Alligator Eyes

Chapter 1

Mark has avoided bars his whole life, like he's avoided this cursed city altogether, but traveling from his village to the nearby town, Kuet, gave him few options. He needs help and everyone he's asked—everyone who would talk to him that is—said he was likely to find it here in Bondri.

Bondri is the grossest place Mark has ever been, the whole town smells like something crawled underneath it and died. He hasn't seen a single person who looks like they bathe and already, at least three times, he's seen someone getting robbed. He's passed multiple people asleep along the sides of the streets—at least he thinks they're sleeping. The more he sees, the more he thinks that he shouldn't have worn his traditional clothing here, although it can be dicey in Kuet, it seems downright suicidal here as everyone he passes eyes him as though he had a target on his back.

In Kuet there is a guard on nearly every corner, but Mark has only seen one since coming to Bondri and he looked mean. He almost stopped Mark, but as he was approaching him, a man was stabbed and he had to deal with that. Mark doesn't want to know what he was going to stop him about. He knows hes not breaking any travel laws, having met with the king a few times, he knows there is supposed to be a truce, he wonders how far down that goes though. 

Now standing outside the bar in the towns near the west border he's feeling a lot of regret about coming here. According to Thorne, the only merchant in Kuet who would give him the time of day, this was the best place to find travelers who don't mind trespassing. His description sounded highly suspicious at the time, and even more so now that he's standing outside, seeing the types that are coming in and out. 

He looks down again at the wanted Thorne had given him. At the name: Jinyoung Park and at the carefully drawn smile, like the artist hated every moment of looking at it, but it made him distinctive. It doesn't say what he's wanted for, but Mark figures it has to be something pretty big for the amount. But Thorne has said that he was the best person, and that this was the beat place to find him

Taking a deep breath he strolls into the bar, ready for anything. He dodges a few drunks, and the prostitutes they are with, on his sort walk to the bar, but most people just sit still, watching him pass. The bartender is a tall burly man wearing the signature stripes of a barber, he is smiling softly, nodding his head gently to the piano in the corner, even when he sees Mark his smile doesn't waver. That is until Mark holds up the wanted poster.

"Have you seen this man?" Mark asks, aware of how quiet the bar has become, how many eyes are on him.

"Get out" Is all the bartender says, picking up another shot glass and wiping it clean.

"I am not with the guard, I just—"

"And I'm not a snitch," He leans over the bar far enough that Mark steps back, feeling threatened. "I said get out"

"Bit out of the woods, aren't we?" A man whispers too close to Mark's ear and he spins around, hand on his knife, but the man leans back in a lazy way, seemingly more surprised by the wanted poster in Mark's hand than by Mark being here at all. Mark looks between the poster and the man a few times, unsure, until finally the man smiles with the exact same curve of his lip as is carefully sketched on the poster.

"I need your help" There were several ways Mark wanted to start this conversation, but that wasn't one of them. He just hoped this man was nicer than the bartender.

"And I need you to move" Jinyoung pushes him aside easily, surprising Mark by touching him at all. Even in this disgusting place, people act like he is riddled with germs. "Usual, please, Newt"

Whoever it is that came in with Jinyoung stops in front of Mark, looking down at him with hard eyes. He looks over Mark's whole body, probably studying his clothing, but before Mark can ask him about it, he is joining Jinyoung at the bar and the bartender is handing him a drink he never ordered. Mark takes a step towards them, still holding out the wanted poster.