A Scale of Sapphire

I cracked open the bathroom door and took stock of my surroundings, it looked like I was in a restaurant of some kind. The whole place seemed to be fairly in order, all things considered. I figured they were probably closed for some reason or another, I didn’t want to think about how awful a packed restaurant would’ve been when all this went down, the open square I was in before was bad enough, an enclosed crowded space would’ve been a nightmare.

I creeped out into the main dining area, trying to stay quiet and low to the ground. Just because I couldn’t see anything, didn’t mean there was nothing there, and regardless of how weirdly creepy I’d gotten, I didn’t want to risk a fight. I figured the best place to find usable supplies would be the kitchen area in the back, so that’s where I went. It didn't seem like anyone would be missing them anyway. There was something surreal about the whole place, beyond the shattered glass of the front doors and the vines winding through them. Everything still felt ever so slightly off, just a bit too tall, too big. I really had shrunk, hadn’t I?

The kitchen was simple and functional, with stainless steel countertops, cutlery and utensils were hung up neatly on a wall, and oddly enough, there were what looked like 5 gallon buckets of various sauces occupying a large shelving unit. A massive industrial dishwasher sat beside a row of three sinks, with even more dishes, pans, and utensils sitting on the drying rack. I began searching the various shelves and cupboards for anything that seemed non-perishable, but it looked like this kind of restaurant didn’t carry much of that sort, unless you counted the sauces. I did, however, find some spare uniform shirts back by the dishwasher, and I swapped my bloody shirt for one in my size. I also snagged one of the sharper looking knives, the new claws were great and all, but from my - admittedly quite limited - knowledge of how fights work, more reach was more good.

The walk in fridge was a bit more fruitful. Quite literally, in fact. Fruits, vegetables, dressings, and plenty more besides lined the shelves. I guess if a plant was already dead, the whole light show probably didn’t affect them. Even if they wouldn’t last long, some food was better than nothing, so I dug around the kitchen for something to bag or wrap them in, and began packing up carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and blueberries in little bags before shoving them in my backpack. This would last a few days at least, which was definitely better than nothing.

Having picked up what I could, I snuck back out through the dining area and out into the open street. As I did, I saw a tall figure emerge from a building across the street. My breath caught in my throat as I realized who it was, the minotaur was back.

She saw me and stared, I stared right back.

Her eyes flicked between my face and my new shirt.

She took a step towards me, I took a step back.

Her hand stretched out in my direction.

She opened her mouth as I got ready to run again.

“Do you think they have those shirts in like a 5XL?”