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A cacophony of smells, ugly faces, and sounds surrounded Wriothesley, his taste buds the only sense enjoying itself. His drink sat half empty, and if he weren’t already four deep, he’d chug it and get another.
Instead, he sipped the rich liquid, letting it wash over his tongue and stain his breath with a scent no better than the wooden floorboards his chair sat on. There were no plans waiting for him to finish. No person to impress with his silver tongue. So, he didn’t mind letting the spirits turn his thoughts into fuzzy, passing ideas.
He lifted the glass, staring off at the empty seat across from him. It only made it to his lips before the doors swung open, letting in the blue moonlight. Most turned, squinting to adjust their eyes enough to see who had joined the party so late in the night. The ones who didn’t bother investigating were too busy slumped over, empty glasses still stuck in their hands.
Elegant, neatly brushed, white and blue hair lit up the man’s face like a halo. His angelic face and his bright eyes had a few of the men looking down at their drinks, fear of having died filling their features.
“I am in need of information,” the man said loudly, though his soft voice held no malice or command. Even the cane that he rested his hands on didn’t make him any more imposing, seeing as he had been dressed in finely-pressed, expensive clothing.
A man from the city. An effeminate one, at that.
“Is there someone here who might know of a man that goes by Cash?” The man spoke again when there was no immediate response.
Before anyone else could speak, Wriothesley dumped the last of his whiskey into his mouth, thumped his glass on the table, and then stood. “I know a thing or two,” he said, waving the man over to his table. “But I gotta know; Who’s askin’?”
The stranger turned his head and looked Wriothesley up and down with his soft glare. He met Wriothesley’s eyes before he took long strides over, his long, leather boots creating a hypnotic rhythm that turned fuzzy thoughts to heated ones.
Everyone resumed their obnoxious chatter and drinking once he stopped, though the noise had become easier to ignore for Wriothesley.
“I am Neuvillette. I have a… Personal matter I’m dealing with. I’m not working for anyone, anyway, if that’s what you are asking.” He didn’t sit, likely worried about ruining his fancy coat. It had to be made of dyed wool and leather. Neither of which were cheap.
Wriothesley slumped back into his seat, leaning back and strumming his fingers on the table. “You’re awfully nervous. I take it this isn’t the type of place you usually waltz into.”
“Sharp eye, sir,” he said flatly. “I’m not nervous about being in a seedy place. I’m more nervous about the timeline I’m working with. I would not subject myself to the cold of the desert night if I didn’t absolutely have to.”
“No good at negotiatin’ either,” he snorted. “You realize comin’ to a place like this, lookin’ like that, and stinkin’ of desperation is an easy way to get robbed blind or worse, right?”
The man shrugged. “I can take care of myself. Now, I believe it’s your turn to give me a name and some information. I will, of course, pay you for your troubles.” Neuvillette glanced at the empty glass then waved at the bartender for two more. “And I will cover the tab tonight. As much as you’d like.” He pulled out the chair and grimaced at the seat before adjusting his coat and sitting down.
“Uh huh. Rich man comin’ in here askin’ people to snitch on Cash. Ballsy.” Wriothesley sat up and propped his head on his hand with a toothy smile. “Name’s Wriothesley. Some call me Wrio, some Lee, but never call me Thes, ‘cause I just don’t care for it.”
Neuvillette nodded slowly. “Wriothesley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The bartender came over with their drinks, setting them down in a way that seemed more like he wanted to drop them. The liquid sloshed around, but didn’t manage to spill. “Ah, thank you, sir.” He didn’t get a reply as the man walked away, which seemed to bother him, though he didn’t say anything on it.
“Don’t mind ol’ Hank. He’s been doin’ this too long to care for niceties.” Wriothesley grabbed his drink and downed half of it. “I suppose since you’re willin’ to pay, I’ll tell you what I know ‘bout Cash. Which, I’ll be honest, ain’t much. He’s a bottom feeder type. Keeps his nose clean and head down so he can find leads on deals and handy people for his boss. I imagine you heard his name from someone who don’t know much about places outside the city.”
“That much is true,” the man sighed. He grabbed his drink and took a small sip. His distaste for it couldn’t be hidden if he tried, and he slid the glass over to Wriothesley. “His name is my only clue as of now, though. So I need to speak to him.”
Wriothesley tapped his finger on the side of his whiskey. “Y’know, anyone lookin’ to crawl up that grape vine is usually in some kind of trouble. Usually big trouble.” Another swig of his drink settled the disastrous thought of offering this pretty man more help. No sense in getting caught up in bullshit he had kept clear of for so long. “What kinda trouble are you in, Neuvillette?” he said with a smirk.
The man looked away from him, eyeing the men draped over the bar with more alcohol than blood running through them. “I won’t be sharing more than I have to. Just let me know how I can find Cash, or the man he works under. Or the man above that. I don’t care who it is, I just need someone who can give me another lead.”
Wriothesley scratched his scruffy chin with his free hand. He’d have to trim it soon. “Well, best I can tell ya is that he and some of the others he works with hang out at the brothel. And somethin’ tells me you makin’ another big entrance in a place like that will either scare them off or get you killed.”
“Big entrance?” Neuvillette scrunched his angular face, still as ethereal as before, even while annoyed. “I simply opened the doors. It’s not some special fanfare to walk into an establishment.”
“Right, of course it isn’t.” Wriothesley sighed and grabbed both drinks. The half-filled one got dumped into the other, then he chugged it all in one easy swig. “You’re a pretty, rich stranger with no idea how this kinda town works. You’re gonna get eaten alive without help.” He stood up and motioned to the glasses. “Go ahead and pay for the drinks, then we’ll go back to wherever you’re stayin’. We can leave in the mornin’ and get shit done once we’ve slept.”
Even with nothing but alcohol sloshing around in his stomach, Wriothesley stood upright and his fuzzy thoughts straightened themselves out to one, solid answer; This man was in way over his head and needed help. And, despite not wanting to get wrapped up in it all, Wriothesley had never turned his back on someone in need.
That usually meant people in need of a quick helping hand, however. Maybe he was about to get in over his head, too. At least it would be next to a man prettier than most of the women he’d ever seen.
“Excuse me? I don’t think-”
“Look, there’s no way you’re gettin’ far on your own. Whatever mess you’re in, it’s already too big for you to handle. No offense. I just think you’d benefit from someone who knows his way around helpin’ ya out.” Wriothesley smirked and leaned forward. “And don’t worry, I wasn’t tryin’ to proposition ya. Not unless you’re wantin’ to share a bed, anyway.”
A wink from Wriothesley turned the man’s face a deep red. “W-well-! I haven’t the time for such things, sir. Quite rude to assume I would be so- so easy, too.” His blush faded and he finally looked back at Wriothesley. “And speaking of time, I would like to get things going now, not tomorrow.”
Wriothesley shook his head and grabbed his well-worn hat from the back of the chair. “I’d head us over to the brothel now, but shockingly, it ain’t open to new guests at the dead of night. The girls got showtimes, and we’re about three drinks past the latest one. So, we’ll leave in the morning. I got no problem sleepin’ in a chair, by the way, so I ain’t askin’ you to buy me a room. I’ll be our wake up call, since I can’t sleep past sunrise anyhow. We can wake up, give each other a little more information ‘bout the other and talk money, then go figure out exactly what it is we need to look for.”
Neuvillette stood as well, just in time for the bartender to bring over a bill. He placed the money on the table as if it were pocket change, and Wriothesley supposed to a man like him, it would be.
“Fine. Fine. We can do this your way, since you seem to be so confident about being able to help. And… The bed should be large enough for the both of us. However, we will only be sleeping.” He walked away from the table and gave the place one more disgusted glance. “Let’s leave now. This place has assaulted my nose more than enough.”
“Yeah, it’s fuckin’ gross here. Good drinks, though,” Wriothesley chuckled. “Now c’mon, we got sleep to enjoy.” He put his hat on and clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder, ushering him out of the bar with a smile on his face.
Whatever kind of trouble he was about to dive into, he would at least get to learn more about this naive, beautiful man. And likely make a decent profit off his time, too.