While I did not know what to expect her to say, I braced myself for the worst.
"I just wanted you to know," she said in a whisper. "Leader to leader, Tori isn't your biggest fan."
I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes. "I've noticed. But I guess that means her ventures to your meetings are filled with as much gossip as she brings to ours?"
"She had never given us a reason to not trust what she says, but after hanging out with you here, I'm starting to rethink letting her come."
"Out of curiosity," I said. "Did she attend any meetings in February or March?"
"Am I allowed to tell her about the poisoning?" I transmitted to Azure.
"Go ahead," he transmitted. "If Leo speaks of cross tribe happenings with her, she might already know."
"Mhmm," Veronica said. "I'm sure she did. She usually attends at least one a month. We have dual meetings with the ladies in Theban, so I just brushed it off."
"Fascinating," I said. "I didn't know tribes hung out."
"Yeah," she said. "Before your tribe, there were some dragons that had decades of history together, so they still enjoy each other's company even though they aren't in the same tribe. We just make it easier for them to do so."
"That makes sense," I said. "Should I be worried about what Tori says about us?"
She waved me off with a laugh.
"I wouldn't be. Her stories seem to be all in her head," Veronica said. "She's told us quite the sob story about how her whole tribe was full of stuffy old biddies that don't like her, and that she wanted to bond with other protectors. It wasn't my business, so we just let her come, and now a year later we've all just grown accustomed to her constant gossip train about her tribe mates."
"Fascinating," I repeated. "Well, she served a thirty-day suspension during those months due to her involvement in baking and feeding Azure rosemary laced cookies."
"No way!" Veronica said, loud enough to draw glances from the rest of the girls. She brought her voice back down to a whisper. "I knew she was mad, but dang, never thought she had the cajones to act on it."
Good to know her dragon kept her in the dark like Azure kept me. There was no way her reaction was not genuine. We were going to have a long talk about Tori once we got home.
"She was all tears after we confronted her, and during her first meeting back," I said. "But this morning I had to reprimand her for her snotty behavior again. And I told her if she didn't get a counselor, we'd have to seriously look into replacing her in the tribe."
"Good for you," Veronica said. "Most leaders let the girls run all over them. She's a real piece of work. But for your sake, I hope she pulls it together."
"Thanks," I said.
The compliment made me blush. Talking to the other tribes more might not be that bad of an idea. We all could use the support.
"We're about to go get lunch," she said. "If I see Tori today, I'm going to let her know she is no longer welcome at our meetings, until I hear from you that she is cleared to return."
"I really appreciate that," I said. "My whole tribe has been a dream, but she's constantly bringing the other ladies down. I just don't know what else to do. Being only three months into this, I'm trying to set an example, but also make reasonable requests. I'm not her mom, but when no one wants to come to meetings because of a single person, something has to give."
"I get that," Veronica said. "Don't doubt yourself. Azure is there for support, so make sure to utilize it. He may have to contact the higher ups, but there are always options."
I thanked her again and went to join the girls at the pool's edge. Veronica gave me a lot to think about. But it would have to wait, as both Aubrey and Skylar were giving me a look that demanded I fill them in on all she had said. Like it was even going to be possible to explain the true dynamics of the situation to a non-dragon owner.
CHAPTER TEN
Sunday, May 17th, 01:30 PM
None of us thought to bring our bathing suits, but it felt great to soak my feet. I fully intended to make the most of this moment in the sun before having to head back into the freezing hotel.
After the other cats left, Azure found himself a nice spot just inside the shade of a table umbrella where the concrete was still warm, but without the burn of the sun, and curled up along with Shadow. Together they were the cutest bundle of fur. The perfect little yin yang.
"Do you remember your mom taking us to the coast?" I asked. "We should start that tradition up again."
"Let's do it," Aubrey said and began to laugh. "But maybe not like the time you got stung by a jellyfish and ran out of the water screaming?"
Skylar laughed and said, "I bet that was a sight."
"Oh, it was," Aubrey said. "We were maybe twelve or thirteen, and she went into the water only to get stung right on the butt like ten minutes into swimming. She wouldn't go near the ocean for the rest of the trip."
"I didn't know what it was! Your mom even assumed I was faking until she went in and saw them floating all over the place," I said. "It freaked me out, not to mention the pain."
"Totally understand," Skylar said, still laughing. "There's no way I wouldn't freak out if something swam up to me and stung me in the butt."
"Exactly," I said, crossing my arms.
This only made Aubrey laugh harder. "Your face was priceless. I've never seen you run so fast."
"I'm glad my pain can still make you laugh," I said.
"Whatever." Aubrey gave me a light shove. "It was funny, and you know it."
"We'll see how funny it is when you're on the other side of the tentacles."
This only made her laugh harder, which finally made me crack a smile. Taking her kids to the beach would be the perfect adventure to add to our summers.
I leaned back to lie on the concrete and reached my arms out as far as I could stretch. Coming to the pool to digest had been a great idea. Even if it started with an interrogation.
The Cyrillic tribe had left the pool almost the moment after we were done talking. Despite their cool demeanor, I figured the awkward conversation about the awards made them uncomfortable. That or they really were hungry for lunch. Either way, I was not convinced it was them.
"I was more thinking of the time that someone stole our cooler with lunch," I said. "It reminded me a bit of today, because there were so many suspects. We spent the rest of that trip analyzing everyone's cooler."
"Yeah, looking back, it was probably an accident," Aubrey said. "Someone picking it up thinking it was theirs and didn't realize it was the wrong one until they got home."
"Maybe," I said, lightly splashing my feet as I reminisced.
Aubrey had always been the more trusting of us. Could there be a logical explanation for who had stolen the trophies? Maybe they were not stolen at all, but misplaced?
I let out a deep sigh. There was no hope in me figuring this out. I just needed to wait for that magical moment when I stumbled into the answers.
I would pre-register for every cat show for the next decade if it meant I could solve this and go home. The competition had been interesting, but I was ready to be back at my cafe and able to drink good coffee. Next year, I would be sure to bring my own French press, coffee beans, and grinder. This would be the last time I got caught without access to drinkable coffee.
We basked in the comfort of each other's company, and the cool water on our feet. It felt amazing to just sit in silence.
The last cloud in the sky disappeared, and the sunbathed concrete reached a boiling point.
Sweat poured down my back, and I could feel my shirt cling to me. With the air falling still, the heat that I usually embraced became uncomfortable.
"Are y'all ready to leave?" I asked.
"Totally," Skylar said. "It was rather hot today."
"I think I could use a shower," Aubrey said.
"Hotter than you would expect for May," I said. "But then again, this is Texas, so you never know just how hot it's going to get."
The girls laughed.
The only thing more Texas than the heat was talking about the heat any chance you got. At any given moment, someone within a five-foot radius of you was talking about the weather. It was just a part of living in Texas.
"Azure?" I called out.
Azure's ears perked up. He and Shadow had been in a deep sleep, but when they realized we were leaving, they came prowling over, stopping just long enough to do their yoga poses to stretch their spines.
"They only said we can't leave the hotel," Skylar said. "They didn't say anything about us being allowed to go upstairs."
"If you want, we can go up and you can use my shower." I said to Aubrey.
"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Even if I have to wear these clothes, it would be nice to wash off this sweat."
As we walked in the doors to the lobby, the AC washed over us. The cold air clung to my body, and a chill ran over me. I closed my eyes for a moment to it soak in.
When I opened them, I saw the San Marcos tribe walking past the elevators we had been heading toward.
I needed answers, and there was a good chance they knew exactly where the trophies were. Normally I would try to carry on mindless chitchat in the hopes of having them divulge the information willingly, but there was no time to tip toe around.
"What is the San Marcos tribe leader's name?" I transmitted to Azure.
"It's tribe Theban, and their leader is Joy," Azure transmitted.
"Right, thanks," I transmitted. "At this rate, I'm going to have to make flash cards to prepare for next year."
"No need to take it that seriously," he transmitted. "In a normal year, you won't be talking to the other tribes this much."
"Only trying to take it as seriously as you are," I transmitted since he clearly missed my sarcasm. "Mister, I need this solved to receive my gold trophy."
"Some days, you are insufferable," Azure transmitted with an eye roll.
"Glad we are down to only some days," I transmitted.
"Touche," he transmitted. "I walked into that one."
"I appreciate it when your mind is elsewhere, makes you more fun to mess with."
Since Aubrey and Skylar were discussing dinner plans behind me, they were not paying attention to where I was leading them. I hoped they would join the interrogation, but if I caught them by surprise, I could handle it. With two down, asking leading questions was getting easier.
As soon as we reached the tribe I said, "Missed y'all at the ceremony. Thought you had left the hotel already?"
"We were sleeping," Joy said.
"Had no idea that anything was off until we came down for a late breakfast around eleven," one of the other ladies said. Her name tag read Lola.
"Wish I had known missing it was an option," I said, laughing. "It's my first show and thus far it's been underwhelming."
"Totally," Skylar said. "Though, with it being my third, this has been the most exciting turn of events yet."
"The one time we decide to sleep in," Lola said. "We miss the good stuff. I bet Linda's face was priceless. She takes this show way too seriously."
Joy rolled her eyes and shook her head at her tribe mate's excitement while many of the other ladies giggled behind them. It was a little funny. Of course, it would happen the one time they missed the awards.
"Who do you think did it?" Skylar asked.
"Not sure," Lola said. "But I'm excited to find out. At least we'll be there for that drama."
Many of the ladies laughed, and we nodded in agreement.
"No kidding," I said. "Do you guys always sit out the awards?"
"We never win anyway," Joy said. "There's no point in losing sleep to go to the ceremonies."
She looked at my feet as Azure came over, rubbing his head against my legs, and asked, "Is this Azure?"
"Yes, I inherited him from my aunt Tona when she passed."
These cat ladies were going to stroke his ego into an unbearable level if they did not stop recognizing him. I could not recognize any of the cats I met today if we were to run into them later. Maybe after a decade of attending the show, but I still doubted it.
"I'm sorry to hear about her passing. She was always such a nice lady. You shouldn't miss the ceremonies though, Azure's a prize-winning cat."
She said it was such sincerity, I was forced to reevaluate if their tribe was responsible for the missing trophies.
Maybe they really did just not want to be there when they were going to lose? I mean, who wants to wait in a room to watch other people get a trophy knowing that there was not a chance they themselves would get one? If there was any way I could have avoided going, I would have. Though I was lucky, I had friends to keep me company. But why would they pick this year to not show up? Joy side stepping the question made me a little suspicious of their motives.
"Why compete if you're not that into it?" Aubrey asked. "Seems like a hassle to me."
"Mostly because of tradition," Joy said.
She gave me a look to indicate she realized Aubrey was not a tribe member, and then continued, "It would seem weird not competing since we have been doing it for so long. Besides, we just treat it as a girl's weekend vacation. Always nice to get away from home for a little while."
"I know what you mean," Aubrey said, laughing. "I'm here getting away from my two children. Love them to death, but mommy needs a break now and then."
"Here, here," one of the other San Marcos ladies said.
"It seems like a lot of the ladies here are using it as a little vacation," Aubrey said. "I've been surprised by just how many mentioned it."
"It's probably one of the cheapest weekends you can have," Joy said. "Between the hotel discount and all the freebies, it would be hard to pass up. And truth be told, it's not the end of the world to pretend to participate in the show."
"Make sense," Aubrey said. "Especially once you have all the stuff, why not keep going just for the fun of it. Austin isn't the worst city to be in for a weekend."
A silence fell between us as some of the girls nodded in response to Aubrey's line of thinking. She was not wrong, and I could understand how non-protectors could be sucked into the cat show circuit. While it was a lot to learn, once the first few rounds of judging were out of the way, it was simplistic and repetitive with a good amount of downtime to explore.
"I don't know who she is kidding. All tribes must attend," Azure transmitted. "This functions as our Texas yearly meeting. It's not easy to get all the tribes in one place."
"Well," Joy said. "It was nice to meet you and see Azure again. I wish you two the best of luck in the awards, assuming they find the trophies soon. And again, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," I said. "Hopefully, we'll see you around, if not I'll see you next year."
With that, we parted ways. The ladies from San Marcos headed to the vendor's room, while Skylar, Aubrey, and I stepped into the elevator to go freshen up.
"It seems like we should have a better option for all of us getting together," I transmitted to Azure. "One that satisfied protectors and dragons alike. I mean, a cat show is purely self-indulgent for the dragons, right?"
"The shows a convenient way to get together," Azure transmitted.
His demeanor and clipped tone made me think he was not being completely honest. I knew full well in coming here that he was excited at the prospect of being able to show off for an audience, but I had not anticipated to find that many of the dragons felt the same.
Did the tribes with uninterested protectors also have uninterested dragons, or were they constantly fighting about the show? How could a cat show really be the best way to meet up during the year? It is not like anyone really needed a solid reason to rent out an entire hotel. I would have to settle for waiting until I was alone with Skylar to discuss the idea more, as it was clear Azure would not be humoring the notion of ending cat shows. If only I could just transmit to her. Being a protector really should have come with more powers.
"Why can't I transmit to Skylar?" I transmitted.
"Because
you're not telepathic," Azure transmitted. "You're able to hear my thoughts and talk to me because I am telepathic. However, none of the protectors can transmit to each other as they are not."
"Another disappointing discovery for protectors," I transmitted.
"Humans do not need the power of telepathy," he transmitted. "It would take inquisitions to an unimaginable level."
I rolled my eyes as we stepped out of the elevator. He was the worst when it came to getting information about dragons. I needed an Azure question list, and then a separate Shadow question list, just to learn all that I wanted to know. Maybe Skylar and I could compare notes?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sunday, May 17th, 3:00 PM
A quick shower and a fresh espresso were exactly what the barista ordered. Unfortunately, this barista committed a fireable offense when she failed to pack the coffee accoutrements necessary to get me through the weekend alive. But I decided to let myself off with a warning, as no one could have predicted someone would steal the trophies, causing us to be stranded in the hotel, hours after checkout.
Though, I could not help but notice how much it felt like I was starting a brand-new day. Showers were a close second to coffee when it came to dissolving stress. While Aubrey showered, I stretched out with Azure on the bed to soak up as much relaxation as I could. Having interrogated a person from each of the four tribes, I hoped the officers were having better luck at finding the culprit. Unlikely, but a girl could hope right?
As I laid in bed with Azure pondering over the theft, I heard someone slide something under the door. It took everything in me to will myself out of the bed to see what it was. I assumed it was the bill but hoped it was the culprit, deciding to let me know who they were and that they were going to turn themselves in. I laughed to myself as I picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it. Guess a clean confession was too much to ask for.
"They're finally kicking us out," I transmitted to Azure.
"Where do I pick up my trophy?" Azure transmitted.
"It says you can find it in the hands of your rivals."
"Clever," he transmitted, "But seriously, did they fine the trophies?"
Purrfect Roast: A Dragon Cozy Mystery Page 8