Clank. A glass, full of whisky, on the rocks, was being swirled by a man down on his luck. His posture was, honestly, trash; his clothes? Dissheveled. And worst of all? He reeked of alcohol, cigarettes, and dog piss. His dark turquoise eyes were drooping low, and they had a bit of red in them, just like he had been crying moments ago. His golden, crescent-shaped pupils, shaking in combination with the snot on his face, made him look like a worn and torn rag. His white priestly robes, supposed to radiate a holy presence, now seeped a twisted aura due to their tattered form. It could be from the alcohol or just the vibes of the man, but he seems to be the living embodiment of hopelessness.
His whole torso was on the counter, idly spinning the ice on his glass and sniffing loudly, like he was on the verge of tears again.
"Sniff sniff, man, why did she do this to me? She left me behind, boss, left me behind! ME! Look at me, I'm too handsome to be left behind, Pappy! WAHHHHHH!" The man, in tears again, was lunging at the innocent bartender behind the counter, whom he couldn't dodge due to the speed of his movement.
"You horny bastard, stop hugging my waist or I'll really kick you out for real this time." The bartender, Parrie, was fed up with the priest's(?) constant hindrance to his work; meanwhile, the other patrons of the bar, seeing this, were not surprised at all, like they were used to this.
The mixer's appearance was visually appealing. His sky blue almond eyes, paired with a precariously placed beauty mark near his lips, made him look like a fairy from various poems. His long auburn hair was tied into a high ponytail; combined with his gray high-collar suit, same color trousers, leather vest, and shoes, gave him the appearance of a well-mannered butler.
Parrie, done with his nonsense, shouted at the robed man. "And it's your fault too, Arius! You sick freak, you were the one gambling all your funds away!"
"Huh, how did you know I gambled it away?" Arius, hearing Parrie's words, immediately straightened his back, wearing a serious expression on his face. In response to his sudden change of demeanor just snorted. "Right before she was about to leave, she told me all kinds of dirt on you, like how you slacked off at the basilica, the way you butchered the sentences during prayer and mass, and how you embarrassed the Bishop in public with your 'unique' mannerisms."
"Damn that vile woman! I'll get at her for sure!" Arius curled his fists in mock rage while Parrie stood at the side watching his performance. "Right, she left this for you."
Just as Arius was about to go on another tirade, Parrie suddenly remembered the document the girl had left behind. "Hmm, what did that urchin leave behind?" Parrie went to the side of the table and opened a drawer full of miscellaneous items, including bottle caps, used scratch tickets, and keys to who-knows-where. Smack dab right in the center was a dossier of specific individuals that caught the attention of the church.
"Go to page twelve, that's where she wanted you to read. And before you ask, no, I didn't read it." As he grabbed the file, Arius leaned towards his side, curious about the document's contents. Suddenly, Arius was struck with an idea, a mischievous grin forming on his face.
"Hmm-hmm, got it, thanks! Love you, boss, mwah!" Arius' face went in for a smooch, which was blocked by Parrie's right hand, free of the document. "Stop it man, that's gross, cut it out." Parrie, already used to this man-child's antics, was unfazed; meanwhile, Arius just clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch, you're no fun at all."
"Being a plaything to people like you is not part of a bartender's skillset." Arius just shrugged, while Parrie handed the file to the cheery figure. "Oh, now this is interesting, interesting! Very interesting!" As Arius quickly flipped through it, he reached the designated page, and after he read it, his tone was very questionable.
"Lathell, huh... I hope you won't break yet." Arius grabbed the edge of the hood he wore and pulled it down, revealing his porcelain-like face, flashing a deranged smile, the corners of his mouth reaching unnatural heights.
His once cheery eyes were now full of unbridled malice, as if he made no effort to hide it. The head of blue hair was now tainted by the appearance of a jagged red spike, about three inches tall. An aura of pure evil radiated from the man, making him seem like an 'evil that escaped hell.'
Parrie, fed up, clapped his hands right next to the oni's ears. "Oi, you horny bastard, take your shit with you outside! You're scaring my customers away! Look at them, they're trembling!" Arius snapped back, once again returning to his earlier state after looking around the bar, realizing his outburst might have cost the store some revenue. "Haha, sorry, got a tad bit too excited, but you don't have to worry about me, boss! It seems like I'll be getting a new toy soon!" The horny menace practically bounced up and down on his two feet, making you wonder about his earlier... form.
Parrie took one long look at the man, then scratched the back of his head and sighed in exasperation. Why are all the people hand-picked by the Bishop so unique? "Just get out already."
"Yessir!" Watching him go made Parrie compare Arius to a wild unrestrained dog. Trotting around the place like it's his, creating problems and not fixing them, but just like a dog, strangely obedient.
With a shake of his head to clear his thoughts, he then looked outside the window, with its warm sunlight casting pillars of warmth into his bar. I hope that kid Lathell is gonna' be okay.
_____I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives_____
"Yo, my man, if I ever get sent to prison, you gotta' give me one of these, dude!" A nonchalant, amused voice echoed in a sparsely decorated room as some device heavily distorted their tone. The concrete box was filled with only a few sets of empty plastic chairs and a roulette table in the middle. Suddenly, a screen emerged from one of the empty chairs, with the name 'Tavor' plastered on its blue screen.
"You just go ask Lathell, he's the one who gave me these blockers. I also got a bit busy here; I hope I didn't miss out on a bunch of stuff. The guards were doing a routine inspection, so I had to deactivate it for a bit." A calm, almost hushed sound emanated from another screen that had popped up, this one without a name.
"Nah, it's just the same old same old here. So, poker, roulette, blackjack, or something else?"
"Hm, let's wait for now, my intuition tells me something is interesting that's going to happen." They said as one screen after another flickered into the room, bringing more noise to the concrete chamber.
"See? Always right." Even if you didn't see him, the man on the other end exuded a feeling of arrogance. Got to admit, he's surprisingly clairvoyant for random stuff like this.
Tavor merely let out a sigh, then went to ask the newcomers what's going on. "Hey, guys, why ya'll so noisy?" He asked the crowd, with the screens instantly going silent.
"T-Tavor, Lathell's got a bounty on his head!" One of the screens shouted.
Silence. Tavor, behind the curtain of light, looked at the one who brought the news, like he's just joking. "Y'all gotta be joking, right?" No one spoke a word, but that silence confirmed it. "Looks like we won't be seeing him soon. How sad." The earlier voice spoke with a mocking tone.
"Why're you acting like a dipshit all of a sudden? It's not the time for this shit! We gotta help him! Who's the one that posted it!?"
"Uh, it's one of his relatives!" A timid voice from the crowd of screens spoke up. "Great, is this one of those family heir fights I see in all of them soap operas? Great, just great!" Tavor now spoke in a hurry, despite trying his best to remain calm; his slurred words made it clear that he's panicking. "Do ya'll know where his ass is right now?" He once again inquired to the mass of azure floating tablets.
Just as they were discussing their plans to save him, the mocking voice from earlier spoke again. "Why are you all worrying about him? Isn't his master a disciple of Sir Reinhardt? Plus, he's recently been released, right? His experiences in there should help him against any normal mercenary."
All the screens turned silent, like they were looking at him with awed reverence. Oh my god, he's right! We forgot about his strength due to his twink-like appearance! Clearly, they shot themselves in the foot this time, panicking like headless chickens. But a voice rebuked him.
"Yeah, if they're Knight-class, he might just win, but what if it's a Berserker?" The one who rebuked asked.
"It might give him a little trouble."
"But would he lose?"
"Nah, he'd win."
_____I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives_____
"Worthless! You're worthless! Do you know how many times I've covered your ass by now!?" A shrill voice bellowed in the room of lavish expenditure. A golden chandelier hung on the marble-like ceiling, with various types of gems and sizes embedded in it. Multiple expensive artworks were scattered throughout the walls of the room. Antiques of all kinds, such as vases, golden pocket watches, idols, and whatnot, were locked behind a glass cabinet. But this luxurious atmosphere was now in a state of disarray due to the many shards of broken glass lying scattered on the floor.
"Time and time again, you've kept ruining MY family's reputation! And now you aren't even claiming that YOU are the one who killed that woman!" With that, the woman raised her hand and slapped the other person's face.
"Get out of my family, you scum! I've had enough of your foolishness, Lathell!"
[Chapter end]
Gooning to logos rn, damn he so hot 🤤
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