Crossfire

Oaf

              The smell of rum intoxicated the small tavern. The dim lights, the fire crackling in the hearth, and the murmurs of the drunks sitting and laughing together made it seem cozy on this chilly night. Shadows danced across the wooden walls as patrons huddled closer, tankards clinking, and stories of sea monsters and buried treasure spilled across the tables. The tavern keeper, wiping down mugs with a tattered rag, watching everyone carefully. 

"You gon' get anything, son?" a deep voice booms, grabbing your attention.

You simply shake your head in response, not bothered to answer the bartender who only made you more impatient and angry. It had been an extremely long day. Overworked and tired, but that was nothing new. Hell, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to order something to get you through tonight.

"Hey, dude," you whistle, grabbing the bartender's attention.

"Get me something, will you? Hit me with something strong." (ahaha get the reference) You rudely ask, but he does it anyways. How pathetic, these guys make a living by being treated like scum. What fun is it to be willingly serving others? What a bunch of masochists freaks. He handed you a glass of who knows what, and you lightly shook the cup, making the ice cubes dance before the coldness touched your mouth.

"Oh- that's not..." You grimace, setting down the cup on the table, a look of annoyance present on your face. That shizz straight up tasted like piss. "Water," You called out to the man, your voice hoarse, and all he did was laugh as he brought you a glass.

While downing that glass of water and asking for more, the doorbell rang, going completely unnoticed by you. A tall, fit-looking guy slowly walked inside, scanning the bar. No one seemed to notice him despite his height and the amount of space he took up in the room. (Fat ass.) Once that disgusting taste left your mouth, you felt a presence come up and sit next to you. You continued to look forward, analyzing this aura while taking a sip of water.

"Can I ge a glah of the strongeh shi you gat?"

You internally wince at his order, just thinking about that taste made your mouth water, and not in a good way. Though, thinking about it, this guy felt somewhat familiar. He had a deep, raspy voice, almost like he needed a glass of water urgently. You glanced over to the other empty seats at the bar. They were all free, but this oaf decided to choose this spot. How annoying.

From your peripheral view you scanned his face, but honestly, your head hurt trying to get a look at him. The bartender gave him the glass, and he sipped it. You waited for a reaction—any reaction—but he just downed it in one go and let out a hiss.

You turned your head. Was this guy jinjja? He really liked that nasty ahh drink?

You eyed him, judging him for his weird ahh taste in drinks. But finally, you were able to get a good look, trying to soak in the image. He stood out from the crowd, that's for sure. His pointy long nose, his plump lips, and those sharp features of his were, unfortunately, pretty.

( The author can't say the same.)  

The most striking feature about him though, was that overgrown oreo dyed hair. Was he gay or what? You scoff, realizing this was the guy you were assigned to observe. This was as if you were trying to find the Jojo stand in the crowd! He stuck out like a sore thumb. What a dumbass, calling attention to himself when he was a literal fugitive.

You couldn't fuck this up, or you definitely weren't getting a raise anytime soon. You needed moola. You needed to WORK. Not that you were bad at this, you just had a reputation to uphold. You drank the last remaining bit of water and got up to leave.

Stepping into the night, you searched for your horse. Your cute ahh horse, Naz. Naz was named after your friend... your amazing BFF who would write fan fiction about ugly, submissive men for your enjoyment as a surprise. Wow, you should catch up with her, you thought to yourself. You hopped on your horse, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows. If you couldn't already tell, your plan was to follow him, goofy.