Cadi, Chapter 4
#5 of Cadi, Volume 1: Origins
Cadi didn't do too badly working at the restaurant, making sure that she picked things up nice and quickly. Carla was pretty impressed with her, especially since she was coming from the background of a wild tiger. There were a few hiccups, with Cadi's prey-drive kicking in at unfortunate moments, but she managed to keep it largely under control. She definitely had a weakness for cute, young women... but she managed those pushes by thinking about Dawn.
One morning, while Cadi was getting something from the back, there was a bit of a commotion out in the dining room. She set her things down and quickly made her way out to see what was going on. It seemed that a female badger had staggered in, and Cadi could smell something kind of acrid about her. With how the badger was staggering around, it was a good bet that she was drunk.
Cadi took a deep breath and made her way over to the badger, slipping an arm around her and taking control of her shaky movements. "Here we go, let me just help you get somewhere to sit, and then I'll bring you some food, alright?"
The badger laughed but thankfully didn't fight. That was a big relief to Cadi. She didn't doubt that she'd have been able to handle the larger woman, but the best fight was one that you didn't have to fight. "Heh... thanks... I think I... mighta had a bit too much t'night..." She had a lovely accent, though it was a bit tough to make out through the hangover.
She got the badger settled down before quickly making her way back to the kitchen, looking toRobbie, "We've got a drunk badger, who I'm guessing needs a good meal in her."
Robbie brought his hand up and lifted his bangs to look at Cadi and then out the window. He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he quickly went to work, "I know what this needs... Get her some water while I work, and I'll have it ready for you here in just a tick."
Cadi quickly went into action, getting a tall glass of water, making her way over to the badger with it, setting it in front of her, and pulling a chair around to sit next to her. "Here's some water to get you started with. Robbie's going to have breakfast for you here nice and soon."
The badger gave her a lopsided smile, patting the back of Cadi's hand, "Thank 'ye... just what a body needs after a night like that..." she said, still slurring her words pretty spectacularly.
Cadi chuckled and sighed, just sitting there with the badger as she started to nurse the water. As she watched, though, there was a sense of something she could do. It was hard to pin down, but she just lifted her hand and stroked the badger's head, focusing on the strange feeling she had. She took a deep breath and pushed... not with her hand, but through her hand, and something in the badger... gave.
The hazed-over eyes seemed to snap into focus before she shook her head and took a deep breath. She sat up a bit straighter and took a long drink from the glass of water before she looked at Cadi, confusion plain on her face. "Now... isn't that a funny thing..." she said, her Scottish accent much easier to make out now.
Cadi blinked in surprise, tilting her head as she saw the badger's reaction. Had she just... cured her hangover? Just that easily? There wasn't long to process that before the bell dinged from the kitchen, "Order's up," Robbie called out. Cadi quickly got to her feet and made her way over to the badger with the plate of food. It was a very strange plate, with some unusual-looking slices of sausage on it, one of them black with white specks in it, hash browns, toast, fried eggs, mushrooms, some grilled tomato, bacon that looked a bit like a cut of ham, and a pile of beans in a red sauce. She was very confused by much of it, but she took it over to the badger, along with the pot of tea that he'd put out beside it.
The badger's face lit up when she saw the plate of food. "Good old Robbie... always knows what I need on a morning like this..." she said, taking the tea and pouring it into a mug before adding milk and a good bit of sugar, stirring it and taking a long pull before she tucked right into the plate of food, just visibly melting at how good it tasted to her.
She made a good dent in it before she sat up again and looked at Cadi once more, who had stayed right there in case she was needed. "Now, lass, that was quite the little magic touch you've got there. But it was appreciated," she said with a big smile on her face, holding out one of her hands to Cadi. She'd learned that this was an invitation to shake hands, so she took the offered hand and shook it. "My name's Briar Morgan. Robbie and I are both Scotts by birth, and this is the one place I can get a proper fry-up around here."
Cadi couldn't help but laugh, smiling and shaking her head, "But... why were you so drunk? This early in the day?"
"Oh, for me, this isn't early, it's late. I run a bar in the area that... sometimes runs later than is, strictly speaking, approved," she said with a grin. "It's a damn fine place, though. We brew all of our own beer, and I even distill some of my spirits. I'd do more of that, but I can't really get hold of all of the ingredients I'd need in order to do that." She took a nice, big stretch, her substantial stature more apparent now that she wasn't slouching about.
"I don't drink so much every night. Just some nights, when things are getting a bit rowdy, I... join in a bit," she said with a laugh as she returned to eating her food.
Carla came in about then, sighing heavily and walking right over to Briar's table, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at the badger. "Briar. You know better than that... you know it..." she said in exasperation. She took a moment, looking at Cadi, her hand coming up to rub her face, "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that on your own, Cadi... I really am..."
Cadi laughed and gave Carla a lopsided smile, "It's alright. Gave me a chance to learn that I've got a bit of a healing touch."
Carla blinked and looked between her and Briar. The badger smiled nice and brightly. "Yep," she said, her tone far clearer than it should be at that moment, "Cadi here just plucked the hangover away like it was nothing at all."
Carla looked back to Cadi, her eyes wide, "Don't... don't you tell me that you've got magic..." she said, sounding like that was the last thing she needed to deal with this morning.
Cadi shrugged, "Best explanation I've got for it," she said with a little sigh, shaking her head as she thought for a moment and picked up one of the coffee mugs. She looked at it before she closed her eyes and focused on it. The other two watched in amazement as it filled with coffee, already with cream and sugar in it. Cadi grinned as she felt the warmth soaking through the ceramic, even before she opened her eyes, looking down at it and taking a sip before she nodded in approval and looked back to the others. "Yep... definitely magic..."
The other two were just staring at the mug with jaws hanging wide open, blinking as they tried to process what had just happened. "But... magic... doesn't..." Carla said, bringing her hand up to rub her face as she closed her eyes, "But you... you said that you went through that... black place... and came out... behind my restaurant... That..." she said as she looked at Briar, who was looking like she needed a drink. "Briar... we've never had any clue why people changed... there's no viruses... could it have been magic all along?"
Briar brought her hand up to wipe her mouth, breathing deeply as she looked at Cadi and then back up at Carla. "It's... possible... never came up with any better explanations, yeah? I... it's all just so... random..." She said, taking a nice, deep breath. "I wouldn't have taken that seriously until about now. But..." she took a deep breath, shaking her head... looking entirely too sober for her own good at that moment.
Cadi thought for a bit, her head cocked to one side before she looked at Briar. "You... said that your big problem with being able to make more of your own drinks is with the supplies... is there any chance that I might be able to help with that?"
Briar's eyebrows went up, and she seemed to think about it rather intensely before she nodded her head and shrugged. "I don't see where we couldn't have a go with that..." she said, rubbing her chin as she looked at Carla. "What do you think? Could I borrow your new server for a bit?" She laughed and grinned from ear to ear.
Carla laughed and smiled right back at Briar, "Oh, I think I'll manage if you take her for a bit. Go ahead and go with Briar to see if you can help her, Cadi."
Cadi was quite curious about what she could help with, feeling rather charged as she nodded her head and stood up. "Thank you, Carla. Alright Briar, let's see just what I can do."
Cadi followed Briar to her bar, and through into the back room area where she was shown around the inner workings of the place, getting a bit of a rundown of what was needed. "The main thing I need is the base for the spirits. Barley, rye, sugar, those kinds of things," Briar said, walking over to one of the containers that she used to store her grains in, "A good batch takes about this much," she added, patting the metal walls of the container. She then walked over to a bag that had some of the grains she used, opening it up and pulling out a handful for Cadi to see.
The tigress took the grains from Briar's hand and took a long moment to examine them, looking them over closely and bringing them up to her nose in order to take a deep breath. She even took one of them and popped it in her mouth. She didn't really try to chew it, but she was assessing the way that it tasted, which was (generally speaking) quite pleasant. She closed her eyes as she took everything that she could about the grain in, nodding her head slowly.
When she was satisfied, she returned the grains to the bag before she walked over to the container that Briar had indicated, putting her hands on it and leaning against it a bit as she breathed deeply. She closed her eyes and visualized the container full to the brim with grain, focusing on that with every ounce of her concentration.
Briar's jaw dropped as she watched the container start to fill... slowly at first, but faster and faster as Cadi got the feel for it. When it was completely full, Cadi stopped, leaning heavily against the side of the tub. She seemed reluctant to open her eyes, but she did after a good moment. When she saw the full container, her face lit up with delight, her ears standing high while her tail danced behind her.
Briar walked over to the tub, running her fingers through the grain, picking it up, and breathing deeply. "I'll be damned... you've managed to make some... properly high-quality grain..." she looked up from the tub to Cadi, "You're hired." She couldn't help but laugh, smiling so nice and big.
"Wait... hired? I... but Carla..." Cadi was completely taken by surprise by Briar's statement.
"Carla will be fine with it. She and Robbie have that place pretty well nailed down, they'll just be happy that you found a longer-term job, yeah?" She smiled and patted Cadi's shoulder, nodding to the tigress. "Part of their thing is that they like to help newcomers who need a bit of kindness to get their feet under themselves. Not saying you're a charity case to them, and that's all you are... just that they care a lot about other furs, and they can't stand to see someone without anyone to help them."
Cadi wasn't bothered that she'd been taken in by Carla and Robbie like that, but with Briar's explanation, she nodded her head slowly, her brow furrowing just a little bit as it resonated rather strongly with her. "So... their main priority is to help others..." she said, clearly still thinking, "And... I can help you with what you need..." she continued before she looked up into Briar's eyes, "Would it be... a problem if I went around and helped other people, too? When I wasn't working at your... bar, was it?"
Briar smiled and patted Cadi's shoulder, "You know, that's just fine with me. And... y'know, having you to answer to on how late things go on... will help keep me in line," she said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Part of my trouble is that I don't really have anyone watching the clock on me, and I do get carried away," she said with a little chuckle and a big smile.
Cadi smiled broadly at that, "Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure you know when it is time to close up for the night and see to it that you don't do too much drinking of your own. Just for your own good, of course."
Briar laughed and playfully rolled her eyes, "Yes, ma'am..." she teased before letting out a little yelp as Cadi suddenly hugged her, purring deeply. It was a nice hug, and Briar definitely appreciated it.
Cadi held it for a good moment before she drew back a bit, and chuckled. "So, are you going to show me how to start turning this into alcohol?"
Dawn was getting a little worried as Cadi was late coming home from the restaurant. Had something happened at work? Was she in trouble? Dawn was fretting away as the door swung open and Cadi walked in. She rushed over to her, pouting at Cadi, "Are you alright? You... you were out longer than usual... didn't work end a while ago?"
Cadi laughed and kissed Dawn on the nose softly, purring softly to her lovey. "Actually, I got a new job today... a badger named Briar. Also, I have... honestly pretty crazy news... apparently I have... magic."
Dawn blinked at her in confusion, struggling to process what Cadi had just said. "Magic? Like... pulling coins from behind ears, or rabbits out of hats?"
Cadi couldn't help but giggle and grin at her little sweetheart as she shook her head. "No, like... so, let me show you..." she said, walking over to get a coffee mug. She brought it over where Dawn could watch inside of it before she concentrated on it.
Dawn's jaw fell open as the mug filled with coffee and cream. She reached out and touched the mug, feeling the warmth coming from it even as steam rose from it. "That's... amazing... does... it have something to do with the new job?"
Cadi grinned a little, nodding her head. "Briar makes her own alcohol, but she can't get enough ingredients. After I helped fill a big-old tub with grain for her to use. After that, she basically told me I was hired on the spot. But... she said that I could go around the district and help people however I could during the day. I just get to work at the bar in the evenings. She thinks it'll help her keep from getting carried away and getting drunk. You should have seen her this morning when she staggered into the restaurant... she was so drunk... the first bit of magic was... I touched her head... and she wasn't hung-over anymore."
Dawn looked really impressed. "That... sounds like it could be really helpful at a bar... like if someone's had too much. You'd be able to keep them from starting trouble, or anything like that."
"Oh yeah... Briar and I talked about that. She's kind of had to be bartender and bouncer... which she can handle, but she needs some extra hands at the bar."
Dawn thought for a moment, tilting her head from side to side. "Do you... think she could use a third set of hands?" Her tone was hopeful, looking up into Cadi's eyes with a sweet smile.
Cadi raised her eyebrows, quite surprised by that. "Don't you have a job?"
"I do... it's just... I've been kind of going through jobs... trying to find one that clicks... But maybe... if it is one that works for you... and it would mean getting to be with you..." she said, fidgeting quite cutely.
Cadi smiled and gave her a nice, big squeeze. "I think that can be arranged, my love..."