Meat and Greet

On Crystal Lane, the group was heading to a butcher shop called, Meat and Greet. It was Taya's turn to get the gifts, but she wasn't looking forward to going inside. A store to purchase meat was one thing, but this establishment also had a slaughter house in the back. With a deep sigh, she went in.

Taya could smell fresh meat, some of it spiced or seasoned. She could hear animal sounds coming from behind the stone building, but thankfully, the wind wasn't blowing towards the shop.

"May I help you, miss?"

Two men were behind a counter that had dozens of meats displayed beneath it. One man was older than the other, but they resembled each other, so Taya took them to be father and son.

"Sergeant Erkennis sent me to gather the Pelor's Day gifts."

"I'm Jerrik and this is my son, Del."

Taya nodded.

Jerrik chuckled. "Del, would you get the toys for the lady?" Del removed his blood-stained apron and went out a back door.

"Can I interest you in something?" said Jerrik.

"I can't right now. My group is in a hurry to gather everything while it's still light."

"You can always come back later."

"Yes." Taya looked at the various meats on display. Everything did look tasty.

"Here you go, ma'am." Del had arrived, holding a box with several dozen wood building blocks.

Taya was about to take the box, but stopped when she saw a smear of blood on its side.

Following her gaze, Del saw the blood. "Sorry." He set it on a table and wiped it with a dirty cloth. "Here you go."

The box wasn't any cleaner, but Taya couldn't reject the donation. Looking for the two less dirty spots to place her hands, she accepted the gift, thanked the two men, and scurried out of the building.

River Quarter