Ultimate Trickster Lord Reincarnation

Murderous Potential

The door to the bar slammed open with a bang. People bustled out, stumbling over the shoddy dirt pavement. I swiftly rebandaged my left eye. With the hood pulled low over my head I dipped under the arms of two roughhousing men and into the building.

Inside, lanterns hung off the walls and dotted the wooden tables. A short ceiling sectioned with rafters held small candlelit chandeliers, almost too low to be safe to walk around under. To the immediate left was a bar area attended by the man I had seen in the apron earlier, yelling at the upchuck champion. He dumped out mugs of unfinished drinks into a waste bucket, 'washed' them out in another bucket of water, and then set them on a hook to dry. To the right of me was a good-sized dining area, enough for the six or seven tables it held. I was relieved to see a woman or two sitting and drinking. Most attendees seemed to be in groups, and any loners sat at the shoddy bar stools.

I made my way over to a barstool, eyeing over the barkeep. He looked in his late 40s, with a thick, black mustache betrayed by a shiny bald head. His handiwork with filling drinks and cleaning was gentle, but the look on his face screamed 'I would kill a man before I'd put up with him.' I felt a sense of solidarity, as I could relate. He was shouting orders to a girl named Diane to carry drinks and meals to people. Between each sprint to the tables, she returned to the barside and gave him any orders that had been put in. She was a cute girl with brilliant red hair and a comely figure that I suspected caused her more harm than good. Her large green eyes had an intensity when they focused that reminded me of my own when I had been her age. She had calloused hands and toned arms below her rolled-up sleeves. Running back and forth left her cheeks spotted with a patchy blush.

Diane made her way over to me.

"Greetings sir," She began in a pleasing but firm tone, "Welcome to the Swine's Haul Tavern. How can I serve you?" Placing an empty serving tray behind her, she rocked back and forth on her heels with childish energy as she waited on me.

I coughed in response. Was I that easy to mistake for a man? That had never been the case before. I felt myself missing my old chest once again. I can't believe I used to take my girls for granted...

"How much for a meal and a room for the night?" I asked, lowering my voice like that of a young man. The ruse held up. She shot back an answer without pause or suspicion.

"60 copper, or I can take one silver and give change."

I rummaged through my bag. She didn't seem sly enough to overcharge travelers, and I would know having often played the 'cute and innocent' card in my previous life. Takes a conniving bitch to know one, and she wasn't it.

"How much copper for a silver?" I asked.

She looked at me strangely, in surprise that I didn't know basic conversions, but replied courteously nonetheless.

"One hundred copper to a silver." She chirped, tucking a loose strand of her fiery locks behind her ear. I paled. There were only 20 coppers in here along with six silvers, and I was going to use one up. I pulled out the requested amount and passed it over to her. I now had five silvers and ten copper.

"Seems I had more on me than I realized," I commented, shooting her a smile. The hood mostly hid my face, but she still should've been able to see my pleased expression.

"Thank you very much, I will get the key to your room in just a moment. The meal tonight is beef stew. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She questioned, putting on a cheerful face.

"Might I ask you a question or two?" I replied, rubbing the back of my head shyly, "I am new around this part of the city and you seem real sweet...I'd give you a little coin for your trouble, miss."