Soy #11. #根も葉もない
Soy #11. #根も葉もない
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1261
Word Count : 821
My Treat (Falootin) : #根も葉もない / without roots or leaves (unsubstantiated) : Rune's heard a rumor...
Rune walked into the third dark, crowded bar of the evening. It was surprising how many such places there were in the city, and the likelihood that he was going to pick the right one at the right time seemed smaller with each one he visited.
He lingered near the door, scanning the room as he did every time, the tables, the corners, the bar. He always paid special attention to the bar; Lyssa never liked to be too far from her next drink. No sign, as always, and Rune was about to head back out when a laugh from behind the bar caught his attention.
It was a familiar laugh and the bartender was a familiar figure, a burly fellow with thick dark hair, a grin so wide it nearly split his face in two, and a patch over his eye that made it hard to discern his face from such a distance. Telling himself all the while that it was likely just his imagination, Rune made his way to the counter anyway.
Studying what he could see of his face as he approached, Rune had just about convinced himself his hunch was true when a waitress stepped between them and the man turned to fetch a bottle from behind the bar.
Rune took a seat and leaned over the bar as the bartender turned back around.
“Wyatt?”
Wyatt looked up as he poured the drink and it took barely a moment for recognition to dawn on him. “Well, well, if it isn’t Rune,” he said, recapping the bottle. “What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to see you…”
“What? Alive?” Wyatt laughed.
“I, well, yeah. I mean, not that it’s not great that you made it. I’m not even going to ask about the eye. But what are you doing here, behind a bar?”
He shrugged, shoved the bottle back on the shelf, and leaned with one thick arm against the bar. “Earning a living, the safe, cowardly way. What about you? What are doing in this hole? I take it you’re laying low while Lyssa makes the rounds? I know you’re not her mother’s favorite person. Probably safer for you here.”
At the mention of Lyssa’s name, Rune froze. This was not at all how he’d expected to find her.
When he didn’t answer, Wyatt frowned at him for a moment. “So, you gonna order or what?”
Rune blinked. “Sure, I’ll, uh, take a beer. So, Lyssa’s really here?”
“Yeah,” said Wyatt, over the filling of a tankard. “Her and Ski and the kid.”
Rune just stared at the drink in front of him. A year of searching and now he had a lead and not a clue what to feel. “They made it then. I heard they showed up in Court, and I figured they’d head here next, but I was almost afraid to believe it.”
Wyatt cocked his head, the brow over his good eye furrowed, but he didn’t say a word.
“I haven’t seen them since Kalas,” Rune explained. “You said the kid is with them. Does that mean Kairn is here too?”
“What? No, not Kairn’s kid. Lyssa’s kid.”
“What?” He was sure he’d misheard.
“You… really haven’t heard anything since Kalas, have you? Hang on,” he added as the waitress returned, leaving Rune alone with his untouched drink.
Rune’s mouth was suddenly terribly dry, but moving at all seemed an impossible feat, so he stared into the glass until Wyatt came back. “Have you seen her?” he said without looking up.
“Nah, I’ve just got rumors to go on, like you. I’m in a better position to collect ‘em, is all.”
“So it might be Sham and she’s just covering,” he said, trying not to sound too hopeful.
“Not unless part of that cover includes passing him off as a girl and nine months younger than he is.”
Rune did look up at that, and Wyatt shrugged.
“The Burnoires might not frequent this neighborhood, but their staff does. Ski and Lyssa showed up a little over a week ago with a two month old baby girl.”
“So Lyssa really has a kid.” His throat was tight, his hands on the bar felt like lead. His mind raced through things he might say to Lyssa when he found her, quickly rejecting each option in favor of the next.
Wyatt interrupted his thoughts. “You know, even if it does mean dealing with her mother, you should go see her. I mean, it’s probably yours.”
“Probably?” Rune snapped.
“Don’t look at me like that! It’s not mine!”
“I need some air.” He slid off the stool, fishing through his pocket. “How much?” He nodded at the drink.
“But you haven’t touched it yet.”
“How much?” he repeated.
Wyatt shrugged. “A silver. Good luck,” he added, as Rune tossed the coin on the bar and turned away.
“Thanks,” Rune muttered, heading for the door.
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1261
Word Count : 821
My Treat (Falootin) : #根も葉もない / without roots or leaves (unsubstantiated) : Rune's heard a rumor...
Rune walked into the third dark, crowded bar of the evening. It was surprising how many such places there were in the city, and the likelihood that he was going to pick the right one at the right time seemed smaller with each one he visited.
He lingered near the door, scanning the room as he did every time, the tables, the corners, the bar. He always paid special attention to the bar; Lyssa never liked to be too far from her next drink. No sign, as always, and Rune was about to head back out when a laugh from behind the bar caught his attention.
It was a familiar laugh and the bartender was a familiar figure, a burly fellow with thick dark hair, a grin so wide it nearly split his face in two, and a patch over his eye that made it hard to discern his face from such a distance. Telling himself all the while that it was likely just his imagination, Rune made his way to the counter anyway.
Studying what he could see of his face as he approached, Rune had just about convinced himself his hunch was true when a waitress stepped between them and the man turned to fetch a bottle from behind the bar.
Rune took a seat and leaned over the bar as the bartender turned back around.
“Wyatt?”
Wyatt looked up as he poured the drink and it took barely a moment for recognition to dawn on him. “Well, well, if it isn’t Rune,” he said, recapping the bottle. “What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to see you…”
“What? Alive?” Wyatt laughed.
“I, well, yeah. I mean, not that it’s not great that you made it. I’m not even going to ask about the eye. But what are you doing here, behind a bar?”
He shrugged, shoved the bottle back on the shelf, and leaned with one thick arm against the bar. “Earning a living, the safe, cowardly way. What about you? What are doing in this hole? I take it you’re laying low while Lyssa makes the rounds? I know you’re not her mother’s favorite person. Probably safer for you here.”
At the mention of Lyssa’s name, Rune froze. This was not at all how he’d expected to find her.
When he didn’t answer, Wyatt frowned at him for a moment. “So, you gonna order or what?”
Rune blinked. “Sure, I’ll, uh, take a beer. So, Lyssa’s really here?”
“Yeah,” said Wyatt, over the filling of a tankard. “Her and Ski and the kid.”
Rune just stared at the drink in front of him. A year of searching and now he had a lead and not a clue what to feel. “They made it then. I heard they showed up in Court, and I figured they’d head here next, but I was almost afraid to believe it.”
Wyatt cocked his head, the brow over his good eye furrowed, but he didn’t say a word.
“I haven’t seen them since Kalas,” Rune explained. “You said the kid is with them. Does that mean Kairn is here too?”
“What? No, not Kairn’s kid. Lyssa’s kid.”
“What?” He was sure he’d misheard.
“You… really haven’t heard anything since Kalas, have you? Hang on,” he added as the waitress returned, leaving Rune alone with his untouched drink.
Rune’s mouth was suddenly terribly dry, but moving at all seemed an impossible feat, so he stared into the glass until Wyatt came back. “Have you seen her?” he said without looking up.
“Nah, I’ve just got rumors to go on, like you. I’m in a better position to collect ‘em, is all.”
“So it might be Sham and she’s just covering,” he said, trying not to sound too hopeful.
“Not unless part of that cover includes passing him off as a girl and nine months younger than he is.”
Rune did look up at that, and Wyatt shrugged.
“The Burnoires might not frequent this neighborhood, but their staff does. Ski and Lyssa showed up a little over a week ago with a two month old baby girl.”
“So Lyssa really has a kid.” His throat was tight, his hands on the bar felt like lead. His mind raced through things he might say to Lyssa when he found her, quickly rejecting each option in favor of the next.
Wyatt interrupted his thoughts. “You know, even if it does mean dealing with her mother, you should go see her. I mean, it’s probably yours.”
“Probably?” Rune snapped.
“Don’t look at me like that! It’s not mine!”
“I need some air.” He slid off the stool, fishing through his pocket. “How much?” He nodded at the drink.
“But you haven’t touched it yet.”
“How much?” he repeated.
Wyatt shrugged. “A silver. Good luck,” he added, as Rune tossed the coin on the bar and turned away.
“Thanks,” Rune muttered, heading for the door.