Eina did not look happy as she led the way out of the corridor and into the inn she was staying at. After receiving pokes and prods from Hazeel, the elven fortune teller finally gave up on trying to get rid of her and invited her back to the bar instead.
As soon as they entered, all heads turned to the elven duo. Hazeel shrugged it off, her confidence having long been brought to a peak by her time with Vanessa and I. Meanwhile, Eina was the polar opposite. Despite having lived in the city for a while, and on top of the inn being her very place of residence, Eina did not look comfortable to be around humans in the least.
The establishment was called, “The Rocking Bird,” and was wide, with four floors, and five rooms on each floor. The mess hall was currently packed, and, after doing a quick head count, must have held eighty people when it was at maximum capacity.
At the back of the room, under the staircase was the bar itself. The moon elf walked towards the bartender and spilled ten rust red-colored coins on the table. “I need to use the back room. Understood, Elgin?”
Elgin, a large man with a bushy beard and bald head, tucked the rag he was using to clean the bartop in his green apron. He took the coins in one hand, and tucked them into said pocket as well.
“Alright, get back there.” He smiled, handing Eina a glass of wine. She returned the expression, showing the three of us a glimpse of something other than disdain and apathy for the first time that evening.
The three of us followed Eina’s lead, as she opened a silver door that was in the left corner of the room.
“Hey, woman!” Eina froze as a man walked over to her, clearly inebriated, and slung his arm around her. “Give me back my money! I paid to sleep with you, and you didn’t even put out for me!”
I waited for Eina’s rebuttal, but it didn’t come. Her fingers on the doorknob were trembling, and her breathing was growing more ragged as the man’s grip on her shoulder tightened.
“I think you have the wrong person.” Hazeel said in a low, hostile voice. The drunkard, being too far gone to notice Hazeel’s restrained fury, leaned in closer to Eina.
“As recompense for then, why don’t you show me some love now.” He licked the back of Eina’s neck, and immediately got sent through the wall of the building.
I expected to see Hazeel as the culprit, but found Vanessa’s fist in the place where the man’s body used to be.
Looking out the hole, the man’s crumpled body had dissipated into black smoke, and disappeared into the air.
“A magic construct?” Hazeel whispered, and immediately turned to scan the room. All eyes avoided hers, and all attention suddenly returned to their own tables.
Unable to find what she was looking for, however, she clicked her tongue and ushered Eina into the back room. “You’re going to tell me what the hell just happened, Eina. So help me gods-” Hazeel muttered under her breath.
Vanessa followed the elves, while I walked up to Elgin. “Sorry about the mess. We’ll get some people tomorrow to come down and fix it.”
The barkeep shook his head, and handed me the entire bottle of what he had poured for Eina. “Don’t mention it. My magic can restore the bar to its proper state at sunrise. You just take care of Eina there. I owe her a lot, and that’s the first time I’ve seen her smile in months.”
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I nodded, thanked the man, and walked into the room, closing and locking the door behind me.
---
“What the hell was that!?” Hazeel slammed her fists into a round table in a small room. There were six seats around it, and each of us took one.
Eina merely glanced at Hazeel before returning her eyes back to the hardwood floor, and sighed. “I hoped it wouldn’t happen today. I didn’t want to get your bullish head involved in my own problems.”
“Bullish!?” Hazeel sounded insulted, and looked to me with pleading eyes.
“I’m sure the boy has experienced it as well. Once you get an idea in your head of what direction you should go, any and all evidence to the contrary is shoved into the back of your mind.”
I paused for a moment, allowing my gaze to fall on the slave crest around Hazeel’s neck. She followed my gaze, and immediately turned away, blushing.
“Ok, maybe you have a point. However, I still want to know about your problem, even if you call me names for it, I want to help where I can.”
“And, even after listening, if I tell you that you can’t help?” Eina responded.
“Then you probably haven’t told me the whole story.” Hazeel said coolly. Eina sighed, setting the glass of alcohol on the counter.
“Fine.” Eina swirled the ruby red beverage in her glass, and took a sip. “I think it’s a safe thing to say that you wouldn’t leave me alone even if I told you to, right?”
When no answer came, Eina downed the glass and grabbed the bottle of spirits from my hand. “Alright, alright, Haze. I get it. I’ll spill.”
I was confused by the sudden use of a nickname, but Hazeel seemed pleased enough by it, so I didn’t say anything.
She began pouring herself another cup, and began speaking. “It started a decade ago. After the King Pola outlawed demi-human residence in major towns and cities on the Azure continent.”
“Former King.” Hazeel cut in, leaving Eina stupefied. The moon elf’s eye twitched as she leaned in closer to Hazeel, grabbing her by her shoulders.
“Is he finally dead!?” She seemed… elated, for some reason? I frowned, as did Hazeel, but Eina had already gotten her emotions under control and had stepped away from the wood elf.
“Ha, ha ha ha! Finally! The prophecy has-!” Eina realized that she was making a scene, and sat down promptly.
What was that about? I sent my thoughts to Hazeel through our newly created mental connection.
Without taking her eyes off of Eina, she replied, ‘She always had a fascination with the kind of prophecies that Jane Clairborne was able to see. She joined the same guild, and tried to have Jane take her as an apprentice.’
I wanted to ask more, but this was neither the time nor place for a long discussion. Eina cleared her throat and began once more, “After that, I decided to leave the Azure Continent. It wasn’t going to end well if I stayed, for anyone.”
Hazeel nodded, and let the woman compile her thoughts. We sat in silence for a moment, with the only sound being that of Vanessa’s breathing close to my ear.
“I found myself in this town, and have been making a living off of information broking ever since. Unfortunately, I was too good at it, and too assured in my abilities. I was approached by two of the scions of the Minami family.”
She had finally finished the bottle at this point, and was just waving around an empty glass. “Zare Li Minami, and Hann Lo Minami. The she-devil and her brother. Both of them extended an offer of employment, and I refused both times. In retribution, they’ve hired some asshole mage to ruin my life, and play psychological games like the ones you just saw.”
Tears came out of her eyes, and Eina took both of Hazeel’s hands in her own. “Can you please help me? If you’re here, then I feel we can get to the bottom of which one is assaulting me, and put it to an end.”
Hazeel stood up, and hugged Eina. “Of course. We’ll start first thing tomorrow. For now, let’s get a room in the Rocking Bird.”
“Thank you, Haze. Thank you so much!” Eina cried into the wood elf’s shoulder, but looking at the expression on her face, I could tell that consoling Eina was the last thing on her mind.