows slightly knitting together as he seemed to think and concentrate on my request. His eyes opened again and met with mine once more.  “That is a rather… specific request. However, I do have something for that.  One moment.”

Sol turned and headed toward the crystal structure seated in the middle of the bar.  The floor lit up once he snapped his fingers and he hopped up to weightlessly float about the crystal structure. Reaching toward one of the higher crystals, he called forth a smaller orb out from it.  It went to him swiftly before he descended and snapped his fingers again, the lights faded out.  Turning back around, he walked up to me to reveal a strange planet, smaller than any of the ones he had around him.   It was covered in fiery volcanos, lava flowing freely, giving it an orange glow.  There were seemingly great trenches that lined its surface brimming with molten rock. They hissed and steamed when met by the molten rock.

“What is this?”

“A planet of fire and water that orbits just a bit close to it’s star. It is a rather unique world though. It’s makeup allows for rare and anomalous gems to form.”

“Wow.  Where would you find something like that?”

Sol pointed up at a set of stars through the glass roof overhead.  “Those stars form the constellation “Pisces”, one of the human astrological signs. This planet is from the star known as “Gamma Piscium” in that constellation.”

My eyes widened as I looked from the stars that he presented to me, back down to the swirling orb he floating above his hand.  Impressive no longer seemed like an adequate term for what he could fabricate.  No, he definitely deserved a more fitting word  for what he had mixed.  My eyes met with his again.  A strange feeling caused my feathers to ruffle a bit as I noted a serious look playing on his features.  

“This planet is still in the midst of creating itself, I had no hand in making this one and these are not too common to find in such a pristine condition.  So… I must warn you  You will, most likely, have to open a tab with me.”

“H-how much are we talking?”

“5,000 G”

I felt my heart drop.  I was ready to use some serious money but NOT that amount.  I felt a knot in my throat.

Sol sighed softly, his expression said it all.  “It is alright if you open a tab, so long as you pay it.”

  “I know I can do that b-but, I am not sure how long it will be until I can fully pay you back” I replied meekly, voice trailing off now feeling very uncertain. .

   “As long as you pay, that is all that really matters.  After all, at least you are offering to pay.  Heh, I have at least one customers who do less than that.” The slight smile and twinge of distant irritation crossed his lucid features.

   I couldn’t help but wonder what Sol meant by that for a moment but, my mind was more concerned with my current situation.  After all, what was floating in front of me was the very solution to my problems.  However… the price was steep.  It would take me months to pay that off with my current job.

   “So, what will it be then?”

   I looked at the planet floating in between us, then back up to Sol, my gaze falling  back  on the planet.  A sigh escaped as I contemplated my decision. Weighing how this could help me and how I would try to pay back such an amount.  I finally decided, “Yes, I’ll open a tab.  Here is the first 400G to pay for it.”

   Giving a graceful smile, Sol nodded, accepting the payment I had placed on the bar. “I will make you a most remarkable drink.”

   His face became calm, quiet focus settling into his presence as the planets began to flit around him.  The glow from his gloves and sleeves brightened as he began by first drawing forth some of the liquids from small planet and placed  them into a martini glass that had appeared on the bar before me.  He then took a step back and the planets around him began to swirl and sway as he put on something of a show.  He drew out  liquids from both a blue and an ash coloured planet mixing them mid-air as he gently guided the mix to rest atop the amber  liquid nestled within the glass.  With a final spin, Sol removed out a small orange stone from the diminutive planet and placed it on the glass as a garnish, it had become candy in his hand.

   Stepping forward he gently picked up the glass and placed it before me. The drink  gleamed, even after it’s maker’s hand was dexterously swept from the glass. “I hope you will genuinely enjoy this finely crafted drink, miss.” he ended, before stepping away. Staring down at what was before me, I found myself fascinated with how he created such a beverage. .  That such a monster could have the power to create a drink from summoning liquids of planets was one hell of a talent.  

   I wrapped my feathers around the glass and lifted it to my beak beginning  to drink down some of it’s  unusual glowing ambrosia.  After a sip, I set the glass back onto the counter as I attempting  to savor what I had drained.  The flavor was so raw to start. Practically overwhelming my senses before it began to smooth into mulled  earthy notes.  It’s stark and evolving flavor  unlike any other drink I had before; it’s evidence of magic  was quite potent.  So much so, I felt my feathers ruffle up slightly  as  a shiver ran  across my body. I looked down at the glass and noticed that I  only finished a fourth of it’s contents--but  could already feel it’s magic beginning to pulse through me.  

I  decisively lifted the glass again to take another swig,  letting more of it’s essence  wash past my beak and across my palate.  I could taste such wondrous flavors this time, more so than what I tasted before.  It all came in waves this time, starting with the nearly overwhelming, robust flavors of roasted chestnuts and warm cinnamon.  They eventually faded into gentle honeyed notes  that soothed my jarred senses. As the sensations ceased,  there were a few impressions of bitterness as a sweet cool chased  the drink on it’s way down.  Another  shudder  ran up my spine now as I began to really feel something akin to  a raw energy surging inside of me. Gazing downward at the glass; there was scarcely  a fourth of the libation  remaining. With a quiet smirk, I took up the crystal tumbler  again, popping  the garnish into my beak. which It’s taste  much like a candied fruit, then spent  the residual   liquid.

As I sat  and contemplated the flavors that I had come to know, I began to  feel as if there  was a raw energy pulsing within me.  It came in waves, just like the refreshment . Rippling through my body to be  followed by another feeling that smoothed and leveled the  initial energy;   settling me into a feeling of comfort.  This was similar to the comfortable familiarity of my school days; time spent learning and practicing my art.  Eager to take on the world; trying to get everything at once before I finally had a better feel for my craft.  I could feel the… THIS WAS IT!!!  

“Thank you so much!”  I called out to the bartender before rushing out the door.  My mind buzzing with many new ideas.  All sorts of new ways to show monsters beautiful new things.

A few weeks had passed since the night a certain bird monster had stopped by for a drink at his bar.  Sol received a message as he pulled his flames back into their usual red hair tie.  He reached  for his gold-trimmed coat, pressing  on the floating screen to open the message.  It was from the bird monster,  A note with an attachment of 4,600G. Scanning over the note, the flame elemental smiled seeing that his work had, once again, aided a fellow monster.

He pulled on  his coat as he began to leave, closing  the message as he quietly  muttered two simple words.