#bflas.starter

He had made his way to the Inn, deciding he needed a quick drink before he did anything else. There was a time he wouldn’t have touched a drink ever, but now he knew he drank too much. He couldn’t seem to stop when it came to that particular vice, even if he had no interest in any of the others. Deep in the third cup, he felt eyes watching him, but he wasn’t sure if that was real or paranoia. Looking relaxed, he twisted to look around the room, as if searching for someone, but really, his sharp blue eyes were looking for someone watching him. 

Paranoid enough to see a connection between that feeling of being watched and the new presence of someone standing behind him, he smiled. “Would you like a drink, my friend?” 

Now she was a regular in the library, and somehow she could never get enough of the smell of parchment. Josie was seated by the window, her eyes skimming over a text that touches the topic of Alchemy, something which began to interest her. Her attention was rarely diverted, but when she noticed someone pacing close to her table, she brought her gaze up.

“Is there something I can help you with? If you’re looking for a particular scroll or a codex, maybe I can point you to it? I’m here almost daily, so I know my way about.”

Noticing the way her two barmaids exchanged glances when a particularly persistent customer arrived, Alice winked to them and slid each girl a strong drink, quietly stepping in for them. I’d be best if she just tells him to bugger off as politely as she could. While the sailor wasn’t as nearly as drunk as he could be, the matter was sorted quickly and painlessly - he sat on the further side of the bar, sipping on his watered down ale. She was about to step back from her duty and let the girls earn a bit for themselves when a person sat on a chair right in front of her.

There was no point in retreating now or it would appear as if she’s refusing to serve a customer, and even the thought of it was bad for business. Clearing her throat, Alice allowed a smirk to plant itself on her lips. “You look like you need a drink. It’s your lucky day, mate, because today’s first drink is on the house. What can I get ye?”

She sat on an ivory bench in the gardens, her ocean blue eyes scanning her surroundings, watching as people traipsed by, following their own thoughts and lives. Few moments passed when a person came closer to her. “It’s fascinating how everyone has a life of their own. Do you ever think about it? How every person is their own people.” Alex spoke, polite smile gracing her lips.

But she needed the money.

It wasn't easy for the disgraced noblewoman, living so frugally, but she made the best of it. She'd escaped that golden cage, and she'd learned how to fly. She was content, but now she was afraid. But she wouldn't run from her fears, she was no coward.

The crunch of a footstep behind her made her jump, quickly turning to see who it was, but it wasn't a family face. With a little laugh, she patted her heart. "You made me jump."

Today, she felt happy because her monthly course had been running late and there was a malady in her stomach that could only mean one thing. The happiness was evident on her face as she sat in the garden reading a book, but because she didn’t want to raise alarm or “jinx” herself, she refrained from sharing her suspicions, at least until they were confirmed by her physician. A smile danced on her lips as she hopelessly tried to focus on her book and, once she realised it to be in vain, she closed it just in time to notice a person approaching. Her smile widened as she greeted them.

“Good morning! I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a bright day.”

Her work at the farm was done in record time and Laura instructed her to take a walk and take an hour or two for herself. She ventured down to the docks, finding herself standing at the pier, watching the darkening sky. Grey clouds rolled over the sun, dimming its shine, and the air smelt like water, but there was a static feeling around her and when she heard approaching steps, Lily asked, seemingly no one in particular.

“Do you think there’ll be a storm tonight?”

“Betty. Your act of contrition.” He heard a sigh escape through the slats and off she went into the same spiel of a prayer. Elijah purged her sins with absolution but he wasn’t so sure Betty would make it to heaven. God was forgiving, but Betty was a thorn in his side. She liked to bring wild stories to him, ones that he knew to be true but preferred to play ignorant of. Gods that were not his own, wolves that were men and women that swam without aid for hours underwater. He knew that Atlantis was not humble ground but it didn’t mean he had to like it. He waited for Betty to bustle out of the confessional, till he could hear the door to the box click shut to suggest she’d gone and knowing no-one else was coming, he left. Incense burned at the altar along with half a dozen candles, even if light streamed in through the open door, he liked the company of the flame. It delivered a certain warmth.

To Elijah’s surprise, he was not alone. The priest reached for his cane that had been precariously balancing against the confessional box and gestured for them to come forwards. “Please, do not be shy. Anyone is welcome in the house of God.”