A Garden of Flowers and Bones [Lloyd Garmadon x Reader]

Chapter 8: You'll sing a song of your heart's complaint

Balthazar let out a low whistle, his form like a sturdy tree trunk at her side. Benny Butcher's place was small in the front, with tiled floors and a counter where he sold his stuff. The back room was enormous, since that's where he prepared everything. There was a big cellar used for keeping the meat cool, and he and his pregnant wife, Kyouka, and their two children, lived next door in their house.

The man was heralded as a great butcher, as he learned from his father and his father before him. His son was probably learning how to be a butcher, too (although the boy was still only a bit older than Dwyn, too young to do it professionally just yet).

"And you say you caught this all up on your own?" Benny inquired, rhetorically, "That's good field dressing. Just so you know, you don't need to bleed deer. I would do that if needed, but when it's gutted, most of the blood comes out on it's own."

He moved his finger along the jagged cut that had forced Y/N to scrub her clothes so hard and thoroughly that her fingers were red raw and stinging by the end of it.

"Uhhh, alright, yeah, I didn't... know that," She lied.

"Welp. It's not as though it matters all that much," He shrugged, "You saved me the trouble. The fact you did it alone is impressive."

"It decreases the weight of the body," Beathán stood towards the door, offering his thoughts passively, "It would be more convenient for someone whose forced to carry it on their own."

"Didn't think of that," Benny gave a short nod, "Thanks for this, Glory. I'll pass the hide along to the Tanners in advance if you want. You can pick it up for yourself later."

The perks of living in a small town: everyone knew everyone, so people naturally co-operated better.

"Nah, let them keep it and distribute it as they like," Y/N waved it off.

"You sure?" Balthazar asked, brows raised in surprise.

"The deer is yours, so the profits should be yours, as well. Else what was the purpose?" Beathán added.

Oh no. Not good. It that would genuinely be a terrible idea to tell them about the barrier (she could get lynched- which wasn't preferable), but she didn't really have a lie lined up to explain herself. Y/N wasn't exactly a natural born liar, as any one of her interactions with the Fae in the woods would demonstrate.

Bloody hell- why was she thinking about HIM again!? He should get out of her head already!!

"I dunno... I was just bored that day...?" She smiled nervously, pulling her fiddling fingers apart to make a gesture of the hands signifying 'what can you do?', "I wanted to check that I wasn't out of practice, y'know? It's been a while since I've shot from the musket."

"Must've been a good shot," Balthazar nodded approvingly.

When Y/N glanced back at Beathán, he looked strangely conflicted. Furrowed, thick brows and his jaw set closed. Not angry, per say, but there was something on his mind. Her attention was called back to Benny as he looked over the doe carcass again before smiling and hauling it over one of his shoulders.

"If you say so. I'll take this off your hands...-" He began heading to the backroom, but stopped and turned back, "While you're here, if you're still interested in getting back into practice, what do you think about joining hunting season at all? I'm sure good ol' Tommy would load up a crossbow for you."

"Uhhh... I think I'd just slow down the herd, that's the thing about that."

"It'll be Nelson's first time hunting, too. You wouldn't be the only one out of practice," Balthazar nudged her, lightly.