The leader of the group walked slowly and carefully towards the bar, not wanting to step on the wrong floorboard. His stature was short, but a prominent beer belly made him more than capable of making the Mare's floor give up.
Looking around, he couldn't help but sneer at the ludicrous state of this fine establishment.
Reiner was about to speak to the man, but he raised a finger at him before he could.
"You tire me too much when you speak." The smooth and deep voice was his.
His group slowly followed their leader inside the tavern, making sure to close the door, as well as they could, of course. The hinges always ended up being slightly incorrect for the Mare.
Holding a pipe to his mouth, the leader inhaled a long drag of it and let it slowly release from his nostrils. "The pay." He said.
Without a word, Reiner got a small coinbag from one of his pockets and left it on the bar. Clutching it, the leader of the group weighed it in his hand and subtly nodded while letting out another puff of smoke flow out of his mouth.
"A pig has ears as good as his nose, you understand?"
Elia glanced back and from Reiner.
Reiner flinched, his words came out with a slight stutter as he chose them carefully. "I didn't mean anything by it, sir. I was just..."
Raising an eyebrow, the leader looked up at him and took his pipe out of his mouth. "You didn't? Well, then all's forgiven. Ah, but, I have a frail heart, you see, and any hurt feelings make it weaker. But, then, I have a good doctor, like most of my folk, of course. Being the good physician he is, you see, I had him prescribe me the one thing I need to keep, ah.. living."
Without warning, a knife flew out from the dark corner of the tavern, aimed exactly toward Reiner's right eye. It would've landed without fault, if it wasn't for Elia. Instead of claiming his eye, it landed and pierced through her left palm, shielding Reiner from the sudden assault.
"Ohohoho... Enough." the man called out, holding his hand out for his pack of hogs to stand down.
Elia couldn't help but glare down at the leader of the pack. Perhaps, her eyes could throw daggers back at him, too, if he tested her long enough.
Pulling the dagger out of her palm without so much as a flinch, Elia held it up and saw herself reflected on the bloody blade, with Reiner's sillhouete standing right behind her. She threw the dagger to the floor and reminded the unwanted customers that the tavern had a strict no-weapons policy.
"You have what you want. Leave." She said.
He ignored her, and looked up at Reiner. "Don't make me come down here again. I hate the smell, you understand?"
Light creaks resounded in the tavern as the pig and his hogs made their way out. Elia only noticed it now, but after the group left, the corner of the tavern seemed a lot less deep than it did moments ago.
The door was left open, or rather, it fell out of its hinges, again. The slow drip of her blood echoed around the tavern, pooling into a spot where it was brightly colored by the rays of the setting suns, making the light reflect a subtle red glow all around it.
Elia ignored the small pool of blood as she walked out to the entrance and looked up. The two suns were shining high in the sky. She wanted to block their radiance, but the hole in her hand let through a fraction of the light. Eventually, her eyes adjusted to the outside light, and she could see the belt above clearly.
The wind swept through her and her braided hair. She took a slow breath, got the door back on its hinges, and went back inside.
It was going to be a really long day.
----------
After getting her wound bandaged, Elia was wondering if she should even mop up the blood left on the floor. Sunset was coming soon, so there wouldn't be much of a point, she thought.
As if reading her mind, Reiner told her it wouldn't be necessary, so she perched herself on one of the remaining chairs and waited for people to start visiting.
"You should focus on healing yourself for tonight. Can you pull it off?"
Elia gave him a short nod. "Surprisingly, the wound could help me advance with the practice. I've been stagnating for a while now, anyway."
"You have a funny way of looking toward the bright side, at least." He let out with a chortle. "I'm sorry... Elia. I really am."
Elia didn't want her friend to sulk. He was a good man and deserved better than the fate he had to go through the last couple of months. "Don't be, Reiner. Because of you I have a chance at my dream, and I'd still be out on the streets even now. You pay good and you teach good. The fact that you're not like those pigs is also a bonus."
"Never thought you'd have to work this hard on your end of the bargain, though."
"Does that mean you're giving me a raise?" She looked back at him from where she sat, her eyes shining more like the color of greed than they had any right to be.
Reiner gave out a short laugh "You wish! I'm still broke, in fact, I gave the bastard my last bag of coin."
Elia fell off her chair at those last words, almost breaking the chair-repaired floor boards, again. "Reiner! You're serious?"
"Serious as I can be, lass. If today doesn't work out... I'm gonna become pig slop."
"The damn swine!" She got herself properly seated once again, and noticed her nails were digging into her own skin, reopening the healing wound. "I'll kill him, then."
"I wont allow that. I much prefer you to be alive. Besides, you know you cant."
Elia couldn't argue with her boss. She certainly wanted to, but it was a moot point. "Is Utel coming tonight?"
"No. I asked him many times already, but he told me he'll be off to the winds tomorrow. Said he didn't want to risk it."
Utel was a traveling bard that had roamed the lands for a long time. His experience with many inns and taverns made him a perfect fit for the Mare, and his presence alone increased profits for the nights he played tremendously, but alas, he stuck to his old ways like a stain on white cloth.
The situation was more desperate than it seemed. If the Mare didn't get the coin it needed tonight, then there would be no more Queen's Mare. The legend itself would just disappear like it was nothing that important. Elia didn't want to part with her friend just yet, nor did she want to see him to live a life of an exile, either. She had just gotten used to her life here, and if it meant spiting a lousy swine, she'd do everything within her grasp to do just that.
"Reiner, add me to the list. I'll fight."
"You can't be serious..." And yet, as Reiner said this, he couldn't help but let out a grin.
"I am. You're going to bet on me for the entirety of the night. Full coin. I'll win them all."
"Then..." He took a deep breath. "Then the Mare is truly done for."
Elia slapped him on his resplended head, and told him to have a little faith in her.