an unfortunate change in genre

Part 26

Blue hair, glasses, and a complexion that let Cale know that the man had been drinking for awhile now.

Cale had absolutely no interest in entertaining this stranger while he was so stressed out.

"I do mind." He said coldly, frowning as the man made no attempt to leave.

He laughed heartily instead, offering to buy Cale's next drink. "I noticed you drinking for a while now–I can tell you're like me! A real alcoholic!"

Ah, this man was an idiot.

Lovely.

Cale wondered briefly if it really would be all that bad if he broke some bottles and pretended to be trash just long enough for everyone to leave him alone.

It might have put him in an even worse mood that the man joining him unexpectedly had reminded him of other memories.

"What's your name, friend?"

"Bob." Cale said scathingly. "And I'm not your friend."

The man laughed again and his jovial attitude started to grate on Cale's already worn down nerves.

"Ever heard the adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"Ever heard the adage, mind your own fucking business?" Cale was no longer annoyed for petty reasons. Whoever his drinking partner was, the man seemed to think he knew Cale.

The man laughed again, holding out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Bob. I'm Bud Illis."

He said the name like it was supposed to mean something to Cale. It didn't. He didn't take his hand, only glared at it until it retreated. "It's not nice to meet you. What business do you have with me?"

"Wow, you really are in a bad mood." Bud appeared undaunted by Cale's persistently bad attitude, if anything he looked more amused than anything else. "I've heard that you have incredible manners but I guess a night like this could make anyone uppity."

Cale took a thoughtful sip of his drink as he tried to discern whether this rude bastard was friend or foe. He wore expensive and gaudy jewelry but he managed to pull it off well. He was well built and held himself like a person who'd fought real battles. He was acting drunk and talkative but his eyes were clear.

A person would have to wake up real early in the morning to get better at faking drunk than Cale Henituse.

"I'm not going to repeat myself."

"No need to be impatient." Bud shrugged off his agitation. "Besides, it's not a topic we should talk about so publicly."

"You're the one who broached it publicly."

"You're not an easy man to get a hold of." Bud said with a helpless grin. "Especially not alone and out in the open like this."

"And you really expect me to go to a private space with you after saying something so ominously suspicious?" Cale was starting to get the idea that this guy was just an idiot, pure and simple.

"Like I said." Bud refilled Cale's glass without asking, Cale scowled at the gesture. "We have a shared enemy."

There was only one person who truly fit Cale's personaly definition of 'enemy' but he had no idea if this stupid drunk bastard was actually referring to him or if he'd had some ridiculous misunderstanding.

He was beginning to wonder if Bud had just mistaken him for someone else.

"And how exactly would talking to you benefit me?"