Chapter 5 - Everyone Needs A Friend

Two days after the fire bomb attack Taia walked back into the guild hall.

“Alcy my dear, you’ve done wonders with the place.”

She looked around and saw little evidence that anything at all had been burned. A few scorch marks remained on the door frame. But with a new door on the hinges, and what she assumed was a strategically placed floor mat, the place looked almost as good as new. It did still smell a little of burnt pickles with a metallic tang.

He smiled watching her look around. “I keep telling you Taia, if you call me by my first name I’ll start to think you like me or something.” He blew her a playful kiss as he winked.

“Oh I do Alcy, I do.” She laid her delicate fingers on his shoulder as she came closer. He was taller than her and had to look down at her face, but somehow she always seems to tower over him with her presence.

Witt was sure she commanded the attention of everyone in the room. The bartender, the waitress, even Rose and her team of adventurers who had been chatting over lunch nearby. And he was equally sure Taia knew very well how easily she became the centre of attention.

“But I supposed I’ll call you Witt for today. I am here on business after all.”

“Business?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Business indeed my dear mister Witt. A little birdie told me that you have a…friend…who deals in…information.” She leaned in to whisper at the end.

“Ah, you want to ask me about my friends. I’m hurt you’re not really here for me.” He put his hand over his heart to feign being wounded. “But you must realize you’ll have to narrow it down. I do have many friends. I’m a very likeable guy after all.”

She walked over and picked at the doorframe’s charred wood edges. “And yet you definitely had some…visitors…recently who did not seem to like you very much at all.”

“Touché.”

She walked back over and ran her finger up his throat to under his chin. It was both threatening and sensual, like everything she did. “I was hoping if you helped introduce me to someone…knowledgeable…it might be mutually beneficial.”

“You know me well. I do like benefits. And friends. My favourite are of course friends with benefits, but I imagine that’s a subject for another day entirely.”

She barked in laughter at his audacity. “You are incorrigible!” She smacked his chest playfully. The gesture was friendly but he could tell she was far stronger than her small frame let on.

“Unfortunately, if we are thinking of the same friend I have to tell you he is very, very shy. He does not like to meet new people. He’s been around town six months and I still haven’t seen his face. And I’m probably his best customer!”

“Now, now Witt, you know how…persuasive I can be.”

He gave her a once over with his eyes. “I am well aware how…persuasive…you can be. And I myself am a sucker for a pretty face.” He thought for a moment. “Fine. I’ll tell you about him. It benefits me and my guild in any event. I’d hate to have to spend even more time and money redecorating.”

“Excellent!” She clasps her hands together. Witt couldn’t help but notice behind Taia that Rose seemed to be leaning in to listen all of a sudden. She was trying to be subtle but wasn’t very good at it.

He leaned in to whisper in Taia’s ears, his warm breath tickling her a little and she had to surpress a giggle.

“By day he’s an adventurer but in reality he trades information. Trades. That’s how he operates. He doesn’t take money unless you have no useful information to give. And anyone I’ve heard of who threatened him for information either mysteriously vanished or never found the information broker again. When he wants to be, he’s a ghost.”

“Interesting. And right here in my city.” Her lips pursed. To Witt it looked like she was unhappy to be out of the loop with respect to something happening in her town but the expression faded quickly.

“I’m scheduled to meet him soon. Want to pass along your questions and I’ll let you know his price? I imagine he’d be eager to get information out of someone of your…stature…in return.” He made a point at emphasizing her height, which was noticeably shorter than Witt’s, and chuckled at his own play on words.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t trust you Alcy dear.”

“Oh, I’m back to Alcy am I?”

“But let’s just say I do things my own way. So I…insist…on meeting him myself.” Her words came out like a purr but the next four brokered no room for rejection. “Bring me to him.”

Realizing he had little choice he nodded. “As you insist milady.” He added a theatrical bow.  Looking around the busy tavern he saw his patrons still eating their lunch. Rose quickly looked away like she’d been caught staring but Witt chose not to let his curiosity get the better of him in the moment. He turned back to Taia.

“I still need to finish up lunch service and my friend won’t be back from his current job just yet. So be a dear and sit and buy some soup or something while you wait.”

He pulled out a chair and invited her to sit down at a free table.