Chương 14: Episode Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight: Inventory Management

Grocery list, check. The notepad had another page filled with basic items we needed. Either Betty had eaten them, or we had run out at some point and I hadn't realized. The grocery list stretched longer than I'd like, but that was okay. Not to mention everything needed to keep the coffee flowing, and our various offerings for various kinds of shop days. Not everything we stocked came from my world, like the teas for the dragons, or some of the more magical offerings.

I sat at the counter with the tablet for the register.

"You ready, Betty?" I asked, after checking the charm on my bracelet. For the first time since this had all started, she sat at around half of her energy. That gave us some flexibility to get some nonmagical things done, like groceries and lunch. Lorestone and Indigo had fled to her hideaway, though Lorestone hadn't flown. He vanished into the counter. I guessed that flying was something they'd need to practice. The surroundings outside the window changed as we shifted locations.

Energy still flowed in from the front door, but less than before. Still, any energy at all didn't make sense, given that this should be my world. Maybe. Before I lost any time thinking about it, I placed the grocery order. The shop's bank account number almost knocked my socks off. I thought Indigo was rich. Betty was rich rich. Maybe not in magical items that we needed, but her bank balance had more money then I'd ever seen in one place.

Then again, if the Cat had been stuck in the shop for centuries, investing did give one heck of a return over that length of time.

"Alright, the order is placed, though it also let me place the magical order in the same one…" I said out loud. That was a little weird. Maybe we weren't on my world after all. We had enough in the fridge to make a tasty lunch of sandwiches and potato chips. I headed back in that direction to make everyone some food while we waited for the delivery. Without thinking about it, I made three servings of lunch, even though the Cat wasn't here.

With Lorestone's new transformation, he might need to eat, I just didn't know.

"Food!" I yelled. My voice echoed down the hall leading away from the kitchen, as I set three plates on the island. The bag of potato chips was next. Just the basic ones. Nice and crunchy. A knock on the door jolted me to the front, hurrying around the counter. The door unlocked as I approached, and swung open.

"Sorry about that," I said as I smiled. The person nodded and offered the bags.

"One massive order here, I have more in my car."

"Let me grab those," I said. I snagged the first set of bags and set them on the floor off to one side. By the time I turned back, the person had another load for me.

"You're all set," they said with a nod, before they dashed off to a car… that wasn't resting on wheels. It floated in front of the shop. Definitely not on my world. Not at all. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The door swung shut as I twisted to place the bags on the floor, but the first load of groceries had already vanished.

"You don't need to do that," I whispered. The floor warmed, and the feeling of contentment swept over me.

"I mean, I'm not going to argue with you about putting things away, I just don't want you to feel pressured to, or taken advantage of." I carried the second set of bags to the kitchen, where loud crunching sounds had arisen. Indigo sat with her snout inside the bag of chips, while Lorestone stared at the sandwich.

"I wasn't sure if you needed to eat this kind of food, or something else," I said to Lorestone, as I set the bags down. They immediately sank into the counter.

"Thank you, Betty." Indigo jerked her head out of the bag. Little bits of potato chips stuck to her scales, and she glistened with grease.

"Potato chips are love."

"Leave some for the rest of us," I said with a chuckle.

"Make sure to eat your sandwich. It has cucumber on it." I'd gone with ham, cheese, tomato, and cucumber. The cucumber gave it a nice crunch, and went well with the chips. Though, Indigo had eaten over half the bag.

"I don't think I can eat this," said Lorestone, in a soft voice. I set my sandwich down.

"Alright, we will figure out what you can eat." He pulled his sandwich apart and took the ham off, before picking up a piece of cucumber. That he took a bite of, before gulping the rest of it. Then he ate the tomato, along with some chips.

"This smells strange to me," he said, pointing to the meat.

"Maybe you are a vegetarian," I said, getting up to check the fridge.

"We have plenty of veggies. I can cut some peppers and some more cucumbers up for you." By the time I turned back to the table, Indigo had given Lorestone her cucumber and tomato, while she finished the rest of her sandwich and what remained of his. I set a pile of cucumbers and peppers on his plate, along with some grapes in the center of the table. Those he downed quickly, before resting back on his legs.

"I think I ate too quickly," he said, with a small groan.

"The grapes are good," I said, before popping one in my mouth. Indigo snuck another couple of chips, before tasting a grape. She purred for a split second before snagging a second one.

"Are you full?" I asked our newest family member. Lorestone nodded very slowly.

"I just want to sleep now."

"That happens after lunch, sometimes," I said with a smirk.

"I'll make sure to keep your meals veggie-focused." Another knock came from the door, and I hurried up front, leaving my lunch behind. A dark figure loomed in front of the door, and it unlocked as I approached, just like before. My brother Cerulean stood in the doorway, with a grin.

"Do you know how hard you are to track down?"

"Uncle!" Indigo flew into the room, clutching the potato chip bag.

"Come on in," I said, holding the door open. He stepped inside, and barely dodged the bag as Indigo flew in circles overhead.

"I wasn't expecting you," I said, before I wrapped my arms around him. He chuckled and snagged the bag from Indigo.

"Well, someone was supposed to head back home before signing a new contract." Indigo landed on his shoulders, and munched on a chip.

"I didn't sign a contract. I kinda took over without one." I'd promised Onyx I'd head home, but things had gotten a little knocked off course. It'd been worth it. He snorted, before grabbing a handful of chips, then offered some to Indigo. Her eyes lit up, and she snagged a few more from him, reminding me of a chipmunk.

"That doesn't seem to satisfy Onyx." He glanced at me with a look. That brotherly look I hated. One that said I might have screwed up.

"He is now in a funk."

"I'll give him a call," I said, as I walked back into the kitchen.

"Do you want a sandwich?"

"I'll take a sandwich, but you need to figure out a way to visit home."

"This is home," said Indigo.

"I meant our hometown," said Cerulean, quickly.

"You have other Uncles to meet. Plus, a Grandma."

"A grandma?" she asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes. There was only one problem. I did not know how to visit my home town. A snore came from Lorestone, who was curled up next to his plate, still piled high with veggies.