Playing the game

She had never liked D.C. at this time of year. It was wet, overcast and always dirty. It was just like living in London or Seattle. Cities weren't her favorite places to be. She enjoyed the small rural towns but people noticed everything you did. Not very productive for someone who hasn't aged in the last few centuries. Madison pulled her scarf closer to her face, looking for the restaurant that Tom had told her he was at.

~What am I doing?~ She wondered as she neared the street it was on.

~This is not the safe thing to do. I'm meeting a stranger. What if he kills me?~ She paused for a moment, lingering on the thought of the death that had eluded her for so long. She often hoped for this to all be over. Her never ending punishment for a crime she never committed.

~Don't be so selfish!~ She scolded herself as she started back forward. ~Who would feed Salem!~

Rounding the street corner she reached her destination, 616 S. 8th street. A well-kept "Secret" of D.C. Tulip's Brew Hall. She didn't frequent the establishment too much, but would come a couple times a month. She avoided leaving a lasting impression on others.

Walking in the front door was like walking into a different world. The walls were brick, lined with vines, various types of flowers and plants. Tables and chairs were carved wood, polished and set with tulips in mason jars with tea light candles. Overall the ambiance was rustic and cozy. The food was warm, comforting and she always enjoyed it. It was crowded but calm, everyone enjoying their own company. She didn't see him here. She shuffled up to the bar, smiling at the bar tender who had spoken casually with her on her visits.

"What can I get for you today, Mads?" He asked politely. It shocked her the first time he had remembered her name, but she eventually became used to it. It was his job, after all, to remember the names of is patrons.

"I'll take my usual, Thanks Ailim." She smiled. He was always easy to talk to. Ailim was calming person. He was an average height and build, with a generic hair cut and short trimmed facial hair. He wore jeans and a black shirt with a bar towel slung over his shoulder. He wore a pendant around his neck, something he called a "Miljnor". He poured a glass of mead and set it down in front of Madison.

"One usual." He smiled. "How's it been going?" He asked. "It's not the usual time that you sit in."

She took the glass in her hand. "I am entertaining a persistent customer." She explained before sipping the sweet honey wine and warming all over, closing her eyes. She could see a vision of a beautiful field, stretching miles wide with green grass and mountains reaching for the sky. She often dreamt of this very place but in all her travels of the world, has had yet to find it.

"Entertaining a customer? That doesn't seem like a barista thing." He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, how much are they paying?" She glared at him, not finding his quip nearly as funny as he did. "Alright, I'm sorry." Ailim held his hands up in surrender. "Don't kill me with that stare."

She continued to submerge herself in her beverage, searching for answers in her glass.

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A sly smile spread across his face as he looked her up and down, running his nimble fingers through his hair as he sauntered toward her. He knew she would fall to his charms, like every other woman before her. How could she resist? Tom laid a hand on her shoulder and in the brief second, he knew that he was wrong. She spun around and stared at him as if he were the most disgusting thing in the world.

"What do you think you are doing?" She spat at him. "You can't just sneak up on someone." She held an empty drinking glass in her hand and his book was tucked under her arm. She shook her head, her wavy auburn hair swaying slightly with the motion. She was shorter than him, only coming up to his shoulders in height. Her hazel eyes hiding a millennia of secrets. Her sweater dress swallowed her, hiding her body from the world. This was the first time he had seen her in anything other than her work clothes.

"I'm sorry to have startled you." Tom replied apologetically. The bartender she was talking to stared at him. Looking at him as if he had seen someone familiar. He glanced back towards Madison as she set her empty glass on the bar. He replaced it with a full vessel of mead and nodded at them both before returning to other patrons.