#val covington

In the evenings when she had spare time on her hands, sometimes she would find herself there, people-watching, eavesdropping. With clientele ranging from storied adventurers to refugees from Pearl Lane who had managed to scrounge up enough coin for a drink, and the requisite atmosphere of booze and pheromones to impair sound judgment and loosen lips, the Ul’dahn watering hole was an oasis for someone who peddled secrets.

She sat at the bar nursing a glass of wine that was just passable enough, tuning out the chatter behind her in the room just enough to listen for anything that might pique her interest. A woman finely dressed from head-to-toe in all white tended to stick out in a place like this and attract attention of all different sorts, and it was no surprise to her when she heard footsteps approaching from her flank, peering from the corner of her eye just enough to see a darkly clad, masculine figure slipping up to her side. She knew how this usually went.

“This seat taken?” the man asked of the empty bar stool beside her, and she angled her face just enough to get a look at him, a tress of platinum hair falling over her shoulder. Well, he was handsome, at least. She tilted her head to the side, a smile curling across her pink lips.

“Why, I suppose it is now,” she cooed, gesturing with a gloved hand for him to take a seat. He promptly accepted the invitation, settling down beside her.

“Ya want anything t’drink?” he asked as her eyes drank him in. A scruffy jaw, a scar over one eye, a black leather jacket that didn’t quite hide those taut muscles beneath. Good looks that were just rugged enough to hold an air of danger. She finally dropped her gaze from him solely to peer down thoughtfully at her glass, only a few crimson drops still lingering at the bottom. The golden bands and diamond on her ring finger sparkled in the dim light as she wobbled the mostly-emptied glass around.

“I suppose I shouldn’t mind another glass of wine.”

He flagged down the bartender, ordering her another glass, and curiously nothing for himself. His pair of mismatched eyes settled upon her, and the way they roamed over her she knew was not so very different from how she had looked him over just moments ago. “So, what’s a woman like you doin’ alone in a shithole like this?”

She heaved her dainty shoulder into a shrug. “I had some time to kill, and it seems my husband was otherwise occupied. And what brings a handsome fellow like you here, and more specifically, to the seat beside mine?” She claimed her fresh glass of red, taking a sip and eyeing him with interest over the rim of the glass as she awaited an answer.

“Ya think I’m handsome, huh?” he asked, arching one blonde eyebrow at her. The cocky grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth told her clearly enough that he was already well aware, but he seemed to enjoy hearing the words from her lips, all the same. “When I see a gorgeous woman, I gotta shoot my shot. If y’ask me, that husband ‘f yers is pretty fuckin’ stupid t’leave ya alone.”

“You think so? I suppose it was pretty foolish of him to leave me all on my lonesome, not knowing what kind of ne’er-do-wells and dashing strangers may be lurking about. You, however, seem like a smart fellow. You wouldn’t do that to me when I’m in need of company, would you?” she asked, peering at him from beneath her lashes.

“‘Course not. What’s yer husband gonna think, though? I gotta worry ‘bout him showin’ up an’ tryin’ t’beat m’ass?”

A laugh bubbled from her lips, a conspiratorial glint to her light blue eyes as she leaned in close to him and lowered her voice. “Not if he doesn’t find out.”

He leaned toward her in kind, dangerously close now, his own voice dropping to a husky tone. She could feel his breath tickling her skin. “What say me an’ you get outta here an’ go some place a li’l more quiet, beautiful? Ya know a place?”

“I do, indeed,” she answered in a slow drawl, her gaze steadily holding his. “Mine.”

“Ain’t even asked m’name an’ yer ready t’bring me home, huh? An’ yer husband ain’t gonna be there?”

“Not if we’re quick,” she responded, a hint of mischief in her words.