Raptor Den: Chapter 2
Checking the piece of paper with the address on again Manny glanced from the hastily scrawled words to the street sign and frowned. The street was one of those quiet, cobblestone paved back alleys that you found in ancient cities across the world.
It had cast iron street lamps, iron railings outside tall expensive looking houses and a row of delightfully charming little shops. Pausing next to the red and black painted post box the weasel-bun rubbed his muzzle and glanced up and down the street.
"This can't be right..." he muttered, idly rubbing at one of his brown and caramel coloured ears, "This is way too fancy for a club..." checking the number written on his paper the red haired weasel made his way along the street, counting numbers until he stood before the regal looking, red brick, gable roofed, art-deco stain glass window sporting building.
A sign over the main entrance read "The Raptor Den" and a small brass plaque next to the door advertised it's licence to sell alcohol. Shrugging and tucking the paper into one of the deep pockets of his cargo trousers Manny trotted up the steps and pulled on the bell cord. There was a soft bong as if a hammer had struck a fancy gong and a couple of moments later the door opened.
The figure looming up out of the door was a very impressive dinosaur, standing a good five foot tall, well over two feet taller than the suddenly small feeling weasel. Brushing back his ears Manny put on his best smile and held out a hand to the purple and lavender, green horn sporting dinosaur. He was wearing a white shirt, black jacket and rather severe bowtie and his hazel eyes narrowed as he stared down at the bare chested weasel.
"Yes?" he asked in a soft voice, "We are not currently open."
"Yeah, I know but I am here for that bartender job, names Manny the agency said they had sent you my details."
The purple dinosaur's eyes widened and he case his gaze up and down the short, large footed, big pawed, long lop eared weasel. Manny shuffled a bit self-consciously but drew himself up to his full height, ears perking up a bit, he had to put his best foot forward.
"You came to a job interview dressed in cargo pants and nothing else?"
Manny froze, his ears wilting a bit then he perked up and smiled at the raptor, "Yes, this is Manny, what you see is what you get... I'm more toon then boring meat, I bring sparkle and fun to any event just by being there."
"Well ok," the purple dinosaur stepped back and held open the door, "I'm Nido the doorman, come on I will take you to meet the boss."
Manny followed, bouncing along, he had got through the front door. Most jobs slammed the door firmly in his squishable snout after hearing the word toon. The room he was led too looked like the main lounge, there was a stage, round table covered with tablecloths, each one with chairs that had clearly been designed for someone with a large tail.
Sitting on a stool at the bar wearing a zip up red hoodie and a neon green vest was a blue raptor with thick blue feathered hair. He was sipping an iced drink and idly flipping through a stack of papers. He perked up however as Nido led Manny over and glanced at the weasel-bun.
"Whose this?"
Nido placed a paw on Manny's shoulder and pushed him forward, "This is Manny from the agency, he's here for the job of bartender."
"Well nice to meet you Manny," the raptor smiled, "I am Kyrio, welcome to the raptor club," he gestured at the bar, "I'm not much for formal interviews but show me what you can do with the stock here."
Manny turned his gaze on the bottles, glasses, optics and cordials lining the shelves of the gorgeous art-deco bar and with a swift movement vaulted the bar.
"Sure thing..." bouncing on his toes the weasel bun started to grab bottles and toss them back and forth, pouring a little bit from each one into a jug. He tossed in some ice, chopped some fruit and then mixed the whole lot together with a swirl and a dash of lemonade out of the mixer nozzle. The whole concoction sparkled with an intense layer of multiple colours as the various spirits and mixers settled into their own layers.
With the cocktail finished he grabbed a handful of the fancy cut crystal martini glasses and startled to juggle them, spinning them around and around with one hand, fingers dancing as he tried to keep them airborne. Lifting the pitcher of drink he tipped it, the liquid splashed out, filling each cup as it span through the air, somehow staying upright. He also spilled a lot of the liquid on the floor as he kept pouring even when a glass wasn't present. This waste didn't stop him as he clicked his fingers and a ball of glowing blue flame erupted into existence above his palm. With a deft flick of his wrist he ignited each cocktail, the spirit inside separating and sparkling as the flames worked their way down through each layer.
"I... uhm..." Kyrio tried to get a word in but the weasel-bun didn't stop, now he was spinning a circle of six flaming cocktails in a circle between his hands. Somehow he was keeping each flaming cocktail upright as they span between both hands now and with a triumphant grin Manny turned, shifting his feet ready to line them up along the bar.
As he moved however, his foot slipped in the sticky wet liquid he'd splashed all over the floor during his extravagant pouring. His leg slid too far to the left, his back tilted out of kilter and with a startled dook he slipped backwards. Pratfalling backwards the martini glasses span up into the air, flames swirling out of them. The whole mess crashed down atop Manny and flames exploded upwards in a burst of flammable vapour that fizzled out in a multi-coloured, alcoholic laden vapour.
Not that Manny really got to see it, the toon weasel was too busy batting and rolling back and forth to put out the flames that had engulfed his brown and caramel fur. Sitting up singed and steaming he glanced guilty at all the broken glass then yelped as Kyrio poured a jug of ice water over his head extinguishing his flaming hair.
"Er thanks... so... uhm... I'll pay for those..." Manny gave the raptor his best rakish grin and swayed back up to his feet, patting down his fur to dislodge the soot.
Shaking his head Kyrio pushed aside the single Martina glass that had somehow managed to land undamaged, still on fire and with all its liquid contained in front of him. The raptor then reached over the counter to pick up two glasses and a bottle of bright blue liquid. Pouring two glasses Kyrio fixed his eyes on the weasel and then slid one of the glasses over toward him.
"I am not sure you are quite what I am looking for in a bartender."
Manny's ears wilted, well further than the lop ears usually hung anyway and he sighed and took a long swig from the offered drink, "I knew I'd blow it damn..."
"Don't worry though," Kyrio smiled, "I think I can find some jobs for you elsewhere in the bar, in the stock department, you'll fit in just fine."
Perking up at the opportunity and possibility of not having totally ruined his chances Manny smiled, "You mean it? Like stock boy or lugging kegs of booze up from the cellar that sort of thing?"
"Not quite," Kyrio propped his arms on the bar, resting his chin in his hands and smiled at the weasel, "Something more... literal was what I was thinking..."
Manny opened his mouth to ask what the raptor was going on about but was sort of stopped as his tongue lost cohesion. His words lipsed out as his tongue and teeth started to ooze and melt, he looked down at his body in alarm and gaped, he was melting!
Ok no need to panic, Manny was used to melting, of letting his solid form go and flowing into a thick gelatinous caramel. It was part of well being him but this time he wasn't the one instigating it and none of his usual triggers had happened! He was hardly flustered or too warm but he was melting and what was worse he couldn't feel the parts of his body that had already sloughed off into liquid.
Lifting his head he tried to speak again but his muzzle was a gummy, semi-liquid mess, words were beyond him and Kyrio was just sitting there watching him with that sly, sardonic smile that only a dino could pull off.
With a wet splat Manny felt his tail separate and twisted around to look at it. It had broken into two distinctive piles of liquid, liquid that was slowly shifting into two colours. The liquids flowed apart from each other, a thin film of the gloop slowly coalescing into the shape of two raptor shaped glass bottles. The rest of the liquid settled down inside, growing less thick and more fluid, thinner, like spirit settling into a bottle. He was also getting incredibly cold, the heat from his body was being drawn out of him as he turned to glass, the smooth material leeching away heat to fuel the transformation.
Manny started then tried to twist around and look back at Kyrio but his head was passing the level of the bar. He couldn't see the dinosaur's head and the act of twisting around made his hips slide off his legs! He splatted into the ground and tried to call out, to shout but the best he managed was a liquid gurgle.
His legs were repeating the process his tail had, the thick liquid settling into the shape of a glass bottle and the remaining liquid pouring in to fill them up. His big, broad, beautiful feet had already turned into several bottles of spirits and Manny managed a whine of protest! That wasn't what feet were for and then he caught of the blue raptor's hands, he was pouring blue liquid back into the bottle it came from!
Manny tried one final protest, squirming from side to side, reaching up to try and grip the bar. His fingers curled around the wood then splashed into liquid, his arms detached and with nothing to balance himself with Manny fell forward. His torso hit the ground, splashed apart and the liquid started to spread and separate.
For a moment the weasel bunny was disorientated, he felt... well he wasn't sure what he felt! Part of him was excited, ecstatic even, the final sensation of his body breaking apart into liquid lingered with him and it felt good. His vision was blurry, he was oddly horny and Manny was quite sure he was drunk, the liquid he was collapsing into was an alcoholic mix and it filled his thoughts. What wasn't good was the smooth crystal walls of the raptor shaped bottle he was now standing in!
At less than an inch tall Manny pressed against the glass, no sloshed against the glass and whined impotently. His being, his self was trapped under the cork of the final bottle to form out of his body, the liquid essence of all that was him sealed away. Glass clinked, a blue shape moved back and forth stacking bottles on a shelf and then a clawed hand picked up his bottle and brought it up to eye level.
"Welcome to being stock Manny," Kyrio crooned and then tucked the bottle under one arm and started off, "Now let's put you someplace safe in my office so no one sets you lose. I don't need a toon working for me but you do make excellent liquor, people are going to love drinking you."
Manny wanted to protest, he also wanted a little but to let the dinosaur know he was kind of loving this. But mostly he wanted to protest, he didn't want to be beverages! Especially not cursed, turn people into cartoons or cloned of himself drinks! That was just wrong and not on but well Kyrio either wasn't listening or Manny was only making noises in his head, liquid soulstuff wasn't known for being very loud! Either way he had certainly joined the raptor club, just not in the way he had been hoping!