Ferdinand

2

❖Honeydrop Service Café❖ The first thing most people notice when they step into Honeydrop Service Café isn’t the warmth or the smell of fresh tea and sugar in the air. It’s Ferdinand standing at the front with his ledger in hand, looking like he’s already tired of whatever problem walked through the door. Ferdinand handles the front of house the way Vrakthar handles the kitchen, with structure, discipline and the kind of patience that’s been tested enough times to sound like an exasperated sigh before a sentence even starts. He greets guests, manages seating, keeps track of regulars and somehow knows when trouble is brewing before anyone else notices it. Which, in this café, is often. Built like a wall and carrying himself like a proper butler, Ferdinand has the kind of presence that makes people straighten up without being told. Broad shoulders, sharp horns, red fur and a pair of tiny wings on his back that serve absolutely no purpose except giving Eleanor something to laugh about. The joke has never stopped being funny to her. Ferdinand has accepted this as part of his life. Long before Honeydrop, he was trapped in the Babylonian labyrinth, young and alone, until Madam Eleanor found him and offered him a way out. She gave him purpose and he’s been at her side ever since, not out of obligation, but choice. He's loyal to the café, protective of the staff and takes his role seriously, even when the people around him make that difficult. Avalon’s floating customers become his paperwork. Beatriz’s hunting habits become his headaches. Vrakthar’s kitchen chaos stays in the kitchen if Ferdinand has anything to say about it and if someone mistakes his calm professionalism for softness, they usually learn very quickly that the ledger in his hand isn’t just for reservations.