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The tavern was crowded and rowdy. Musicians were playing in one corner whilst drunk patrons sang along, off-key and out of time. Some danced, arms linked and steps clumsy, others just sat talking at their tables, trying to find meaning in their pitiful lives at the bottom of a mug.
Kailis flipped back his hood and shook his body like a dog, ignoring the angered calls as droplets of water rained down on the people around him. He was wet and miserable. His hair was soaked despite the cloak, his long braid tattered and fraying. His boots squelched when he walked, and his usually cold hands were frozen to the tips. He walked over to the bar and rapped his knuckles against it to get the barkeep’s attention.
“Yeah?” the man asked curtly, magic sparking as a mug slid down the bar toward a patron without him touching it.
“Wine, if you have it,” Kailis said, fishing in his pocket to pull out a gold piece. The gold coin rolled itself across the bar and disappeared into the man’s hand as a wooden mug floated across to a cask to be filled with the murkiest-looking wine Kailis had ever had the displeasure to witness. He curled his lip as the mug arrived in front of him, specks of sediment swirling to the surface before sinking back down.
“Lovely…” Kailis said, “and a room for the night?”
“Two gold,” the barkeep replied, “your friend’s already here,” he added, jerking a thumb toward the corner of the room. Kailis frowned at the mention of a ‘friend’ but looked, nonetheless. At a table alone, sat a short elven man reading a book, legs crossed and resting on another chair.
“Forget the room,” Kailis said, grabbing his mug of suspicious liquid and pushing away from the bar.
“You’re not staying?” The barkeep asked hopefully.
“I’m not sleeping,” Kailis replied with a grin.
Kailis weaved through the crowd, people quickly backing away when he brushed up against him, the horror in their eyes as they felt what little magic they possessed being stripped away. It was always gratifying.
“Interesting read?” Kailis asked as he reached the table. The man looked up, long ashy blonde hair falling away from his face. He wore the traditional symbols of their office; the steel sword at his belt, the leather armour, and the Wayfarer symbol sitting neatly over it, a pendant on a string. But even without those, Kailis would have recognised him. Thesor Sereno, somewhat of a legend amongst recruits. But, then again, all Wayfarers who lived long enough were.
“Do we know each other?” the man asked, his tone courteous and his face a carefully curated mask of neutrality. Damn, he was good at that.
“Kailis Marcello,” Kailis said, setting his mug down on the table.
“Marcello…?” Thesor mused, traces of a Vestran accent peeking through as he said the name. The book fell to his lap, hands crossing over it. “One of Sero’s recruits, if I remember correctly?”
“You do, though I haven’t been a recruit for a few years,” Kailis said with a lopsided grin.
“Ah, apologies, the years run into each other. Here, sit,” Thesor said, lifting his feet from the chair and kicking it toward Kailis. Kailis sat, dumping his wet pack down at his feet. He half considered taking a sip of his ‘wine’, but as he gazed down into the ruddy liquid, he decided better of it.
“What does a man have to do to get a good glass of wine in this cesspit?” he asked aloud. Thesor laughed, carefully marking his page in the book before laying it on the table.
“I don’t think the gods themselves could find one here,” he said good-naturedly, hands crossing once again in his lap. His amber eyes settled on Kailis’ face as his smile died, falling back into an air of neutrality. He looked for all the world like a man eager to hear what you had to say, but too bored to actually listen.
Kailis pushed the mug toward the other side of the table.
“So, what are you doing here?” Kailis asked, meeting the man’s gaze and holding it brazenly.
“Why shouldn’t I be here?” Thesor asked, the corners of his lips tugging into a facsimile of a smile.
“Oh, come on,” Kailis said empathically as he peeled off his cloak and began to unbraid his damp hair, “you’re Thesor Serano,” he added as though that should be explanation enough. Thesor gave him a polite, bemused smile.
“Meaning…?”
“Meaning,” Kailis mimicked, ripping at his hair as it tangled around itself. What he’d give for a warm bath and a good comb. “Your name is known in courts and palaces across the continent. A shining example of Wayfarer diplomacy or whatever the fuck they say about you at The Spire. So, what are you doing in this shithole?”
“I’m on my way to Vestra,” Thesor said simply, gaze dropping to watch Kailis’ hands at work.
“I hear there’s a war brewing,” Kailis said as he raked his fingers through his hair in place of a comb.
“That’s why I’m on my way.”
“To fight?” Kailis asked with a frown. What would be the point?
“To help avert it. After all, my name is known in every court and palace across the continent,” he said with a wry smile, leaning forward to gently take Kailis’ hair in his hands and methodically detangle the knots. Kailis let him, watching his face carefully.
“You always so eager to help?” Kailis asked. Thesor’s fingers carding through his hair was sending shivers down his spine. He wanted to feel those hands elsewhere, if only for the night.
“I like to be of use,” Thesor replied casually.
“Oh? What other uses do you have?” Kailis asked, his tone dropping as he leaned forward in his chair, creating a bubble of space between them that was all set to burst. Thesor went very still, his hands half buried in the ends of Kailis’ hair. His eyes flicked up to Kailis’ face, gaze intense and penetrating.
“I have many skills,” Thesor said, his voice quiet but serious, “honed over years of experience.”
“Hm… Well, I may not have your years, but I do have experience,” Kailis said, raising a hand to push stray strands of ash blonde hair behind Thesor’s ear, palm settling on his cheek. Kailis eyes scanned his face, watching for micromovements, betrayals of emotion that would leak past his perfect veneer. A shiver ran through him, but Kailis couldn’t be sure if that was due to anticipation or his frozen hand on his skin. Yet, his eyes widened just a fraction, and his lips fell open as he breathed a soft sigh.
“I’m always looking to learn,” Thesor murmured, leaning forward an inch or two more as a hand fell from Kailis’ hair to his knee, sliding slowly up toward his thigh, “perhaps you could teach me something new?” he ventured, gaze dropping to Kailis’ lap. Kailis grinned, flashing his sharp, Melusine teeth.
“Happy to oblige.”