Demon King's Gardener

The restaurant Forvi mentioned was in the market district, on a street full of more restaurants promising non-local cuisine - though most were the cuisine of other demon cities rather than other realms. It was an older, well-known establishment Jurao had been to in the past called the Bountiful Treeking, after a demonic beast the founder had taken a liking to. As evidenced by the embossed metal sign showing a rendering of a spearhorned treeking surrounded by produce.

It was a two-story affair, with more seating to be found on the roof in typical beastkin tradition, as the owner proudly proclaimed. Jurao had met the boisterous lionkin man before. He thought it was rather nice that he’d been as jovial to him as a common soldier as he now was to him as King.

“Prince Forvi, welcome back once again!” Adhi smiled proudly, “We’ve been happy to enjoy your patronage once again with your return to Caslavven!”

“Thank you, Adhi,” the prince chuckled, “As you can see, I’ve brought some friends with me today.”

“Which explains your reservation!” the current owner laughed, then bowed, “Welcome back, your highness! And friends!”

“Thank you,” Jurao nodded in return. He, too, could feel how all eyes seemed to be on him and Braelin during the walk from the temple to the restaurant - though most of the commentary he heard seemed neutral. He introduced, “This is my partner, Braelin, and his older brother, Malson.”

“Welcome, welcome!” Adhi said enthusiastically shaking Malson’s hand, “Welcome, newcomers to Bountiful Treeking! I hope we can become your favorite watering hole!”

“Why does that sound familiar…?” Braelin sighed, pressed closer than usual to Jurao’s side from all the attention.

“Isn’t it what Yheor always used to say!?” Malson asked.

“Ah, yes, she did,” Braelin smiled, then frowned, “I hope she made it out of-”

Before he could finish that sentence, a maned wolf beastkin burst through the door to the complaints of those inside before freezing in place just in front of them. Eyes wide and ears twitching, they vibrated where they stood.

“Yh… Yheor!?” Malson sputtered.

Adhi didn’t seem to know how to respond to the situation.

“I thought,” the maned wolfkin whined, eyes watering as her ears went back, “I thought I heard a ghost, but then…”

“Yheor?” Braelin surprised the King by stepping forward on his own, “Are you really…?”

“I should be asking you that!” the maned wolfkin woman replied, surging forward and falling to her knees to pull the human into a hug, tail wagging behind her, “I heard the Demon King had a human gardener partner, but I didn’t think it was… was… you!”

“I’m glad you’re safe too,” Braelin chuckled, voice heavy as he returned the embrace.

“... so you… know each other…?” Adhi chuckled nervously.

“Yheor ran her own restaurant in Fouran!” Malson said, still blinking in shock, “She and Braelin were good friends!”

“When the usurpation happened,” Yheor gasped, leaning back, “I was in Markun meeting a potential supplier - I heard… I didn’t hear anything about all of you, so I - I didn’t know what else to do, and-!”

“Perhaps,” Jurao said, “If Adhi could spare you, Yheor, you could join us.”

“Oh, yes!” Adhi nodded, looking a little misty-eyed himself, “Yes, of course! Yheor has spoken about her lost friend before; who could have imagined it was the very human courting the King himself!”

“Ah,” Yheor cleared her throat, getting to her feet to bow, “Yes, thank you, I would… really like that, your highness.”

Adhi quickly had them settled in a large, round booth on the roof that was screened from the street by potted beastkin plants that immediately caught Braelin’s attention - though he was able to tear his interest away to focus on his friend.

“Let me introduce myself properly,” the maned wolfkin woman said, seated between Braelin and Malson, “I’m Yheor Jhaalkar, one of the chefs here at Bountiful Treeking - but before that, I ran my own restaurant called Beastkin’s Bounty in the capital city of Jost, Fouran. That’s where I met Braelin.”

“I went in to ask about plants in the Beastkin Realm,” Braelin snorted, idly petting Petal settled in his lap.

Jurao chuckled, tousling his partner’s hair, “That does not surprise me.”

“You’re really courting someone,” Yheor barked a laugh, “Somehow, that’s more unbelievable than you being here!”

“Right!?” Malson asked, “I mean, there’s always been the demon plant thing, but romance!?”

“That’s true,” Yheor laughed some more and gently tugged at one of Petal’s tendrils, “And what’s this one’s name? I know you wouldn’t have a plant following you around without a name.”

“Petal,” Braelin chuckled, “They’re a rambling crushfern.”

Petal reached up to pat at Yheor’s face - then shivered before one of its tendrils burst into bloom. It shook the petals into the beastkin woman’s lap.

She grinned, “I see how you came up with it! What a cutie!”

Petal patted at her face some more, seemingly pleased with the praise.

“So, how did you even get here?” Yheor asked, “I mean - how long have you been here? No, wait - agh! There’s too many questions!”

“I slipped through a rift,” Braelin chuckled, “I’m not sure exactly how long ago, but we estimate about a decade.”

“A whole decade!?” Yheor sputtered, “But you were only made Royal Gardener… what, two months ago or so?”

“Yes, well…” Braelin scratched at his chin.

“The gardens hid him as thanks for taking care of them,” Jurao explained, “They only revealed him when I forced them to after returning from my Reunification Campaign.”

“Well,” Yheor snorted, “You always did have more plant friends than people friends…”

“But what about you?” Braelin asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Adhi is an old friend of the family,” Yheor sighed, “With all the chaos of the usurpation, I lost everything - so I stopped here on my way back home and he offered me a job and a guest bedroom until I got back on my feet.”

“He seems like a good man,” Braelin smiled.

“He is, he is,” Yheor nodded - then sighed again, “I just… I was so worried about you - all of you! What about the rest of your family? Are they here?”

“The twins are,” Braelin said, “And uncle and Ca- ah, Beneford.”

“They’re actually public about being a couple now!” Malson added, “It’s weird!”

“Damn!” Yheor huffed, “I’ll bet!”

“And courting a third…” Forvi remarked, seeming amused by the added company.

Braelin sighed, “I’m still not sure how to feel about that…”

“Oh, you don’t like the new guy?” Yheor asked.

“Braelin and Milve had a… less than ideal first meeting,” Jurao said.

Braelin made a hum of agreement.

“Wasn’t he a total ass!?” Malson asked, “That’s how I heard it!”

“From who?” Forvi chuckled, “I mean, by all accounts, that’s accurate; I’m just curious.”

“Goyl!” Malson replied.

“Oh, is he the partner of the week?” Yheor grinned.

“Malson’s actually married now,” Braelin snorted, “With two children.”

Yheor gasped, “No!”

As the food arrived, the beastkin and two humans continued catching up - Jurao and Forvi only adding spare commentary.

It appeared Yheor also had a love of plants - but more for their culinary value than anything else. But it still led to her having a keen interest in the cultivation of strong, healthy plants - she and Braelin even seemed to forget the rest of them as he finally asked about the multicolor bushes surrounding them.

By the time they had finished their meal, Jurao asked, “You said you were working for Adhi temporarily, Yheor.”

“Uh…” she frowned.

“He meant that as a question,” Braelin said.

“Oh,” Yheor nodded, “Yeah - I have enough saved up that I was thinking about moving out soon, but… to be honest, I haven’t figured out what I actually want to do.”

“It’s… a lot,” Braelin sighed, “Losing everything.”

Jurao took his partner’s hand before continuing, “Yes. On our way into the city, we thought it might be prudent to expand the castle gardens - it could be good to have another experienced horticulturalist on staff. If you’d like.”

“A… a job? In the castle?” Yheor asked.

“The food garden is already comprised of human-demon hybrid plants,” Braelin hummed, “Adding beastkin plants to the mix could have beneficial results - and it would be good to have a better relationship with the kitchens. If you wanted the job.”

Yheor’s tail started wagging, but she didn’t seem to have an answer.

“Not that you need to decide right away,” Forvi chuckled, “We should be heading back - take your time to think about it.”

“I will,” Yheor said - then put a hand on Braelin’s shoulder, “It’s really good to know you’re alright, Brae.”

“You too,” the gardener replied, “And I’ll be sure to visit - job or not.”

“You’d brave the city just for me?” Yheor laughed, “Thank you!”

Making their farewells, their little party was soon back in the coach and homeward bound.

“Yheor seemed nice,” Jurao commented.

“She is,” Braelin agreed, leaning into his partner’s side, “I missed talking with her.”

“The Bounty was the only place you could spend hours besides the gardens!” Malson snorted, “I’ll be pretty fucking surprised if she doesn’t take you up on that job offer!”

“She did seem eager,” Forvi chuckled, “But can she handle Voga?”

“Voga!?” Malson asked.

“Head of the Kitchens,” Braelin sighed, “He can be… difficult.”

“Ah, I hadn’t considered him,” Jurao hummed.

“Eh, Yheor can hold her own!” Malson said, “I mean, she was willing to risk getting disowned to pursue her love of cooking!”

“Really?” Forvi arched his left brows, “I’ve always heard beastkin hold cooks in high esteem.”

“They do,” Braelin snorted, “But - according to Yheor - the beastkin descended from carnivore lineages don’t think much of cooking ‘leaves and grass’, despite being omnivores. It’s Yheor’s focus, though.”

“What set her on that path,” Jurao asked.

“A boarkin cook named Houh that bullied his way into the kitchen where she was apprenticing to eventually join her family’s restaurant,” Braelin chuckled, “Could cook meat as well as any Carnivera, but insisted they couldn’t call themselves masters of their craft if they couldn’t also cook vegetables and the like. Yheor tried his dishes and said she’d never known there was so much more texture and flavor out there. So when it came time for her to become a journeyman cook, she asked Houh for a recommendation in one of the Herbivin countries. It was quite the upset at the time.”

“I still find the idea of cooking guilds intriguing,” Forvi chuckled, “But I can’t deny that beastkin chefs are usually a cut above.”

“Beastkin kitchens can be pretty cutthroat, too!” Malson nodded, “I’d say it’s more about whether this Voga can handle her!”

“Maybe… a branch?” Braelin suggested, “Off of the Gardening Department for the food gardens specifically?”

“We can bring it up with Hujur if she accepts the offer,” Jurao said, “A bit of reorganization could do well for better collaboration.”

“Tomorrow is your first court event together, isn’t it?” Forvi asked.

“Yes,” Braelin grimaced, “Some kind of… poetry contest…?”

“A poetry contest!?” Malson asked, looking intrigued.

“Yes, a poetry battle,” Jurao nodded, “I can reach out to the host to ask if there’s another seat.”

“No, I’ll just find another one!” Malson shrugged with a grin, “I don’t want to get in the way of your first court appearance!”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Braelin sighed.

“I think I’m enjoying it the right amount!” his brother laughed, “Considering how happy you always were that you didn’t have to handle court events back home while I did!”

“That’s fair,” Braelin sighed.

“Only for a little while,” Jurao assured, “Until the court calms down.”

“And then just the occasional appearance where you can leave almost as soon as the event begins,” Forvi said, “That’s what Zaza did.”

“That’s reassuring, at least,” Braelin nodded.