| Subject: To the bathhouse |
Author:
Cas
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Date Posted: 14:58:19 07/29/02 Mon
Cas felt renewed anger grip him when the strangers seated themselves at his recently repaired table. His blood pounded hotly inside him as the man proceeded to pour himself and his companion some wine, using the bottle and glasses Cas had meant to share with Eremis. Get your filthy, blood-stained hands off them glasses! he almost screamed, his fingers clenching even more tightly around his sword hilt.
He couldn’t believe how furious he was at the moment, even despite his fear. But he knew how proud he was by nature, too, and these two murdering bastards were stomping all over that pride right now, breaking into his home, killing Lonta, and now sampling the wine HE had bought as if doing so was their own special privilege. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, either, except watch them like a hawk and threaten to slash their throats open if they should even hint at harming him or his friend.
Eventually, his hesitation, coupled with the growing fear nipping at his insides, made him consent to take a seat on the floor beside Eremis. He laid his naked blade across his knees, his green eyes still flashing furiously. The healer’s hand slipping quietly into his own had banked the fires of his anger momentarily, though he was certain to seat himself between his friend and the two people across the room. He kept his hand in Eremis’s even while sitting, if only because the contact forced him to remain momentarily calm. He no longer considered escape, yet he still wanted to jump to his feet and challenge the intruders—but Eremis’s warm presence beside him, along with the image of the dead Lonta in his mind, reminded him that such foolhardiness, however brave, could have very, very bad repercussions.
He HAD heard the first time that Eremis claimed this Erlic to be his friend Marz’s teacher. He just hadn’t cared. When Erlic confirmed this and introduced his companion, Cas only continued to glare at him. The excuse the other man brought forth in explanation for Lonta’s murder only served to feed the fires of his hatred and distrust.
Cas had no respect for cold-blooded killers. Should Lonta’s plan have been allowed to go through, he would have fought for his own life to save himself. If some of the wannabe thieves ended up dying in the process, so be it—he had come out on top more than once in a back alley brawl, only to realize he’d done his opponent in completely. He was no stranger to killing, but self-defense and outright murder were two different things. Besides, he’d known too many friends who’d gone out for their last walk in the streets only to turn up dead the next day, a knife sticking out of their back or gut. Those who stalked their prey and killed in the dark were no friends of his, particularly since he and HIS friends were the usual targets.
He was more than a little shocked to learn about Redric. Not that he cared one way or the other what the bastard did in his spare time, but it was pretty unnerving to wonder how these two had learned about Eremis’s job offer. He didn’t buy the idea that these people gave a shit about the street children being drugged and molested, not one bit. How could anyone who murdered a girl in cold blood attempt to claim that the thought of a poor little boy or girl being raped and forcefully addicted to drugs truly stirred their hearts? Cas would readily agree, the situation sucked big time, but it was no worse than what the children living in the brothels had to live with—and there was little enough he could do about that, too. He’d learned a long time ago that the only person worth trying to save was himself. And then, of course, he’d met Eremis.
He froze his ambling thoughts long enough to listen to what the man wanted the healer to do. His eyes narrowed, and his grip on Eremis’s hand tightened, when he realized they wanted his friend to work undercover for them. If Redric or anyone else in his household caught Eremis trying to poison them (even if it was just sleeping powder), he’d be a goner. Someone who raped children for pleasure probably wouldn’t think twice about killing a whore who’d tried to betray him—even if his nephew WAS pretty damn smitten with him. When Eremis spoke up to raise his frightened concerns, the woman Althena responded with a fairly crude and callous comment of her own. He felt the healer cringe beside him when she smiled and fingered the dagger at her side, and it was all he could do not to jump up and slam his fist into her pretty white teeth.
Once Eremis officially agreed to the plan, the two intruders left, leaving them in relative peace. Cas remained on the floor, watching him pace about the room with his cigarette while muttering about the window needing to be fixed. He remained quiet while his friend went on to defend his reasons for saying yes to Marz’s teacher and the woman, the thought of Lonta’s limp dead body still fresh in both their minds. He only got up when Eremis turned his pleading eyes on him and asked about finding a bathhouse before the night was over.
Wordlessly, he nodded and sheathed his sword. There were lots of pricey bathing halls throughout the city, but a few could be entered for a small handful of gold or so. For once, he didn’t bitch about the unnecessary spending; Eremis clearly needed to be indulged at the moment, no matter what he asked for. At this point, Cas was willing to buy him the whole damn city if it would just stop him from looking so depressed.
“I think I know a place,” was all he said as they began walking down the stairs together. The night was silent as they passed the place where the bodies lay strewn about on the road. He thought he recognized Lonta’s slighter form, but couldn’t be sure. Hastily, they moved on together.
A half hour’s quiet walk took them to a middle-class bathhouse, its claim to fame being that it was open all night and offered free massages to regular customers. Cas was definitely not a regular customer; in fact, this was really the first time he’d ever been in a place like this. He paid the lady at the front desk while Eremis piped up to request a private room so that they wouldn’t be bothered. Naturally, that meant he had to shell out a few extra coins, but the healer was adamant—and again, Cas was simply willing to please him, at least for tonight.
When they were shown into the small enclosed chamber with the sunken pool in the center, Cas almost sighed aloud. The heat rising up from the water caused sweat to prickle against his skin, relaxing him a little automatically. He saw some of the tension leave Eremis’s face, too, as the woman closed the door behind them, after informing them that they had one hour, and one hour only, or else she was coming to fetch them out of the water herself. This was no mean threat, as she weighed something close to two hundred pounds and had fists like chops of ham. If Eremis wanted another hour, he’d make damn sure she got paid well before their time was up.
As he shed his clothing and stepped into the warm water, he finally did sigh. “I can’t believe I never done this before,” he muttered, easing his back against the side of the pool and closing his eyes. He heard Eremis toss his things aside and enter the pool as well, the water splashing slightly as his friend came to sit beside him on the little bench the ran the circumference of the round pool.
There was silence between them awhile, then Cas spoke up again, his sudden relaxation making his tongue lax again. “I didn’t know you was sposed to spend the night at Redric’s,” he muttered, just loud enough for Eremis to hear. The healer was probably as confused by the slightly jealous tone in his voice as he was. Cas sighed again and opened his eyes, studying his fingers under the water.
He was starting to get mad at himself. It was stupid for him to be bothered by how Eremis pleased his customers, especially when they were paying him so excessively. He found himself thinking of Althena’s snide comment, and he almost smiled.
“I wouldn’t fuck you on a kitchen counter, you know,” he blurted out, his eyes moving to rest on his friend’s face. “I’d find a bed and do it nice and proper like.” A grin came to his face then, and he lost some of that strange nervous feeling that had come to creep up on him for some reason or other.
But just as quickly, the grin faded, and he felt himself growing serious again. “I wish you wouldn’t go to Redric’s tomorrow,” he continued, his voice unusually quiet. “Something really bad could happen, even if you are careful.” He reached out to touch the healer’s cheek, his fingers gently caressing his face before he realized it. “I don’t want you gettin’ hurt. I can’t STAND the thought a you gettin’ hurt. Promise me you’ll be real careful, okay?”
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