Inside one of the few living huts not used for a residency, Teddy and his employer’s missus sat in the middle of the room. Their seating location was both completely conspicuous and inconspicuous at the same time. She led them right to a clay table in the center, far away from suspicious dark corners.

The pair likely appeared just like a couple of clueless young lovebirds on their first date, at least, as much of a date as the living settlement could offer.

That was the illusion Teddy tried to convince himself of. It was a shame he knew the settlement better than that. Clueless lovebirds didn’t exist here. It was far more likely the other patrons in the bar assumed Teddy was entertaining a corner whore.

That was fine.

Actually, it was even more likely they thought Teddy was entertaining a high-class corner whore with the ostentatious jar of drink he bought (with her money).

Oddly, true whiskey no longer suited his palette. He bought a mid-shelf decanter and the two of them slowly sipped it down between idle small talk. Turned out, Teddy had grown accustomed to the rough, grainy taste of the bathtub gin he used as mouthwash.

Unfortunately, Teddy couldn’t use the conversation to learn more about his employer and his missus. They firmly stuck to their roles of a courting couple out on an innocent date. If only she knew what the other patron’s thought…

Teddy still stunk. His clothes were rags, his beard, matted and scraggly. And despite the missus attempts to dress down in a hide sewn tunic, she was clean and her mannerisms refined. And she smelled good.

There was no doubt in his mind that he looked like a dirty old man trying to impress a corner whore far above his stature. Even corner whores had standards. That was why he insisted on the full decanter of whiskey. It would aid to that illusion, the illusion that Teddy was a dirty old man with coin.

He made sure to be the one to pour her drinks. Last thing he wanted was a drunken missus to take care of. That would be bad for a number of reasons.

He poured her tiny sips at a time, taking a bit longer than was polite to refill her glass, his way of pacing her. She didn’t mind. Despite maintaining small talk all the while, her eyes kept glancing to the coin till behind the bar, studying every transaction the barkeep made.

“—and then, I tried to drag that junkie from my hole.” Teddy held up his scabbed-over hand.

She laughed politely. “Mind you, what an, uh, informative tale.”

He opened his mouth to continue and immediately closed it. Right then, Teddy realized that, perhaps, he should have been paying less attention to pacing his guest and more attention to his own consumption. This…this isn’t the sort of adventure to be telling a lady about. There’s a few from my porter days, but can’t have any folk overhearing…hmm…what to talk about? The weather? It’s hot then cold, every single day. This is truly a difficult assignment. Act like you have an interest without offending the boss. Apparently, she tells him everything…

They sat in silence, uncomfortable to Teddy and unnoticed by her, she was now staring at the barkeep without her previous restraint.

Satisfied by some conclusion she’d come to, she downed that last of her measured tin and put her hand over the top, signaling for Teddy not to refill it.

Taking the cue, he broke the silence. “Had enough to drink, my dear? Ay, don’t you worry, there’s plenty more entertainment back at my place.”

She tilted her head at his forward advance and her refined elegance broke for a moment. She bit her cheeks, struggling not to laugh at some inside joke Teddy wasn’t privy to. Yet, he hadn’t completely offended her. She nodded and Teddy returned the decanter of whiskey for a meager refund from the barkeep.

At his lead, (though it was actually hers) he extended his arm and she daintily linked her hand onto his elbow, the illusion of a proper escort. Please don’t kill me later, Monteguem…it was her idea. I swear it.

They pushed passed the trickle of patrons entering the bar. For one of the only bars in town, it was very dead inside. Maybe half a dozen other patrons were there? A bit surprising, but Teddy never had enough coin to drink there before, so he wasn’t familiar with the amount of business it did.

As they stepped out the entryway, out from the neon glow and into the blinding sun, sweat immediately poured off Teddy’s face. The midday heat sapped every ounce of moisture from his body, wringing him out to dry. His mouth was parched, and he was lightheaded, not only from the alcohol, but from the beginnings of dehydration. Truly, it was not smart to drink whiskey in a desert.

Once the two ‘lovebirds’ walked a distance away, Teddy pulled his arm back. It was indecent for him to be linked to the boss’s missus longer than the job required.

“About what I said…I, uh, apologize if it came out crude,” Teddy explained. “I have no dishonorable intentions, despite what came from my mouth.”

Her usual stoicism returned and her critical eyes looked right at him, though with a bit of a sparkle, he thought. “You did wonderfully, exactly as instructed. Now, where is the next place?”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but despite knowing it wasn’t his place to ask, Teddy couldn’t hold his question back.

“What was so special about that till?” He asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” she replied. “The prices were fair and not once did a patron receive a discount.”

In too deep, Teddy asked another question. “Why’d that matter?”

“What kind of nefarious faction would force their patrons to pay full price?” She answered with another question.

“Isn’t that exactly what a nefarious faction would do?” Teddy countered, confused about her wording.

This time, she didn’t bother biting her cheeks, she chuckled at his ignorance, but Teddy never felt as though she was talking down to him. And never did he feel she was buttering him up, either. So far, both her and Monteguem had treated Teddy as an equal, neither exceedingly kind nor cruel, and seemed to expect him to uphold their evaluation of him.

“As you may have assumed, I am not here to study this…” She looked around with a hint of wonder. “…this intriguing plant. There are nefarious elements in the backdrop of these desert settlements; this settlement in particular. It is likely the heart of a criminal syndicate.”

None of that shocked Teddy. He’d actually be more shocked, possibly even downright flabbergasted, if there wasn’t a criminal element lurking in the background of this mire pit of a town.

Piecing her statement together quickly, he said,” so these criminals are hostile to your clan?”

She shook her head. “No, they are hostile to every Clan, even the Crown itself.”

“Terrorists?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And our job is to find them in a bar?” Teddy asked.

“Where else would they congregate?”

Teddy could think of several solutions, but kept his mouth shut. This was her job, not his. He was the hired hand.

“Might be, I’m one of them,” Teddy said.

She didn’t even glance over, just shook her head as though it was a certainty. Apparently, Teddy was even too grungy to pass as a terrorist.

“Let us scout the final bar, and then, tomorrow, you will return without me. That will be your new assignment. I need you to frequent the final bar, and garner what information you can. I trust you are capable?” She asked.

Drinking in a bar? Bullshitting for information? That was exactly Teddy’s specialty. He was no warrior, but he certainly knew how to chat with good old boys in a bar. One question though: “Will Monteguem be joining me?”

She thought for a minute, and answered, “there is a thirty-three percent chance of that one’s company tomorrow.”

Then, she added with a grin, “But today, you are in this one’s company.”