"Pearlie:
If a girl starts whining, I know immediately she's not cut out for this job.
So: chop the firewood into pieces this size—" she showed with her hands "—and fill the crate.
We need about two crates a day, but if you can chop more, firewood never goes to waste."
Then she added, with strict emphasis:
"Pearlie:
Get at least one crate done in an hour.
Understood?
We need it for cooking year‑round.
In winter for heating too, but it's summer now, so we need less."
"Firestorm:
I understand the task."
"Pearlie:
Good.
Bring me the crate in an hour.
By then I'll have all the potatoes peeled."
Firestorm nodded and headed toward the firewood — completely confident.
For her, a crate of chopped wood wasn't work…
It was a warm‑up.
Ten Crates Later…
Pearlie gave the new girl her task, then returned to the kitchen to tackle the enormous sack of potatoes.
Ten minutes later Veronika joined her — the tables were done, and now she was peeling vegetables too.
Thanks to the new girl, Firestorm, who had taken over the firewood duty, the mother‑daughter duo could finally work side by side on the vegetables.
Within an hour, not only the potatoes but the carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, herbs, and finally the onions were all prepared.
The kitchen slowly filled with the warm, promising aroma of the upcoming lunch.
Exactly one hour later, Firestorm appeared in the back doorway.
And not with one crate of firewood.
But with ten.
At the same time.
Pearlie and Veronika froze.
"Pearlie:
You chopped ten crates of wood in one hour, girl?!"
"Firestorm:
I chopped the same amount again, but there were no more crates."
Pearlie's eyes widened — then a huge grin spread across her face.
"Pearlie:
You're hired!
You're my girl!
Or… my beast‑girl!"
Veronika clapped her hands excitedly.
"Veronika:
If you're this strong, then you're not afraid of the knights, right?"
"Firestorm:
I fear no one."
"Veronika:
Then a few butt‑slaps won't bother you either!
Yes!
Finally I don't have to work for two people anymore!"
A Dragon Waitress in Her Element
Firestorm adapted to life at the inn with astonishing speed.
Her powers of observation were nearly flawless — after a single round through the dining hall, she already knew which table needed what, how to serve properly, and how to avoid stepping on the guests' feet.
As for physical work… well, for her it was more like play.
She peeled potatoes three times faster than Pearlie herself.
She lifted heavy crates as if they were empty.
She carried sacks with one hand.
And she moved through the kitchen like a dancer —
a dancer who could snap an oak tree in half.
Pearlie quickly realized:
she couldn't have found a better waitress even if she'd searched the whole kingdom.
Thanks to the new girl, they finished preparing lunch far earlier than ever before.
So early, in fact, that for the first time in the inn's history…
they had a full hour of break.
Veronika collapsed happily into a chair.
"Veronika:
If I'd known the Goddess would send us a girl this strong, I would've prayed for her years ago!"
Pearlie rubbed her hands together with deep satisfaction.
"Pearlie:
If you keep this up, Firestorm, the Black Cat Inn will become the best place in the city.
And even the knights will learn to behave properly."
Firestorm simply smiled.
She had no idea that the knights would soon arrive…
and that in a single day, she would cause more chaos in Wolfwood than any dragon had in centuries.
A Dragon-Sized Appetite
Firestorm adapted to the inn's rhythm so quickly it was almost frightening.
But when lunchtime arrived… that was when Pearlie and Veronika truly understood,
what it means when a dragon eats "just a little."
Pearlie prepared her usual three lunch options so every guest could find something to their liking:
1. a monster‑meat dish
2. a farm‑animal dish
3. some kind of sweet treat
Firestorm, of course, couldn't choose.
She wanted all of them.
More than once.
She doubled every menu — six full meals in total — before she finally felt satisfied even in human form.
Veronika stared at her, jaw hanging.
"Veronika:
You sure can eat a lot!
Do all beast‑folk eat this much?"
Pearlie just waved a hand dismissively.
"Pearlie:
Doesn't matter, you earned it!
You can do the work of three people.
Strength needs food."
Firestorm nodded with perfect seriousness.
"Firestorm:
All the dishes were delicious."
Pearlie smiled, hands on her hips.
"Pearlie:
Well, at least from now on we'll never have trouble with leftovers.
Not a single crumb will go to waste."
The Calm Before the Dragonstorm
At the Black Cat Inn, lunch was served from ten o'clock onward, and at that hour the tables were always full.
This was where everyone came:
the knights,
the merchants,
the craftsmen,
and anyone who didn't have time to cook.
The new waitress, Firestorm, became popular almost immediately.
The guests adored her — especially the knights, who claimed she was as beautiful as Noelle…
just with horns and a tail.
Lunchtime passed quickly.
At this hour, everyone simply ate, paid, and went back to work — no time yet for drinking or rowdiness.
At four in the afternoon came the shift change: two other waitresses, Alma and Orgona, who handled the evening rush.
The evening guests didn't just eat — they drank.
A lot.
Which meant the inn became louder, wilder, and far harder to manage.
Veronika, being the innkeeper's daughter, often stayed for the evening as well, though she only handled the lighter tasks by then.
Firestorm's official working hours were supposed to end at four.
But she was a dragon.
Dragons do not get tired.
And if she was offered free food and free mead…
Well, why would she go home?
So Firestorm happily stayed for the evening shift too.
Alma and Orgona befriended her quickly — after all, it wasn't every day they got a coworker who:
lifted beer barrels with one hand,
peeled potatoes three times faster than anyone else,
and smiled with such beauty that guests forgot what they wanted to order.
With four waitresses working together, the Black Cat Inn had never run so smoothly.
And Wolfwood had never been so close to plunging into complete chaos —
all thanks to one dragon girl who only wanted honey treats and a bit of fun.
The First Knightly Incident
Evening was slowly heating up at the Black Cat Inn.
The knights had already drunk far too much mead, and one of them was becoming far too "friendly."
Orgona tried to endure it, but the drunk knight's hand kept landing on her backside.
Veronika had seen enough.
"Veronika:
This is a respectable inn, not a brothel!
If you can't behave, you can leave."
The knight only grinned.
"Drunk Knight:
Come on, I didn't do anything.
My hand just moved on its own. Hahaha!"
"Veronika:
Then tell your hand that if it touches Orgona — or any other girl — again, it'll 'accidentally' get broken."
"Drunk Knight:
And who's gonna break it? You?"