Young Gods || [Not Updating]

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[chapter twenty nine]

Veronica is, by no means, a stranger to being in a bar. Not even just bars. Ye olde English pubs, fancy restaurants, wine retreats and gin tastings. It would be easier to say that she is, in fact, no stranger to alcohol itself.

But, as she sits in the White Wyrm, she can't think of anything worse than drinking. She takes carful sips of the soda in front of her. It tastes normal enough. Cheap and sugary, but what else had she expected?

"Well, look who we've got here," Grace says in her sing song voice. There's an apron hanging around her hips but Veronica has yet to see the blonde do any work. "You're looking better."

"Thanks." Veronica shrugs, her voice flat.

"I just mean-" Grace raises a hand and pulls an over-exaggerated face. "-well, come on, last week wasn't the best look." She leans against the table Veronica is sitting at. "You know, they much such a big deal about the Southside being full of drugs." She winces. "It's like they don't realise the problem is actually over there."

Panic rises in Veronica's chest. Her lungs fill with it. A swirling scarlet anxiety that strangles her till she finally manages to choke out a breath. She forces herself to meet Grace's eyes, to take in the pity and the judgement and the amusement. This is how people see her now. How could they not?

She forces herself to keep calm and the speak.

"I wouldn't know." Veronica says. "Seeing as I was drugged."

Grace raises an eyebrow, unfazed. "Oh yeah, of course. Seriously, just ignore me, I'm just rambling." She takes a long look at the glass in front of Veronica. "You drinking something nice? That's something you do know about, right?"

The panic starts to fade into something more, a burning anger that frees her lungs and puts her entire body on edge. This isn't fair, Veronica's heart cries, she doesn't deserve this. The anger is almost enough to ignore the hiss of her mind that she doesn't deserve anything else.

Breathing out through her nose, Veronica stops herself from grinding her teeth. "It's just soda." She says. "Not that I'm sure why I need to explain my drink choices to you." She forces a smile. "Just a word of advice, it's not very business savvy to be cross examining paying customers."

Grace smiles back. "We're all friends here, Veronica. I was only asking in case you needed a recommendation. We do an amazing mojito." She smirks. "Though, Juggie swears down that everything that I make tastes delicious." She looks over her shoulder at the clock that hung lopsided above the bar. "You're not here for him, are you? Just that he's out of town."