The group explored the city for the next few hours. They even stopped by a restaurant that served pork sandwiches. Lloyd thought it was silly to go to a place to eat and actually have to pay money when they had a pass that would give them free food at the Stony Spire. The rest of the group scoffed at him when he brought up the point, saying that they wanted to try different food. Supposedly, the fields around the city were packed with boars. One of the Ascended people in the city could apparently alter the number of babies that appeared in a litter of animals. This allowed them to have a constant stream of food.
Lloyd thought that was a very odd ability and wondered how a person might go and find out that was what their power was. Did the guy just go around touching pigs? That’s weird. Sounds weird even in my head.
In the distance, they could hear music playing, and that altered their course as they wove through the streets. The entire city was made out of a grid pattern, so getting around didn’t seem to be that difficult. As the group turned a corner, the music was finally in full swing. They saw a crowd of people dancing outside of a wooden shop. Two men were sitting down in front of a set of drums as they banged away with their palms. A third man held some sort of wooden instrument with strings on the front. His fingers flashed back and forth as the rhythmic whine and screech of the instrument flowed into the air.
“Come on, let’s dance!” Colette said, and she grabbed Regal’s wrist.
The two ran into the crowd and disappeared into the dancing mob that had begun to grow in the street. Lloyd looked over at Sheena, who returned a scowl back at him.
“Yeah, no chance. Not dancing,” Sheena said.
“I’m not a dancer either. I think I will let those two have fun, and maybe I’ll check out the Snooze and Booze. Maybe Xavier and the group have everything in order,” Lloyd said.
“That’s not a bad idea. I think I’ll head there as well,” Sheena said as she looked at Lloyd’s shocked face. “I mean, I suppose that is if you don’t mind me heading to the same place.”
Lloyd was initially surprised that Sheena would want to go where he was going. He was happy, though, to have the company, if not just to have Milla along. He seemed to find himself more at ease when the friendly fox was near.
Lloyd’s initial judgment of the city not being that difficult to navigate quickly changed. If it weren’t for the directional awareness of Sheena and Milla, Lloyd would have been lost many times. After about half an hour, they found themselves standing in front of the Snooze and Booze. As the guard mentioned, this place stood in stark contrast to the Stony Spire. It stood only two stories high but was made of intricate wood. He could see cherry colors mixed in with a darker wood that gave a rustic yet modern feel to the exterior of the building. Large, saloon-style doors sat at the entrance. A thin man wearing a silky black suit swung open on side of the doors, motioning for Lloyd, Sheena, and Milla to enter.
Unlike the relative calm of the Stony Spire, the Snooze and Booze immediately erupted with noise the moment they entered. The middle of the room was open because the tables were pushed to the edges of the room. People hooked arms with each other as they swung around in circles, occasionally letting go and connecting with someone else close by. The room was much warmer than outside. Men were in their sleeveless tunics, or some without shirts at all. The skirts and dresses of the women flowed outward as they twirled around.
The smell of cinnamon and sugar hung in the air while the music wafted the scents throughout the room. Lloyd closed his eyes and smiled. The combination was lovely, and he could feel himself begin to sway to the rhythm. Lloyd could feel himself wanting to dance and join the group. He cursed his luck. He decided to come here to avoid dancing on the street. He now found himself in a room seemingly designed to entice its inhabitants to do just that. Lloyd was not a dancer. Something is strange. Why do I want to dance?
“Do you want to drink? I’m buying,” Lloyd said as he turned to address Sheena.
He saw Sheena’s eyes turn glassy as she looked toward the stage where the music was coming from. After a brief shake of her head, she finally looked over to Lloyd.
“You’re buying? Sure, why not? I don’t think I want to stay here for long, though. The music is telling me to dance, and I don’t like to dance,” Sheena said.
A brief chuckle slipped through Lloyd’s lips. “Yeah, me either. Do you think it is somebody’s ability?”
Sheena looked down at Milla. The fox had sat down and was nodding her head to the music. Milla looked up toward Sheena and nodded. Sure seems that way. That must be why this place is way livelier than the Spire.
The pair approached the long wooden bar that lined the left side of the space—behind them stood two bartenders ready to serve. Large barrels held sloshing liquid that Lloyd thought was likely some ale or maybe mead. Various other bottles and smaller containers held liquids varying from clear to dark brown and even some that seemed a tinge of black.
“I thought you blew through all your money buying your dress earlier?” Sheena asked as a smirk trickled across her face.
“Ha..ha, hilarious,” Lloyd said as he, too, began to smile. That damn music seemed to cheer everybody up. “I mean, technically, that is pretty accurate. I spent all the money that I made from selling my gear and those herbs. I think it’ll be worth it to have those robes, though.” Lloyd said, emphasizing the robes part. “Plus, I don’t think I’ve really thanked you two.” Lloyd said and then briefly looked down at Milla. “I suppose I mean you three. I don’t think I thanked you all for coming to my rescue properly. I wouldn’t be here without you all. Buying a round seems like a fair start at repaying my debts.”
“I think buying two or three rounds might be a fair start.”
“Oh, so we aren’t just grabbing one and leaving them? Thought you wanted to get out of here quick?” Lloyd asked as they both pulled up a stool at the bar.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I didn’t know this was a little thank-you tour you were doing. Might as well milk it for all it’s worth.”
“What can I get for you?” asked the young male bartender who approached the pair. He had a small scar on his right cheek, barely visible under the black stubble of his beard. His eyes were a dull gray, and he had short black hair.
“Are there any drinks special to Mandor?” Lloyd asked.
“We make a mean turquoise tortoise tequila,” He responded.
“Quite the tongue twister,” Sheena said.
“It is. They make us say it a hundred times a day when we begin training.”
Lloyd didn’t recognize what any of that meant, but he supposed that was the whole point of getting something local.
“That sounds good to me,” Lloyd said as he looked over to Sheena, who gave him a thumbs up. “We will take two, please.”
“That will be 50 coin,”
Even though the room seemed to exude happiness and joy, Lloyd felt a sting from that price. That brief moment led him to see the room as it was, unimpeded by the magic of the musicians. It looked a bit duller, and his heart didn’t flutter as much. Buying a few rounds here was going to get expensive. He removed the coin and placed it in front of the bartender, who walked away to get their drinks.
“Yikes, that is a pretty hefty price for a pair of drinks,” Sheena said as she looked Lloyd in the eyes.
Technically, he only promised her a round of drinks. He thought that Sheena might have been joking around about multiple rounds was only the start of making it up to her. He wondered how he might appear to her if he only bought one round. Would he seem ungrateful? Would he seem like a man who didn’t have the means? Was he actually concerned with how Sheena saw him besides hoping that she didn’t see him as an enemy? Did he hope that she saw him as more? The thoughts ran through his head at breakneck speed. Yet again, he could feel his heart flutter, this time unsure if it was the music’s fault.
He didn’t realize, but he must have been sitting there tearing through his thoughts with a dumb struck look on his face.
“I was only kidding about three rounds of drinks. I don’t really like to drink that much anyway. Losing control of myself is not something that I desire. Plus, I don’t need you bankrupting yourself,” Sheena said as she grabbed the drink in front of her.
Lloyd had not noticed when the drinks arrived, but he grabbed his as well. The drink came in a metal chalice, and when clinked together, it released a sharp ting. As the cold liquid touched his lips, he could feel the contents swirl and mix with the magic of the music.
The two were about halfway done with their drinks before either one of them spoke.
“Is it difficult?” Lloyd asked as he stared at the stage.
Sheena grabbed her drink and turned her stool to face the same direction as Lloyd. “Is what difficult?”
“Oh, right,” Lloyd said, embarrassed. He realized he didn’t verbalize the rest of his thoughts. He now just realized how potentially flammable the conversation might be if he added this particular piece of tinder to the pile. Fuck it.
“I mean, do you find it difficult to kill the Corrupted monsters while having one at your side?”
Lloyd immediately regretted his word choice. A few random noises stumbled from his mouth as he tried to speak up and correct himself before Sheena could.
“I mean, shit. That wasn’t really appropriately worded. I mean, you have a companion animal that has abilities, which is awesome, by the way. You know, I think you’re awesome, Milla, right?” Lloyd asked, directing his words to the fox. “I just wonder is it difficult to kill the red eyes?”
The anger had disappeared from her eyes as Sheena took a deep inhale and exhaled before she answered. She lifted the mug to her lips and took a large gulp, bringing her glass down to a quarter left.
“Yeah, it is.”
Lloyd wanted to fire off a few more questions immediately, but he thought better of himself and let a few moments pass to see if Sheena wanted to add anything herself.
“Milla, well,” Sheena said as she looked down at Milla. She scratched the fox on the top of her head as the obsidian fur flowed around her fingers. “Let’s just say that if I was on my own thank you tour toward Milla for how many times she had saved my life, I would have to buy her every drink in this place. Even then, I would still owe her a few more rounds.”
Sheena looked up directly into Lloyd’s eyes and saw something there that he had yet to see. The emerald eyes of Sheena began to twinkle as the moisture accumulated. She seemed more human in this form. More approachable. Before he could realize what he was doing, he reached forward for a hug. His arms wrapped around her, and to his surprise, he felt the light touch of her arms around him. He felt as though he was in the lion’s den, and anything he said and did in the next few moments would determine if the lion ate him or if he could walk out alive. He decided silence was the best answer. I’d only be digging myself a hole if I opened up my yap right now.
Lloyd could feel Sheena let go of the hug, and he did the same. Sheena cleared her throat, and the look in her eyes had reverted to the typical fierceness that usually stood there, although a hint of softness remained.
“Thank you for sharing that,” Lloyd said.
“I didn’t really share anything. Maybe one day, I’ll share the whole story. Not today, though. Especially not here,” Sheena said and then tipped back the remaining liquid in her drink. She stood up and placed the empty metal mug on the bar. “I think I’m going to head back and get an early night’s rest. Thanks for the round,” Sheena said.
“Wait, wait. You don’t want to have a quick dance?” Lloyd asked with a large grin. He then chugged the rest of his drink. It was a delicious beverage.
“Ha. The music does, but I don’t. Don’t push your luck, Lloyd. Come on, Milla.”
Milla jumped up on Lloyd and licked his face, and then she graciously accepted a few pets. Milla hopped down and followed Sheena out of the saloon doors.
“Hey, Lloyd, what’s up man?” said a male voice from somewhere to Lloyd’s left.
Lloyd turned to see that it was indeed Caleb from the cart group. He had completely forgotten that was basically the whole point for Sheena and himself to be at the Snooze and Booze.
“Hey Caleb, I’m glad you saw me. We came here looking for you but then sort of got distracted,” Lloyd said.
“Haha, yeah man, I noticed. I was about to head up to my room, but I saw you two on the way through. I was going to come over and say something, but I saw you two having a little bit of a moment, so I left you alone for a sec.”
“What do you mean by ‘a moment’?” Lloyd asked with finger quotes.
“Oh, come on, that little cheeky hug you guys had?” Caleb asked with his eyebrows raised.
“That was nothing. She just shared a part of her past and she seemed like she needed a hug. That was all. Anyway, how goes the sale of all your stuff? I thought maybe we’d see you down at the Bazaar.”
“Yeah, it was a lot of behind-the-scenes sales. We actually offloaded most of our supplies. Again, we can’t thank you guys enough for saving our asses. Did you end up buying anything in the Bazaar?”
“We sold a few things, and I ended up putting in an order for some robes at the Sacred Silks.”
“Oh, nice. I stopped by there as well. He has some quality stitchwork. I was actually looking to work with him while I was in town,” Caleb said as he stared at the ceiling. “Anywho, we should have enough of the coin for you guys by tomorrow morning. Let everyone know to stop by. I’m heading to bed, but you have a good night, Lloyd,” Caleb said as he extended his hand.
“You too,” Lloyd said.
With nobody around him that he knew, Lloyd decided to exit the tavern before the music entirely consumed him. Through the saloon doors held an open and chilly night air. He took off towards what he believed was the Stony Spire.