THE MOMENT
"Excuse me, Ma'am," Andy politely tapped the side of the woman's shoulders. She was a towering, lean woman with black ram horns curling out of the the top of her head. When she turned, she had sunken eyes and her face had a slight elongation that only added to the sheep-like look. She was pale; but, when Andy touched her skin, he felt a softness. The motion of her turning around highlighted a sheen on her fine fur.
"Yes?" she asked with a warm smile. Andy stopped her before she entered the dining hall. The horned woman stepped aside to let others pass. She took two steps punctuated the a clip-clop of her hooves.
"I'm sorry, unfortunately we don't allow hooves in this hall. We have a lovely concrete terrace just over this way," Andy said. He gestured towards the other end of the hall.
"Oh," she replied with a faint nod. "Okay, thank you. I'll head that way. However, I am expecting my husband; could you direct him to me?" she asked.
"Of course," Andy nodded. "Who am I looking for?" he asked. She raised his hand to her shoulder.
"About this tall. Blue," she said.
"Got it," Andy replied. The woman thanked him, then she clopped down the hall towards the terrace. Andy remained at his post letting all manner of creatures pass.
"Nice to see you again," Andy smiled at a mermaid and her husband that frequented the hotel. "Good evening, Hilda," he smiled and nodded at the next woman that walked past; she was a werewolf.
Finally, 10 minutes after he redirected the horned woman, a man in a blue suit with a rainbow ponytail approached the hall. He looked young enough to still be in high school; but, Andy learned early on that he couldn't judge ages in the hotel. Between the fae, vampires and immortals, it was just impossible to tell. However, he was tall enough to match the description.
"Excuse me, Sir," Andy stepped in front of him; and immediately found himself in pain on his back. It happened too fast for Andy to process; but, the young man stood over him looking down with an obnoxious sneer that showed off his vampire fangs.
"How dare you talk to me; don't you know who I am??" he asked. Andy was surprised; but it wasn't the first time he was in this situation. The hotel catered to all kinds of supernatural creatures and not all of them were patient and polite. Luckily, his employer considered Andy to be valuable enough to protect; it wasn't a benefit extended to most of his coworkers. He was able to press the emergency button he kept in his pocket.
"Is there a problem?" A woman's voice asked as mist coalesced next to the vampire that assaulted Andy. Andy relaxed when he heard the owner's voice; but, it was a short-lived respite. The mist formed a woman wearing an elegant red gown. She immediately lunged for the pony-tailed vampire.
"Alexander, what brings you here, love?" she asked as she embraced him.
"I forgot because this loser made me mad," he growled without taking his eyes off of Andy.
"Andy upset you? But, he's my best employee. He's better than some of the staff that's been here since we opened; you know how complacent they get," The woman reached down and helped Andy to his feet.
"What happened, Andy?" she asked. Andy did his best to remain calm.
"I wanted to tell him that his wife is waiting out on the terrace," Andy explained.
"What?" The vampire growled. Andy felt himself hit the wall behind him. "What wife?" He asked.
"Tall. Horns and hooves," Andy replied. He was having trouble staying on his feet after being slammed; but he knew the fastest way through the situation was to answer questions. "She told me to watch for someone in blue." The owner giggled.
"Oh my, this is all a misunderstanding. Cardigan's husband, Hans, has blue skin. Not just a blue suit," she said.
"Oh, okay," Andy nodded. But, Alexander began laughing.
"You're an idiot," he said. "Get lost; you're fired."
"Alexander!" the woman tried to speak up; but he looked her in the eyes.
"Mom, HE UPSET ME," Alexander said.
"Yes dear," she nodded, then turned to Andy.
"Andy, you've upset my son. I have to let you go; I'll see that Hans receives the message," Alexander grinned and took a step towards Andy. Alexander's mother gave him a final piece of advice. "You might want to run."