Chapter 35 — Feudal
“I mean, yeah, I guess I am sort of spending the holiday on my own,” Rína admitted to the stranger.
“Now that’s just a shame,” he sighed, subtly rotating his stance a quarter turn, giving Rína a better view of his… profiles. He also took the chance to hook his thumbs into the waistline of his low hung trousers that had a festive flower crown and tinsel in lieu of a belt, “You know, holidays are always best enjoyed with others, don’t you think?”
Rína had to stop herself from chuckling. She could tell exactly where the conversation was going, but something kept her from just walking away. It wasn’t that she had any interest in being a customer, even if she weren’t broke. True, the man before her on the shop’s small stage was objectively gorgeous and could probably make a living as some artist’s model. But the same could be said about a sunset, and Rína wasn’t fond of the idea of getting all sticky and sweaty with either.
The thing that kept her there was probably just the novelty of the situation. Rína wasn’t a stranger to being on the receiving end of lewd comments, but this was the first time where the comments—paired with the general body language—seemed to be saying that it was his own ass that was so eminently squeezable.
“Yeah, unfortunately I don’t really know anyone in the city.” Rína said.
“Well not anymore,” he said sweetly, “My name is Theo. And I’m guessing this is your first time in Westreach?”
“I’m Rína.” she said, “How could you tell?”
“It’s the wide eyed look you’ve got, same as anyone else during their first time,” Theo said, giving the subtlest of winks, “You know… Just like you, I’m actually spending Sharad on my lonesome. But, mathematically speaking, two people can’t be alone together, right?”
Rína snorted, “I think that checks out.”
“Well then what do you say to us enjoying each other’s company?” Theo gave her a smile that Rína could have sworn belonged in an art gallery, “And as a guest to our fair city, it’d only be right for me to show some proper hospitality.”
“Yeah… Sorry Theo, but I’m not exactly in your customer base.” Rína said.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean,” Theo said without skipping a beat, “But I completely respect your hesitancy to spend time with some man you’ve just met. Though if you still want company, I know some wonderful ladies that are sure to make your stay in Westreach a memorable one.”
“Oh…” Rína said, slightly taken aback, “Uh, well, I’m not in their customer base either. I’m a none-of-the-above kind of person.”
Theo opened his mouth to respond before his brow furrowed in confusion, “Then… is there anything I can help you with?”
“I actually got kind of turned around. You wouldn’t know where the main road was?”
Theo’s disappointment was palpable as all the playful theatrics of his sales pitch melted away. He simply sighed and pointed down the street, “Left at the Three Brothers Brewery, then the second from the right once you get to the Wickless Candle Inn, then just keep going straight until you hit Aodh’s Square and you should be able to…” Theo seemed to catch sight of something in the crowd, “...shit.”
“Able to shit?” Rína scoffed.
“What? No.” Theo shook his head, a bit of panic leaking into his voice, “Sorry, look, I know this is sudden, but can you do me a favor and follow my lead?”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Please, just play along and—WELL, aren’t you just a flirt,” Theo cut himself off with a shout, returning to his playful persona, “but you’re in luck because I was looking for—”
“ThhhheeeeooOOOO,” came a sing-song call from down the street.
Rína looked to see a woman striding towards them as regular people on the street seemed to deliberately get out of her way. She was perhaps in her late twenties and had generally average build, but what set her apart was the light leather armor she wore that had some kind of family crest prominently displayed on it. That in and of itself wasn’t concerning, what was was the outright predatory look she bore as she crossed the last few meters to Theo’s stage.
“Happy Sharad, Theo,” the woman said in a sickly sweet voice.
“Ah, hello Devmoína. And what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Theo asked dryly.
“Oh, you know, just looking for a fun way to spend the holiday,” she said.
“Aren’t we all,” Theo nodded uneasily, “But unfortunately Rína and I were just about to head inside for some refreshments.”
Theo motioned to Rína and for the first time Devmoína seemed to realize she was even there. Devmoína’s eyes turned hard as she looked Rína up and down before visibly dismissing her once again.
“I’m sure she was just leaving.” Devmoína said more as a command than comment as she stepped onto the small stage, walking right up to Theo and brushing her fingers across his chest.
“Oh…” Rína muttered. What had been just a little banter with a stranger had, in the span of a few seconds, turned into… Well, Rína could tell she was missing some context, but the broad strokes were pretty damn clear.
“Uh, no, actually.” Rína said as she followed Devmoína onto the stage, “I’m not going anywhere. I came here to… squeeze his ass… and that is exactly what I’m gonna do. So you’ll just have to wait in line like everyone else.”
Theo kept his mouth shut, seemingly trying to avoid attention despite being the very center of it. And Devmoína simply sighed, giving Rína an unamused look.
“Walk away girl,” she said, “If you know what’s good for you.”
“No.” Rína refused, slapping Devmoína’s hand off of Theo’s chest.
Devmoína scowled and a moment later a spike of foreign aura slammed into Rína’s soul.
“Motherfucker,” Rína cursed in surprise as she reflexively replied in kind, breaking apart the aura attack with one of her own that continued on to impact Devmoína’s soul. Rína wasn’t really thinking, just reacting, both with her aura and the two handed, full forced shove she planted on the other woman’s chest.
Devmoína seemed to freeze in surprise as she just took the shove and was on her ass a moment later. But no retort immediately came from the dumbstruck woman, instead there was a silence between the three of them on the small stage. And it was in that pregnant pause that Rína realized that she just assaulted someone who was clearly some kind of mage.
“Well, uh, shall we?” Theo faked a cough, pointedly ignoring Devmoína as he motioned Rína towards the shop’s front door. Gladly taking the lifeline, Rína nodded and the two quickly retreated inside.
Theo practically slammed the front door once both of them were clear of it, his playful demeanor giving way to sudden tension as he locked it behind him. Rína opened her mouth, but Theo quickly raised a finger to his lips in a sign of silence and motioned for her to follow him further into the shop—or rather, into the home. All of which would normally ring every alarm bell—being locked inside a stranger’s home—but whether from confidence in her own abilities or a possibly misplaced sense of trust, Rína oddly enough didn’t feel like she was in danger. Or rather, she felt the real danger was the scorned mage on the porch, something the interior was currently bereft of.
So Rína followed along, deeper into the home. She wasn’t sure what she expected the interior of Theo’s place of business to look like, but it was surprisingly on the cozy side. The floorplan itself was a bit odd though: the front door fed into a long narrow hallway that seemed to run along the entire left side of the building, terminating with stairs up to the second floor but with doorways along it that fed into the ground floor rooms.
Theo led Rína into one of the rear rooms, a small parlor adorned with little more than a fireplace, a couch sized for two, and a bar stocked with a full rainbow of colorful bottles of alcohol. The latter of which Theo strode over to and without a word pulled out two glasses, filling both with a double of what had to be hard liquor.
“Oh, uh, no, I don’t drink; thanks though,” Rína waved off.
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“Hm?” Theo murmured, absentmindedly downing both glasses with a swig and a wince each, “Oh right. Can I get you anything? We’ve got some mixer juices in the ice box if you want.”
“I’ll pass,” Rína said, “So… what the hells was that about?”
Theo nodded as he slumped onto the couch, “That… was Devmoína Doukas. A former client of mine with certain appetites I’m no longer willing to cater to…”
“Ah. And I’m guessing she isn’t the type to take ‘no’ for an answer?” Rína asked, leaning against a nearby wall.
Theo nodded again, “Yeah, she and the rest of her family—at least the ones that come around here—all have a… bespoke view of consent.”
Rína grimaced. The situation was all too familiar to her—hells, the fact that it was familiar was why she left Leighton in the first place. The would-be assailant being a woman was bizarre and just felt wrong to Rína, but she couldn’t deny what she’d been point blank on just seconds ago.
“And thank you, by the way, for sticking your neck out for me,” Theo said, “But seeing how it turned out, I feel kind of guilty for even asking for the favor…”
Rína frowned, “What are you talking about? So one lady got her ego bruised. Can’t you go to the authorities or something if she causes any more problems? There’s got to be other mages like her that can keep her in check.”
“What?” Theo gave Rína a confused look, “Oh, right, out-of-towner. Sorry to say it, but the Doukases are the authorities, they own this third of the city. The governor is technically above the three families, but he mostly just makes sure they’re not spilling each other’s blood in the streets.”
“So then when I pushed her to the ground…” Rína trailed off as a pit quickly formed in her stomach, “Fuck…”
“You sure you don’t want a drink?” Theo consoled, “But honestly you came out of that pretty well, all things considered. I’m surprised she didn’t scramble your brain after you laid hands on her—something, for the record, I didn’t expect you to do when I asked for the favor, but am still damn grateful you did.”
“Yeah… don’t mention it…” Rína said hollowly. It all happened in an instant but now Rína tried to work through the scenarios as fast as she could, “What… what are the odds that in the next minute she kicks down the front door and starts throwing spells?”
Theo winced as he considered, “Honestly, it’s weird she didn’t just immediately scramble you, but if she was going to do anything in the near future, she probably already would have. Beyond that… I don’t know. But the platinum lining is that she won’t be chucking any spells at you seeing as she’s just one of the family thugs.”
“What do you mean?” Rína frowned, “Are you saying she isn’t a mage? How would that even be possible?”
Theo raised an eyebrow before elaborating, “Well, apparently all the Doukases get mage training in their teens, but most of them—like Devmoína—flunk out. They can’t do any of the fancy stuff, but they can still sure as hells fuck with your head. Because of that a lot of them become the family’s street level enforcers, keeping people in line and making sure their businesses aren’t competed against.
“So a quick word from the both wise and sexy,” Theo smirked, motioning to himself, “If you see anyone wearing a family crest, like the one Devmoína had, stay clear of them… Unless they’re harassing me specifically, in which case you should valiantly sacrifice yourself. Like, really lean into it and go down in a blaze of glory.”
Rína snorted a laugh as a bit of tension faded, “I’ll definitely be doing that. Speaking of, where’s your back door?”
Theo raised his eyebrows in faux surprise, “And here I thought you weren’t in my customer base.”
“Wha—” Rína shook her head, “Come on, you know what I mean. She might still be out front, and I don’t want to risk a second run-in.”
“Yeah, that’d probably be a good idea,” Theo said, “assuming the front door wasn't the only exit.”
“Oh.” Rína frowned, “So then…”
“Well I shouldn’t head out for the same reason you shouldn’t,” Theo shrugged, “So you’re free to wait it out with me if you want. In fact… there’s this certain… activity that I’m rather good at that we could do to pass the time. And it happens to be some of the most fun two or more people can have. All we need is a large flat surface that we can both get comfy on…”
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“Two ferrymen across the river and…” Rína said, chewing her lip as she made her play, “...and three priests with the lumberjacks.”
“Shit.” Theo cursed as he looked between the cards in his hand and the cards laid out on the parlor floor, “Ok, how about… I’m gonna play a wheat field next to the sink hole and… Ah Ha! And add an ox for each of your ferrymen.”
“What?” Rína scowled, “Why would anyone take an ox into a ferry; they can just swim.”
“Sorry, those are the rules,” Theo shrugged, “Besides, you’re winning; you don’t get to complain.”
“Yeah, and you’re just a sore loser,” Rína grumbled.
They were playing a card game called King’s Country which used a massive deck of cards where each card had any of a myriad of different figures or locales on it. As the game went on, the number of cards in play grew exponentially which led Rína and Theo to just play on the parlor floor, with the two of them sitting cross legged on opposite sides of the growing country.
The game took a bit to learn but now, having passed the initial learning curve, it was just as much fun as Theo had advertised. It had a certain easy to pick up complexity that Rína could sink her teeth into as opposed to most of the simplistic games that were floating around Leighton when she was growing up. But at the same time, the game didn’t require her constant attention so she and Theo ended up idly chatting about one inane topic after another.
An hour after they started, as they were finally approaching the late game, Theo and Rína heard the front door being unlocked and opened.
“Theo, you home?” Came a woman’s voice from the front of the house.
“Yeah Eléni, we’re back here; you can come on in,” Theo shouted a reply.
A moment later a woman, presumably Eléni, strolled into the doorway of the parlor.
It only took a single glance at the woman for Rína to learn that all those impossible beauty standards she had grown up with were in fact technically possible. Eléni wore a simple dress in the local fashion that accentuated all of her curves while perfectly framing her long, silky hair and displaying quite a lot of skin that was all devoid of even a single blemish.
Now… Rína knew she herself wasn’t the prettiest person around, especially with her burn scar, but she liked to think that she did alright. She also knew she wasn’t the most feminine woman to exist either, but that was fine. She knew that the masculine-feminine dichotomy was kind of arbitrary anyway, and besides, she was comfortable with who she was and that’s all that should really matter in the end.
However… With both Theo and Eléni in the room with her, Rína couldn’t help but feel a little… underdressed.
“Am I interrupting anything?” Eléni asked with a smirk.
“Nothing besides me getting my ass pounded,” Theo said, despairing at the state of the game, “What’s up?”
“Well I was just gonna do a shift but I heard from Sunita that Devmoína came by and something happened,” Eléni said, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Theo said, “All thanks to Rína bailing me out of it. Oh, sorry. Eléni, this is Rína. Rína, Eléni. Rína was walking by and kicked Devmoína’s ass when she started, well, being Devmoína.”
“Hi,” Rína gave a wave and coughed awkwardly as Eléni’s eyes widened, “Theo’s exaggerating a bit.”
“Even if he is, it was damn good of you to step in,” Eléni said with complete sincerity.
“Well, uh, it was the least I could do,” Rína said uneasily, not entirely comfortable with the praise.
“Do you know if she’s still lurking around?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, I saw her drinking at the Three Brothers,” Eléni said, “Sunita said she came with another Doukas—Jason, I think it was.”
“Is that the cute one with the shoulder fetish?” Theo asked.
“I think so,” Eléni nodded, “apparently he was mostly sober so Loukas ended up reeling him in, and I think Devmoína might just be waiting for them to finish up before heading back together.”
“That’s good news, I guess,” Theo mulled over.
“Well, anyway, I’m gonna get changed and start a shift,” Eléni said, “It was really nice to meet you Rína.”
“You, too, Eléni,” Rína waved goodbye.
Eléni then headed upstairs, leaving Rína and Theo to the final stretch of their game.
“I forgot to ask,” Rína began, “But do you guys get this kind of trouble a lot? Oh, and I’m gonna play an arsonist into your orchards.”
“Gods, what did those poor trees ever do to you?” Theo muttered, “I’m guessing you’re talking about the Devmoína kind of trouble? Not really. I mean every now and then there’ll be a problem client but they get kicked out and banned on the spot. A while ago all of us on this street pooled our cash and hired some bouncers to patrol around as well as some local kids to be lookouts. That alone solved like ninety-nine percent of the issues.” He explained, turning his attention back to his cards, “Let’s see, how about a heavy rain for my orchard and a landslide for your highway.”
“And the remaining percent?” Rína asked.
Theo frowned, “Well there’s not a whole lot a bouncer can do if a Doukas comes around. At that point you’ve gotta hope the lookouts can warn whoever the Doukas might be going for so that they can be strategically absent. If I had to guess, today the kids probably just missed Devmoína in the holiday crowds.”
“Hmrh,” Rína scowled, the situation as a whole putting a bad taste in her mouth but if there was some perfect solution it wasn’t obvious to her. Rína briefly had the thought of just offering Theo, Eléni, and whoever else the soul awareness training that they’d need to defend themselves against aura attacks, but that kind of thing took weeks at a minimum. Regardless, there wasn’t anything Rína could do about it at the moment, so for now she tried to put it out of her mind and focus back on the game.
“Well I didn’t really need that highway anyway,” Rína eventually said, “I’m going to clear cut one of my forests to quick-build a temporary bridge across your river and then move my general across it.”
“Of course you are,” Theo sighed, “I’ll flash flood the river to take out the bridge and cut off reinforcements but… Honestly, I’m really not seeing any way to turn this around.”
“What do you mean? Your Castle is still so intact and un-sabotaged,” Rína said in a deadpan, “It’s basically anyone’s game.”
Theo frowned, “Why would you phrase it like…” he leveled a glare at Rína, “Alright. Do your worst.”