Ol' Flint the Crow

A Romantic Dinner

"Why, hello again, my good Samuel," chimed Madam Silvia.

She was seated on a couch with her long legs dangling off the side invitingly. Now wearing a rose pattered gown that exposed most of her honey colored skin, Silvia was a ravishing figure of beauty that Samuel could not believe he had the pleasure of her company.

However, the flute player noticed that the woman was standing in view of the window where Flint and Miss Bleak could see. Deeply embarrassed at the memory of his last conversation with the barmaid, Samuel stood next to the velvet curtain, unable to move any closer to Silvia or the prying window.

Instead, Silvia lazily lifted herself from the couch and waltzed over to the minstrel. Running her eyes up and down the man, she grinned hungrily.

"My, my. You look quite dashing!" she said.

Immediately, Samuel forgot all about the bird and the barmaid.

He pinched the sides of his new clothing; and in a narcissistic tone, that tried but failed to sound modest, Samuel laughed, "I can't take all the credit for that! You have good taste in men's fashion, Silvia."

"I like my guest to be well dressed," cooed the Madam. "And nothing pleases me more than helping a man put on his clothes... or take them off, for that matter..."

Samuel blushed.

Clapping her hands as a signal for her monkey to lead them to the dinner table, Silvia said to the minstrel, "But first, let's have dinner."

"That would be lovely," said Samuel.

He extended out his arm to the Madam with a sly expression. Taking it, the two love birds sauntered towards the dining table that was just out of view from the window. However, Samuel had to pass by it. Trying his best to act natural, the minstrel lumbered near the window, all the while feeling the bartender's sharp gaze puncturing a hole into him. Once he reached the other side without burning to a crisp, Samuel sighed in relief. He helped Silvia to her seat on one end of the table. Afterwards, he took a chair the other side.

Monkey begrudgingly pushed the chair forward for the minstrel to sit. After the two humans were comfortable, the monkey stormed out of the living room to the kitchen and retrieved dinner with the help of a group of vultures who pushed a cart loaded with silver platters.

The smell of fragrant herbs wrapped around Samuel's nostrils as he was served a large portion of cauliflower salad with a tingly vinegar dressing that balanced out the rough texture of the salad with its strong sour flavor. It was delicious, and Samuel had to hold himself back from scarfing the whole plate down in one bite.

"Like it?" asked Silvia.

Dabbing his cheek with a napkin, Samuel enthusiastically answered, "I love it! I've been on the road for a while, so good meals have been sparse. And this salad is delicious."

"The vultures are amazing chefs," the Madam explained. "I was a bit worried at first, seeing that they are unclean scavengers; but I assigned them a cooking position in my mansion, and they took to it like a bird to the sky. Heh!"

"My complements to them!" Samuel said as he took another bite.

Making circles with her finger on the table cloth, Silvia asked, "So, Samuel. What is it that you do exactly? How is it that you have arrived in these lands? I am very curious to know more about you."

Gazing at the woman in pride, the minstrel lifted up his flute. "I am a flutist, Silvia. And I've been traveling the lands in search for inspiration in my musical carrier. However, my finances are running low so, I've been slowly making my way from town to town playing at the local bars and taverns."