@daily-writing-challenge - Aug 2024 - Day 4 - Ego/Coincidence
(Part 1, part 2 is getting written because I am having too much fun with the entire situation, might be a Part 3 even but they won’t be on DWC just funsies on my blog)
Sauntering into the bar from a back entrance with a garment bag over her shoulder. Nahi had come in early with her copy of the bar recipes for the Masquerave to go over with Pathyn. It was going to be her performance for the night and she was going to put in the time to make it look good.
Dressed only in shorts and her Hearts of Tenacity cut off t-shirt because she needed something sassy in her life to help distract her from the portents that were heard in the streets more and more along with the troops that were assembling. Tossing the bag with her stage outfit across one of the tables she turned to the bar just now noticing that there was someone there talking to Pathyn. It iwas not the first time she had performed for strangers but usually she practiced to a point of perfection before she did and she was no where close to that good at bartending.
Tipping her head up she walked over, her eyes only on Pathyn, “Hey there!” She ducked under the flip up entry to the bar instead of opening it, when she stood up she stopped in her tracks.
“You…” the dark man across the bar hissed softly, “Are you my personal harbinger of disaster?”
Catching Nahi speechless was a hard feat but seeing the Illidari she spent her last night in Tempest Keep with sitting right there smacked her in the face and took her breath away. Not.. a… word…. escaped her, she just stared.
Pathyn looked between the two surprised at first then a slow grin spread across his face. “You know each other?”
“Know as in a physical way? Or know as in we even exchanged names?” The Illidari asked, not looking at Nahi, not needing to.
She still just stood there, her heart pounding in her chest, something she was sure he could hear.
The bartender settled his look on Nahi finally, his voice was as teasing as hers normally was, “The floor is not so sticky as to keep you there.”
A deep sexy chuckle escaped the other Kaldorei, fel take them both… well she guessed it already had one of them. “Sorry, I just didn’t know you had company, my friend.” One foot moved, then the other and she totally ignored the demon hunter.
“Yes, he and I are close and he wanted to make sure I was taking the threat to the city serious. Came to help me get my things out of the city.” Pathyn was still just looking at her with a curious look.
As she hadn’t been asked anything other than if they knew each other, which had been answered already. she got to ignore half of the men in the room. “I am glad you are preparing then. I brought the menu, finally got it.”
Pathyn looked like he was on the verge of falling over laughing, an expression she was ignoring as much as she was the dark presence. Except she noticed everything about the Illidari out of the corner of her eye, he would have been hard for her to miss anywhere she thought. She had just been thinking about him the other night, what did Dina say? You manifest that which you focus on? It was unfair, she hadn’t wished for him to be around, she was just remembering that night.
Taking the list she opened it on the bar a couple spots down from Pathyn’s friend, “Yes, and they look amazing, and amazingly complicated. Help me learn to make them properly, with a little bit of flair?” She turned pleading eyes on him but there was not a hint of begging in her tone, part of that look was so he could help her ignore his friend.
Well the last was not caught, or he ignored it, “Of course I told you I would, we have worked for weeks on it already. I am sure we won’t mind hanging out a little longer.” He started to look over the menu, “So where did the two of you meet?”
“Tempest Keep.” The other man answered for them both, which was good because she didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t even want to think of that night if she could.
“What?” Pathyn lifted his head, and all teasing was gone when he looked at Nahi replaced by more than a hint of concern. “You were there?” He must have heard the story of what happened from his friend because of that look. Fuck.
Nahi drew in a breath and huffed it out softly. “Yes,” she paused and her voice wavered, “it was not the best of nights.”
The demon hunter growled softly, a sound that she had heard before and really liked it, she kind of still liked it, damn him, “Understatement.”
“Shut the fuck up Kyeanadril.” Pathyn said, “You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that?”
“Like you can’t?” Humor crept into that deep voice, “And no fair, now she knows my name but I don’t know hers.”
Pathyn snapped back, “And I am not telling you it either. Maybe if you stop being an antagonistic shit head, she might.” He looked at the list again, “Wow, they go all out, these are amazing. You don’t need to do too much to make them special.”
Nahi snorted and then looked back to the drink list, little chance of her telling Kyeanadril anything. “Yes but I want to. I don’t want to be boring.”
“She likes a spectacle,” the Illidari said.
The other Kaldorei spoke at the same time, “As if you ever could be.” He ignored his friend then, just like she was.
The trouble was, Nahi wasn’t ignoring him at all. His comment stung, as it was mostly true, but she was a performer now and it was her job to keep people’s attention on her. “Yes, and I need to memorize them while trying to remember how to make them and actually look cool while doing it.”
“How is your arm?” He asked while still looking at the menu.
“I can do almost everything I could before. Working on strength with it still, but I can grip bottles and glasses, I have been practicing at home.” She said and picked up a bottle and rolled it over the back of her left hand like he had showed her.
Suddenly fel eyes were on her face, “What happened to your arm?”
“I broke it,” she replied. Fuck, so much for ignoring him.
Which he noticed. “Good girl,” he said with a sexy smile.
Pathyn looked between them again, “Should I leave?”
They both answered, “No.” Agreeing with him did not make her feel any better. In fact his not wanting to be around her also stung.
“Why are you here?” Kyeanadril asked her.
“Work,” she said as she started to pull bottles for the first drink out.
He gave another sexy chuckle, “Work hmmm?” Implying a much different kind of work.
Pathyn sighed, “She sings here, asshole. I told you that the singer tonight is incredible, right?”
“Takes after her mother, hmm?”
Nahi dropped a bottle, yelped, and bent to get it, thank goodness for impact resistant flooring. Pathyn knew nothing about her life, this was getting too complicated, even more than him just being here was. Now, she could feel her friend’s attention on her without having to look up. “Alright… both of you… enough,” he said. “Nahi, breathe. Kyean, stop being an asshole.”
And now he knew her name too, triple fuck. Sun but Nahi hated feeling out of sorts like this, but she listened and took a deep breath.
“Nahi, hmmm?” Kyean spoke lowly, “You don’t tell me what to do, Pathyn.” There was danger in his voice.
Pathyn took the bottle from Nahi while looking in her eyes, “Sit.” He had never tried to boss her around before, guide her in her learning but he was never bossy. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her onto the back counter, a spot she enjoyed when she was watching him. Now it had an added advantage of putting her and Kyean further apart. “Kyean, I don’t know what fucked up shit is between the two of you but she is my friend and I am reaching the end of my patience with you being shitty to her. She has asked for my help, and my help does not include being harassed by my cousin.”
Taking another breath she looked at the Illidari, he was just as dark, dangerous and sexy as he had been the night they met. “Yes, I sing just like my mother used to. Well, not exactly the same, but I am a singer.”
“A fucking good one too,” Pathyn said in support.
“If you are so good, why are you learning bartending?” Kyeanadril asked.
“I joined a group of performers but we can’t all be on stage at the same time so I offered to bartend. I can do the basics but there's no reason I can’t do more.” Nahi answered him honestly. Of all her one night stands he was the one that would come back to her most often. He wouldn’t have stayed nameless that night if the keep hadn’t been invaded, she had been enjoying their time too much.
He kept ‘staring’ at her and that made her hackles rise. She wanted to defend herself, or explain more, or do anything but sit here like some child. It was not her fault that she was so short compared to them that sitting on the high counter helped her equal the difference slightly, fel she wasn’t even short when it came to other Sin’dorei, but these men were giants, Kyean more that Pathyn if she remembered correctly, but both made her feel tiny.
Pathyn cleared his throat, “Nahi, let’s get to work on the first one here. Kyean, didn’t you plan to go visit your friend?”
Triple, no quadruple fucks. “Fine,” she said, but smiled warmly at Pathyn, her shortness was not for him after all. “Let’s do this.”
Somehow, they got finished with the first and Nahi felt pretty good about it, she even managed to ignore Kyean after a bit. Popping up on her toes she kissed Pathyn on the cheek as the manager announced that the doors were opening in five minutes.
