"Sure," Mag said, smiling. "Would you like to try the new dish too, Master Urien?"Urien nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"Good afternoon, Master Half-beard, Master Turtle," Amy said. Then she saw Urien"s birdcage. "You"ve changed, Black Coal!"
"I know. I"m getting handsomer by the day. Guilty as charged," the crow said, holding his head up with pride.
Amy shook her head. "No! Your feathers are growing back; you look even blacker than before."
Black Coal looked down at his body, and then jumped up in delight. "I knew it! G.o.d sent you here to test me, and I pa.s.sed His test!"
"Can you put the fire out, Aisha? Please clean the blood too if it"s not too much trouble," Mag said.
Sally nodded. "Yes, Boss." She used her water magic to extinguish the flames and clean the blood up.
"Do you want me to rearrange the tables and chairs?" Yabemiya asked Mag.
"Yes, please."
Then he wrote another notice, and stuck it on the doorframe. It read: "Thugs came and caused havoc. The restaurant is being repaired, and will open tomorrow with a new dis.h.!.+"
Some people had gathered around the restaurant, talking.
"One of them is dead, the other three got arrested, and the owner walked away free?"
"They deserved it; it"s the law."
"The law shouldn"t have let the owner off the hook so easily. He must have some influential connections."
Kra.s.su and Urien glanced back at Sally, exchanged a look, and took their usual seats.
Urien had left his birdcage on the floor, and now Amy and Ugly Duckling were staring at it.
"Meow, meow!" Ugly Duckling cried, reaching out its paw to try to touch the crow, but it was too far out of its reach.
"Look at your short legs," Black Coal said with disdain. "Thinking about touching me? Think again!"
"Meow!" the kitten screamed, shaking the cage, trying to get in.
"Bring it on," Black Coal sneered.
"Is this a door?" Amy asked, pointing.
"No!" the crow said hurriedly. "It"s not a door. Why don"t we talk about something more fun? Like singing."
Amy shook her head. "You sing so terribly. I want to watch you fight with Ugly Duckling," Amy replied, trying to open the door.
"Then we can talk about dancing. I"m a dancing master! Let me show you some dance moves."
Amy shook her head again. "No, I don"t want to watch a nude bird dance." She found a b.u.t.ton and pushed it, and then the bolt clicked open.
The crow hastily gripped the door with its beak, pulling to keep it shut. "I"m a bird! I don"t want to fight a stupid cat! It"s not fair!"
"Meow!" the kitten cried, straining to pull it open.
"Let"s talk about why this stupid cat got fatter!" Black Coal screamed.
Amy gave the door a push and the bolt clicked shut again. "You think it"s got fatter as well?"
Black Coal breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes. Actually, it"s much, much fatter than before. At this rate, you won"t be able to hold it anymore."
"See? I"m not the only one who thinks you have got too fat. Run 10 laps before bed, and no dinner for you tonight." Amy put a dried fish into her mouth and ate it.
"Meow, meow," Ugly Duckling cried in dismay, looking up at Amy, its eyes glistening with tears.
By then, Mag had walked out of the kitchen with two bowls of braised chicken and two bowls of rice. He put them down in front of Kra.s.su and Urien. "Our new dish—braised chicken and rice. Please enjoy."
The aromatic smell made the two old men"s mouths water right away.