After the crowd left the Oracle alone, she turned to the beautiful woman . “Thank you for stopping him,’ she said.
“No problem! I don’t take kindly to people bullying lovely ladies like you,” she finished with a wink. The Oracle gave a curt nod and turned back to her meal. Instead of leaving, however, the woman sat down beside the Oracle, expectantly.
“Can I help you?” asked the Oracle, eyebrows furrowing.
“Well I totally just saved your pretty face from a bruise, don’t you want to grant me a favor?” the woman said, scooting closer. She turned to the bartender, “Two of my regular drinks, please!”
The Oracle turned away, peeved. “A favor? That’s presumptuous. Aren’t you being a bit rude?” she says, pushing the drink away. “I mean please, I don’t even know your name,” the Oracle eyed the stranger with a gleam of curiosity that belied the irritation in her voice. The stranger in question tipped her head back and laughed out loud.
“The name’s Amethyst but you can call me Ame, for a price of course,” Amethyst replied. The bartender came back with two drinks and to the Oracle’s surprise, it wasn’t alcohol. “And don’t worry, I don’t drink either.”
“Well Ms. Amethyst, I’m afraid if the ‘fee’ you’re looking for is a reading, then you’re out of luck. You’ve seen first hand the trouble it brings.” the Oracle declared, lips twitching into a slight smile.
“It seems you really do have otherworldly talent because you just read my mind. In that case, I request your name, Oh Wise One,” Amethyst tried.
Her smile growing wider, the Oracle replied, “Cassandra.”
“Well then Cassandra, what brings you here to the illustrious ‘Hungry Hog’?” Amethyst gestured grandly to the peeling paint and scuffed table before her, but noticed that Cassandra was no longer paying attention to her.
Following Cassandra’s line of sight, Amethyst settled on the group of mercenaries. “Ohhhh, got your eye on one of those hunks, huh? Not really my type but you do you I guess.” The Oracle said nothing and got up, leaving her now lukewarm drink unattended. She walked over to the group, Amethyst trailing behind as some of their conversation filtered in.
“Did you get a good look at that seer? I didn’t see her face but her voice sounded beautiful,” one mercenary said.
“Forget her, did you see the one who stopped the merchant? Whew, what I’d give to have a girl like that!” another replied. Hollow laughed along and said nothing as he watched the two women approach the group. An idea began to form in his mind.
“What about you Andres, you’ve been silent. What’d you think about them?” Hollow asked loudly, knowing the women would be able to hear. There was nothing wrong with teasing your little brother was there?
“I don’t know, didn't you find the Oracle kind of odd? She seems... old,” Andres said. Other members noticed the presence of the conversation’s topic and went silent. A few gave long sighs or smacked their heads as Andres continued to talk, lost in thought. “And the other woman was very gorgeous, true, although her beauty hardly seems natural. She dresses like she’s looking for attention. A prostitute maybe?” At this point everyone was looking behind him, unbeknownst to him.
“My dear baby brother, you certainly don’t have a way with words nor the ability to observe the obvious,, nor a sense of understanding the atmosphere,” Hollow laughed with a tinge of pity. Some of the men laughed with him.
“Well I certainly don’t feel old. Do I look old Amethyst?’ Cassandra asked playfully.
“I dare say you do seem to be getting on a bit. Is that a wrinkle on your forehead?” Amethyst answered.
Cassandra pulled a face and decided to follow along. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t own a mirror, but maybe a prostitute like you might be able to help me out? What sort of items do you keep in that blouse of yours?” Amethyst burst out laughing and Cassandra let out a quiet chuckle. The mercenaries laughed along while Andres looked at the floor, cheeks burning.
When things quietened down, Cassandra started speaking. “I’ve heard your conversation, you’re looking for someone for the Imperial family correct? Maybe you could use the talents of someone such as myself?”
Hollow’s pleasant expression turned a little more serious. No matter how playful he and his men were, he valued business. “It depends, I saw you read a man’s future today and while I don’t know if you’re legit, we could use someone like that on our team. But we still don’t know the full extent of your abilities.” Some of his men looked a bit confused at this, hadn’t she just read a man’s future?
He continued, “How many people can you read a day? Is it just people you can read or can you just look into the future? What other abilities do you have? These are the sort of things I need to know.”
The Oracle looked pleased at his questions. “You’re thorough, aren’t you?. To answer your questions: there is no limit to my reading abilities, I can read the future or past of anyone or anything, including situations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just come to me, I have to will it. I also have to be in good health but that is not something you have to concern yourself with.”
“And the other abilities?” Hollow asked. Cassandra simply shook her head.
Hollow seemed to think to himself for a little bit then nodded his head. “Well then we’d love to have you join our group,” he turned to Amethyst, “and what about you?” Amethyst looked surprised and looked around before pointing to herself. A few of the men laughed as Hollow nodded, urging her to speak.
“Oh I don’t really have any talents besides being pretty,” she said nonchalantly.
“So you’ll be warming our beds then!” someone said in the background, barely noticeable with the bustling sounds of the inn. Amethyst turned to glare at the man who said it, nonetheless having been able to hear him and point him out accurately..
“You should be so lucky.” she sneered, lifting her chin up. She turned back to Hollow. “If you’re serious about hiring my services, I’m good with intel. I pride myself on collecting secrets.” she cooed, her voice dropping lower. “I’d guess the men in your group are too stupid to throw on a little charm and get people to speak.”
Hollow chuckled and held his hand out. “Welcome to the group then, I’m Hollow.”
Amethyst took his hand in a firm grip. “I’m Amethyst, but you can call me Ame,” she said with a wink. Cassandra rolled her eyes.
“I’m Cassandra, pleased to make your acquaintance.” she said, closing her eyes and giving a slight bow.
“Yeah, I gathered that given the little performance you two pulled earlier,” he replied flatly. “It’s getting late, let’s rest up and I’ll introduce the rest of the group to you both.” Everyone nodded in agreement, although a few men stayed behind a few seconds to chug the rest of their drinks, and they all made their way to their respective rooms. Cassandra stole a glance towards Andres with a forlorn expression before turning and closing her door.
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