Heavy Brew- Part 1 (Patreon)

Gavin is hungry for some new inspiration for his coffee creations- surely some new, exotic blend won't have any weird side effects, right?

Enjoy!

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Gavin took in a deep breath, sighing heavily as a small gust of fire escaped his mouth. It was a minute to six in the morning, and he would need to fuel several dozen artisan dragons getting early starts on their projects for the day. Tall, imposing, and musclebound, the dragon's blue scales were adorned with intricate tattoos, his broad chest straining the straps of his apron. He looked like he could wrestle giants; and perhaps he had, when he was younger, but truth be told, these days he had been wrestling with numbers more than anything.

He had done the calculations; of the sixty or so orders he would fill in the first hour of running his coffeehouse, he would serve forty three practically identical orders: house blend, one sugar, one cream, piping hot. About ten more would be black coffee, and only five or so would be anything new— the chance of something interesting or challenging, however, would be nil to none.

Like all of the artisan dragons, Gavin considered his work to be an artform. He wanted the drinks he made to be more than just utilitarian, but outside of their own areas of expertise, his fellow artisans tended to stick with what they knew. The irony was not lost on him, but there was little the burly dragon could do to break his fellow artisans' habits.

He heard conversation starting to filter into his coffeehouse, and got to work. He put on a friendly smile, and after all, these were his brothers— they paid well and tipped generously. But his predictions and calculations were near perfect. When he had a chance to breathe around midday, Gavin slumped into an empty chair. What he needed to do was something new— he needed to get back to experimenting, maybe if he pushed a new drink, the others might give it a shot, and he could start getting creative with his craft again— and he could get the process started by calling in a few favors.

It took another hour or so to gather some of his friends that would be right for the job, Magnus of the Peace Makers, and Bubba of the Beast Makers. Both of them were big and brawny, just like Gavin— well, Magnus clearly enjoyed his food more— and they all had an appreciation for anything bold and new.

Gavin passed out two of his more upscale drinks, a pair of dressed up frappuccinos, before he threw them the pitch. "So, the truth is, I've been getting a little bored out here."

"Oh! Hah, that's easy to fix," Bubba grinned, slamming his fist on the table. "We can take you to the Beast Makers and smash the crap out of a monster or two, that'll get the blood pumpin'!" Magnus nodded along in agreement.

"Ah, no, hah, thanks guys, but I'm not that kind of bored." Gavin waved them off. "Look, I'm tied down to the coffeehouse, but I'm in need of new inspiration— you guys, however, can go out and get me something new, something exotic— stuff I could use to make a new blend."

Magnus grinned, leaning forward, his belly pressing against the table. "Well, sure, we could do a little grocery shopping, but what's in it for us?"

Gavin folded his heavy, tattooed arms. "Well, free drinks, for one?"

Magnus grinned wider. "I'm sold."

"Ah, me too, what the heck?" Bubba smacked Gavin's back. "I know this one rare herb out in the swamps— best part is, it's always guarded by massive snakes. I'll make my own fun out there, hah!"

"Mm, I know where I can find some exotic fruits, but if I remember correctly, they can be a bit unpredictable, when mixed with the wrong ingredients." Magnus said.

"Well, let me worry about that. Whatever you can find, the more exotic and rarer, the better."

Magnus and Bubba were up to the task, and soon, Gavin had all the ingredients he could hope for. New and robust varieties of coffee beans, Bubba's rare herbs, and the fruit Magnus promised, round, plump berries that gave off an incredibly enticing scent. They were everything he needed, and the dragon felt inspired. The ingredients came together to make his new special blend, rich, full, and flavorful.

Gavin took a drink and gasped; yes, this was going to be his best creation yet. The flavor was sweet, almost to the point of overbearing, but so enticing that he had to have more. He drank the entire brew, the entire pot, even, and sighed happily.

"Yes— easily my best yet. Ah, they're all going to go nuts for…" Gavin trailed off. The dragon had been patting his stomach, but felt his middle reach his hand just a bit sooner than he had expected. The barista's middle had bloated out considerably, a thick, round bulge tugging at his apron strings. "Well… that's uh, that may be a bit of a problem. But we can workshop that… yeah, this is just bloat, it'll melt right off."

Gavin's mind already turned back to his coffee bar, he could definitely test it a bit further. He could brew it again, test it further and fine tune the recipe. Everything would be fine…

Perhaps things were not fine. Gavin huffed, trying to keep calm. He could look on the bright side first— his new blend was extraordinarily popular. Everyone in the Artisan Homeworld was in love with it, and he could keep fine tuning the recipe into different variations to keep things interesting. What were the negative elements? Well, it seemed slightly addicting… but there was a weightier issue. That bloat hadn't gone away, and with how much he had tested this new blend, the effects on him had exploded. Every part of his once chiseled physique had been buried under an avalanche of excess fat, his belly alone swelling into a humongous boulder that sank perilously close to the ground. Carrying that weight alone slowed Gavin to a meandering waddle as he continued serving more drinks. He balanced a tray of coffee on his bloated arm, wedged between augmented love handles, the overhang of his now-doughy chest nearly bursting his apron. The cups disappeared as fast as he could brew and pour them, his trunk-sized thighs rolling off one another.

"Ah, Gavin!" Nestor clapped the barista on the shoulder. "Could you grab me another cup? I feel like I can't make it through the day without more of this stuff."

Gavin nodded. "Of course, Nestor, I'll get that for you right away," he huffed between breaths, trying to keep up the momentum of the morning rush while hauling all this new excess weight, but a lingering eye fell on Nestor's middle, the barrel-chested Artisan leader looking rounder and rounder with each passing day. In fact, most of the Artisan dragons seemed to be piling on the weight. Gavin bit his lip; he might have to do something about this.