“Oh, darling!” Benedek said with a flip of his magnificent mane. “It’s perfect. Sing it again!”

The bard huffed and sighed. He took a great big inhale before strumming his lute and singing the ditty for the fourth time. Benedek leaned forward from where he was perched, eyes wide and gleaming, ears forward to listen.

But another had entered the tavern.

Benedek snapped his head around and stared even harder at the tiny patron. Ankhor had entered the building, a magnificently powerful mage in an itty bitty pretty little package and Benedek was all over it, darling.

Benedek snaked over the other patrons, leaving the bard baffled and bereft, before propping himself at the bar with his head lowered on one arm, rose between his lips and eyelashes batting.

“Oh, Ankhor,” he cooed. “Over here, dearest.”

Ankhor blinked as she flew over and landed atop the bar.

“What even is that?” she asked.

“Oh?” Benedek flipped his mane again. “What?”

“That.” Ankhor gestured to all of Benedek.

“Nothing.” Benedek said, removing his head from his hand and sitting up properly. He pouted for a moment, before he bounced back as always. “Buy you a drink, beautiful?”

“No thanks, I can pay,” Ankhor responded, the comment flying right over her head. She wasn’t tall enough for it to hit, as it were. She gestured for the bartender to come over and handed him a coin. The snapper took it in one hand and pushed a cup that Ankhor could fit enough to bathe in across the bar.

Benedek sighed dramatically. Another day, another failure. Oh well!

“Bard!” Benedek called. He appeared again in a flash. “Sing it again, would you?”


“Oh, bother,” Benedek sighed.