Master's Journey: Stranger in the Stacks #10

Author's Note: Yo! Quick heads up, there is another full-length story that is already finished and on the way. I'm waiting for a bit of additional feedback from the client to fix a couple things, and as soon as that's taken care of I'll be posting it! Just so y'all don't think I spent all this time to turn out a 1k word Journey issue. XD

Anyway, enjoy!

[story]

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‭After a moment of thought, you decide to approach the resting barmaid, Meda – after all, if you’re going to be working here, even part-time, it makes sense to introduce yourself to the people you’ll be around the most. This is especially true when you’re planning on doing something illegal right under everyone’s noses; you’ll want to make allies at the Fat Lantern as quickly as possible.

As you slither over to the oran girl, you also get a better look at her. Her skin is deep navy blue, with thin tattoos scrolling across her neck and face in simple patterns, like jagged braids or interlocking runic chains. Jet-black hair frames an oval face and doesn’t quite reach the shoulders, with a single streak of dark purple dye breaking the monochrome. Her expression is open and friendly, but her actual features are fierce, her warrior-species giving her darker brows, a heavier jaw, and an aquiline nose – features that make her read more as ‘handsome’ than ‘pretty.’ She’s as tall as Duggan, if not taller, feminine hips contrasting a good deal of lean muscle, and you get the impression she could easily carry a tray with quite a good number of drinks on it, her powerful build likely wasted as a waitress. An apron overlays a pale rose-colored dress, both low-cut enough to show off the woman’s deep blue cleavage.

“Hey there, luv,” you coo as you slide into the chair opposite her, resting your forearms on the table and then slouching forward to rest your chin on them. “Meda, was it?”

“Oh, sorry! Have we met before?” her bright pink eyes, quick smile, and friendly demeanor offsets her physique, and suddenly ‘handsome’ doesn’t seem like the right way to describe her at all. If anything she’s… cute. A very odd, very muscular cute.

“Not proper-like,” you flash a crooked smile of your own. “I’m Iris. Gonna be pickin’ up a few shifts at the Lantern, give you some time off your feet, yeah?”

“That big hairy spud is finally hiring new help?” the oran girl looks suddenly relieved, which is a better reaction than you’d expected. It’s rare that someone’s happy to lose work-hours, she must really be here a lot. “You have no idea how happy that makes me! I basically live at the Lantern, and I’ve really been wanting to get out and live life a little.” She pauses, and a look of realization hits her face. “Oh! Sorry! I’m Meda, yeah! Kou Meda.”

“Suspect we’ll be seein’ a bit of one another soon enough, I’m gonna start tomorrow,” you lean back in your chair, setting one foot up on the table… then retracting it after receiving a harsh glance from Meda. “Been a while since I worked a steady, gonna have a lot to learn. But I’m hoping to get some, ah, ‘extra credits,’ if I’m industrious enough.”

“Extra credits?” Meda’s expression goes somewhat blank, her large, bright eyes vacant of thought.

“Ah, well, y’know, maybe customers want something that ain’t on the menu, and we… figure somethin’ out, yeah?” you hint back. Duggan mentioned that Meda wasn’t terribly clever, so it was time to test that and see if she was capable of picking up even the boldest of innuendo.

“Well, it usually takes about a week for us to get special order items delivered, so they’d definitely have to wait.” Apparently, she is not. “Besides, it’s usually the boss man who deals with stuff like that.”

“The ‘product’ I’m thinking of, I don’t really think Duggan’s suited for, if you catch my drift,” you shoot her a little wink. Come on, she has to get it eventually.

“Then they should probably go to one of the other inns or speakeasys, honestly,” Meda shrugs.

Alright, that’s a dead end. Meda’s cute, but dumb – though that may well be to your benefit when it comes to keeping things on the down-low. “Right, yeah,” you nod along, deciding not to push things any further for fear of sounding like a psychopath. “So, anything I should know about Vauntreux? I’m new to the Stacks.”

“Oh, well like I said, I don’t get out as much as I’d like, though hopefully that will change soon,” Meda lets out an awkward chuckle, then thinks a moment, and continues. “I know to keep your nose clean. The law in this city is the only thing more brutal than the gangs. You’re better off living a simple life if you don’t wanna get into trouble.”

You arch a brow. “The law I’ve already had some rough encounters with, but what’s this about gangs?”

“Well, with how hard the Stacks are on crime, most people don’t break the law without really serious protection,” Meda frowns slightly. You don’t get the impression that she’s been involved in Vauntreux’s underworld personally, but maybe knew someone who was. Or lostsomeone who was. “So everything’s organized, now. There’s the Cluster, the Engrals, the Weavers, and the Ivories, just of the ones I’ve heard of.”

“Eesh. Didn’t know things were so hot in the Stacks. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” You feel a slight pang of worry – if it’s that difficult to participate in the city’s underbelly without backup, you may need to start making some different kinds of friends, and soon. There’s no way you’re gonna go straight; you probably wouldn’t know how even if you tried.

“Aaand…I think that’s my break-time up,” Meda says wearily, standing up. “Nice talking to you, though! I guess I’ll see you tomorrow!” She tightens the strings of her apron and heads back towards the bar to talk to Duggan, though the Fat Lantern isn’t as crowded as it was earlier.

Having gotten to stretch and socialize a bit, not to mention a decent meal and a few drinks, you begin to feel an ache in your body that tells you the time to rest has come. It isn’t quite night yet, but after all that time in a cell, laying down in a real bed sounds fucking amazing. Tomorrow’s fixing up to be a big day, and you still have so much to learn.