“I need some money to partially cover some of the fines I got as a result of your dumbfuck plan. I'm thinking thirty thousand.” Nightfall and Widow exchanging a glance. “Although I suppose your end of the plan went well enough.” Turning to Widow. “But I'm surprised your poison didn't last longer. Surely you've got something that'd last more than twenty seven hours. I mean, that brew you put together for that kidnapping lasted, what, four days? If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to help me.” Widow only giving me that dead, dead stare. “But I think we both know that's not the case.”
Rath looking back and forth between us. Widow meeting his eyes, then looking back to me. Davos quiet, periodically studying me over his drink.
“That was a child.” Rath and Harper looking at her. “I only gave him low enough dosages to keep him calm and he basically slept the entire time. You, on the other hand, I don't think would have been calm, and with that particular poison the amount I'd need to make you calm would've probably killed you, which I don't imagine you'd have much trouble with. I told those idiots to make sure you were secure.”
Davos had been keeping quiet, only taking small sips of his pint in between bouts of studying me. At her implied accusation, the man giving a small shake of his head.
“Mac,” he says, “I'm going to assume you're Mac, and not Mac's half sister, or something. I want you to know that I had absolutely nothing to do with any of that. I'm not even in on day five. I literally heard about,” gesturing at me, “this, the day before it happened, after you dueled that kid, and when I heard it I assumed Lane was taking the piss, trying to make that kid, and everyone else, feel better about losing.”
“You still have your old schedule?”
“Hasn't changed. Two, three and four.”
“I saw you on day five. The day all this,” gesturing at myself, “happened.”
“I had that whole cycle off for the tournament.”
“That's right, you had the whole cycle off, so your schedule could be anything.”
“That has got to be the most paranoid-” Davos stopping abruptly and slapping his hand twice on the table. “I guess they really did get you, though.”
“They got me about a year before all this, when they shut down the guild. Which is something I was very surprised about, but I'm guessing the three of you, not so much.”
“I ain't lying about this.” Davos starting to laugh. “I mean, ho-lee-shit, I don't know what to believe right now, but you may actually be Mac.”
Rath looking at Davos, but not saying anything.
“I thought I made that fact pretty clear last cycle.”
“Mac,” the man fishing around for his pipe and tobacco pouch, “when I heard about what happened, I thought they went and they tried to ship your sister off. As blackmail, or as a bargaining chip to use against you. And with the harbor up in flames - and people blaming us - I figured you didn't take too kindly to it. So when Lane got in from his shift I'm in his face yelling at him, telling him what an idiot he is pulling something like that – especially without telling me about it – and meanwhile he's there trying to convince me over and over that you're actually you. Which sounded so absolutely retarded, at the time, by the fucking way.” Davos lighting his pipe and taking a couple initial puffs to get it lit. “But I guess it might actually be true, and I guess I might owe him an apology.”
Striking my own match and getting my pipe lit. Glancing at my associate.
“I going need some of your blood,” says Harper. “Just to get a feel for everything you're saying.”
Rath now turning his attention to her, still not saying anything.
“My blood? Sweetie, I'm not giving you any of my blood. Mac, I'd rather have you not believe me and then try and hunt me down for revenge – try to, at least, good luck – than do something as colossally stupid as that. I can't even imagine the circumstances where I'd ever voluntarily give a Blood Mage my blood. This situation definitely doesn't qualify, it would have to be a thousand times worse than anything you could possibly ever throw at me. Mac, what you do is up to you, but I'm not changing my story. I didn't have anything to do with it.”
“I know you knew about the guild getting shut down before it did, so I'm not really inclined to believe you about this.”
“I didn't know exactly when-” Giving him the same stare Widow had given me. The man taking a puff on his pipe and then giving a small, resigned shrug of the shoulders. “I mean, of course I heard rumors about what they were doing before it went down.” Throwing up a hand. “Mac, would you take it easy, I said rumors. Rumors are not exact times and dates, and as far as details go, they usually leave a lot to be desired. Us getting completely shut out was not something I ever dreamed would happen. I was more surprised you took it as bad as you did - you were practically living out in the field when it happened. Did it really end up cramping your style all that much?”
“Of course it did. Maybe thirty or forty of my deaths in here were from guild work. I built the guild.” Looking around at the table, at Nightfall, at Widow, at Davos. “We all built the guild. Having everything I worked for wiped away overnight kinda fucked up my headspace. I may have been spending a lot of time in the field, but you could've taken five minutes to write me a note when you started hearing those rumors. We all could've stopped it.”
“I very much doubt that.” Davos blowing a puff of smoke out of the side of his mouth. “I really don't think we could've, not with the way everything went down. We had nothing in our corner: no leverage, no real allies, no nothing.”
His offhand dismissal setting off the tiniest spark and igniting my old, forgotten anger. Starting to smolder, then blaze, turning white hot. Taking a calming puff on my pipe to keep my hands busy, and then deliberately placing them palm down on the table. Feeling the tension gathering around me.
“You know, this whole situation has been so surreal. So, I can just do this now, draw with my fingers.” Drawing a yellow stick figure cat. “Or I can draw with my mind, but it's more of a backwards way of doing it.” Filling in a solid color and pulling away pieces to reveal a much more anatomically correct cat. Looking up at Davos.
“I appreciate you may not be lying, Sly. I don't entirely believe you, but I'll give it some serious consideration. With that said, there's something I've been thinking about these past couple days, about something that Lane said to me. That girl I was with at Stormhawk, the Empath, I haven't seen her since that day. If you're being being honest about what happened with the guild, then answer me honestly about this. Did you guys grab her?”
“Grab her? Mac, I know your experience hasn't been the best with the House, but Stormhawk isn't the guild. That's not how they do things. They wouldn't just go around and snatch someone off the-” The next word getting stuck in his throat. “Shit, I guess before what happened to you they wouldn't - but we didn't do that! Shit. At least Lane never mentioned doing anything like that. Mac, if he did go and do something stupid like that – out of temporary insanity, because of what you did to his wife – then I'll do something about it. She's just some innocent first year girl, right?”
“Yeah. She's- I've been trying to look out for her.”
Davos sitting back in his chair. “And you're keeping an eye on Magpie, too?”
“I ran into her when Ishtar went on that expedition. I like her. You did something right with her.”
“I dunno about that. She's really signed up with Ishtar?”
“For now, but she's going to be leaving there pretty soon, she hasn't been having the best time there.”
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“I'm not surprised to hear that. Running into her last cycle was a nice surprise, but when she told me where she'd ended up my only thought was how much I'd failed her this past year.” My eyes briefly flashing to Rath and my throat constricting. “With the guilds gone, and everything in flux, I suppose it's no wonder a lot of people ended up getting lost in the cracks.”
Avoiding Rath's gaze. “That's just how things went, I guess.” Looking at the others at the table. “I do want to say, despite everything, despite all the bad blood, I'm glad I'm able to share a table and talk with you all again. When this happened to me I had a vision of being thrown out an airlock, and I briefly wondered if death out there would be like death in here. I guess we'll all find that out, one day.” Inhaling and exhaling. “Widow, if you wouldn't mind, could you please get me and my friend some dinner? And, Sly, her name isn't Blood Mage, its Julie. And Nightfall,” pointing my finger at him. “I'd like to buy a round for the table, I've got an announcement. It's some good news regarding the guild.”
“The guild?” Davos says. Sly. Whichever name he now deserves to be called.
“Yes. The guild.”
Full mugs on the table in front of each respective drinker, and partially eaten food in front of Harper and myself. Widow had asked, partially joking, partially clearly not, about poisoning me again. She didn't very much like my answer. The food should be safe. Hopefully. Raising my mug.
“While all of you were busy with your day to day drudgery, wasting your time and talent serving drinks and running some inn, or guarding farms and merchants from some mid level critters, I was busy putting things just a bit closer to the way that they used to be, to the way they ought to be. The guild, as of three days ago, is officially back in business.”
My announcement met with a stunned silence. Taking the opportunity to drink my toast to myself. The others all talking at once.
“How did-”
“You actually-”
“Mac, you-”
“Is everything still there?” Nightfall asking the most important question, the one that made everyone immediately shut up and look at me expectantly.
“It has a new, more centralized location.”
“That'd be a no, I take it.”
The budding bubble of excitement bursting. Taking another drink to hide my smirk. The old location, and all the spoils contained within, are going to be mine.
“It's at the bathhouse. I'm only telling you because you're all in the position to pass the information along – but now that I'm thinking about it, you never passed the contents of my last letter along, did you?”
“You started murdering people the day after we got that letter,” says Widow.
“I was like this at the time but, yeah, I can see why you thought that.”
“The guild...” Sly putting his chin in his hand. “The master is the one running it?” Nodding at him. “You're joining back up?”
“No. As tempting as it may have been, I've got other plans.”
“I think that's unquestionably the right choice. How about Magpie?”
“She's actually going to helping me.”
“That, I think that's...” His pause lingering. “Mac, I'm still having difficulty with all this, but I do appreciate that you're looking after her. It's something of a load off my mind.” The man standing. “I'm going to go back to the House and ask about your Empath friend. I don't think we did anything but, if we did, I'll make it right. Rath, you coming?”
“I'm going to stick around here for a bit,” he says.
“Yeah, okay.” Sly absently nodding at Rath's answer. The man walking out of the building, completely lost in thought. Returning my attention to the issue that had demanded this meeting in the first place.
“So, I'm thinking thirty thousand silver will more than make up for your indiscretion.”
“We don't have thirty thousand,” says Widow.
“Sure you do.”
“Not to give to you.”
“Then make me an offer; that's how this works. I know you don't like me very much, but believe me when I say that I've definitely had more than my fill of you, you humorless cu-”
“Mac, we'll give you eighteen.” Nightfall managing to save the negotiations, and Widow back to mentally spinning one of her webs.
“Thank you, but that's not enough. I'm currently in the negative and I'd like to at least hit zero. I won't accept anything less than twenty three, that's my absolute floor.”
“After what you did to Diane you deserve to be in the negative, you sic-”
“Twenty three is fine.” Nightfall stepping in again.
“Dear,” Widow's voice carrying some strain, “I need to speak with you for a moment. In private.” Arching her eyebrow, and then the two of them hustling off behind the bar counter, and into the kitchen. Poor guy.
“What'd you do to her?” says Harper.
“She's just a bitch.”
“Uh huh.” Rolling her eyes and then taking another bite of food. “Bitch, or not, she's a good cook.”
“She's got experience making all sorts of concoctions.”
Sounds of raised voices coming from the kitchen now barely audible, but not loud enough to make out individual words. Widow's higher pitched cadence answered by Nightfall's lower rumble.
“And you.” Harper pointing her fork at Rath. “What's your deal? If you've got something to say to Lucy you should say it, rather than sitting there looking like you wished you said it.”
Both of us had been avoiding looking too directly at the other. Me, because of what Sly had said, and him because, who knows, maybe he feels uncomfortable. Eyes meeting. Looking away. Dang, get it together. As far as apologies go, this should be an easier one. Downing the rest of my pint to help lubricate the conversation.
“Rath, I know I sort of abandoned you these past few months, since all this happened. I mean, I've seen you a couple times since then, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I want you to know that I didn't forget about you, it's just that I've been busy, it's been really chaotic.”
“I- I'm really glad to hear that.” The boy stammering. “I didn't feel abandoned, and Stormhawk's been better than I thought it'd be.” His eyes widening in alarm. “I mean, what we did to you was pretty bad, and I'm sorry about-”
Starting to giggle. He really is cute when he gets flustered. “Don't worry about that, I stomped it dead. Listen, I have something to say to you, I've spent some time thinking. About us.”
“You have?”
“Of course. Rath, when you first got in last year we briefly talked about how they'd been sending you guys out here blind. At the time, I listened to you, but I didn't fully understand it, and then I sort of immediately put it out of my mind. Coming in like this and seeing what they're doing first hand, I'm sorry I didn't take what you said more seriously. As a mentor I did a pretty awful job, and I'm sorry about that. I mostly left you to your own devices when I should've spent more time showing you the ropes. Then, when the guild went bust, we were all kinda not doing good, but I should've done a better job looking out for you. I'm stronger than most people, I know that, but when all that happened I completely fell apart. I ended up being too focused on myself and I left you twisting in the wind. I can't make up for that - I can't make up for the entire last year - but, if possible, I'd like to see if maybe we could start over again.”
“You want to start over?”
“If I can, if you'll let me.”
“Do you want to start over as Mac, or as Lucy? I think I'd rather get to know Lucy.”
“What's the differ-” Oh. He's hitting on me.
“Back when we were having drinks at the Rat Cellar, were you all just teasing me?”
“No, I, um.” Shit. “They definitely were. To be completely honest I considered it, but I didn't want to mess up our relationship.”
“That was why? I guess that's good news, because now we can start over.” Giving me that roguish grin.
Maybe that's not a bad idea. He's a good kid, fit, and handsome enough. But... “As far as the two of us right now I'm, uh, I'm currently trying to patch things up with Nico.”
Rath displaying six emotions in quick succession: shock, a flash of anger, disappointment at me, disappointment at himself, disappointment at me, again, and then his shoulders slumping. Opening his mouth and stating what should have been the most obvious, self evident fact.
“Why would you? He betrayed you.”
Him giving voice to that obvious, self evident fact still doesn't make it any easier to digest.
“I know that. I know it's stupid - I know I'm being stupid - but if there's a chance I can fix that relationship then I want to try fixing it. I won't forgive myself if I don't try. I've done bad things to him, I've killed him twice already so maybe I deserved it, somewhat. Maybe now that we're on this side of everything we can move past it.”
Harper listening to my apologia with a sympathetic expression. Rath, on the other hand, outwardly displaying nothing, completely devoid of emotion.
“I think you're going to end up killing him a third time.”