by Sara Bushway
"Thanks, but no thanks. You're a good-looking guy and all, but--"
Honey laughed. "No, no. Sir, I just wanted to tell you that I think you're quite talented. Where did you get your violin from?"
"Some little hole-in-the-wall wood-workers shop. I'm surprised you couldn't tell. It certainly plays like a hunk of pine with wires strung across it." Honey was taken aback.
"I thought it sounded great. I used to play one myself. Would you mind if I looked at it?"
The man chortled, "Sure, sure! We're done for the evening unless the owner of the bar is willing to pay us what's fair. Go ahead and play us a tune! I'm sure he would love that!" Honey sensed a hint of sarcasm in the man's voice but chose to take him at his word. He thanked the man and sped through the crowd back to the stage.
He might look a bit like Dane, but he's nowhere near as kind Honey thought. It's not the violin's fault if it can't be appreciated for what it is. Seems to me an instrument is only as good as the musician.
The crates containing the instruments still sat on the stage. He hadn't even bothered to close and lock the violin case properly. Honey picked up the violin and bow. It was the first time he had held one since his training as a child. Betty had thought it would be a great idea to put Honey up on stage in the lounge of Beaumont's Mansion and set tip jars on the tables so he could show off his talent and earn a little bit of pocket money while he was at it, but Beaumont wasn't willing to invest in a decent fiddle for the boy to use and did not want to promote the lounge as a casual hang out. It was for selling drinks and advertising flesh that could be bought in the main hall. Still, Honey always wondered if he would ever come back to playing the violin. He had enjoyed it immensely.
Honey put his chin on the chinrest a plucked at the strings. It sounded as though it had been hastily tuned. The notes were almost right, but each string seemed to be just a bit off in one direction or the other. Honey took a few moments to tune it to his liking, or rather to his training and played a short flourish across the strings. The crowd clapped, to Honey's surprise, and looked on in anticipation. He hadn't planned to put on a full performance, but even Torq was in on it, grinning from ear to ear as he pointed Honey out to random strangers and bragged, "He's in my adventuring team! He used to work in--he worked--down, down-downtown if you know what I mean!" No one seemed to understand because no one else knew what Honey had been, but they all seemed to take it in good humor and congratulated Torq on his crowning achievement of having a hooker-turned-cowboy on his team.
Everyone is watching Honey thought. I guess I'd better give them what they want.
Honey started playing a long, slow minuet, held the last note of the second bar, and paused. The room was silent as the grave. They all looked on with blank faces at the beauty that had emitted from the flimsy piece of wood and wires. Then Honey stroked the strings again with the bow and led into a song he had learned in his youth called Load Ye Cannons. It was a fast-paced song about pirates rushing above and below deck, preparing for battle. Honey had never learned the words, but he knew the tune so well he could hear it in his dreams sometimes. It only took moments for the barmaids to start twirling and dancing the drinks in their hands to the tables they served, and shortly thereafter, the patrons were up and about dancing with one another. They joined arms and swung one another, trading partners on occasion. Honey missed a note as he giggled to himself, wondering if they traded partners on purpose or if they were all so drunk they couldn't hold onto one another at the rate they were spinning each other. No one seemed to notice his folly, and he played on. The song wound down and came to an end, much to the dismay of the patrons and Torq, who was dancing with three rather large women. They clapped and whooped at Honey. He took a shallow bow so as not to lose his hat.
He reveled in the attention of his adoring fans for a few moments longer but winced as he caught the piercing stare of the violist from the band. Deciding it was best to avoid further insulting the violist with his skill, he turned and opened the violin case to put the instrument away. There was a shared "Aww" as he did so. Honey turned back around to the crowd.
"Oh. Am I not done?" He asked, gazing out at their faces with innocent amusement.
A man holding a bottle of liquor approached the stage and slapped his free hand on it. "Play on! Play on! I De-hic!-demands it!"
Honey looked out towards the bar again, spotting the violist. The man paid his tab and left out the side door, muttering as he went on his way. Honey looked at the violin and bow in his hands and shrugged. "Well, I suppose, if it's what everyone wants."
Honey set the violin and bow down to take off his duster, which he draped over the percussionist's stool and tossed his hat to the edge of the stage, brim-up so that it could collect any tips he might earn. He noticed the drunkard pick it up and put it on as he picked up the instrument again. Then a beautiful barmaid with hair the color of blood, braided into tight pigtails that draped down over her shoulders, snatched the hat off of him and placed it on the stage again, dropping two coins in with a wink. Honey thought he felt himself blush a little and took his place in the middle of the stage.
Honey played on while the patrons sang along to songs they knew and danced to others. There were a few songs Honey could only remember portions of, so he played those too and improvised for the parts he didn't remember. No one else seemed to mind it. When the percussionist and flutist recognized songs they knew as well, they joined Honey on-stage and played along. That really got the crowd riled up and only added to the fun. Between songs, people dropped coins into his hat until it was full. The blood-haired barmaid was kind enough to dump the contents of his hat into a drawstring bag and put it on the stage behind him while he continued playing his set. Then the hat was put out again for refilling. By the end of the night, his hat had been nearly filled again, though not to the point of overflowing.
"Alright, everybody! It's been wonderful, but I must go. I have a hot date with a bar of soap and a sponge."
He wasn't sure why that was so funny, but the patrons all giggled themselves into a stupor over it and clapped as he put the violin away in the case the other violinist had left. I'm sure he'll be back for this, he thought and gathered his things, making sure to pick up the bag of coins and dump the haul in his hat into it. He wasn't sure how much money professional musicians made, but the percussionist and flutist seemed happy enough to each get ten coins from the bag.
"I can see you're an adventurer," the lanky percussionist said, "but if you change your mind and give yourself over to music, you can find us somewhere around here. We go between this dive and two other bars in the area."
Honey nodded. "Thank you. I'll be sure to look you up when I'm old and tired of adventuring." They all had a laugh, and the bandmates gathered their instrument cases to load them onto a cart waiting outside, including the case with the violin in it.
Torq clapped his way over to Honey and patted him on the back. "Wow! I didn't know you had all that in you!" Honey smiled at him, assessing his condition. It looked like Torq had sobered up a bit, based on his ability to stand without swaying and his clear speech. Honey spotted a dirty dish on the table they had been sitting at.
"I guess that means you aren't hungry." Honey chuckled. "I suppose I should get something before we leave. I'm famished."
"I bet," Torq said, guiding Honey back to his seat and eyeing the bag of coins Honey placed on the table. Honey ordered himself a dinner of roast chicken and vegetables and some milk to wash it all down. He had contemplated ordering water, but Andy had advised against getting water in the less affluent parts of town because the quality of water wasn't as good. "Might as well just scoop it out of the Mississippi," she had commented. The barmaid seemed happy enough to bring him a large stein full of milk with his meal. Torq opened the bag and counted out the coins while Honey devoured his meal.
"Good gods! There's over a hundred coins in here!" Torq announced as he finished stacking another ten coins. He looked embarrassed shortly a
fter, apparently realizing his faux pas, and leaned in. "That's crazy! You played music for a couple of hours and made more than we make some weeks from the guild!" Honey swallowed the bite of chicken he had just taken.
"It wouldn't be the first time I've been paid to let someone watch me fiddle," he smirked, "but it would be the first time it was in public." Torq lost all sense of composure and banged his hand on the table, guffawing so hard that Honey swore he could feel Torq's laugh beating in his own chest. A stack of coins fell over into a scattered mess, which brought Torq back to sanity.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Torq managed, still tittering at Honey's joke as he stacked the fallen tower of coins again.
Andy came into the bar and rounded the table. "So, what happened while I was gone? Anything exciting? From outside, it sounded like the band was really on."
"Aww, yeah," Torq sighed. "He really was."
"I made us some cash for the road," Honey said, putting the coins into his coin purse.
A look of terror spread across Andy's face. She snatched the purse out of Honey's hand and slapped him hard on the cheek. "What is wrong with you!? How!? Why!? You don't have to do that anymore! Don't you understand!? This is..this is..dirty money! Why---"
"Wait!" Honey interjected, rubbing his sore cheek. "Not like that! I earned it, you know, like a real entertainer. I played music and danced with my clothes on!"
Andy went pale, her mouth agape. She dropped the bag onto the table and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't...I mean, I...I just want you to.--"
"I know," Honey said, hugging her back. His face was still warm from the slap, but soon the rest of him caught up with it. For the first time since he joined the team, Honey felt like she was really embracing him, physically and mentally. She had been a great leader, but she never showed emotion if she could help it. At that moment, however, she was helpless to her despair. Torq stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around the both of them.
"It's ok, guys," he sighed. "Andy, you need to stop assuming the worst, and Honey, you need to be more clear. She worries." The three of them shared a laugh and embraced for a few seconds longer, at least until the bartender shooed them out, citing that he was closing up for the night and that they needed to leave unless they were renting a room. They all giggled again and saw themselves out.
The streets were filled with the sounds of bustling shopkeepers and shoppers going about their day as Honey strode down the main street of Alton. It was a tough day of training at the outpost, between combat training with Andy and target practice with Cinderella. It had taken him some time to get used to compensating for the weight of the metal, but he had managed to peg the center of the target four out of five times. Not bad for a novice, the trainer at the outpost had said, but Honey felt like a million coins stacked up and decided to treat himself to some frozen sweet-cream down the street on an edible cone made from the baked sweet dough so that it could be taken out of the shop and eaten on the go. He had also picked up a cream-filled pastry for Torq, and a candied apple sprinkled with toffee bits for Andy, which he carried in a paper sack.
As Honey passed the knickknack shop and the bookstore, he noticed a strange phenomenon. The bustling stopped, and a thick silence filled the air, despite all of the people standing around. They were all looking in the direction of one of the government buildings. From a distance, it looked like they were watching street performers or something, but as he came closer to get a better look, something didn't seem right. There were black blazers all standing around the front of the building, guarding the entrance and redirecting people who got too close to the front doors.
Honey heard the distinct zap of a spell going off and then a loud crash from inside the building. The onlookers gasped and drew near, only to be pushed back by the blazers. Honey rushed up to the closest one.
"What's going on in there?"
"It's a shootout," the man said flatly. "A fugitive was spotted inside and is in the process of being apprehended."
Honey jumped as another zap rang through the air, and a loud crack was heard from inside.
"Fugitive? Do you need the assistance of the guild?" The man cocked an eyebrow at him, prompting him to open his duster and show off his official guild badge, a feat easier said than done with his hands full of sweets. He suddenly understood the allure of keeping his badge on his belt.
The man laughed, "No, I think we grownups have got-"
Zap! The column behind the man cracked and released a huge puff of dust. The man stumbled forward and looked back into the bank wide-eyed.
Honey dropped his bag of sweets and sprang to action. He ran past the fractured column and inside through a leftmost door on the front of the building. He pressed himself against the wall and quickly filled Cinderella's chambers with magical ammunition he had imbued that morning. Marbles that faintly glowed blue or red lit up the inside of the gun as Honey spun the chamber bores. With his back to the wall, Honey carefully made his way through the lobby and peered out at the action. Four black blazers stood poised behind different columns and tables, giving suppressing fire for the three wizards casting in the middle of the room. Their long black robes each had a white stripe across the bottom of the hem and along the pointed lapels of the top that resembled the black jackets the others wore. They all glowed with magical aura as they waved their hands in the air and cast spells in the direction of the desks behind the service counter.
Honey peered around the pillar and spotted a red rod poking out from behind one of the pillars among the desks.
How strange, Honey thought. Not many magic users used wands besides the warwizards.
"This is Honey Beaumont, a member of the Adventurer's League. You are under arrest for destruction of state property, causing a public nuisance, and avoiding arrest," he recited. "In order to avoid more charges, drop your weapons and come out with your hands up." Honey looked over and saw the black blazers and warwizards all looking at him like he was a child begging a lion not to eat him. "I-It's policy," Honey stammered. "We have to make them aware of their rights."
"It doesn't have rights," one of the black blazers growled through gritted teeth. "It's the leader of those damned rebellious Nobodies and his miscreants."
"Kage..." Honey's face shone in shock.
The crackling of magic stopped, and the sound of someone obnoxiously clearing their throat silenced the room. Then it asked, "Did you say...Honey?"
"Yes," he replied. "Yes, I did."
"Come out to the middle of the room, please."
Honey's heart leaped. The voice was so calm, but that didn't stop it from belonging to someone dangerous. The government officials all shook their heads in descent.
"Alright," Honey said shakily. "I'm coming out to discuss...the terms of your surrender."
He walked past the blazers and two wizards on his way to the center aisle. He took a deep breath and slowly walked out into the center of the bank, between the front door and the work desks with Cinderella aimed down into the floor next to him. He lightly thumbed at the trigger to make sure he could find it in a pinch. After all, his only interaction with Kage had been at the strip club.
"Come closer," it beckoned. Honey sighed and took three more steps toward the desks. "Closer." The voice was almost sing-song like Kage was playing with him, like a little game of hide and seek among the desks and all of the blazers and warwizards were spectators in the sport.
He took one more step forward. Any closer, and he would be able to pluck the pen off of the desk in front of him. Honey announced, "I can open my jacket and show you my badge if you need to see my credentials."
"That won't be necessary," the voice said. Honey noted how it didn't sound as frustrated as it had before. It sounded calmer and more familiar.
Honey looked out into the desks but couldn't spot him until he stepped out from behind a pillar and squared his shoulders with Honeys. The white bandana over Kage's nose and mouth and fedora he wore framed a very
familiar set of bluish-purple eyes.
I can't believe I didn't see it before, Honey thought. It never spoke and wore clothes that covered it up...and facemask over its mouth..and a wrap around its hair...was an androgynous Nobody...
"Ashelynn?" Honey whispered.
Kage blinked at Honey and put his index finger to his mask. Looking past the Nobody, Honey spotted the man in white crouched behind a desk. When he looked up, those unmistakable gold eyes looked back. "Dane..." Honey stared in awe of his discovery, trying to sort out which question to ask first of the hundreds in his mind. He returned his attention to Kage.
"Can I take this as a sign of surrender?"
"Not exactly," Kage replied, to which he added, "Have you ever wondered why there are no official contracts between the government and the guild? They don't care about you. They let you handle certain things because it makes their jobs easier and gets you out of the way, should the mission prove to be more than a stripper with a gun can handle."
"You're wrong," Honey replied. "The Adventurer's Guild is created on the concept of the militia. I read it in a book at the outpost."
"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Honey hadn't even begun to form a reply when Kage took hold of him, spun him around, and pressed his cane against Honey's body, the end of it aimed beneath Honey's chin. "Nobody Move!" He announced. "Once more step and the whelp gets it!"
"Whelp?" Honey asked. "I'm an adventurer, a hero!"
Kage pulled Honey along as he walked back through the desks. "Well, you had better hope they feel the same way." To the rest of the room, he announced, "If anyone takes one step closer or even aims their wand to cast, I will melt this boy's face off so bad the healers will have nothing left to work with." He turned and looked down at Dane. "Pack it up." Dane, in turn, motioned for the others among the desks to take their ill-gotten gains and regroup at the back door.