The Wild Boar Inn

@❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ (okies)

Hajun wouldn't lie that he wasn't curious and excited for this little adventure or date tonight. He closed his tailoring and trinket stall early to get ready for this event, so he wouldn't look like a complete mess. He of course changed and wore something a little less casual - but still in traditional clothes with a more modernized style. A simple deep black hanbok-styled jacket with silver trimmings and ribbons with a matching black top. Straight-legged pants in the same coloring. He styled his hair a bit ruffling his bangs as bit as his ears on top of his head twitched. He didn't like looking into the mirror for too long as the image or the beast that looked back at him wasn't exactly the bringing he was born to be - but was forced to become.

Luckily for him, he didn't have far to go honestly since at the moment he was still living in a room at the inn - turning into a long-term guest. He was close to being able to get a small place maybe - but the room that he had right now wasn't horrible. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he stepped down the stairs of the inn. He let his tail absentmindedly swish behind him as he walked. He could hear the typical songs that the pianist was playing in the lobby as he glanced around to see if the younger kit had arrived. He spotted the kit up on the second level most likely waiting for him. He stopped a passing bar wrench to order some bear and soju as that was always his go to drink when spending time with another.

He heard the tail end of the conversation that the other kitsune guards were having as he made his way over to Hyo-jong. He noticed that the other already had a drink and some bread. He leaned against the table as he reached out gently picking some lint from the other's ear. "So, I do hope that I have made you wait for just little me for too long," He chuckled, taking his seat across from him. He glanced at Hyo-jong noticing the corners of his eyes blur a little. "Is everything alright - what they said bother you?" Hajun asked, tail swishing quickly to point at the guards before curling around his leg.

@⚜ Wi Hajun [I’mma just reply in the Wild boar inn.]

As I reached the Wild boar inn, I swayed on my mount’s back. Upon dismounting my Deerbit, I tipped the stable hand with a silver fang coin and give her one final pat on the neck. With anticipation, I took a deep breath and smoothed out my hand-me-down red vest and black blazer, a gift from my master on my name day. I removed the invisible beast hairs from my charcoal gray and black pinstriped pants with my hands. I spared one last glace at myself in the puddle infront of the establishment before finally finding the courage to go in.

Despite its slightly worn appearance, the three-story building was still worthy of royalty. I pushed the door and heard a pianist playing, guards shouting, unsure if they were on duty. A few giggles of woma playing coy as a mage slide his hand underneath the slit of her skirt. Peeking down at my pocket watched I noticed I was rather early so I decided to explore then find a comfortable spot on the second level. I was quickly seated by the fireplace near the balacony railing by the bar wrench and brought bread and mead.

“They foud Garrett just out side the blood forest of marshall lands, dead.” I looked upon from my cards across the surface at the three other men sitting at the table two away from mine. Guards from Kiren’s peak, but unclear clan, no badges, only queen’s emblem. “Dead?” Another guard replied the previous.“No he wasn’t just dead but completely drained of blood. His flesh chewed up like wild dogs had a go at him then left the Kit scattered into pieces.” My vision blurred at tiny bits of ice formed in the pit of my stomach. Wild dogs didn’t do that…ing ghouls.

@♆ Joy Unnecessary. Mackenyu thought to himself since he believe not in wasting resources. Yet, this is the demon princess he is now serving and her anger must be appeased. He nodded his head and on his right a sword battle-ready. "Then why are you here?" Mackenyu mumbled in a low voice, rolling his eyes at the demon. He cocked a brow when the demon snapped him a look and sighed that Sooyoung once again was summoned to deal with the problem. Mackenyu scratching his head since he never see Joy lift a finger but expects a great reward. He did not say a word to Sooyoung basing on the reaction. The last thing he desires is to stress the poor woman even more. He took a liking on Sooyoung, feeling that connection as she was also human. He drew closer to her and coughed to hear where they are going. As he followed the trail the demon princess took, he received a slap from reality. For the man haven't been to Materia Highlands for years. Oh how he loathes to go back.

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ 'What would I have you do is to rip their ing hands off from their wrist and make them suffer with no hands!' Joy stomped the ground and made a small crater in anger. Most of the staffs knew the bandits are up to no good, witnessing Joy's anger too many times will end to those who steal from her met their worst consequences. She stomps her way out of the gates of the inn before she calmed down for a bit.

Joy sighed and puts her hands on her hips , she sighs. 'I shouldn't be doing this dirty job...' She muttered before looking back at Mackenyu then she had an idea, Joy smirked. 'Ah that's right, you and Sooyoung will do the job for me.' Then she closed her eyes and her transition from Joy to Sooyoung took effect as her eyes no longer glowed its green hues.

"W-What? Me?" Sooyoung groaned, "Oh well, I guess let's do the dirty job then." She looks at Mackenyu. "We're going to Marteria Highlands by air." Sooyoung unleashes her dark angelic wings, not terrifying enough the last time when Joy had her demonic wings. She looked back at Mackenyu, "Come on, get in front of me." She pulls the other in front of her, facing his back as she wraps her arms around his waist. "Hold on tight!" Then she lifts them off to the sky and she flies to the highlands with him.

@♆ Joy “Certainly.” The man uttered, showing almost the same courtesy that Sooyoung is showing him. Gathering the empty glasses, he stole a glimpse of the woman and wondered if she gets tired of being in the same body as the demon princess. He scoffed reminding himself that it is not in his best interest to be nosy.

The man frowned, heart pounding against his ribcage when the other man walked drenched with his own seat in complete dread. Mackenyu asked one of the maids to take the empty glasses from his hand. Anyone in a close radius from the woman gasped and some backed off in fear when the demon princess surfaced. He balled his fist since the bandit only made him day difficult.
“Oh damn. She is upset. Careful Mackenyu.” The maid commented but quickly run back to the kitchen when the Joy descended from her office.

“Hmm.” He hummed, nodding in his and followed the woman out of the inn. The man placed himself three steps from the woman since not only he works for her but he saw her as unpredictable. “What would you have me do to them?” He asked.

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@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ She smiled at the other, "I guess we're one and the same in one thing." Sooyoung chuckled before she nodded as the other starts to continue taking care of his job. "Sure, I'll see you after work." She waved before going back upstairs before looking at the time, it's almost lunch time. She looked back at the man tidying up the mess on one table, Sooyoung is wondering if the other already took a break for a lunch.

The back door burst open when the delivery guy panicked and ran to see the owner, he said that the cargo he's delivering was robbed by bandits in the Highlands. Sooyoung gasped before her eyes briefly turned into green hues, slowly transitioning into Joy hearing what happened to the cargo of supplies for the inn, 'You what?!' Joy exclaimed before she clenched her fists and groans. 'These filthy bandits already getting on my nerves!' She stormed into her office and gets her black velvety jacket before descending down to the ground floor, the demon looked at the male slave. 'You, human. Come with me.' Joy demanded as she toss her jacket over her shoulder, 'Those bandits are up to no good, they always steal what they are mine!' She growled as she walks out of the inn.

@♆ Joy The thought of having to read all day seems dull for Mackeyu. He does a love a good read or studying potions and spells but never he dreams of sitting in an office pushing papers. He nodded, genuinely empathic towards Sooyoung. “But everything is running smoothly. And you paid that debt. What more is she asking of you?” The man asked. “Regardless, i cannot slack off either.” He grinned that turned to a frown when he noticed the messy table that the bridal entourage left after having their little send off party for the bride to be. He looked around and wanting to ask for any attendants but all are probably busy doing their own chores. His eyes fell on Sooyoung and dipped his head. “Excuse me.” He said, going through sea of drunken creatures towards the said table.m and start to tidy things up.

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ Sooyoung slumped het shoulders down, "Contract reading, business paperworks and all." She sighed. "It's boring on my part, I want to roam outside but I can't since Joy would strangle me if I slack off once again." She laughed and looked at the other, "I hope you don't get hard on your work," Sooyoung responded. "Joy doesn't really care about who is the best employee, as long as you do your job it's fine. That's why there's no employee of the month here, they work at heir own pace."

@♆ Joy Once the brawl died down, Mackenyu went around reassuring the other patrons that everything is under control. The crowd returned to mind their own business and that’s something the man believe is a win. About to return to his station, it was Sooyoung who greeted him with a smile on her face. At first, he did not seem to get the point of the compliment but from what he can see, it was Sooyoung and not the demon princess who is offering her kind words. “Oh that?” Mackenyu said, pointing at the men who just let their drunk friend go alone. “I’m only doing my job. How are things for you though?”

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ Sooyoung leaned against the railings watching how the other would calm the commotion down, the drunk man seems to realize what is happening before he stormed off the inn. The other drunk man lay low and went back to his drinking not to worsen the situation, once the commotion dispersed, Sooyoung walked downstairs and walked towards Mackenyu. "Nice restraints you got there, you did it without even harming one or two." She complimented as she smiled.

@♆ Joy Throughout that week, the potion he drunk that night helped to quicken the healing process. At first it was walking with the cane, still limping but not as painful anymore. Three days after that, he was able to walk without the cane however he experienced phantom pain. Having his stuff taken from the slave quarters, the man was able to create potions to help him cope with the job.

Mackenyu stationed himself at the reception day and night to ensure that peace is maintained. Sheathed katanas attached to his belt, the man noticed something peculiar happening at the pub. Two men on each other’s face, both have a ruddy complexion and erratic. Their pals who were laughing at the beginning are trying to break them apart.

“Hey. Hey. Hey.” Mackenyu rushed over when they started to push and shove each other. He pulled back one of the men from his collar and kept telling him to calm down. “Walk away man. Come on.”

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ A week later, Joy paid up the debt owed by the creditors to make herself be the owner of the building. She made sure her inn is up and running whatever she liked while Sooyoung is busy taking care of the minor things on behalf of her demon half. Joy and Sooyoung take turns of their schedule on who will work everyday. Sooyoung was reading the some contracts for Joy from the stairs when she spares a glance on the ground floor, she sees a growing commotion between two drunken men. She sighed, it's always like this in the pub area of the inn.

@♆ Joy "Duly noted." Mackenyu nod in agreement though he remembered Joy's warning. If he did fail to do his duty, there is an unspoken fear that he'll get a terrible punishment once his time comes. So once she was out of sight, Mackenyu did not bother to take his dirty boots off. The man dragged himself up into the bed as needle-sharp bolts through his leg, his teeth clenching so hard his jaw ached. He wearily untied the small leather pouch attached on his belt and went fished out a small vial that contained red liquid. He drunk it's content. When he inhaled, another flash of pain had him seeing double as his leg felt like it had been cut in two. But it wasn't. He held his right leg, throwing his head back trying not to move too much and fall from the bed. After few minutes of tossing and turning, the man laid flat on his stomach and panting, exhausted till he had fallen asleep.

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ Sooyoung smiled at the other's response, "You can drop saying miss to me, just call me Sooyoung." She leaned against the door frame. "You can rest for a couple of days until you can fully recover, don't mind Joy-- I'll definitely tell her you need time." She winked before she goes out of the room, giving the man some space to rest as she went back to Joy's office and went to the mirror to look at, not at her reflection, but Joy's reflection with a deadpan look.

Sooyoung's brows raised at the other's look, "What?" She asked the demon, 'You really had to make himself comfortable?' She told her. 'Isn't it too much for a slaved human to be comfy enough sleeping in a richer room like that?' The demon's question made Sooyoung rolled her eyes, "Come on, Joy. Mackenyu is injured, it was your fault scaring him off and wounded him." Sooyoung responded. 'You were having fun doing things on your own with MY body--' The demon growled, "Uh no, this is MY body, you just made it stronger." Sooyoung corrected. Joy hissed a bit and glared at Sooyoung, 'That human you brought would be dead if you didn't interfere with my thoughts, but since he agreed on working in the inn, you will do all the work to take care of him-- I don't care if he loses his life anyway, his soul will be mine to drag to hell.'

"That's rude of you," Sooyoung scoffed, 'I take that as a compliment.' Joy smirked. "Well, you better pay up your dues because the creditors will be back tomorrow and I'm not helping you." Sooyoung turned back from the mirror, ending the conversation between two souls in one body as Sooyoung looked at by the window and sighed, reminiscing her past life from before.

@♆ Joy Mackenyu dishevelled and grimacing, he followed her up to the second floor. Sweat trickled down his cheek and pooled at the collar of his tunic and he appeared to be gasping for breath. "I...I reckon that won't hurt then." He stammered, his voice strained. Mackenyu's heart raced as he glanced into the room. Dark mahogany bed frame with seemingly soft mattress and a fireplace are ready to be used. Indeed anything is better in comparison to the slave quarters. "This is nice. Thank you, miss” He said, shuffling into the warmth of the room. Mackenyu leaned against the bed post and dipped his head. "You should get some rest too."

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ Sooyoung assisted the injured slave to his own room, "Don't worry about that! Joy doesn't care who gets to be lucky or not, depends on how she wants to play her victim." She smiled as she went up the 2nd floor where there are a corridor of rooms in there. She slipped her hand into her pockets to get a chain of keys in their before she gets one for the room by the stairs and unlocks the door. "Here, you can rest here." The room is empty yet a bit lavish for a slave's taste, "You need rest so the wound can have the time to heal itself." Sooyoung smiles at the other.

@♆ Joy “No harm done.” Mackenyu cleared his throat, ruffling his hair not wanting to be too emotional about his past. Good thing the woman did not press further and changed the subject. “That’ll be great. I’m beat.” He slowly got up, leaning more on the cane. Wouldn’t Joy get upset about that?”

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ When the other opens up a little about his parents, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. "I'm sorry, Mackenyu..." She apologizes before shaking her head a bit, "Let's not get ahead of sadness-- how about I show you to your new room?" Sooyoung stood up from the chair and smiles at him. "If you want, I can order my servants to transfer your things in your room by dawn."

@♆ Joy “That’s handy.” Mackenyu smirked amused by her lack of filter since some would be hesitant to share anything about themselves. He was reminded himself that Sooyoung is also a part of the demon princess. A glint of sadness flashed across his face yet he pulled himself straight and nodded. “Mining accident.” He replied.
“A little.” Mackenyu drummed his fingers against the wooden table. “But that’s fine. I need to know who I am working for.”

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ She gulped down her fourth slice of the pie, "I haven't eaten for months." She said truthfully. "This-- demon body of mine doesn't sustain for foods and drinks, so I can eat tons of pigeon pies in one sitting." Sooyoung smiles and gets another slice. "Oh, so you were an orphan then?" She asked the other before eating another slice, "You know... I was an orphan too, I never met my parents." Sooyoung mutters before pouring another glass of whiskey on hers. "Am I talking too much? I haven't talked with anyone for this long." She looked down and scratched her nape a bit. "Sorry." She apologized.

@♆ Joy Not quite sure about that, Mackenyu rolled his head back before adjusting himself on the seat. Taking notice of how much the woman ate, he is not sure whether to find it endearing or actually sad. He angled his head, running a finger along his bottom lip. "You either like pigeon pie that much or you did not eat for days." He sighed, taking the crystal glass of whiskey and drinks it bottoms up. "Sixteen per shift." He repeated those words. "No I don't." Mackenyu's voice stern.

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ "I can manage to talk to Joy later about the pending payment." Sooyoung said before she takes another slice of the pie, she might have the same appetite as Gluttony, but she hasn't been eating delicious foods for months. She takes a spoonful of the pie, "We have 31 in total, every 15 staffs are changing shifts from day to night shifts. Plus one is you." She pointed at Mackenyu. "But you'll be working day and night, just as the contract written." She gets another piece of the pie into and devoured another slice again. "By the way, do you have a family?" She asked the other. "Well, in case something happened to you- I can let them know first and foremost." Sooyoung asked.

@♆ Joy He is not surprised that Sooyoung would watch the front as Mackenyu met the demon princess and he thinks she's not one to mess with. The man watched the woman drink her glass of whiskey, he scoffed and said, "That or lose this place." It wasn't his business to meddle on how the demon princess operates. He shut his mouth and vowed to himself that he will only do what is required. "How many staff are here?"

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ "They are, in fact I was the one who did the talking with them because Ms. Sit-Still-Look-Pretty are not into candied words." Sooyoung sighs and sat back on to the chair, "I mean, Joy can pay them up with additional sum, but she likes to play with her clients sometimes, wanting them to be mad and get pissed by not paying." She drinks the whiskey on her glass. "That's what demons do."

@♆ Joy Mackenyu did not divert his attention till the creditor left the inn. One thing played in his mind, “what the hell is the demon princess up to?” So he thought of ways to bring it up or maybe even try and persuade Greed to pay her dues. There is a subtle suspicion that the woman won’t pay but the man can at least try. He exhaled when there was a chime followed by the door shutting. Mackenyu stared at Sooyoung in stone-cold and questioning. “Don’t mention it.” He uttered and returned to his seat groaning as he elevate his injured leg the chair close to him. “Are they from the bank?” He asked.

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ Sooyoung peeks from the table as the other handled the things before the creditor's nose flared a bit before giving up the search for her, he warned Mackenyu about Joy's comeuppance if she did not paid tomorrow or she will demote her as the owner and will replace her from the worst ones. The creditor leaves as he turned his foot to the opposite direction before Sooyoung rose from the table and sighs in relief, "Phew, that was close." She laughed it off, "I guess Joy needs to take care of the payment before she gets to live in the Underworld again." Sooyoung looked at Mackenyu, "Thanks for covering it up."

@♆ Joy The creditor complained about the lack of accountability by the owner of the inn that Mackenyu had to be the receiving end of the man’s frustration. Putting his weight on the cane, he stood close to the creditor and noticed the woman peeking from under the table. He scoffed, clicking his tongue before returning to the creditor, “well.” He said. “The lady is not here at the moment.” The creditor’s face grew red, the veins on his neck visible under his frail skin and dared point a finger at Mackenyu, demanding “You kept saying that. But i think she’s trying to avoid paying for her debt. I’m not going anywhere till she pays. Understood?” The man pushed Mackenyu causing the other to almost lost his balance.

Mackenyu could only sigh, realising that his work has begun. “You’ll get tired of waiting. Come back tomorrow when the miss is around.”

@♦ Mackenyu Arata ¥ The creditor asks for the owner of the inn about the money they lend for something important, it was a already at it's due date. Sooyoung peeked from the table as the other took care of the creditor. Prompted the other that the owner is on a business trip and may take a while for her to pay for the owed money.

@♆ Joy Mackenyu grabbed the other glass of whiskey, only had a sip when the woman told him about the minor problems and greater trouble they are in. “What-“ His brows knitted together seeing the horror on Sooyoung’s face. His sight fixated at the man who entered the doorway, seeing the ledger in hand. Mackenyu pushed the chair back by using his good leg as a lever and jolt backwards before taking a peek at the woman hiding underneath the wooden table. “Miss, what the hell?” He mumbled completely dumbfounded. “Aren’t you—“ He paused looking back to his encounter with the demon princess who was filled with confidence and without fear. Mackenyu gathered strength to pick himself up and stood when the creditor was going around asking for the owner of the inn. “Excuse me, sir. Can i help you with anything?”