Honey Beaumont

by Sara Bushway

  There we are, Honey thought to himself. Just because I will be out there working among the public doesn't mean that I can't accessorize.

  The outfit didn't just make him look like an urban cowboy. It made him feel like an urban cowboy.

  I. Am. Awesome.

  *****

  The walk between the outpost and their next client was long but pleasant. Torq insisted on asking Andy if she was alright every few minutes. Around the fifth time, Andy's reassurances started to sting with a hint of annoyance. She insisted that she was fine, that walking was not bothering her recently healed wound or making her sore after her long rest following the ordeal. Honey, meanwhile, was content to let her be and take in the sights. As expected, some people on the streets tipped their hats to the adventuring team, while others stared straight ahead and ignored them entirely.

  Such is the way of things, I guess Honey thought. Some people like us and some people don't. I guess we'll just have to win them over.

  Because Torq insisted on walking at such a slow pace, Honey found himself running ahead a bit to pick up trash and throw it in nearby trash cans, and helping people cross the street. He was eager to prove himself to all of these strangers. He guessed that he just wanted them to know that adventurers were nothing to fear. With all of the fear surrounding the actual police and the suits in the Church-and-State building, the last thing he wanted was to contribute to the problem. People needed to have someone they could call for help. Someone they could trust.

  As they approached their destination, Honey's eyes grew wide. "Marco Bryant's? I know this man! He used to sell goods at the mansion! He makes the best lotions and essential oils!" Torq and Andy shared a glance of amusement. Honey blushed and clarified, "Loretta and the girls bought perfumes and things from him."

  Torq cocked an eyebrow. "You know that guy?"

  Andy giggled. "You bought perfumed lotion and soaps? Honey, those things are for girls. How did your clients feel about you smelling like a girl?"

  Honey shrugged. "Most of them liked it. Women like a good-smelling man, and some men like a man who smells like a woman."

  Attached to the carriage was a large, brass horse. He had never seen Mr. Bryant's carriage and mustang up close before Bryant brought his wares inside, knowing Beaumont didn't like the girls and Honey to be seen outside of the mansion. Honey walked over for a closer look and spied the springs and cogwheels between the metal plates that gave the horse its shape.

  Andy and Torq immediately went to the carriage to await their charge. Honey thought that a bit strange as most shopkeepers seemed to prefer to have some sense of rapport with their fellow businessmen as well as their customers. Torq agreed that it was a little odd but explained that adventurers weren't necessarily seen in the same light by different people.

  "See, some people just see us as hired hands--"

  "Which is what we are," Andy interjected.

  Torq nodded in agreement, "Yeah, sure. We're hired hands, but sometimes we are hired to do things that people think are wrong. Sometimes we're bounty hunters. Sometimes we're combat support for one side, the other--maybe even both. The contracts are private, so we could very well be working it from both angles if we aren't careful. A good adventurer wouldn't do that because the money is good, but we're still people on the inside. Some people aren't so honorable, and the public knows that."

  "Those few not so good adventurers give us a bad name," Andy said, eyeing her watch. "Just because we can be hired to do things most people would find unsavory and we can get away with bending some rules that others can't, some people believe we're just a lawless bunch of hooligans. But the few who see us as people who are out there trying to help make it worth it."

  Honey thought for a moment, then asked, "So, you don't mind that we're not invited in?"

  "Oh, no. It bothers me," Andy said, "but I know that he respects us. He just doesn't want to drive business away by showing us any preference in front of anyone."

  The tall, lanky man exited his shop with a crate in his arms, just one of a dozen his carriage had been loaded with. He turned and placed the crate on the ground so that he could lock the many locks on his door. Honey sauntered over and picked up the crate.

  Mr. Bryant seemed a bit shocked as he turned to see Honey but smiled. "Oh, hello there. Are you new? You don't have to do that."

  "No, I want to," Honey chirped. "I'm a big fan. I love your lavender lotion, the aloe-infused soap and the oils are all great! The rose oil is my favorite! I mean, not necessarily for me but for gifts for the girls--my friends--girlfriends."

  The shopkeeper chuckled and nodded. "Oh, I'm so glad, so very glad! I honestly can't say that I recognize you, but--"

  "Honey. My name is Honey Beaumont."

  The man paused and looked at him in pleasant surprise. "Little Honey Beaumont. Well, not so little anymore! Yes, I remember you. You work in uh--Beaumont's Manson. It's great to see you out and about." He leaned in close, "unless it's not so great, in which case, it's not my place to tell anyone I've seen you here."

  "Can we please get on with this?" Torq asked rather loudly.

  Honey gasped. "Oh, no, I'm great. Sorry. Here." He placed the crate in the carriage and turned to step down.

  "No, no, Honey," Mr. Bryant said. "Why don't you come and sit by me? It gets lonely up here in this driver's seat. I know it isn't your job. It's just so great to see you. Why don't you sit up here with me and tell me what's been going on with you? How long have you been out?"

  Andy shot Honey a warning glance, but the man insisted again with another pat on the seat. Honey hopped up and sat next to the driver. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if this was the norm or if he had just committed some great offense, but he wasn't about to turn away someone he could help without good cause.

  Honey looked around the front of the carriage and spotted a stalk poking out at the driver's seat with a box at the end of it. The box had several small buttons on one side and a cross-shaped button on the other. Mr. Bryant slid his white driving gloves on and took hold of the box.

  "Ready?" he asked, smiling broadly at Honey. Honey looked down at Andy and Torq for confirmation, and a slight nod from each prompted him to do the same.

  "It seems so," he said. "How will you drive the horse? There are no reins like in old pictures of cowboys riding real horses."

  The man grinned and looked down at the little box in his hands, "Observe,"

  He pushed in one of the little rectangles in the middle of the box, and the horse suddenly came to life. It whistled and whirred as it trotted in place to loosen its joints. Then, with a push of one of the little round buttons on the right, the horse began to walk forward. It moved smoothly like creatures of flesh did. The hooves clanged against the cobblestones as it went on, going slow enough that Honey's team members could pace it without hassle.

  While they were driving on, Bryant asked Honey about how things had gone. He couldn't tell him about what Beaumont had done to him or about how he ran away from Anastasia's home. So, he did the best he could without lying. He told him that things with Beaumont had become tense, that someone had bought his freedom, and that he had gotten a civilian job and learned to read, thanks to some new friends he had made. Then he told him about meeting Andy and Torq at his work and suddenly realizing that that was what we wanted to do with his life.

  "Well, that's quite a story you've got there, Honey," he said. "That's really quite a tale."

  Honey nodded, proud of himself for not revealing anything too personal while still regaling the man with a story that he seemed to genuinely enjoy.

  "So," Honey started, "I know you must make a lot of stops, but...Have you seen the girls lately?"

  Mr. Bryant perked up slightly in surprise. "Huh? What? Girls? Oh, your girls! No, I haven't gone to Beaumont's mansion in some time. As you can see, it's quite a spell from my shopfront, but I probably will soon. Would you like me to deliver a message for you?"

  Honey sighed. "No, thank you for the offer,
though. I just thought that if you had seen them, maybe you could tell me how things are there. I haven't been back to see them since I left quite some time ago. I guess that was almost a year ago now.

  Mr. Bryant smiled over at him as they turned a corner. "Well, I'm sure they would be glad to see your smiling face again and hear about how well you've done for yourself. An adventurer, of all things!" Honey laughed at his excitement and leaned over to look down at Andy. She seemed resolute in her task, marching alongside the carriage with her weapon at the ready. Honey couldn't see Torq, but he assumed Torq would be bored from such a dull mission. After all, he was more into the knock-down, drag-out missions like bounties. He loved bounties. "Justice and fun, all in one," he would often say when surveying the mission-board at the local outpost.

  Still, better boredom than dangerous, Honey thought.

  "Well, if I see them before you do, I'll be sure to send them your regards," the man said.

  Honey nodded. "So, where are we going today? I didn't recognize the name of the town."

  If Honey was truthful with himself, he didn't recognize the names of most towns. Aside from where Anastasia lived and the areas around where Chroma and her family lived, he had little to no idea about what other towns and Houses were around. He only knew a little about some of the larger, more famous houses and their workers because people brought tales from all over the country and were more than happy to tell the girls about the different Houses and workers they had had elsewhere, especially if Beaumont's didn't quite measure up to their expectations.

  The horse turned again, causing Bryant and Honey to bounce around a little bit. When things had settled, the shopkeeper replied, "It's not a House like Beaumont's. It's a home, but the lady of the House is unable to get about and has offered a fair fee for me to bring my wares to her. She also has said that she will be having others over who would like to purchase some soaps and perfumes; in bulk, no less. Good thing my products don't foul easily, like some of those cheap bottles of farce they sell at the market. My goods keep for at least a lifetime."

  "How do you know?"

  "What's that?"

  "How do you know they keep for a lifetime?" Honey asked. "You haven't been alive for one whole lifetime yet. How do you know they stay good for that long?" Mr. Bryant laughed.

  The horse and guards stopped in front of a large house with an overgrown yard. It looked as though, at one point, there were spewing fountains and imaginative topiaries, but now it was all just a big mess that cluttered the little path leading up to the double doors of the house.

  Mr. Bryant tapped one of the little rectangular buttons in the middle of the controller again, causing the horse to pose with one for-leg up and freeze in place. He and Honey both disembarked and met with Andy and Torq at the front of the carriage to finalize the transaction. Andy was the self-proclaimed team manager, so she was the one who accepted the payment and gave each of the boys their share. Honey quickly pocketed the money without counting it. He caught sight of Torq counting the coins, inspecting each one carefully. The idea of counting payment in front of customers made Honey very uncomfortable. He had gotten good at assessing stacks of coins during his years at the House, and the coin depository in the stages at Sacred Mounds made counting money away from prying eyes a breeze.

  "Thank you for the escort," Mr. Bryant said with a shallow bow to Andy.

  Andy did the same back to the man and replied, "It was our pleasure. I hope you did not find our newest member to be troublesome."

  "Not at all," he replied, "He was a joy to converse with, very kind and full of good stories."

  Torq cleared his throat. "So, you might say that...Honey was sweet?" Andy elbowed him in the side and smiled, hoping Torq's sudden soreness wasn't too obvious. Honey chuckled at the two and bowed to the man.

  "Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure for me as well."

  Andy giggled. "Honey, you don't have to do that," she whispered. "Only I do."

  "It's alright, miss Andromeda," Bryant said and bowed back to Honey. "You are aptly named because you are, in fact, sweet. I would be very interested in hiring your team again." Honey, a bit overtaken with pride about how well his first mission had gone, bowed again. The other two giggled and bid their farewells.

  Chapter Twenty

  Once the man was engrossed in preparing his wares to be presented in the home, Andy untied a leather scroll she had dangling from her belt and opened it up. Honey looked over her shoulder and took note of its unusual appearance. It was a reddish-brown leather, with roads, rivers, and towns all marked on it. Symbols representing towns and outposts were burned onto the leather while the rivers looked like they had been painted on, and the roads looked like they had been drawn on in some kind of ink. There were smudge marks that made it look like there had been roads drawn before that had been washed off somehow.

  "How neat," Honey said. "Did you make this yourself?"

  "No. It's a standard-issue for an adventuring team manager. The roads have to be drawn in or erased from time to time, especially out in the West. Sometimes roads are shut down, or others are made to get around something out in the wilds. Mine should be pretty well up to date for this area. I always make an effort to keep it as accurate as possible just in case we need to get somewhere in a hurry. Bad information could be the difference between catching a dangerous man or falling into a dangerous trap."

  "So, where are we going next?" Honey asked.

  Andy pointed to a burned x on the map and replied, "Here. That's our closest outpost for the Adventurer's guild. I need to stop in and fill out some paperwork stating that we completed the task and got paid. After we've completed our end of the paperwork, Mr. Bryant will be sent some papers so he can tell them about his experience with us. Enough positive reviews from people like him could net us a promotion to a higher level of adventurer."

  "Which means more money," Torq chimed. "I like more money. If each mission we took only paid us a few more coins, we would be rolling in the dough before long."

  Honey rifled through his pocket and retrieved his payment. "This is already more than I made in an hour at the mansion. Not quite as much as I made in an hour at the club, though."

  "Well, it's not all about the money," Andy said, rolling up the map and tying it onto her belt. "It's also about respect. Prestige."

  "Promotions," Torq muttered.

  Andy shot Torq some sort of meaningful look, though Honey couldn't discern what the look meant. It seemed to be a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Well, there is that."

  Honey dropped his coins into his coin purse, having finally remembered the little empty bag was dangling from his belt. He had so much on his belt he began to wonder how his pants stayed up with all of the weight of the leather pouches, coins, bottles, etc. He was grateful for whatever force was holding them up, though.

  Andy started in the general direction of the outpost. "We will take another mission while we're there, preferably something that takes us out of this area. There won't be many people with much coin to offer, and there aren't many police officers about here, so crime is rampant. We're more likely to find other adventurers than run into any government officials."

  Honey looked around at the dilapidated buildings at the edges of the streets between old buildings that had been kept up enough to keep them standing but not much more.

  "Why is it so poor here?"

  Torq sighed, "Well, there's a lesson in economics here. You need jobs to stimulate commerce. Places that give people jobs need to know that they'll make money where they decide to set up shop. So, places that know it's poor here won't come because nobody has money...because there aren't enough jobs. See the problem?"

  Honey nodded. "It sounds like a vicious cycle. Someone just has to break it."

  "It's a nice thought, Honey," Andy said, "but the people can't bring in money they don't have, and the shops won't come here without the promise of money."

  "Hmm. That's the first thing I would change if I ever m
ade a lot of money I didn't need," Honey said. "I mean, the very first thing I would do is help my friends, but then I would build someplace where people could earn money and try to fix this mess. This is awful. I know they're poor, but there's trash all over the streets, and nobody is out enjoying the day. It doesn't cost anything to enjoy the day."

  Torq said, "The people who pick up trash in most cities are government workers. There isn't a church-and-state building for miles, so this area is probably supposed to be managed by one of the closest ones, but they just let it go by the wayside. I mean, why not? They don't have to live here and look at it. And there's no one out because they're all high inside their little shacks."

  Honey shook his head. "That's terrible."

  "That's life," Andy said. "The entire government would have to be gutted and re-elected to make that big of a change. I don't think it's plausible, but your idea to stimulate the economy is a noble one. You should hold on to that dream. Maybe someday you'll have the means of doing all of that."

  The three walked on quietly for some time, eyeing the locals and taking in the stale air, the lingering silence. Honey spotted a pair of men walking toward the group and folded in behind Andy and Torq to get out of their way. Somehow, one of the old coots still managed to bump into him, and Honey apologized to be polite. Soon after, he noticed his belt felt a bit light, and he stopped to investigate his pouches.