With a sigh of relief, Marie watched as the door to her tavern slammed shut, the last of her lunch patrons finally gone. She wiped the sweat from her face with a dish towel and leaned against the counter behind her bar, happy to have a moments rest.

“Ay!” A fat man, belly strained against his tunic, yelled from the far end of the bar, closest to the door. “My fucking cup is empty!” Next to him, an equally fat man grinned with excitement.

Marie frowned. Most of her lunch patrons were finally gone.

The rush that day had passed only an hour ago, and from the light that poured in from the front windows of the tavern, along with the warmth of the room, Marie knew it was barely past noon. Despite how early it still was in her shift, Marie felt as though she could fall asleep standing up. A deep weariness had crept into her body, one that could only be born from standing on her feet since early that morning. The urge to sit down and rest her eyes, just for a bit, was almost too powerful for Marie to resist. But she did resisted, having no other alternative. She was still on duty, and the only one who could manage the bar at that.

Luckily, her tavern remained almost empty now, tables and chairs laying abandoned, unfinished food and drink scattered about, some still on plates, others spilled onto the wooden floorboards. The smell of sweat and unfinished food filled the air, mixing to form a sour musk. She was lucky that most of the mess remained isolated to the main floor and not her bar, but Marie hoped that the odor would clear once the plates had been taken away.

Her only server that day, a boy of barely seventeen, garbed in the same white tunic and dirty brown apron as her, grabbed as many plates as he could carry, filling the now silent tavern with the sound of bowls and plates clinking against silverware. He hurried towards the back of the tavern and placed the filthy tableware on the window of the kitchen, the room itself jutting out onto the main floor; muffled grumbles emanated from the window, as the dishwasher grabbed the plates and bowls, an irritated scowl etched across his face. From somewhere in the kitchen, she heard the cook swear.

She smiled. Marie was glad for the help, even if the server hadn’t a clue as to what he was doing, along with the dishwasher grumbling day after day and the cook coming in drunk more times than she could count.

They were all hard workers though, despite their outward appearance. Jobs were rare these days, and each of them knew that; with one slip up, Marie could find another body to replace them before the day could end.

“Ay!” the fat man shouted, louder this time.

Marie’s smile dropped.

“Yes, yes,” Marie said, ripped from her thoughts; she grabbed a pitcher of ale from the wall of bottles that sat on the counter she leaned against, and stalked over to the man. “it’s empty like your head Godwin, I know. It’s supposed to make you think about life, instead of trying to drown yourself in a cup.”

“Ay!” Godwin yelled, his friend struggling to hide his laughter. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!”

His eyes were narrowed – or perhaps his face struggled to remain up due to all the fat on it. Despite the light shed from the wooden chandeliers, Marie couldn’t tell.

“It means you’re a fucking idiot Godwin,” Marie said, pouring the last of the pitcher into the dirty mug. “perhaps lose some weight and you’ll hear me properly.”

Godwin’s friend burst out laughing, his meaty fists pounding the bar; Godwin himself puffed out his chest in an ill-convinced attempt to look threatening.

“Oi! Don’t make me take my coin elsewhere and –” he began.

“Where else would you go?!” Marie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “There’s nowhere else to go! If I could pawn you and your goat brain somewhere else, I would! But the only other place that’s still open is too pricey for you and that coin you dig out of the gutters.”

“I don’t dig money from the fucking gutters!” Godwin yelled, round face turning a bright shade of red. “I work for government, my job’s more important than whatever dogshit establishment you’ve got going on here!”

“Important? Godwin you’re the Council’s whore, you’re not important.”

“But I am! Those cocks ain’t going to suck themselves!”

Godwin threw back his head and let loose a loud laugh. Marie’s server jumped as it reverberated off the stonewalls, almost dropping the numerous plates clutch in his arms.

Marie gave a half-smile.

“Well, that we can agree with. Coin up front with you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Godwin said through his giggles; he fished out two silver from his pants, stretched tight, and dropped them on the bar. “you can keep the change too.”

“Wasn’t planning on giving change, but that works for me.” Marie yanked the dish towel from her shoulder and used it to grab the sweaty coins.

“Oh Marie,” Godwin’s friend gasped. “I gots to say, you’re funnier than half of the people here. It’s all doom and gloom these days, but you always give me a good laugh!”

“I feel the same, whenever I see you two.” She said, depositing the coin in a small box under the counter as the two fat men fell into another fit of laughter.

Behind the massive wall of bottles, a small bell rang out.

“Coming!” Marie said, stuffing the towel back in her apron pocket.

She stepped out from behind the bar and walked around the ten-foot-high wall of bottles; another U-shaped bar, identical to its cousin, sat on the other side, a relic of a different time. Before she’d boughten the tavern, two servers maned both sides of the bar simultaneously, but now, with Marie as the only barkeep, it served only to frustrate her whenever it was occupied.

Two city guards, youths of barely twenty-three, sat at the very end of the empty wooden counter, the opposite of where Godwin and his friend were on the other side; they were turned sideways in their stools, leaned towards one another, both lost in intense conversation.

Despite being off duty, both still wore their uniforms – leather armor atop long sleeved tunic and pants – causing sweat to bead on their foreheads, their hair a mess. Their bucket like helmets had been placed on the bar, sending a flash of irritation through Marie.

“You know the rules gentleman,” She said. “no articles of clothing on the bar.”

The two guards jumped, then looked sheepishly at Marie as they picked the helms off the counter and placed them at their feet.

“Sorry Marie,” the first one said. “didn’t realize.”

She waved a hand. “It’s fine Jack, mistakes happen.”

“We’re uh…ready to order –”

“Finish up your conversation. I need a moment to lean anyways.” Marie said. Jack nodded, and turned back to his companion, conversation instantly reignited.

Marie leaned against the counter and sighed with relief; the enchantment that cooled the bottles in the wall bled a pleasant coolness onto her back, and not for the first did she swear that it was her best investment.

As she waited, her gaze flicked to the far end of the bar; she grinned as she saw its usual occupant.

The tavern cat, known by no other name than “cat”, sat on the edge; it glanced at Marie, blue and green eyes wide, before turning its attention back towards the front door of the tavern.

Perhaps cat wasn’t the right word. Marie assumed it was a cat, but the wings tucked against its back made that difficult to believe. About a foot in their span, they remained the same color as the cat at their base, a sleek black. As the fur slowly turned to feathers, however, the color shifted to brilliant blues and greens, brighter than a peacock feather, and more dazzling than anything in Mirabar.

Yet, despite the grandeur of its wings, it was the cat’s tail that remained the object of everyone’s fascination; with similar blues and greens, it resembled a horse’s tail more than a cat’s, with long, thick strands of hair that flicked back and forth constantly. Despite the appearance, it was softer than the cat’s fur, and perhaps the softest material that Marie had ever held before.

Indeed, this side of the bar remained the more popular side to sit, solely because of the cat. Sloshed patrons would constantly grab at the tail, running the hair through their fingers, marveling at how it felt. To its credit, the cat never once lashed out, somehow always ignoring whenever it was manhandled, sitting stock still on the bar.

Rarely did it move from that spot. Marie was surprised that there wasn’t a divot in the counter yet, or a hole in the door.

“Uh, Marie?”

She turned back towards the pair of guards. “Done? Same as usual? Joel?”

“Yeah, ale for both of us.” Joel said. He dropped two silver on the counter. “I’ll pay this time.”

“Sounds fine with me.”

She fished two mugs from under the bar and set them on the counter, before turning towards the wall of bottles; Marie pulled out two brown bottles, yanked the corks out, and poured the ale into the two mugs, foam almost spilling over the edge.

“There you go,” she said, sliding the mugs over. “Thanks for the patronage you two.”

“Thanks for staying open.” Jack said.

The two clanked their mugs together; Joel immediately gulped down a mouthful, though Jack placed his mug back down.

Marie dropped the now empty bottles into a crate underneath the bar, then leaned against the counter.

“Well,” She said. “I don’t feel like going back around and dealing with Godwin and his…friend, whoever he is.”

“They’re still in here?” Jack asked.

“Of course they are, what else do they have to do? They made Godwin’s job redundant, he’s in here every day now.” Marie shook her head. “Enough about them though. Anything interesting happen on patrol today?”

The two guards grimaced.

“No, nothing ever happens these days.” Joel said. “I’m not sure why they even make us guard the walls anymore, no point to it.”

“Sure, but then what the hell would we do?” Jack said, taking a sip and grimacing. “Oh, that’s strong.”

“No, it’s not.” Marie said. “But you’re right, town’s been pretty sleepy these past weeks.”

“Yup. Cuz all the problems this place has are above our paygrade now.” Jack leaned his elbows on the counter. “Shortages aren’t something we can fix, that’s the Council’s job. And they’ve been doing a shit job lately, what with all the closures. Honestly,” he turned towards his companion. “the fact that they’ve met five times this month doesn’t sit right with me. When was the last time they met like that?”

“I don’t know, but it’s better than how it normally is. ‘sides, they’ve probably got something figured out already. You know how bureaucracy is, slow as hell. Need to iron out all the details.” Joel said.

“I guess. Still doesn’t sit right with me though.”

“I don’t care how many times they meet.” Marie said, crossing her arms. “They need to figure this mess out, other places need to open back up. This place gets swamped all the damn time now. Even with the help, I pass out the moment my head hits the pillow.”

“But that’s good for business!” Jack said. “And you get all the customers you normally wouldn’t get, like Godwin.” He jerked his head towards the other side of the wall. “He drops a lot, I know that much. Better to get his coin than lose it somewhere else, right?”

“Yeah! And now that you’re the main spot, the days are never dull.” Joel piped up. “Not with everyone showing up every day. What, you’ve got Godwin, his friends, us poor guards…” he glanced towards the end of the bar. “the cat. Although I suppose it was here before this mess.”

Marie followed his eyes and smiled; the cat hadn’t moved, paintbrush tail tucked against its legs, wings still folded tightly against its back.

She drummed her fingers on the counter; the cat’s ears twitched, but it refused to budge.

“Gods, that thing scares me sometimes.” Jack said, eyeing its back. “Has it ever moved from that spot?”

“Yeah, she sleeps with me at night.” Marie said. “Soon as I wake up though, it’s right back to the bar. I think it just gets cold.”

Marie walked the length of the bar towards the cat, and began to scratch it shoulders; immediately, it began to purr, kneading the counter, though its gaze never broke from the door.

“But yes, it’s a bit odd. Always wondered what its waiting for.”

“It’s girlfriend, I bet.” Jack said with a grin.

“Nah, that’s what you’re waiting for.” Joel shot back.

“Alright, then what’s the cat waiting for then?”

“The same thing Marie is, a –”

“Who, Serena?” Jack asked.

Maire’s heart dropped, as an all too familiar sadness crept into her chest. She sighed, shoulders slumping, and turned back towards the two guards.

Jack grimaced and ducked his head, as Joel scratched his neck and looked away.

“That makes two of us then.” She said quietly.

At the back of the tavern, a wooden door, built into a slot cut out of the stone wall, creaked open. A weary looking Drow, dressed in a dark blue, long sleeved tunic, and black workpants – not the best look for him – leaned against the door frame, his apron slung over his shoulder. He dug his knuckles into his eyes before shutting the door behind himself.

“Excuse me,” Marie said; she turned around and walked down the bar again, passing Jack and Joel. “I’ll be right back – Vorn!”

Vorn looked up from the door and smiled; he pushed off and met Marie halfway as she walked over to him.

Despite the time that had passed since he’d arrived in Mirabar, Vorn hadn’t aged a day, something Marie couldn’t say for himself; his faint purple skin was smooth, and not a wrinkle was present on his gaunt face. His long white hair lay in two sections on his shoulders, out of its normal band.

“You look tired.” Marie said flatly, cocking her head.

Vorn smiled, red eyes crinkling from poorly disguised exhaustion.

“Yes, lot to look over this time.” His voice came out rough, as though it hadn’t been used for a week. “I tell you Marie, I’m not a mathematician, those numbers give me quite a bit of grief.”

“I know. And I appreciate you doing them for me.” Marie stepped closer and placed her hands on his hips. “I’m so busy out here all the time, it takes a huge load off my shoulders that you do all the reconciling for me. Thank you, dear.”

Vorn chuckled, and laid his hands on Marie’s shoulders, giving them a small squeeze.

“Anything for you, my love.”

Back at the bar, Marie swore she heard a stifled laugh. She shook her head.

“Did everything look alright, by the way? I know this month’s probably a bit odd.” She asked.

“Well…our expenses did jump a bit. The wholesale prices have gone up recently, what with the shortage. Maybe…oh, a ten percent spike from last time. We still made a profit, mind you, but not as much.”

Marie nodded. “We’ll have to be a bit more careful next month then. I imagine the prices are going to spike like last time.”

“No doubt. Still,” Vorn lowered his voice. “we’re sitting on a sizable amount of savings. We should be able to weather the storm. All thanks to your genius, by the way. I don’t know how you did it.”

“Got up early and hit the markets honey, that’s all.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

“And don’t try to flatter me!” Marie grinned and pushed away from Vorn. “Now, go take a load off, I’ve still got customers.”

“Whatever you say, ma’am.” Vorn said, offering her a mock bow.

Marie grinned as she watched him stagger over to the small table shoved into the corner on the other side of the tavern; he plopped down into the chair as though his feet were made of lead, and stretched his arms over his head, sleeves falling to reveal faint lines of underused muscle.

Her smile tightened. Who did Vorn and Jurden think they were fooling?

From the far end of the bar, Marie heard a thump on the wooden floorboards; the cat tore across the tavern and jumped onto the table that Vorn sat at, meowing loudly, anxiously pawing the wood. Vorn grinned and waved his fingers in front of the cat.

Two balls of light, barely the size of his fist, sprang into existence above Vorn’s hand, shedding a pale blue light across the table. The cat leapt towards them, claws and wings outstretched, and grabbed one with its paws. Immediately, the ball winked out of existence. The cat leapt again and caught the second ball, it too winking out like the first.

The cat closed its eyes and shoved its face against Vorn’s hand; Marie swore she could hear the purrs from the bar.

After a moment, the cat turned and jumped off the table, running back to its original spot. It leapt back onto the bar, and resumed its vigil towards the door, as if it had never left.

How odd that it could grab those balls of light. As far as Marie could remember, her hands always passed through them whenever she tried to swat them away.

“Uh, Marie?” Joel said from the bar. “My cups empty and I don’t want to get more myself.”

“Good,” Marie said, turning to walk back. “otherwise, I’d have Vorn throw you out.”

Jack laughed as she stepped back behind the bar. “Oh, you heard her, don’t want to get the tavern husband involved, huh?”

“Nope!” Joel said, pushing his glass towards Maire. “I’ve heard about him. Rather not be on the wrong end of his sword.”

Marie smiled.

If only they knew