Chapter 152 - 148: Killing the Party Vibes

Chapter 152: Chapter 148: Killing the Party Vibes

If it wouldn’t cause all kinds of nightmares, I would bite Terrah Bottomsley and Martyn, looking their most officious in their designer robes that look a bit singed and worse for wear. Jaws gaping, Lobo clearly considers the option as well, and Demos bares his teeth.

"They weren’t doing anything," Kaline defends us to Martyn and Terrah Bottomsley. "There are so many other dishes of meat here."

"Irrelevant, you foolish child," Terrah says in a snippy tone.

Glaring, Kaline doesn’t back down. "No, you’re wrong. It’s very relevant. They picked the one dish of meat that our beasts wanted."

Hans clears his throat. "But we can move. Right?"

Move? My fur bristles because it feels like quitting. Tucking our tails between our legs and leaving. However, maybe if we move, that will take away their worst argument. So, I amble toward the next dish of meat, which smells just as appetizing.

Begrudgingly, the others move with me. Lightning has her head held high and is murmuring to our cubs, probably telling them how to handle rude people. Acting as a guardian, Peridot coils and uncoils while hovering over the heaping dish of protein.

There. Now perhaps Zuba will move on. Ophion wouldn’t be dining on cuts of meat anyway, so Zuba is the one causing all the problems.

I step back so that Lobo and Demos and Lightning can eat their fill. However, a hairy arm shoots in front of us and grabs a hunk of meat.

Vedette, quietly simmering, gets in Terrah Bottomsley’s face. "What was their excuse this time? Your beasts are greedy and ill-mannered."

Terrah Bottomsley looks down her aristocratic nose. "You said that they could choose any dish they wanted."

Kaline’s brown hair streams around her in a wild, defiant way. "You are trying to start something, aren’t you? Is it because we’re your strongest competition?"

Martyn Bottomsley’s face turns the color of parboiled potatoes. "Of course not!"

But his words lack the ring of truth, and I lose what little respect I have for the Bottomsleys.

"Why?" Kaline demands. "Why provoke a fight? Do you want to get us kicked out of the competition too?"

Hans narrows his eyes, making him look like an older elf, a more mature one, anyway. "That would be neat and simple, wouldn’t it?"

Fluffing her hair, Terrah Bottomsley looks at him with more disdain than someone should ever look at a preteen, especially an elf preteen. "You child."

He scowls, twisting his handsome face but making it even more handsome, weirdly, because he’s got righteous anger. "As an elf, I’m already older and more mature than you."

Gussie has had enough of this, and she flaps across the room screeching, "MASTER LAMANT! MASTER LAMANT!"

Lobo lifts his head and howls. If he hasn’t summoned Minette by now, I’ll eat bugs. Peridot hovers, but I bet Niall has been alerted, and Elandior too by Einswine.

Martyn sneers. "Someone needs to silence that bird. And that wolf."

We aren’t supposed to attack other tamers, even in self-defense, so all of us stay quiet. No point in playing into the Bottomsleys’ hands.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

Lamant’s voice blasts across the pavilion, and the entire gathering grinds to a screeching halt as he pushes through the crowd. I can practically see smoke coming out of his ears.

Minette storms toward the Bottomsleys, with Elandior right beside her. If Hans’ face was rebellious, Elandior’s is the elven version of terrifying. Cold, fair, and powerful.

Lamant jabs a finger at the Bottomsleys. "Leave our beasts and our children alone. You disgrace your house and this gathering. Lunetta’s tamer has already confirmed your mistreatment of our beasts and your failure to properly instruct your beasts in etiquette."

Minette hisses, "How dare you. Back away from our children and take your beasts with you."

Elandior growls, "And you dare speak to an elf lord this way? You pathetic humans."

The Bottomsleys flinch. They might have no qualms about bullying us, but Minette and Lamant aren’t such easy targets. And Elandior has that elven gravitas.

"Leave." Minette points toward the opposite side of the tent. "If your beasts can’t eat with manners, then maybe they shouldn’t eat at all. At least not while our beasts are eating."

Terrah Bottomsley finds her voice. "You can’t--"

Lunetta’s tamer approaches, and Lunetta’s ears perk forward. Lunetta’s tamer is resolute. "My Lunetta says that your beasts were told several times that there was plenty of food and other dishes full of food, yet they insisted on antagonizing these beasts. Rude."

Another tamer joins in the growing disapproval. "My beasts would never behave this way. It’s just like allowing children to bully others and be selfish and greedy."

By now, the social sentiment has sharply turned against the Bottomsleys. Tamers operate by a code, and the Bottomsleys have arrogantly acted as if it doesn’t apply to them. The entire gathering glares at them witheringly.

Elandior’s voice is crisp. "My son and the Young Misses are correct. Your aims are transparent. You want to knock us out of the final competition. Apparently you received the wrong lesson from tamer Athalie and from the beast Janko. Those were supposed to be examples of what not to do, not grist for your scheme."

Maartenwitz huffs. "And deliberately antagonizing other beasts to misbehave is against the tamers’ code, or did you not know that?"

"They were counting on other people not knowing it," Niall says bluntly.

Martyn’s and Terrah’s faces turn the color of spoiled milk. "Well, I never," Terrah huffs.

"Apologize," Minette commands. "And your beasts must apologize too."

No recourse for the Bottomsleys from the crowd, which now regards them as if they came to the gathering in their underwear. The other beasts growl at Ophion and Zuba, who look like they would rather be anywhere else. Cautiously, they both back away from the food, and from us. Finn and Leonie snarl at them, making them nearly trip over themselves because it’s such a surprise.

"We will not," Martyn sniffs.

"Then you can leave," Lunetta’s tamer says in a flat, cold voice.

"Leave," the entire crowd echoes.

A tournament official bustles into the tent with several musclebound guards. "You will leave now or you will be removed. And if you do not, then YOU will be disqualified from the tournament for failing to follow tournament rules. You have almost reached that point anyway."

For several seconds, Martyn and Terrah and both beasts are like porcelain figurines, frozen in disbelief and humiliation. The guards stand awaiting orders and the tournament official is immovable. As for the gathering, it holds its collective breath.

Finally, Martyn and Terrah turn on their heels and storm out, with Ophion and Zuba hurrying to keep up and Finn and Leonie chasing them. After they fade from view, a collective cheer goes up in the pavilion. Finn and Leonie return, triumphant.

Minette raises her voice. "Let’s continue celebrating, friends. We all deserve an enjoyable night before we vie for the prize tomorrow. We must remember the spirit of this competition." Lamant kisses her temple, his heart full.

"Hear, hear," several tamers shout.

Elandior beams. "Then let us enjoy the festivities."

Laughter, happy music, beast noises, and conversation resume. I am in a bright and happy mood now, and my beast family and I resume eating, with Lunetta included. But we don’t hoard this particular meat dish all for ourselves. Any time a beast comes up and sniffs politely, we move aside. There’s plenty for all if they behave themselves.

A short, solidly built teenager approaches Vedette and strikes up a conversation.Naturally, Demos sniffs him for several minutes, evaluating him, before offering an "uff" of grudging approval. Kaline beams, not even teasing her sister about this development, at least right now.

[She deserves some attention.] I nudge Kaline. [He’s shorter, though. Does she like short men?]

[Blaze! As long as he’s intelligent and nice to my sister, I don’t care how he looks.] But Kaline studies the short, muscular tamer. [He is less polished and posh than her usual suitors. Those might be points in his favor. None of them have caught her eye.]

The way Vedette leans in, tossing her hair back, tells me that Kaline knows her sister. Strong-willed and confident, Vedette is very much Minette’s and Lamant’s daughter. She could never settle for anyone who didn’t match her intellectually and emotionally.

Lunetta nudges me and Lobo. [I see my Master has taken a shine to the tamer in your house. Maybe fated mates?]

[Humans don’t have those.] Lobo wags his tail. [But the two may be well suited, anyway. House Mooncloak is formidable and respected. And your performance in this tournament is impressive. You are honorable adversaries.]

I hide a smile. Lobo pursued a female wolf in the game but didn’t end up closing the deal. Now, this Lunetta has crossed our paths. I wonder if Damon knows her player?

[Damon?]

[Yes? Be careful with those DMs, bro.]

I offer a "mrrp" in response. [Lunetta seems nice. You wouldn’t happen to be dating her player, would you?]

A telltale pause. [Well...]

[I’m happy for you. Not just because she’s an ally. You deserve happiness.]

Lobo woofs. [All the more reason why I’m going to fight and win against System!]