Perspectives

Chapter 45

Being the son of nobility, Kalen had only ever frequented the most well kept and high class of establishments. After all, being seen anywhere unfitting for a Baron would reflect back poorly on his family, and he couldn't have that. 

And so despite the disguise he had donned, Kalen felt very out of place in the Hasken Pub, located in the middle of the Proletariat Class section of the Ordelle district. The pub was clearly not built to attract those of high repute, considering the dingy interior and distinct lack of sufficient hygiene.

Kalen sat at a small round wooden table, hand wrapped around a rusted metal tankard of beer. He stared down at the yellowy liquid uncertainly. Kalen had been drinking since he was fifteen, but he'd only ever had champagne, cocktails, and top of the line whiskey. Beer was never even served at the kinds of events he usually went to. Not wanting to stand out, Kalen took a swig from the tankard, forcing himself not to pull a face at the strange wheat-like flavor.  

As inconspicuously as possible, Kalen took a look around the room. All across the left wall of the pub was the long wooden bar where a burly bearded man as well as a slim middle-aged woman were serving drinks to the patrons sitting at the bar. The rest of the room was filled with tables similar to the one Kalen was sitting at. About half of them were occupied. The nearest table had a young Proletariat couple sitting at it together. Judging by the uniforms they were wearing, they were both factory workers. 

"Aila told me she saw police snooping around some of the warehouses earlier today." Kalen overheard the woman say. 

"As though the Pervicacious would be hiding in factory warehouses." The man scoffed before taking a drink from his tankard. "I'm sure they have some secret underground hideout somewhere." He added with a chuckle. 

Kalen slid out of his chair and made his way to the stool at the end of the bar. He sat there a few minutes before the female bartender came over to him. She wore a stained apron over the skirt of her brown patched up dress. Her gray streaked red hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head, complete with a pencil sticking through the middle of it. "I wasn't sure before, but now I now know I haven't seen you 'round her before." She stated.

"Oh, well I just moved into the area recently." Kalen lied.

The woman nodded in understanding. "Well what's your name stranger?" She questioned. 

"Dane Rayler." Kalen replied without missing a beat. He had prepared for that particular question. "And you?" He asked. 

"Kyra Hasken, owner and proprietor of Hasken Pub." The woman responded. "Now seeing as you haven't even finished your first drink yet, I'm assuming you didn't come up here just to say hi to little ole me."

Kalen's eyes widened slightly before he regained his composure from being so easily read by this bartender. "I was actually hoping I could ask you some questions." Kalen replied in a lowered voice. 

Kyra's eyebrows rose up. "You can ask, but I won't guarantee an answer." She said, folding her arms over her chest. 

Kalen leaned in closer to the woman. "Do you know anything about the Pervicacious?" He asked, his voice a whisper. He had no patience to beat around the bush, the longer this exchange lasted, the longer Piper was in trouble.

Showing no sign of being phased by the question, Kyra pulled a rag out of the pocket of her apron and began wiping down the counter nonchalantly. "I'll spare you the playing dumb routine and assume you're asking for more than just basic information here." She said casually. 

Appreciative of the woman's cut to the chase mentality, Kalen nodded in response. Kyra smirked, "What exactly made you think I know anything?" 

Kalen shrugged, "They were last spotted around here, and I figured the local bartender hears their fair share of gossip..." He neglected to mention the fact that he got the idea from the many movies he'd seen. 

Kyra chuckled, tucking the rag back into her pocket. "Well you wouldn't be entirely wrong, but I'm afraid I don't know much about the Pervicacious." She told him.

Disappointment and frustration began to weigh on Kalen immediately. His whole plan to track down the Pervicacious was such a long shot, not to mention a little bit insane. He couldn't help but wonder if the only real option was to follow along with Devon and Celia to try to deal with the situation diplomatically. 

Seeming to notice Kalen's disappointment, Kyra gave him a hard look before nodding to herself in resignation. "Alright, you can drop the sad puppy look." She sighed. "There is someone I know who could help you get in contact with them." That perked Kalen up immediately. "I'm telling you though, he's a cautious man, it's gonna take a lot of convincing to get him to help you." Kyra warned. 

Kalen nodded vigorously in understanding. "I'll do whatever it takes." He assured her. 

Kyra looked Kalen up and down as though she was trying to get a read on him but couldn't seem to figure it out.  Finally she just shook her head, seeming to give up on the task. "I'll give you his contact I.D." She told him as she pulled the pencil out of her hair and a scrap of paper from beneath the bar. After scrawling out some numbers on the paper she slid it across the bar to Kalen. "Now get out of here, I got other customers to serve." 

~

A vice-like grip surround Piper on all sides. She could practically feel the bruises beginning to form on her arms. Her situation was only made worse by the arrogant grin painted on Rothgard's face looming in front of her. "Perhaps a more hands-on approach will be more effective." He sneered. 

"I've already told you the truth." Piper grunted. "You're wasting your time." She struggled against the hand entrapping her despite knowing it was fruitless. 

Rothgard squeezed his hand tighter around Piper, forcing a sharp gasp out of her. "Humans have such large egos for how minuscule they are." Rothgard commented. "Once we're done with Earth perhaps that will change." He added. 

Piper's eyes widened and her blood ran cold. "What--what do you mean?" She demanded, her voice shaky. 

Seemingly pleased by Piper's surprise, Rothgard's grin widened. "Have you not heard?" He asked sleazily. "It's only a matter of time before your Earth dimension becomes property of the Sovereign Council." 

Believing things couldn't get worse had been ignorant. Piper's whole stomach felt like a dark endless pit was filling it. "No, no you can't do that!" She cried.

Rothgard gave a dark laugh. "Oh we can, and we will" He assured her. "And now what we have you, it may very well be only a matter of time before we determine how to send Amasisans to Earth at their full size." It was all beginning to make sense now. This whole thing had never been just about Piper, it was all a part of Rothgard's master plan to invade Earth. It wasn't just her own life at stake, it was the lives of every single human being and there was nothing she could do.