by Kestrel » 01/18/2016 3:43 PM
Ves stopped in front of a tiny squat shack, the third in a line of similar-looking establishments. He peered at the sign, whose fading, peeling paint seemed to read “The Hungry Demon”, and frowned. The windows were dirty and dusty, and the door stood a little off its hinges. He sighed. Was it really this hard to find a tavern in Nabias that didn’t look like he’d either be poisoned from the uncleanliness or murdered by its occupants?
And from previous experiences, Ves had found he made a semi-popular target for thieves and criminals of all kind. He was of average height for a man—which made him exactly the same height as his taller-than-average sister—with a slight build that just seemed to scream “pick me, I’m vulnerable!” Which he had of course ceased to be many, many years ago, but evidently his appearance hadn’t followed in line with physical abilities. His skin was pale, lightly-tanned, and under a fringe of short, dark-blonde hair, he had a pair of blue-grey eyes. Emphasis on the grey. But people had always called them blue when he was younger: no doubt the effect of his sister’s brilliantly bright blue eyes. They wanted their twins to match, however poorly Ves and Noelani actually did.
He kept walking east, heading deeper into the town. Thin moonlight and the glow of the street lamps lit his way. He was thankful to see that the lights were growing brighter and becoming more numerous as he continued on. Hopefully this meant he’d be able to find a relatively clean, safe place to stay soon.
Ves glanced down at his tracker as he walked. The bird was still moving, circling somewhere on the other edge of town. It had “woken up” shortly before he departed the ship; Ves estimated it’d be “sleeping”, if that’s what it did, by the time he woke in the morning.
As he put the tracker back into its side-pocket on his bag, he glanced up at the building to his left. A sign hung a few inches above his head, proclaiming it to be a pub by the name of “The Dog & Body”. His gaze swept over the solid-looking wooden door and the merrily glowing windows. His spirits lifted.
“God, finally,” he said, pulling open the door and stepping into the pub.
He glanced around in surprise at how empty the place was. He felt a trickle of unease. Was the warm, welcoming appearance simply a front? Or was this place just really, really expensive? Ves hitched his bag higher on his shoulder and took a few more steps in. Well, whatever the prices here were, he was much too tired to try and find another bar. If he was lucky, maybe they rented out rooms too.
He spotted a woman cleaning tables near him. There didn’t seem to be any other non-customers present, so he walked over and cleared his throat.
“Excuse me,” he said, smiling, “but could I get a drink?”
[2]