La Pluie

La Pluie - Part 1

Rain. Rain every single day. Light rain, heavy rain, sideways rain, painful rain, can't see anything rain. That's how it has always been and that's how it'll be forever. Only in the light rain the people of town could be seen outside living life as it should be lived. It was nearly impossible to grow and maintain a garden with this weather but people still insisted on trying. If it wasn't for the stones on the walkways outside, this town would be swallowed by mud never to be seen again – but who would care?

The powerful rain kept people safely indoors with nothing to do besides sleep, eat, and have sex. It must have been magic that the town wasn't overran with children at this point. There was no excitement or life in this town but no one ever left to find something more.

You sat quietly on a wooden stool pulled by the open window with your head resting in the palm of your hand. There was nothing left to do as you had already cleaned the tables, countertop, and the floors several times just trying to make the day go by faster. Even the tavern owner looked like he may have been asleep at a back table while in the middle of counting coins.

"See anything out there?" Yolanda asked from behind the counter as she rearranged the mugs once again.

Yolanda was an older woman who worked at the tavern everyday just as you did though she always seemed to be more respected than the actual owner himself. When people did manage to brave the rain, the towns people flooded in telling the woman all the gossip they knew and shared stories. She was like a trusted mother figure to everyone and had been since she wondered into town one day and never left.

"Rain...mud...more rain." You told her as you examined what you could see outside. Not even an animal dared leave its shelter. "Just nothing."

Yolanda shook her head and quietly continued her work knowing that interaction would be the most excitement either of them had that day. The only decent thing about that boring day was the nice breeze from the rainy wind that filled the tavern creating a slight chill but kept things fresh.

"If you're really looking for something to do, maybe you could go in the back and make sure none of the bread has gone bad." Yolanda spoke up again breaking the silence.

Even a job as boring as checking bread seemed the most exciting thing in the world right now. The tavern kept fresh baked bread on deck just in case someone would come in or they would be blessed with a busy rush. Unfortunately, on the days where the rain was so bad, most of the bread would end up going bad from sitting around and moisture in the air. In cases like these, while the owner always told you to throw them out you decided to hid them away and feed them to the animals instead just to get good use out of animal. It should be a crime to throw away food that wasn't completely ruined.

You stood from your seat on the bar stool and made your way toward a backroom directly behind the counter where Yolanda remained. Opening the creaky wooden door, you walked into the small room and could instantly smell the baked bread that had just been sitting waiting to be eaten. Uneven loaves sat side by side on the shelves on the wall and stacked lazily in the baskets sitting on the ground. Your fingertips grazed the crusts looking for any hard spots or anything discolored. There were so many pieces to go through and surely if you went slow enough, it would be time to go home in no time at all.

"Oh, you startled me." You heard Yolanda say from the other side of the wooden door.

Your ears perked up and remained perfectly still as you listened more. Messing with the loaves of bread, you hadn't heard anyone walk into the tavern or make any stand out noise at all. With the rain as hard as it was with thunder rolling in the distance, you couldn't help but start to feel a little nervous. The tavern never saw business on days like this no matter what.

"What can I do for you, boys?" she asked as you remained still listening to hear the new voices.

She didn't seem frightened or tense from what you could tell but she could have just been putting on an act.

"Ale." The deepest voice you had ever heard answered. "Water for the boy."

"Now, Geralt, I'm a full-grown man and I will be treated as such." Another voice called out that had been much easier on the ears. "With that being said, yes I would like your finest water thank you."

Slowly, you turned your body to the wooden door that had been separating yourself from Yolanda and the new customers. The second voice that had spoken up managed to ease some of the nervousness you were feeling about the sudden business. While it was incredibly unusual for anyone other than the normal workers of the tavern to be there during horrible weather, it was possible there really wasn't anything to worry about.

Though, you had to admit the voices were completely new and unfamiliar to your ears. The town wasn't exactly large and this tavern was the only tavern for a long way in any direction. This town had nothing to offer outsiders and most of the time people just passed through without giving anything a second look. The last time an outsider came to actually interact with the time, it was Yolanda years and years ago.

Pressing your ear to the wood, you remained perfectly still continuing to listen to the men who seemed to now be sitting in front of the counter for Yolanda to directly serve them. Even if the second voice seemed friendly enough one could never be too sure. It was always possible for them to be thieves just scouting out the place or murderers taking notice that only three people occupied this tavern – two being women.

"Not much of a lively place is it?" the second voice spoke again as he seemed to have noticed the tavern being completely empty.

"Most days we get no business." Yolanda responded putting the mugs on the counter in front of the men. "This rainy weather traps everyone inside. Let me go in the back and get you both some fresh bread."

Suddenly, you heard her footsteps coming closer to the room you were in. Backing away from the door you watched as Yolanda entered the room in search of bread that had just been baked. Waiting until the wood door closed behind her, you couldn't wait to attack her with questions about the two unfamiliar men that had entered the tavern.

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To be continued
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