50th of Fall, 515 A.V.
The Obsidian Club
Ben slid the Summer Solstice across the polished wood of the countertop to the big-time Okomo breeder across from him. She was a semi-regular who liked to whet her palette between the inspection of her herds and what she described as ‘mind-wrenching meet and greets’ with various clients. Ben didn’t much like bringing her drinks, her voice grated on the ears, but she tipped pretty well.
The bar was mostly empty, though a few men had taken one of the private rooms. They ordered a round of drinks to start and kept stopping their conversation whenever Ben checked in on them. None had ordered a second drink. He got the vibe that they wanted to be left alone and weren’t in the mood for drinking, but came for the privacy. So Ben had reverted to deep cleaning most of the Club in an attempt to ready it further for the rush that would come soon.
He had been careful to work extra hard, or be seen to be working diligently. Ever since he had proposed opening his own business, Deniss, Naia, and Rynas had been very aloof. Their distance had affected Ben more than he thought it would. They were the closest thing he had to friends, not very close to it, but the *closest* thing. That was a sad commentary on his social life. Ben prided himself on being an amiable guy, it got you places in this crazy world. But it seemed, at least right now, that he was lacking in friends.
That could be for the best, though. The owners of the Obsidian Club were not the type of people you would call ‘respectable’ associates. Or at least Ben’s mother would not. Indeed, the whole entrepreneurship he envisioned was an attempt to get away from their somewhat shady reputation and into a more elite class of society. They probably knew that, and treated him thusly. Not to mention that matter of that little loan…
Ben frowned and glanced over at Rynas where he talked with Naia. The worry deepened the lines on Ben’s face and he turned back to scrubbing an empty glass. It seemed like much of his life was spent nose deep in empty drinking implements. Rynas returned to the bar and Naia took up her ever critical scrutiny of the night’s musical number. Up until recently her critical eye had never fallen on Ben, but ever since his announced move from glass scrubber to wizard, she had looked at him as if he was a particularly troublesome set of drums. Neither she nor Deniss showed him much attention anyway so it was only marginally bothersome. But in the same way, it was equally annoying now that he thought on it! Why should they have the right to maltreat him when they barely took notice of him.
Until recently, that is. The dark thought made the Alvadan glance at the door that now seemed to loom ominously across the Club. He knew Deniss sat behind it, and now he knew what kind of nefarious work the man did. I’m still in danger here. Ben turned back to his work with a deeply troubled expression on his face and waited for the next customer to walk in…
The Obsidian Club
Ben slid the Summer Solstice across the polished wood of the countertop to the big-time Okomo breeder across from him. She was a semi-regular who liked to whet her palette between the inspection of her herds and what she described as ‘mind-wrenching meet and greets’ with various clients. Ben didn’t much like bringing her drinks, her voice grated on the ears, but she tipped pretty well.
The bar was mostly empty, though a few men had taken one of the private rooms. They ordered a round of drinks to start and kept stopping their conversation whenever Ben checked in on them. None had ordered a second drink. He got the vibe that they wanted to be left alone and weren’t in the mood for drinking, but came for the privacy. So Ben had reverted to deep cleaning most of the Club in an attempt to ready it further for the rush that would come soon.
He had been careful to work extra hard, or be seen to be working diligently. Ever since he had proposed opening his own business, Deniss, Naia, and Rynas had been very aloof. Their distance had affected Ben more than he thought it would. They were the closest thing he had to friends, not very close to it, but the *closest* thing. That was a sad commentary on his social life. Ben prided himself on being an amiable guy, it got you places in this crazy world. But it seemed, at least right now, that he was lacking in friends.
That could be for the best, though. The owners of the Obsidian Club were not the type of people you would call ‘respectable’ associates. Or at least Ben’s mother would not. Indeed, the whole entrepreneurship he envisioned was an attempt to get away from their somewhat shady reputation and into a more elite class of society. They probably knew that, and treated him thusly. Not to mention that matter of that little loan…
Ben frowned and glanced over at Rynas where he talked with Naia. The worry deepened the lines on Ben’s face and he turned back to scrubbing an empty glass. It seemed like much of his life was spent nose deep in empty drinking implements. Rynas returned to the bar and Naia took up her ever critical scrutiny of the night’s musical number. Up until recently her critical eye had never fallen on Ben, but ever since his announced move from glass scrubber to wizard, she had looked at him as if he was a particularly troublesome set of drums. Neither she nor Deniss showed him much attention anyway so it was only marginally bothersome. But in the same way, it was equally annoying now that he thought on it! Why should they have the right to maltreat him when they barely took notice of him.
Until recently, that is. The dark thought made the Alvadan glance at the door that now seemed to loom ominously across the Club. He knew Deniss sat behind it, and now he knew what kind of nefarious work the man did. I’m still in danger here. Ben turned back to his work with a deeply troubled expression on his face and waited for the next customer to walk in…
