The Stranger
The [Pub] was in the very darkest corner of town. The only people who dared step through its doors were mostly assassins and whores. But the old man told him he would find her here and so he forced himself to cross into this, dank, underlit section of [Town].
He stopped right at the worn wooden door. There were no windows on this side of the building. Just the standard slider peep hole on the door which looked as though it had never been moved. They didn't need a bodyguard in this place, if you messed with the wrong person the patrons would deal with you themselves.
He sighed then put his hand to the door. Here goes nothing, he whispered to himself, then pushed his weight against the it and crossed the threshold.
His eyes adjusted quickly as it wasn't too much brighter than the streets, but enough to temporarily blind him for a few seconds. He scanned the room noticing that everyone was staring at him, the stranger. There were all sorts of scruffy men and vampy women filling the tables, most playing cards and drinking ale. He noticed a couple making their way up the stairs, most likely a whore and her new client. He shuddered then made his way to the bar.
He caught the barkeep's attention, despite the obvious distrust in the man's eyes. The barkeep set down the cup he had been drying with his dingy smock and swaggered over to the end of the bar.
"What can I getchya?" his voice was rough and irritated.
"I'm looking for someone..." he started.
"You lookin for trouble or ale? We don't serve trouble here." the barkeep interuppted. He was obviously distrustful of the stranger. He hadn't seen anyone that clean come in here for years.
"My appologies, I'll take a pint of ale and maybe after I finish you can give me some information?" the stranger asked hopefully.
"Sure sure. Ale first, when you finish we can make small talk." He grabbed a glass and pulled the tap. "Here ya are, when you finish come back. Go find a card game or something to occupy yerself with," he huffed and went back to drying the rest of his glasses.
The stranger picked up his glass and walked over to a table of two rough looking men playing a game of cards.
"Hi, whatcha playin?"
"Rummy, you can't join in." the man on his left spoke without ever looking up at him.
"That's fine I'll just watch," he got no response. He watched them play through a couple of hands, picking up on the game fairly quickly. He'd never played cards before, nobody had ever taught him. When he noticed the man on the left miss a winning hand he interrupted, "Shoulda picked up that 10, you would've had cleared your hand."
"Oh? And what do you know about cards?" The man finally took a look at the stranger.
"Not too much, but I've been catching on while watching you." he explained.
"I see..." the man threw down the rest of his hand. "I'm done Jimmy. I oughta be makin my way home by now," he got up from his chair and stretched his arms over his head. He nodded at the stranger, "Nice meetin ya kid," then grabbed his coat and hat from the rack and walked out. The other man at the table leaned back in his chair and stared at the strange young man. He was too clean to hail from this town.
"Where ya from kid?"
He really wished they'd stop calling him that. At 19 years old he was hardly a kid anymore, he'd been living on his own since he was 16 and doing pretty well for himself.
"I'm from [Town]," he stated.
"Well well, that's quite a ways away ya think? What brings ya all the way out here?" the man looked genuinely interested.
"I'm looking for someone. An old man from a village outside of here said I could find her here."
"Her? You lookin for a whore? They're all the same you know," he started to rant.
"No no. Not a whore," the young man blushed. "I'm looking for," he paused, trying to think of what the old man had called her. "I'm looking for the Huntress."
The man leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. Rubbing his hands together he said in a low suspcious voice, "Huntress you say?"
"Yessir," he replied nervously.
The man lowered his eyes to the floor boards and thought for a minute. He looked back up at the young man, "Are you sure you want to speak with her?" The young man was confused by this. Of course he wanted to speak with her, why else would he have asked? He calmed himself down, "Yessir, it's very important that I find her."
"Very well then," the man got up from his chair and the stranger followed suit. "You've come to the right place I'm afraid." He said then pointed to a dark corner at the back of the pub. The young man followed his finger and caught a quick flash of glassy eyes. His heart started to race and he swallowed his sudden panic.
"Th-thank you sir," he stuttered then slowly strode to the the dark corner to meet his destiny.
----
This shit has been floating in my head all week. I don't know if it's the beginning or the middle or what, I don't know who these people are or the names of the locations. That's why they are in brackets for now. Hell, I don't even know if this is an actual story or just some little epilogue. All I know is who She is, but barely.
I'm a terrible writer, I appologize for that. It's hard for me to translate these visions and daydreams into words.
There is more to come, but I can't garantee that it will be any better than this.
If anyone would be willing to make editing suggestions, that would be wonderful.
He stopped right at the worn wooden door. There were no windows on this side of the building. Just the standard slider peep hole on the door which looked as though it had never been moved. They didn't need a bodyguard in this place, if you messed with the wrong person the patrons would deal with you themselves.
He sighed then put his hand to the door. Here goes nothing, he whispered to himself, then pushed his weight against the it and crossed the threshold.
His eyes adjusted quickly as it wasn't too much brighter than the streets, but enough to temporarily blind him for a few seconds. He scanned the room noticing that everyone was staring at him, the stranger. There were all sorts of scruffy men and vampy women filling the tables, most playing cards and drinking ale. He noticed a couple making their way up the stairs, most likely a whore and her new client. He shuddered then made his way to the bar.
He caught the barkeep's attention, despite the obvious distrust in the man's eyes. The barkeep set down the cup he had been drying with his dingy smock and swaggered over to the end of the bar.
"What can I getchya?" his voice was rough and irritated.
"I'm looking for someone..." he started.
"You lookin for trouble or ale? We don't serve trouble here." the barkeep interuppted. He was obviously distrustful of the stranger. He hadn't seen anyone that clean come in here for years.
"My appologies, I'll take a pint of ale and maybe after I finish you can give me some information?" the stranger asked hopefully.
"Sure sure. Ale first, when you finish we can make small talk." He grabbed a glass and pulled the tap. "Here ya are, when you finish come back. Go find a card game or something to occupy yerself with," he huffed and went back to drying the rest of his glasses.
The stranger picked up his glass and walked over to a table of two rough looking men playing a game of cards.
"Hi, whatcha playin?"
"Rummy, you can't join in." the man on his left spoke without ever looking up at him.
"That's fine I'll just watch," he got no response. He watched them play through a couple of hands, picking up on the game fairly quickly. He'd never played cards before, nobody had ever taught him. When he noticed the man on the left miss a winning hand he interrupted, "Shoulda picked up that 10, you would've had cleared your hand."
"Oh? And what do you know about cards?" The man finally took a look at the stranger.
"Not too much, but I've been catching on while watching you." he explained.
"I see..." the man threw down the rest of his hand. "I'm done Jimmy. I oughta be makin my way home by now," he got up from his chair and stretched his arms over his head. He nodded at the stranger, "Nice meetin ya kid," then grabbed his coat and hat from the rack and walked out. The other man at the table leaned back in his chair and stared at the strange young man. He was too clean to hail from this town.
"Where ya from kid?"
He really wished they'd stop calling him that. At 19 years old he was hardly a kid anymore, he'd been living on his own since he was 16 and doing pretty well for himself.
"I'm from [Town]," he stated.
"Well well, that's quite a ways away ya think? What brings ya all the way out here?" the man looked genuinely interested.
"I'm looking for someone. An old man from a village outside of here said I could find her here."
"Her? You lookin for a whore? They're all the same you know," he started to rant.
"No no. Not a whore," the young man blushed. "I'm looking for," he paused, trying to think of what the old man had called her. "I'm looking for the Huntress."
The man leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. Rubbing his hands together he said in a low suspcious voice, "Huntress you say?"
"Yessir," he replied nervously.
The man lowered his eyes to the floor boards and thought for a minute. He looked back up at the young man, "Are you sure you want to speak with her?" The young man was confused by this. Of course he wanted to speak with her, why else would he have asked? He calmed himself down, "Yessir, it's very important that I find her."
"Very well then," the man got up from his chair and the stranger followed suit. "You've come to the right place I'm afraid." He said then pointed to a dark corner at the back of the pub. The young man followed his finger and caught a quick flash of glassy eyes. His heart started to race and he swallowed his sudden panic.
"Th-thank you sir," he stuttered then slowly strode to the the dark corner to meet his destiny.
----
This shit has been floating in my head all week. I don't know if it's the beginning or the middle or what, I don't know who these people are or the names of the locations. That's why they are in brackets for now. Hell, I don't even know if this is an actual story or just some little epilogue. All I know is who She is, but barely.
I'm a terrible writer, I appologize for that. It's hard for me to translate these visions and daydreams into words.
There is more to come, but I can't garantee that it will be any better than this.
If anyone would be willing to make editing suggestions, that would be wonderful.