Whiskey burned in Velaiah’s throat. Stone-faced and fighting a grimace, she set down her glass and sighed. She sat at a worn, rickety wooden table wedged into a nook in the wall, enveloped in a murmur of indistinct voices behind her. After years away from her home of Drondaris, she found the Dronvari language almost foreign, with its round, airy vowels and sharp, flowing consonants which rolled smoothly off the tongue. Such unfamiliarity was exaggerated by the distinct, somewhat posh accents endemic to Girin Peninsula’s southern tip. Torchlight illuminated the tavern with flickering flames. Her rose diamond eyes fixated on a weathered old poster atop the table, which depicted a missing individual with a large sum of gold being offered as a reward.
“Hideous, isn’t he?” One woman’s voice broke free of the others. Velaiah’s pointed ears twitched, establishing the presence directly behind her. In spite of her curiosity, she resisted turning her head to acknowledge the stranger. The pages of her black leatherbound book, which she had open beside the poster, rustled against the wooden tabletop as she heeded an instinct to flip it over.
Only when she heard chair legs scraping against the floor did Velaiah become tense. A quarter-full glass of whiskey, marked with a stain of crimson lipstick around the rim, made a dull clunk on the table as it was set down beside her own.
As the stranger invited herself to sit down, Velaiah looked upon her face. She was beautiful, with sharp features and piercing, ruby eyes set upon a backdrop of warm gray skin. Her black hair flowed in soft waves and curled in a frame around her chin, which rested atop her hand propped up by her elbow on the table. Her smile was warm and familiar, as though she was gazing fondly at a longtime friend. Velaiah was sure she did not know this woman, and yet something in her face evoked quietude.
“It’s rude to ignore people when they speak to you. But I suppose I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn’t realize.” The woman's smile grew with a playful snideness. Her eyes wandered to the poster and, snapping her gaze back to Velaiah, she introduced herself. “I’m Tabathys. What’s your name?” Silence followed her introduction, lingering for an uncomfortable duration.
“Velaiah.” She picked up her drink as a means to avert her gaze. Tabathys pursed her lips and nodded, noting the shortness of her reply.
“Charin, Velaiah. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Quite the lovely name you have.” She cleared her throat and downed the rest of her whiskey. Her face twisted with the burn of liquor, she continued, “Now that we’re past introductions, shall we talk about something a bit more meaningful?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“I can tell you I’m not interested in buying anything,” Velaiah said. “Nor playing a quick game of blood dice, nor performing favors for pay, sexual or otherwise. If there’s a sound reason you’ve approached me, I suggest you get to the point.”
“Ah, it's a good thing I'm here for no such solicitations." Tabathys’ smile shrunk to a subtle smirk. She leaned back in her chair and waved down a bartender passing by. After taking it upon herself to order another round of drinks for the both of them, she returned to the conversation. “The man on that poster, have you seen him?”
“No. I was just thinking he looks like someone I know.”
“I see,” Tabathys said with a disappointed sigh. “My apologies for bothering you, then. He’s, well, actually my cousin. He is a bit odd, but he’s like a brother to me. A couple of years have passed, but I still tend to jump out and grasp at every little thread of hope that I might find him.”
“I’m sorry to hear he’s missing,” Velaiah said, swirling her drink. The strange woman’s words only heightened her wariness as the conversation went on.
“Oh, no, you don’t need to say things like that. Just having a drunken lament,” Tabathys said. Nervous, or perhaps distraught, she broke into weak bursts of laughter. The bartender returned with two fresh glasses of whiskey, and she wasted no time taking her first sip. “You’re not from Dhul-Noria, are you?” Velaiah shook her head.
“No, I’m not.”
“I can tell.” Tabathys laughed at her own quip. “You’ve some Gray in your accent, and I don't think anyone at this end of Girin Uthroz speaks quite so bluntly. What brings you to the south?”
“Business.”
“I see.” The cordiality in Tabathys’ voice waned — she'd taken the hint that the conversation wasn't going anywhere. She gulped down a fair portion of her drink before continuing. “I would ask you what sort of business, but I can tell you aren’t particularly interested in warming up to company. Perhaps I should leave you be.”
Velaiah nodded, sparing Tabathys nary a glance as she announced her departure.
“I suppose I may see you around. That last drink is on me, by the way.” Tabathys lingered for a moment, hoping for at least a thank-you, but received no such gratitude. With no more words to be said, she pushed in her chair and walked away.
After a short wait, once she had a whit of confidence that she was no longer being watched, Velaiah turned around to make certain Tabathys had left. It appeared so, but before she could turn back around, a woman at the bar caught her eye. Sharp eyes and furrowed brows fixated on something to her right—the direction of the exit.
Her side profile revealed similar features to Tabathys, but softer and more elegant. A metal comb adorned with a rose and two leaves pinned the waves of her raven hair away from her face, though some wisps brushed against her cheeks. Thin and delicate, her fingers twisted the stem of a wine glass as she was contemplating, or perhaps waiting, before finally setting it down on the bar.
The woman then stepped down from her barstool, lissome and tall. A silken black dress flowed at her feet as she headed for the exit. Having disappeared beyond the corner inhibiting Velaiah’s line of vision, the woman quickly faded from her curiosity as well. Left to the peace, solitude, and liquor she had come to seek from the beginning, Velaiah returned her undivided attention to it.