The sun began to set as Leesha made her way out of her apartment, the snow lined streets of New York cast in a mixture of shadow and bronze, which glinted off the snow and the slush of the street. Two male lamp lighters in the middle of their rounds passed by, one on either side of the road, each carrying a small flaming lantern whose flame was open to the air. Almost in sync with one another the lamp lighters would animate the fire within the lantern, drawing it in an arc overhead to the oiled wick of the lamppost.

It was in Leesha’s opinion very nearly artistic. The animation of an element is not a simple spell, and to cast it while nearly in sync with another person, was nothing to sneeze at. But to do that while dodging around pedestrians and carrying a conversation with your partner about the superiority of your favorite baseball team? It was so gloriously mundane she nearly came to a stop in the street.

She didn’t of course, that would have interrupted the flow of the foot traffic and quite possibly gotten her accosted by someone in a hurry. But still it put a smile on her face, that was why she had come here, in a sense. Those two, capable casters though they may be, were just two faces in a sea of people. So quickly lost to the sights and sounds of the city that they may as well have never been. Truly Leesha felt like she could get lost in a place like this and with any luck stay lost, at least for a little while.

With a small start she realized the lamplighters guild was probably subsidized by the city, since they had both been casting in public, or there was the possibility that individual licenses be used for work. She would need to ask about that when she went to city hall on monday to inquire about licensing and permits for spellcasting.

The rest of the walk to “Daves” was uneventful, the already lit lamps and the snowy ground giving the streets a surprisingly cheerful look in the fading sunlight.

“Daves” As it so called was an italian restaurant that occupied the bottom floor of a red brick building that went up a total of five stories, and Leesha Idly wondered if there were homes or offices above the restaurant as she stepped inside an antechamber and kicked the snow off of her shoes.

Past the antichamber was a charming looking restaurant. The smell of the place hit her before she could take in the sight, garlic, rosemary, and the scent of fresh bread and the scent of red seared meats wafted over her and she breathed in with a deep appreciation after the cold.

The floors were polished hardwood, the chairs and booths painted a crisp white, with checkered tablecloths covering most of the tables. The walls were lined with mana lamps, giving off a warm ember orange light, basking the room in a more intimate glow, giving the entire place a very cozy feeling.

As she took the room a young man approached her, more of a teen from the looks of things, though he was wearing a waiters uniform. “G’d Evening misses, table for yourself? Or have you got some stragglers?” He asked ,in what Leesha recognized as a native New Yorker accent, even with only a week's worth of city living under her belt.

“Oh, just me for tonight. I was told by a coworker of mine that you have an excellent swordfish dish?” She asked as she looked up at him, one hand resting lightly on her purse. The young man gave her a smile and a nod. “Ah, the swordfish special, right this way misses.” and of all the things, the rowdy teen winked at her and led her toward the back of the restaurant. Which contained a stairwell leading down to a door, which very clearly led to some kind of basement.

“Just down their misses, we don’t serve the “Swordfish” upstairs due to the smell you see?” He said as a way of explanation and then winked at Leesha again. Honestly if not for the loud voices and music coming from behind the door, that she could hear from top of the stairwell she might consider this a fishy situation.

Leesha paused to enjoy her mental pun then smiled at the young man and returned his wink. “Of course sir, thank you for showing me the way.” That said she did wait until he had turned and began walking away to begin making her way down the stairs, just a few quick steps and Leesha was standing in front of the door, behind which laughter echoed.

She found herself hesitating, it didn’t take a genius to guess at what a hidden room in a restaurant might lead to, not after copious amounts of winking and a passphrase. Speakeasies were not unheard of, and it is not like there hadn’t been a speakeasy hidden just off of King's Colleges campus. Still, it would be breaking the law. Law that for the first time Leesha herself would be susceptible to out from under the aegis of her wealthy family.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

But, it had been a long first week in the city and frankly Leesha could use a drink. So she grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open to reveal a long bar not dissimilar to the restaurant above with polished hardwood floors, a well kept bar, stocked with liquor and what looked like a couple of cases of cigars. The thick heady scent of cigar smoke and dreamleaf hung in the air and dimly lit mage lamps gave the place a slightly more oppressive feel than the floor above, but she supposed it allowed for a little more privacy and deniability if worse came to worst.

Stepping into the bar she got a couple of glances from the patrons at the bar, but they turned back to drink and conversation after only a moment. The Bartender, a huge orcish man, gave her a nod in greeting. Leesha gave him a demure smile. “Good evening sir, I was wondering if I could get a whiskey, neat on a four count?”

Up close, as in right across the bar from her the orc seemed positively mountainous in size. Easily six and a half feet tall, and thrice as wide as she was, a stoic face and thick mutton chops made him look like quite the rogue in his clearly tailored uniform, if how tightly it fit him was any indication.

For all that Leesha was eyeing him up the bartender, dubbed “Choppa” by his name tag, gave Leesha her second nod of the evening and poured her drink. Choppa was smooth and professional, pulling in a fresh glass, with one hand and a bottle from the shelf appearing in the other, without having to look at either. This was clearly his territory and he knew where everything was within it. The whiskey was unstopped and then poured half ounce by half ounce a second at a time for a crisp four count. One of Choppa’s large fingers had been tapping the glass in a rhythm to keep the time. Gently he slid the glass down to her, Leeshas hand opening as the glass casually slid into place.

That had been pure professionalism, if Leesha had to take a bet she’d wager, Choppa had put a fair number of points into tending the bar. “Thank you Choppa.” She said as she lifted the glass, inhaling the aroma before taking a sip, and getting the rich full bodied and smooth taste, with more than a hint of vanilla the liquid vanishing down her throat with a pleasant burning sensation. “Mind if I ask after the price of those dreamleaf cigars? They would make a great combination with the whiskey.” Leesha said, as she looked up at him pulling a fiver out of her purse and sliding it across the bar towards him.

In shorter order she had two cigars, and a running tab. Tucking the extra cigar in her cigarette case, she drew the “wyrmwood” cigar to her lips, and inhaled as she sparked her mana to bring a flame into existence on the tip of her index finger, the finger itself becoming coated in a slight layer of frost as she manipulated thermodynamics. What followed was a deep breath, held for a two count before she released a cloud of smoke, her face adorned with the spaced out smile and half lidded eyes of an addict finally getting sweet relief. “Ah, I haven’t had a good smoke and whiskey for months.”

That earns her a grunt from Choppa the bartender as he polishes a glass with a rag, in what one could call a customary bartending pose. “You got a license for that finger candle of yours?.” He asked, his voice gruff and abrasive. “Pffft, you got a liquor license big man?” Leesha replied in a low sassy tone, which earned her a sharp bark of laughter from the bartender.

“Fair enough.”

Leesha settles in at her place on the bar after that, sipping slowly from her whiskey and puffing now and again on the cigar as she listens in on the myriad of conversations going on. Her combined heritage of goblin and elf makes listening in to conversations across the bar a fairly simple matter, considering how large her ears are.

Oh she’d turn her attention away if anything private or improper was discussed of course, but the conversations were interesting and she had little better to do than people watch, or rather listen.

A couple of dwarven fellows were having a quite in depth conversation about the upgrades the sewer system was getting, and about how they’d be hiring a bunch of temporary workers to speed up the construction. That…would probably pay pretty well Leesha admitted to herself, though sewer work was not something she’d normally consider. Something to keep in mind at least if she finds herself put upon for work.

Another conversation she picked up bits and pieces of, came from a boat captain and a dock worker, both human men with thick stout bodies used to hard labor. Apparently the city’s police force was investing more time in patrolling the harbor and making smuggling a lot more difficult for the beleaguered captain.

That was somewhat more interesting in Leesha’s estimation, and not just because the fine delights she was currently enjoying were smuggled goods! No, it was more that no matter how the government tried to put a bad light on smuggling, the prohibition had turned the act of smuggling into something more than just profiting from illicit goods.

Now there was a defiance to the act, a…a simple heroism, turning the act of avoiding taxes into an action against oppression. Making it popular among the common man, and profitable for the wealthy or connected.

At this point Leesha was beginning to nurse a healthy buzz, and a final sip of her whiskey emptied the glass. Rather than attempt casting while inebriated, she avoided using magic to frost the end of her cigar, and instead tamped it out in an ashtray and putting what was left into her cigarette case.

A quick nod to Choppa as she slid from her stool. “Are we good to keep my tab open or should I ask for my change?” Leesha asked as her hands patted down and smoothed her skirt. “We’re all good, wrote your name down and everything.” Choppa replied with a smirk.

Well look who is being sassy now. Leesha thought to herself before giving the bartender a smile and heading out of the speakeasy.

The warmth of the restaurant followed her outside for about a foot, before the wind blew down the street with the fresh crisp winter air of evening. Despite the cold Leesha found herself feeling quite warm and riding an emotional high. It had been nice to relax after a day's work. Honestly it made her time in the city feel more real, that this wasn’t the flight of escapism and fancy that a foolish young woman had dreamt up.

She could make this work, and isn’t that a wonderful thought? Leesha mused to herself after a quiet walk home. Unlocking her building and heading inside she stopped by the wash room to handle her necessities before heading to bed, uncertain of the future, but hopeful.