Night in The Nefari Town (part 2)

“Was that a cat?”

From beside him, a voice posing Mark a question. A voice from none other than his drinking buddy, Brad. His body leaned forward. He held his head on his hand as a trickle of pain went through his head. Lightly shook his head left to right to disperse the pain away.

“Ugh, shit. My head hurts,” Brad groaned.

“I think so…. Wait, how long you’ve been awake, Brad?”

“Just a moment ago. Ugh…. I think, I’m drinking too much. Any water or something, Mark?”

“Yes, only this, though.” Mark said jokingly, as he showed his booze out in the air.

“… Holy, Mark," Brad paused a moment at Mark's response. "Better than nothing, I suppose.”

He instantly grabbed the booze without a moment left. He pulled out the cork from the mouth of the bottle. He took one gulp, and two gulp, before finally let out a satisfying sound, “Aaah”.

“Much better, Thanks.” said Brad, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“… You’re welcome.”

“Still, this town pretty quiet, isn’t it? You know, when I was in the Ostine city, the atmosphere was quiet different, even after at this late. Peddler, and vendor, still open up, and people swarming the plaza looking for goods or entertainment. And not forget the only and famous Opera, that known around the kingdom.”

Brad looked around in the open area in front of him. Shortly, he addressed to Mark, “The city of Ostine, have you heard it?”

“Ostine? It was a city in the northeast, no? The city that prided itself as the peak of its entertainment”

“Sure, that is what the outsider known of. But, in reality, it was nothing like that. It was a bleak and gray city. I was born, and grew there, you see. One day, I tired of it and ran away from there.”

“That sounds tough.”

“Yeah, but that was all in the past. Now, all ends well. Here I am, enjoying myself on this fine night, no? And not to forget, meeting you the moment I stepped into this town, must be another blessing bought by the goddess of the light, herself.”

Brad tapped Mark’s shoulder with a wide grin on his face. He stood up, and gestured with his eyes to Mark as to say ‘shall we go back’. Mark followed behind shortly as Brad walked in the front, his steps were slow and sluggish.

“Still, for a backwater town like this, is actually quite nice. Like it has its own charm. Or maybe precisely because it’s a backwater town. You know what I mean?”

“You mean the atmosphere, yeah. It's quiet and pleasant. I cannot imagine other town beside this.”

“No, yeah, I mean that is also true. But, what I mean is the other one. Related to our basic needs.” Brad tried to give a hint, raising his eyebrow in suggestion.

“Hmmm, our basic needs? It is definitely a booze, right. Nothing beats booze after daily hard work. Even more, our booze truly lives up to his name, second to none after all.”

Brad let out a heavy sigh, as he shook his head twice as in disbelief.

“Mark, Mark.” Bard paused and grabbed his shoulder with his two hands. “Of course the booze was all nice. But, what important is the women.

“The women, Mark.” Brad repeated it, where one of his hand was up in the air like a poet recites their poetry.

“Huh?”

“Women, Ladies, Girls. Don’t you understand, Mark? The women in this town were simply different. They were simply in a different league than any women that I’ve met. Their looks, their personality, the way they carried themselves were in league above.

“… I don’t understand your point.”

“Mark, Mark.” Brad shook his head in disbelief, once again. “It’s because you haven’t seen any of them yet. In the bigger city, especially the Ostine, the women were awful, not even better than any red district. Sure, they wear a fancy gown, but their personality, and their looks were this.” Brad closed his hand with his thumb extended upward, and flipped it downward with quite an intensity.

“….”

Mark can only silent in front of Brad’s fiery speech. Not because he had nothing to say, but because he cannot or maybe don't want to. For Mark himself, the life outside this town was a mystery, that’s for sure, he knew it well.

But he was not strange for people outside the town. It was not rare for people from outside to going in and out, people such as adventurers. As he always fancied himself to listen to the epic story from those adventurers, whenever he’d had a spare time drinking in the tavern. While, some may be awful, most were actually quite nice. Sharing their own stories in exchange for a couple of drinks. So, Brad’s opinion didn’t quite line up to his.

“But in here, Mark. They are simply exquisite. The looks that seemed pure, yet full of determination of someone who lives in hardship. And not to forget, her long and slender legs that make a man to begs to be trampled upon. Yet, a simple wink from her can charmed one, two, nay maybe a million of people. Oh, truly how exquisite.”

“Wait, what??” Mark thought.

“And, of course, her long and wavy light brown hair. Besides, who can forget the mole by her left eye that add another charm…”

Brad kept talking, and talking, but Mark wasn’t listening anymore. He was deep in his thought, trying to finish a puzzle that his friend had. And at that moment, the final piece was put in, and he came to understand, everything.

“So, how it’s going with Almaria?” Mark asked with a clear voice, interrupted Brad’s voice.

“What??” Brad blinked several times. “So, that’s what I was talking, huh. Sorry, seems, I’m still drunk,” he said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“So!?” Mark pressed him further.