Connor arrived back into town just as the sun reached its peak, parched beyond belief. It had been poor planning on his part not to bring water for the hike, he usually knew better than that.
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... "In the closet there, Connor." Tallis tilted her head
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"Whiskey, neat." A curt voice spoke from beyond the closet. [...]
“I’m looking for someone; tall, dark hair and red eyes. Goes by Andromeda if I’m not mistaken.” She said. There was a hardness to her voice, like the cold steel of a blade. Connor stiffened.
“May I ask what your business with her is?” He heard Tallis ask.
A brief twitch disturbed her blank expression, “It’s a… Personal matter. There’s some unfinished business between us.”
He hesitated, the woman narrowed her eyes.
“Right.” She said matter-of-factly and turned away to walk back towards the bar, “I’ll just wait here until… She… Gets back.”
The back of his neck prickled. There was a very specific way some people spoke about folks like him and Annie. As if they only acknowledged their identity as some sort of formality, a minor detail not to be taken seriously or an inconvenience to be navigated. He’d heard it many times himself, the insincerity that dripped from the way they referred to him. Like they were trying to use his pronouns to mock him, or it was some sort of phase they expected him outgrow with time. It sparked an ember of defiance in him, and he grabbed her by the shoulder to spin her back around.
“There’s nobody like that here!” He growled, placing a hand on his sword to emphasize the words, “You’d best be moving along, stranger.”
The woman’s face twitched again as she shrugged off his hand, “I think I’ll stick around all the same. You never know who might turn up in a quaint little town like this.” Behind that blank expression her eyes dared him to argue.
Connor quickly weighed his options. This woman was obviously dangerous, but she wasn’t technically doing anything wrong. Bad vibes aren’t against the law. That put him in a difficult position. The source of his magic, his Icon, was empowered by the ideal of order and bound by the law. It only aided him when he was dealing with someone who had actually broken the law. If he tried to fight this woman now, force her out of his town, he’d get no help from it. He had to try something else.
“She just left town,” he said through gritted teeth, “Took her money and left. Said something about a job up north.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”
“Yes. Seemed like she couldn’t get out of here fast enough,” He spat, “Good riddance.”
This elicited a chuckle, “Can’t say I’m surprised. That one’s used to the finer things. I doubt there’s anything like it out here. No offense.”
Connor was grinding his teeth so hard he thought they might crack, “None taken. We like things simple out here.”
The stranger shrugged, “Alright,” she said, “I can take a hint. I’ll be on my way.” She strode back to the bar and picked up her drink, downing it in one gulp. Then she planted the glass on the counter with a clack and turned back to him, leaning on the counter, “Let’s hope I don’t need to come back.”
Tension hung in the air between them as the two locked eyes. She smiled at him, it reminded Connor of a wolf. His grip on his sword tightened.
“That would be best.” He said.
The woman brushed past him and waved over her shoulder, “Thanks for the drink. I’ll be seeing you.”
As she left Connor looked at the ground by his feet, then to Tallis, “Sorry I spat on your floor, Tallis. You got a rag I can clean it up with?”
Outside the bar the woman in black armor stopped, pulling a necklace from beneath her breastplate. A small red sphere hung from a golden chain, glowing dimly as the liquid inside it pressed against the glass as if it were a living thing. It squirmed back in the direction of the motel. She tucked it back beneath her armor and frowned. That was fine, she could wait a while longer for her guard dog to leave.
