They were out of the café now. Stare had insisted on paying, despite the racist, rude waitress. In her words, it was 'quite unfair if they did not.’ So she had paid with her own money, and not left a tip but rather marched out alongside Eteri.
Now they walked down the street, and the kenku found joy in the sun warming her feathers. It would take little time before her deep black colour soaked up much of the heat and made her feel like a roll of bread in the oven. Sometimes having feathers did not help at all, especially black ones, but today was not a warm day. Rather, it was mild and a chill wind was now sneaking through the streets, but a bright sun was overhead. Stare could use it to her advantage, soaking in the light to patter along dressed only in a tunic as others around her hugged capes and shawls to themselves.
She gestured to the side of the road where the brewer wholesalers she had seen earlier was. With a brief glance to see if the cat girl was still with her she headed over to it, finally after passing it so many times, and looked briefly up and down at the front. Then she walked straight in, shoulders back.
A long, large room, made of dark wood. Mostly dominated by a huge counter that bisected the space by half. Behind it lining the wall were various small barrels stacked on top of one another, with taps set within them. In front of these was a single large man with a large frown and deep set eyes. He was just cleaning a glass with a dirty cloth when Stare marched up to the desk.
“You,” she said. “Greetings. My name is Stare. I represent Ellsmith Business Estates. I will be looking to make business connections but for now …” She looked at him. “Do you know a place called Barchie’s?”
She looked back to Eteri, smiling at her. <“That's the name right?”>
Eteri had her finger out, ready to touch one of the wares on the shelf, she saw Stare and quickly straightened, bringing her hand back to herself.
She turned back to the man and nodded. “Barchies. So?”
But the man seemed to just stare at her. His brow remained low and he made no movement to answer. Stare sighed as she supposed that he was just another racist in this city that was celebrated for its diversity. She pressed her torso against the wood and stared deep, catching him in her stunning eyes.
“Merchant! I am asking you if you know of a place called Barchie’s?”
He was lost. His jaw hung open and he stared back at her surprisingly stupidly. He did nothing but gaze at her … and kept going even as she stopped focusing. Frowning, Stare pulled away and raised a hand to wave it in his face. Usually this did not happen. People did not just freeze as he had just done. Instead they were only lost in fear and shock.
He did nothing and she huffed. “Hello?” she asked. Again, no answer. Only frozen, with a lost look in his eyes.
Folding her arms she decided to switch into aura sight out of habit mostly. She expected to see the normal green aura of a neutral bystander, as most ordinary people were, and this she did see.
What she was surprised by, however, was the dark black squirming thing stuck onto the side of the man’s aura, and thus his soul, that was ugly and like a worm. Rather literally.
In fact … it was like a leech.
