Smoke and Conversations

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Five sets of footsteps echoed softly through the room as they entered.

The space was dimly lit, sunlight slipping through a tall window on the far wall. Two folded curtains were slightly drawn, allowing narrow beams of light to cut into the shadows.

A large rug covered the floor—woven with black, red, white, and blue tones that blended smoothly together, its ends lined with golden fringe.

To the left, soft-cushioned chairs were arranged neatly beside each other, with a few more circling a small, black coffee table—clearly meant for conversation.

On the right, a small bar stood quietly in the corner. A few black stools were fixed to the floor, and shelves behind the counter displayed several bottles of liquor, their labels catching the faint light.

"Pheww," Cyrus let out a low whistle, his left hand still resting casually by his belt as he scanned the room. "You never fail to impress me, Rin."

Rin crossed her arms. "You know me—I like to keep things tight."

"Heh." Cyrus glided his right hand along the bar's smooth surface.

Razek let out a wide yawn, then made his way toward the chairs and lazily dropped into one, sprawling out like he owned the place.

Helaine leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, eyes closed—her expression unreadable.

Evryn sighed and shook his head at Razek's lack of manners before turning toward Rin. "So… is this your private bar or something?"

"Yeah, it is. A place for when I want to be alone… or when I have special guests," she replied, walking behind the counter. She rummaged through something out of his view before pulling out a pipe.

"You can sit down, you know," she said, placing the pipe between her lips. "Get comfortable. We're going to be here a while."

"If you say so…" Evryn walked over to one of the seats and slowly lowered himself into it, unhooking the sword from his side and leaning it against the chair, resting it against his leg.

"This chair is sooo soft… I feel like I could just fall asleep in it…" Razek sank deeper into his own chair, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

Rin took a slow puff from her pipe before turning her eyes toward Cyrus. "So. You're here to cause trouble."

"Hehe," Cyrus raised his hands in mock innocence. "I guess you could say something like that…" He took a seat on one of the stools, leaning his arms on the bar counter. "Say, why don't you make me a quick drink?"

"As long as you promise not to cause any."

A smirk tugged at Cyrus's lips. "Pfft, you know me—I can't always make promises… unless it's job-related, hehe…"

Rin shook her head lightly, turning to the shelf of liquors behind the bar. "I guess it's good seeing you, Cyrus. I'm surprised you haven't changed after all these years…"

Cyrus let out a soft hum, his voice turning playful. "My old man taught me one thing—the most important thing: stay true to yourself."

Rin poured a light-blue bottle into a small glass and slid it across the counter to him. "Well, it looks like you took that lesson to heart."

Cyrus lifted the glass, eyeing the shimmering liquid inside. His reflection shimmered in it. "I sure did… I sure did."

Meanwhile, Evryn sat quietly with his head resting on his right hand, watching the exchange between Cyrus and Rin. On his side of the room, the mood was more muted.

Razek, breaking the silence, tilted his head toward Evryn. "You're really good at talking to people… So, who taught ya?"

"No one," Evryn replied, flatly. "I learned on my own."

"Oh… Well, good thing you did—'cause look where it got us."

Evryn let out a sigh. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't open your damn mouth."

"Hey," Razek waved his hands defensively, "it's a good thing I did! Look where it got us!"

Evryn narrowed his eyes. "You could've at least helped out."

"I could'veee just broken the rope and got us out of thereee… but where's the fun in that?" he said, voice light and playful.

Yeah, I'm going to kill him.

"Hey, what's with that look? You shouldn't be mad, you should be happy! Look at how things turned out!"

Evryn let out a deep sigh. He couldn't be bothered to say anything else. Honestly, he was just tired—socially drained from all the talking he'd already done. Whatever Razek had to say now? It could wait.

Helaine pushed herself off the wall and walked over, resting both hands on the back of a nearby chair. "Looks like you two had fun."

Razek grinned. "We sure diddd."

Helaine smirked, turning her teasing gaze toward Evryn. "Especially you, Evryn."

In a dry, sarcastic voice, he replied, "Yeah… I had tons of fun. What about you? What'd you do with Cyrus?"

Helaine let out a thoughtful hum, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling as she tapped her chin with her index finger. "It was interesting," she said, lowering her hand. "Though… we did almost get into a fight with someone."

"Oh, well we had a crystal guy try to sell Razek something, then we went to a bar, got kidnapped, and now we're here…"

Evryn paused for a moment, his mind circling back to the odd encounter.

"That crystal person was strange though. He understood what I was saying… but couldn't speak. Bizarre."

"A crystal person?" Helaine's mind circled around what Evryn had just said, trying to connect the dots—something about them felt familiar.

Razek threw himself into the conversation, making exaggerated gestures with his hands. "Yeah! He was super weird—kept making random signs with his hands… looked like he was on Toofrua!"

Helaine suddenly pieced it together, the name clicking in her head. "Oh. You guys came across a Var'Zan." She turned toward Evryn. "Wait—Evryn, what exactly did you say to it?"

"Oh, I just talked to it. It nodded and left us alone," Evryn said casually, almost shrugging. "Why?"

Helaine stared at him in disbelief. "You just talked to it and it gave up trying to sell you something?"

"…How di—" Evryn's tone shifted slightly, tinged with curiosity and a sliver of concern.

"Those people are very persistent when it comes to selling things. They don't know when to stop, and they're notorious for overcharging. Cyrus especially avoids them."

"Oh…"

Razek straightened up in his chair, no longer slouching. "So that's why Cy always avoided those guys. I thought it was 'cause they reminded him of the money he wished he could get."

Helaine facepalmed, letting out a heavy sigh. "No, Razek. You should know Cyrus doesn't like being around those kinds of people. You've known him longer than I have."

Razek waved his hands in defense. "Hey, hey—it's not my fault I don't dig into his private affairs."

"What are you even trying to say?"

Evryn closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, leaning back.

We really are going to be here for a long time…