Continued Secrecy

[Devon]

"Ah too bad, maybe when I save something up I can come in and by something for one of my sisters or something," Fate said as he slipped the book into his pack. "Well I have to go, my older sister wanted me to grab something for her and I'd hate to hear her complain all day about it."

[Darastrix]

I doubt you could afford it, Stefan thought, though not unkindly. Fate didn't appear to be a member of the gentry, and glassware was expensive - especially the work his mother did - and guild lessons were as well. Maybe that was it, he realised. Maybe Fate was talking to the other man about a loan. That would explain why he didn't seem to want to go into detail, at any rate.

"Well, I'll see you around the hall later, I suppose," he told Fate with a little wave.

[Devon]

"Bye," Fate said to Stefan as he turned to leave. He wasn't going to shop for his sister, he was just going to go home and practice on the new song. He didn't like others poking around in his business, especially when he was doing something he probably shouldn't be doing.

[Darastrix]

A few days after, a note was delivered to the guildhall for Fate, requesting his presence around noontime at a low-end, disreputable tavern known as The Tripping Goose. There was no signature, but the writer also asked that Fate bring with him the book he'd been loaned.

[Devon]

Fate took the note and headed off to the meeting place around noontime as the letter instructed. He was a little nervous to be entering into The Tripping Goose since he was only 15 and the tavern didn't have the best reputation.

[Darastrix]

The Tripping Goose wasn't terribly crowded around midday, though there was a man or two already asleep in their cups. Then again, they might have just been leftovers from the night before. There was a couple talking in quiet tones in one corner, who paused and glanced over as Fate entered, then scooted closer to one another and went back to their chat. Elwyn was there as well, seated at the bar. When he noticed Fate, he waved the younger man over.

[Devon]

Fate looked a bit nervously around the bar before heading over to Elwyn and taking a seat beside the man. "Nice place for a meeting," he said sarcastically, just to ease his own nerves. "I've already learned the song, its a pretty good one."

[Darastrix]

"It doesn't really matter," Elwyn replied, pressing his lips together before knocking back the drink that sat in front of him. "I've had a...change of heart, so to speak. You needn't linger if you don't want to; you can just set the book on the bar and be on your way."

[Devon]

Fate blinked at Elwyn confused by this sudden change. He didn't want to risk Elwyn getting mad again if he asked a question or two, but he had to know. "What happened? I thought the first song went well."

[Darastrix]

Forces, why were bards so damned nosy?

"It's got nothing to do with how the first song went," he said. "A third party's gotten involved, and unless you want them to find out who I hired, you'd best be off."

[Devon]

Fate stood up from his stool, still confused by what was going on with Elwyn. What third party? Who had found out about this? Taking the book, Fate set it down on the table and took a few steps away from the man. Stopping by the door, he turned around and walked over to Elwyn again. "Hey, I know its none of my business, but don't let some third party bastard get between you and the woman you love. Besides as far as anyone knows, I could have been giving you a few lessons on singing." Fate turned around again and headed once more for the door, he didn't intend to leave just yet, he wanted to see who it was getting involved.

[Darastrix]

Elwyn didn't bother looking back to see whether Fate had left. He picked up the book and stared at it for a moment, then slipped it into a pouch before ordering another drink. What few people were there seemed as uninterested in him as he was in them, save the bartender, for obvious reasons.

[Devon]

Fate paced around a bit, watching Elwyn every now and then to make sure he hadn't left or to see if anyone was bothering with the man. He didn't want to wait around looking foolish, but he had to see if the third party was someone he knew and why they had decided to interfere now.

[Darastrix]

The bartender, a short, slim man with dark skin and a mess of long braids pulled back into a single tail eyed Fate for a moment and spoke to Elwyn. Elwyn glanced over his shoulder and, seeing Fate, rolled his eyes. He turned back to the other man and shook his head.

"Hey, kid," the bartender called. "If yer not gonna buy somethin', get out." He shifted behind the counter and held up one hand to show the electricity playing between his fingers. "This ain't a place ta loiter."