I take the a pint of beer and chuck it down, streams of it falling from the corner of my mouth.
"Calm down brother, the night is long" Fred, with his short red hair and a face full of small pimples, says.
"Ahhh, brother let me enjoy the night, I don't even know how you did this for seven years" I say leaning against the chair and giving quick looks to my left, the bartender with his long white beard gives a shot of vir to a man in full suit, with his black hair slicked back and a sharp nose, still dressed as a lawyer.
"You will get used to it, also" he gets closer to me "you need to keep your energy for when you go back home, with a wife like that, it's the minimum"
I laugh. Maybe we were wrong to choose Alice, she gets too much attention playing as my wife.
"Actually it isn't going great as you think" the lawyer takes the shot and then starts walking towards the other end of the bar "since we came to this city she has become more distant" I sigh.
The lawyer goes towards two guys, one of them is the pirate, with a bald head and a scar along his jaw, the other an old man with no beard or hair, dressed in a formal suit. I scratch my head. That pirate is still here, something is boiling. "I don't know, I feel she doesn't like me" a breath of relief is painted on Fred's face.
I smirk. I better note this in my head, it will help me.
"Don't worry brother, I will advise you" he proudly says with his chest outwards "I don't have a wife yet but I had my share of experiences"
"Yes?" I ask pretending to be interested. The lawyer takes a letter from the pirate. The old man stays there in silence, he moves his eyes and looks at me, I smile and look at a person beside him.
"Yes, I will not tell you who" he grabs his beer "if you knew it wouldn't end well for me" he giggles. I smile, drops of cold sweat run down my forehead. That old man...
"I don't want to know-"
"Ahhh it is always nice to piss after drinking so much" Mark with his long black hair and huge body says sitting in between me and Fred "also I heard something" a smirk in his face, wrinkles appearing around his dark eyes. "You remember the new guy with no hand?" He looks at us "he was taken by the inquisitors"
"Why?" I ask him, losing sight of the lawyer. He came to work right after me, he stayed for only a few days if I remember correctly.
Mark smiles "they thought he was a demon, because of his arm" he starts laughing. Fred with his mouth full of beer puts a hand on it holding the beer inside.
"I knew that guy was weird, he never talked and just looked at me in a weird way" Fred finally says looking at me. I smile and take a sip of beer. My lips closed, the beer only wetting my lips.
"So he didn't do anything?" I ask to Mark.
"Didn't do anything?" He points at me and looks at Fred "he was a freak, do you remember when he fell and scattered around all the food?"
Fred looks confused then makes a disgusted face "yeah, he ate it from the ground" he puts his beer down "we saved ourselves, I was right to stay away"
I clinch my fist. Act, act...
"Is he dead?" I say keeping my smile.
"I don't think this early" Mark makes a gesture to the bartender "they will torture him until he confesses" the bartender comes with his turbid gray eyes and puts a pint of beer in front of Mark. Mark grabs it and sips it. "There are too many idiots around"
"Who you?" Fred retorts in a cheerful tone. Mark gives him a quick glance. "If im here, im not an idiot, my cousin was also taken, that idiot was babbling around and he didn't stop" his face showing hatred. "He got what he deserved"
"Do you really think so?" I ask him, Mark gets caught off guard by my question. He gives me an inquisitive look. "He only spoke and got taken away, do you really think he got what he deserved?" I shouldn't.... My smile attached to my face.
"What are you saying karl?" He puts the pint down, his greasy hair moving freely "let me ask you something, if the bartender tells me that if i piss against his wall he will beat me up and i still do it, did i get what i deserved?"
"If i tell you that if you breathe i will kill you and you breathe, did you get what you deserved?" I retort back, my nails digging my palm.
SLAM. Mark slams his hand against the table "what did you just say little shit?"
"Come on calm down" Fred says putting his hand on Mark shoulder with an awkward smile.
"Im joking, sorry man" I put my hands up. "I drank a little too much" Mark keeps his look locked on my face but he doesn't move. I cannot ruin the mission.
I put my hands together "im really sorry, im an idiot, let me buy you drinks until you are full" Mark's face softens, he leans against the chair. "Mh, just don't say stupid stuff, if it was someone else it could've killed you, im too nice"
I stay in silence. Let him cool down. "These youngsters, they don't know respect!" Fred says with a smirk in his face.
Shit. I slowly look left, the pirate and lawyer gone, only the old man with a young, attractive lady, with long black hair and green eyes, her dress red and tight.
I memorize her feature and look away. I pinch my leg. I should have been more careful.
.....
I walk out of the bar, the breeze makes my cheeks shiver, burning from all the alcohol.
The smell of something burning enters my nose, I look up and see in the distance a fire, lighting the whole city. Tsk. People really have nothing better to do than to look at people burning alive.
Ashes fall from the sky, slowly touching the ground, I open my palm and my hand fills with it.
Why... Why does it keep falling only in this city.
I let the ash fall from my hand, i intentionally make my steps heavy, like a normal good citizen of this city and turn left, a small house in the middle of identical houses fills my view, a sign near the door, Karl and Marie house, I go towards it and open the door, inside it Alice appears in front of me, she has long unkempt brownish red hair and a nightgown, she is seated on the couch reading a book, she looks up and smiles "how was work?"
I relax and sit beside her, the perfume emanating from her body fills my nostril, I look at my shirt stained with beer. I should wash up.
"It wasn't bad, but they slipped away" I say while relaxing against the couch.
Alice looks left and right and then taps her shoulder. I exhale, I can speak now.
"I was watching the pirate, he spoke with this lawyer and they exchanged a letter, but then i lost sight of them"
"Mhh, how did you lose sight of them?" She says putting a chunk of her hair behind her ear.
"Other than those two there was also an old man, he was sharp, I couldn't risk it" I say covering the best i can.
Alice falls in deep thought while I look at her in silence. Her brown eyes reflecting the light from the lamp.
"Also I think I got a new lead" I break the silence, Alice returns to reality and looks at me.
"There was this guy I worked with for a short period, he had a missing hand and i heard he got taken by the inquisitors, I think he might know something"
"Why?" She asks turning towards me.
"Im not sure yet but from bits and pieces of information and how the whole thing played out I think there is something to it, we can try, it won't hurt, worst case we will save someone"
I get up and take my shirt off "I will get more information about him, in the meantime will you start gathering some information too?"
Alice keeps her look onto me, then she smiles "I trust your gut"
I nod "anything from your part?"
She puts her leg over the other "things are moving, they didn't tell me much but you need to be careful, Rosber is gaining power"
I put my hand on my chin "i need to gather information faster, i might need to act too"
She smiles "didn't I just tell you that you need to be careful?"
"How would me being careful help the cause? I need to act" I put my shirt onto my shoulder "im going to wash up and then to sleep, if something new comes wake me up"
"No goodnight kiss?" She says happy to bother me.
"Look it elsewhere, I told them that I think you are cheating on me" I say going towards the bathroom. She opens her mouth but doesn't say anything.