Fowlhunter [GL]

“Welcome, welcome, to The Olde Chocolate Shoppe!”

The owner greeted them as they walked through the double doors. They had stepped into a shop further down the street. Quite obviously it was a chocolate shop. It was rather small and homely-looking, with only two others in there browsing. But effort had obviously gone into the decoration. Cubed glass windows, smooth wooden walls and cream-coloured shelves made the entire place look like they were walking inside a hollowed-out chocolate bar. Aromatic incense sticks burned at the entrance, making the air smell like toasted marshmallows and pudding. A speaker played relaxing, strumming guitar.

Jemi’s eyes lingered on the confectionery bedecking the shelves. Piles of wrapped fudge and hand-poured toffee, bags of colourful bonbons, jars of hot cocoa mix, and so on lined the shelves, filling the ribboned hampers and suspended wickerbaskets scattered around the room.

“Don’t steal anything,” Ennanis reminded her.

“Psh,” Jemi rolled her eyes. “Wasn’t going to.” Other than confectionery, the shop was full of random bric-a-brac in the way old local shops were. The empty space on the wooden walls filled up by vintage posters of retired music bands, and flyers advertising local services, like plumbing and the town’s bookreading club. There were crocheted animals and woollen handkerchiefs, mugs wrapped in cup-cosies. But what had drawn Jemi’s attention the most were the antiques scattered around the place… like the elaborate cuckoo clock chiming in the corner, or that carved gold dish holding the fudge squares. They were genuine articles that were definitely worth a lot. The dish had looked really tempting… but Jemi would leave it for today.

Ennanis walked to the front of the store. The person behind the counter was a bespectacled, jolly old man with plump arms and a potbelly that stretched out his pinstriped shirt. The tag on his shirt, designed like a chocolate bar, had the name LEO inscribed on it. He was engrossed in sorting through a box of chocolate nibbles. When they stepped up, he looked up.

“Hello, hello,” he began jovially. “How may I help… you…” he trailed off as he adjusted his glasses, staring at the rose-haired angel standing in front of him. “Why, if it isn’t you!”

“Hi, Leo,” Ennanis smiled. “You still remember me?”

Leo was still shaking his head in disbelief. “Ennanis, wasn’t it? Gosh… of course I remember you, darling. You used to come in all the time and buy up half the store’s worth of chocolates. Gave my poor daughter a fright when she saw you staggering towards her with the tower of boxes. And I’ve never met another non-chocolatier with such exquisite knowledgeable in chocolatery.” He came around the counter to gaze up and down at Ennanis. “You’ve grown so tall,” he marvelled, “and your hair’s even longer now. The uniform’s pretty much still the same… oh, you switched to a grey belt? The gold one was nice. Eh, it’s up to you.” Humans didn’t know the significance of the different-coloured belts. To them, they were all the same—angels.

“So, how can I help you today-” he said, before his eyes landed on the other woman standing beside Ennanis. “Oh, you brought a friend today, too?” Then his eyes narrowed. “Wait a second… you’re the Red Scarf!”

“?” Jemi tilted her head, smiling.

“Yesterday morning! A woman wearing a bright red scarf with a diamond-shaped hole in it, ran amok through Orchid Avenue and upset my buddy Rogan’s cart!” Leo accused. “Tipped over all his bokchoy and didn’t even stop to say sorry or nothin’. I’ll serve you, Ennanis, but the young lady will have to step outside.”

Shrugging, Jemi was about to head out when she heard Ennanis say, “I apologise, Leo. I take responsibility for her behaviour. You see, we were having a lovers’ quarrel.”

Jemi’s footsteps stalled. She turned back around, giving Ennanis an incredulous look. Ennanis’ face was as neutral as ever, but she saw butterflies of mischief dancing in her slitted-gold eyes. Meanwhile, the expression on the shopowner’s face had totally changed.

“You mean to say…” he said, awed, “You’ve got a special someone, now? Her?” His eyes were downright sparkling, his hands clasped together. “You must tell me everything, Ennanis! How did you two meet? How long have you been together? Oh, is this why you came here—to get her apology chocolate?”

For obvious reasons, Ennanis couldn’t answer any of the other questions, so she said, “Nine years.”

Leo almost cooed. “And how many years married?”

Jemi couldn’t take it anymore. “We’re not married,” she interjected.

Leo’s mouth fell agape. “Nine years and still not married?” He gave Ennanis a serious, disapproving look. “No wondershe’s so pissed. You better do something ‘bout that, ma’am!”

“One step at a time,” Ennanis ‘defended’. “Any new chocolates you’ve made recently? I’d love to try your new recipes. Definitely buying a few to take home.”

“Of course, darling. Oh, I have so much that I’ve been dying to show you,” Leo nodded vigorously. The old man disappeared in the back of the shop.

“Hey,” Jemi said lowly. “You don’t have to. Especially if you can’t.” Laced within her words was the unsaid: you’re gonna buy chocolates… with what money?

“There’s always money for chocolates,” Ennanis said. Saying that, she rummaged around in her pack and brought out a handful of coins. It was her earnings from her mining job in Kanch, savings from longer ago, and donations from when she was squatting on the street and under bridges.

“...I kind of understand why you’re perennially broke, now.”

“It’s good chocolate. Olde Chocolate Shoppe only stocks craft chocolate.”

“Craft—what?”

“Means that the whole cacao beans are slow-roasted before they’re winnowed. It’s almost pure cocoa, with a little sugar added before they conch and temper it, and they also don’t add any emulsifiers.”

“Mmm… yep. No idea what any of that means.”

“Good chocolate,” Ennanis repeated. “You’ll see.”

Leo emerged from the storeroom with two armfuls of stacked boxes. Ennanis raised her hand, and shimmering Soleki threads helped to take some of the load off him. Leo gave a grateful nod as he set the rest down on the counter.

“So, what kind of chocolate does your girlfriend like?”

Ennanis looked at Jemi. The woman’s lips were a thin line, her face almost as red as her scarf. She didn’t look like she was about to be replying anytime soon.

Ennanis asked the shopkeeper, “Do you have anything that’s fruity, in general.” She hadn’t really brought Jemi chocolates in the sunprisons before; a grave oversight on her part, thinking back on it now. But based on what she had brought her before, Jemi seemed to favour fruit flavours.

“Oh, we’ve got a new shipment of Jaffa orange chocolate…”

“No oranges,” Jemi mumbled.

“Besides oranges,” Ennanis said. “Cherry chocolate is also awful, so skip that. Have you got anything like… apple?”

“Hmmm. Apple-flavoured chocolate is pretty unique,” Leo mused. “But you’re in luck! I’ve got right here a sample of my latest recipe.” He opened up one of the boxes, lifting the flap up and over to reveal rows and rows of chocolate balls, dusted with cinnamon sugar. “Apple cinnamon chocolate truffles. Artisan, obviously. Plus, I created this with honey as the sweetener instead of sugar. It’s real tricky to do, but I’ve done the hard work for you. All you have to do is enjoy.” He nudged the box in their direction.

Jemi watched the way Ennanis plucked the truffle from its mould casing, balancing it on the tips of her fingers carefully as she took a sniff. Her tongue darted out to lick some of the cinnamon dust; then the angel popped the ball in her mouth, a flash of teeth as they aligned on the centre seam of the truffle, splitting the shell with a crisp snap. Ennanis’ lips closed together once more, her cheeks hollowing out as she sucked on the treat in her mouth.

Abruptly, Jemi realised that for about thirty seconds she had been doing nothing but staring at Ennanis eating chocolate. Feeling suddenly very warm, Jemi turned to the box and took her own truffle. Clumsily, she tossed the entire thing in her mouth like a berry. Jemi didn’t know how to eat in a refined manner. While she had stolen and sold many a luxurious thing, she’d never had one to enjoy for herself.

Now, Jemi tasted the flavours melting on her tongue: it was very… chocolatey, in way that was deep and intense, the earthiness of the honey wafting through her nostrils like the smoke of a hearth. And the hint of apple… it wasn’t tart like a fresh apple, but it was saccharine like candied apples, it a way that hit her with a wave of childhood nostalgia.

“You like it?”

“Yeah,” Jemi said faintly.

“I’ll take a box of that,” Ennanis turned to the shopkeeper, coins ready.

“Bah, come on. Have it on the house,” Leo shook his head. “Treat your girl.”

“Oh. Then let me buy something else too-”

“Ennanis,” Leo smiled, hands on his hips. “It’s not every day I see an old friend. Have anything you want in my shop—at least for today.”

The angel paused.

Then, quietly, she said, “...Thank you.”

He flashed a grin at her. Ennanis, grabbing one of the shopping baskets, placed the box of truffles in it and moved to browse the other wares. Jemi was about to follow behind her when her senses twitched.

Ennanis seemed to have heard it too, her head snapping back.

Clickclickclick…

Descending from the wooden ceiling with barely a whistle, was a red-eyed spider.

It was large, the size of a palm, twirling from a tether of silk—but instead of being invisible, the string seemed to shimmer gold. It clicked innocently at them.

Jemi stared at it dangling in front of her. She frowned.

“...I’ve seen this spider before,” she murmured.

Meanwhile, Leo’s expression had turned to one of pure terror. “It’s the sp-sp-spider!” he yelled, face ashen as he pointed.

“Are you scared of spiders?” Ennanis inquired. She raised her hand, ready to snap her fingers, but not before something flew across the room.

SCHWAAAAANG!

It was a mace. The customers in the shop screamed as the heavy weapon soared across the room, severing in its path the cords holding up the wicker baskets and a lamp, causing them to crash to the ground, scattering chocolates and bonbons in all directions. The tip pierced the spider mid-air, then slammed it into the opposite wall where a painting hung, smashed through its glass frame, pinning it there by its twitching thorax.

The person who had thrown the mace stepped through the doorway.