—{OutSide a Tavern}—
The three were standing outside a tavern that had a sign saying "The Damp Wick". The three exchanged glances, Riven stood at the furthest back while Jude right in front of the door.
Some noises from inside the tavern were audible. Shirin nudged Jude's back, he turned back to look at Shirin. She had a smirk on her face.
Shirin: "Come on, hurry up. Weren't you about to negotiate with her?" She turned her head to glance at Riven who was biting his finger.
She turned back to Jude, "Hurry up, we're running out of time."
Jude's jaw clenched, he opens the door and they walk in. Inside, it was illuminated by lamps. People seated, drinking or eating, talking to one another and laughing.
As soon as they walked in, a bell, at the top of the door. Jude, the one to first enter, glanced around first then to a specific direction.
To see a tall woman behind the counter. Just by looks she clearly towered over Jude and the others.
She seemed to be around 5'11 or 6 feet. In a clean straight black T-Shirt half sleeves, grey trousers, cleaning a glass. Her messy, but kinda styled black hair hid her face but it was clear who she was.
Jude, still at the door, hadn't stepped inside… "Is that who I think it is?" Shirin whispers in Jude's ears and in the moment of surprise, his body jerks a bit at the sudden disturbance by Shirin.
Jude: "Y–yes that is!"
Jude shifts his gaze back to the woman, and she was looking right at him. He caught a glimpse of her black dull eyes. She went back to cleaning the glass.
When a man, also behind the counter looking to be old, old enough to be someone's father… He had grey hair, and a black beard but with hints of grey. He was mixing drinks.
Man: "Fellow hunters I see. Jude. Was it?"
Jude: Seeing the elderly man a smile appears on Jude's face as he walks in, "Hey, Mr. Rustwood." He took a seat.
Both Shirin and Riven followed him inside, though Riven was at the furthest back. And sat the furthest away from the woman. And next to Jude, because Shirin sat right in front of the black haired woman.
Mr. Rustwood: Glanced at the two individuals who came alongside Jude, "Friends I see." Eyes back on Jude. "Do you need anything?" he asked as he finished making a drink as slides the glass aside. And someone took it.
Jude: hesitantly nods, "There's something. It's a… Wh–what do you call it?" He turns to both Shirin and Riven, who tilt their head in confusion of what Jude may be referring to…
Eyes met the man again who had now raised his eyebrows. "Like like… Taking something as… borrowing…"
"Avail." The voice cut suddenly. All four glance towards the source of the voice, which was from the woman. With just hearing her voice a shiver ran down Riven's spine and he clenched his fingers to a fist. Tight.
"Avail, is that what you mean to say?" Even though she asked Jude, she didn't turn to look at them and kept clean glasses after glasses.
Jude, nods, "Yeah."
Mr. Rustwood: "Avail… I've never heard that word before. What does it mean?" He scratched his chin. "Borrowing?"
Woman: She cuts in, "Asking for help or their benefit." She looks at Jude, her gaze traveling between the three and landing back to Jude. "What kind of help?"
Jude: He clears his voice. "It's about a contract—"
Woman: Slammed a glass on the table, it didn't break but the noise was loud enough to cancel any further words from him. "No."
Mr. Rustwood: Sighs, "Calira. At least listen to what they have to say." He doesn't look at her, just starts making another drink that was ordered by someone… by a hand gesture.
Calira: "No." With that one word she swiftly turned around and left through a door.
Silence
Mr. Rustwood: "She's just like that…" He lifts up his gaze at Jude and for a moment stops at what he was doing, "And you already know that. And yet you still came here even for a guaranteed failure?" He raises his eyebrows and starts mixing drinks again without breaking eye contact with Jude.
The atmosphere started suffocating them, Riven and Shirin sifted in their seats. In a quick motion the man passes another glass and cleans his hands with a towel.
With his hands on the counter he leaned forward. "Any drinks?"
Jude: After a pause he shakes his head, "No…" Another set of silence passes between them…
Mr. Rustwood: He glanced at both Riven and Shirin, "Um, you two, any drinks."
Both let out a silent 'No'.
He sighed, and nodded, with his eyes on the counter.
Jude: "It was for a sick kid." Jude suddenly spoke between the silence. Mr. Rustwood's eyes widens a bit but says nothing at first.
"It's a lotus that we need. For the medicine I mean."
"I see." Said Mr. Rustwood in a low voice.
"We needed your daughter's help. A–and, please don't think we came here to waste our time. It's a danger level 5, these two." Pointing at Riven and Shirin, "Make up a four." Another silence of hesitation.
"You see. It was a stupid idea, it was better to just get a bronze but knowing that, some beverages also use that lotus so i thought maybe… it'll be beneficial for both of us."
"Really, they use that too–" Shirin whispers to Jude but was shhh off.
Mr. Rustwood: He seemed to be considering Jude's words. "I see… I don't have the power to convince her. She rarely listens to me, but… she may listen to her mother…"
He glanced around, at the customers present…
"I'll be back." Saying that he was behind the same door Calira had left.
Silence
Jude lets out a huff of air, dropping his elbows on the counter and groping his head with his eyes closed.
Riven lets out a breath of relief that he'd been holding for a long time. Riven turned to look towards Shirin who already had her eyes on him. For a moment they didn't talk… Not a single word…
Until Shirin cleared her voice and leaned in close to Jude's ear, "Hey, I had no idea that Lotus is also used in… Beverage?"
"Mmm, hump…" Just that and nothing else came out of Jude's mouth.
"... Had you really had that idea before like… When I said it as a joke?"
"Hmm, hump."
Shirin: sighs and leans back, then meets eyes with Riven, "Hey… How did you feel seeing her up so close for the first time?"
Riven: His eyes went down to look at his, now opened palm, damp with sweat. "... I don't know…"
Their eyes meet again.
"I had no idea she was like this…"