Veil of the Divine [SLEEP TOKEN] | NaNoWriMo '23

Six

"So, how'd ya enjoy it?" Ben asks as he places a pint of Carlsberg in front of you. "The concert I mean," he adds as he takes the seat across from you.

"Yeah," you respond, clearing your throat. After all of the emotions you felt that night, you found it hard to speak. You brought the pint to your lips, taking a long sip. The familiar fizz of the liquid bubbled down your throat as a warmness began to envelop your body. "It was... an emotional roller coaster, but I enjoyed it."

"See, I told you it would be worth it," he smiles, taking a sip of his own pint. "Plus you had a really good interaction with Three,"

"Three?" you question, your head tilting slightly as your gaze meets Ben's.

"Yeah, the bassist is called Three, and the guitarist and drummer are called Four and Two respectively. The lead singer is called Vessel." He explains, adjusting his weight in his seat as he leans back.

"So they go by numbers?" you clarify. Ben nods in response, taking another sip of his beer before setting it on the table with a soft thud. "Interesting," you mumble, your gaze moving to a commotion that had started in the corner.

Your brows furrow as you see a familiar face, and a bottle of Stella Artois whizzing across the room before crashing to the ground and shattering. "How dare you," the all too familiar voice growls. An unfamiliar figure stood cowered in the corner, long blonde hair, a red and black flannel, and black leggings was all you could see of her.

You let out a resigned sigh, standing up. You felt Ben's hand grip your arm tightly, "don't," he mutters out. You pull your arm away from him, before walking over to Tyler and the woman he was clearly scaring.

You weren't sure what overcame you, and the next thing you knew Tyler was gripping the back of his head. As he turned to look at you, your fist connected with his face, causing a loud crack to echo over the low music of the bar. You couldn't tell if it was his face or your hand – but both were in pain.

"You whore," he hissed, blood leaking from his nose and mouth. His hands shook as he attempted to cup his face, blood beginning to leak through his hands.

The unfamiliar blonde-haired woman flashed you a knowing smile before dipping away. You managed to whisper, "Leave him," before she fully disappeared. Your attention turned back to Tyler though, with a strange and unfamiliar air of confidence surrounding you. "If I find out you so much as lay a hand on another woman, you won't be leaving with just a headache and a broken nose," you spat. Your ball of spit landed square on his forehead as if to add insult to injury.

"So, help me God," he groans, standing up and towering over you. He was doing his best to intimidate you, but that was hard when he had blood covering his face and shirt from an injury you just gave him.

Ben steps up beside you, his hand moving discreetly to the small of your back as if to comfort you or give you an extra boost of confidence. Regardless of its intent, it did both. With one final glare, you turn on your heels and walk out of the pub, deciding to be the bigger person at that moment. Also – you had to leave before the cops showed up.

Ben was a few seconds behind you though, rubbing his knuckles as he jogged to catch up to you. "I've wanted to hit that bastard for-fucking-ever." He groans, flashing you a smile.

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head at the undeniable coincidence that was the entire situation.