The Lineage Ch. 07

"So... what are we doing this for?" she asked.

Even as Alexis kept her vision on the elf's arm, she commented, "I just had to make sure you were real, Zenny. Maybe you're just some apparition Sonol and I are seeing. You're not just some goddess come to visit me, right? Maybe even just an angel who wants to stop this old woman before she does something stupid? There's just no way someone like you exists. I don't believe you're real at all, elf."

Zenna caught on to the guard's antics and tilted her head, "yes... I am real. Thank you for making sure."

The officer sighed in relief that her theory was proven wrong, "even just holding onto each other like this... even though we just met... such a simple feeling of contact with someone... it's more wonderful than I ever thought I could feel again," Alexis batted her eyes at the elf.

"Be careful there, it almost sounds like you're trying to flirt with me," Zenna stole Alexis' line from earlier.

"I'm already humbled that a girl like yourself is even bothering talking to an old unattractive woman like me, so I may as well be a bit forward. Not much I have left to lose."

"Don't say that, Alexis. I think you're very pretty," Zenna answered with another tilt of her head.

The guard felt her heart soaring in the clouds, "wow... being called pretty by you is a compliment without compare..." her vision scrolled, "gods, dammit!" she unexpectedly snarled.

The elf blinked and leaned back a bit in surprise, "what? What is it?"

Alexis' vision came back to the elf, "it's more than a compliment... it's an honor, Zenny. You honor me with your words."

Zenna's eyes went wide as they would go and she gripped a bit more firmly into the guard's forearm, "w-wow... thank you, Alexis... I don't know what to say. And no one's ever given me a nickname before. It sounds nice."

"I am honored again. But as much as I hate to admit it," her face saddened heavily as she scanned her eyes across the silent and empty bar, "it's very late, and I need to get some sleep before I go to work tomorrow," she nodded her head towards the bar's front door. The elf gripped her forearm a bit tighter.

"Must you go so soon?" Zenna asked playfully.

"I must. That blue-haired elf isn't going to find herself, after all," she joked. Zenna giggled.

"But before you go..." the elf spoke softly and looked down at the table, "you still haven't told me why you..." she motioned over to Alexis' beer, which still had a third of alcohol left in it, "drink so much..."

Alexis set her lips in a line as she stared at the unfinished drink, but then perked up a smile when she glanced over to the elf, "you'll have to butter me up a little better than that if you really want to know. Maybe tomorrow?" she asked hesitatingly. The elf smiled and answered with a positive nod, "then it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Alexis began to stand a bit while still keeping her vision locked into the elf's. The two knew they were still gripping each other's arm heavily, but the guard slowly dragged her hand across Zenna's skin until their hands touched. For one single moment, her fingertips glided across the elf's own delicate set, sending a spark through each of them. Although it only lasted the length of an eyeblink, it was permanently ingrained in both their memories. Alexis stood fully and began to meander away with a quiet, "good night, Zenny."

"Good night, Alexis," was the honey-sweet answer the elf gave. Zenna watched the guardswoman begrudgingly drag herself out of the bar until she was in the doorframe, peering back over her shoulder once more and smiling at the sitting elf. The two made eye contact once more before the officer disappeared into the dark street. Zenna, still focused on the door, sighed as her eyes took in the empty bar around her.

"Cannot tell you the last time I've seen Lexie that cheery. You must have cast some spell on her," Sonol said, coming up unexpectedly on Zenna. The blue-haired woman gasped a bit as he surprised her, but still turned to face him.

"Sorry, I'm not a mage..." she said defeatedly.

Sonol chuckled, "I wasn't being literal, young one. Yet you still got that hardened woman laughing like the child I used to know her as. You know how unimaginable that is for me to see? She was right to check if you were real or not... I'm still having a hard time believing you're real, myself," he sighed a bit, his grey eyes wandering up a bit from Zenna's red searchlights and to the scalp he admired heavily, "actually... do you mind if I...?"

The elf caught his gaze and giggled with a nod. Sonol took out his hand and laid it softly on Zenna's head, running his wrinkled digits through her soft hair like a loving father to his daughter. The beautiful girl under his palm reveled in the sensation, and unbeknownst to Sonol, it was a feeling she had seldom felt in her own life. In the same way Zenna and Alexis felt pained to not be in contact, the elven pair also felt disconnected when the old man took his hand off her.

"So you are real after all... even those beautiful locks of yours. It's almost as if a fount of magic comes off you just from a simple touch," he laughed, "so now that that's aside, really, Zenna -- what is your goal with my favorite patron?"

The sitting elf smirked, "guess you'll have to wait and see, Sonny," she mocked Alexis' voice, making Sonol's belly jump for a moment. After he finished, she asked of him, "what is your interest in that woman, anyway?"

"Just doing my duty, is all it is. Alexis is my responsibility after everyone else seems to have been chased off. I've always looked out for her since her..." he stopped himself, shaking his head side to side as his eyes came to rest on the floor.

"Since her what, Sonol?"

Sighing, he answered, "it's not my place to say, young one. You'll have to ask Alexis yourself. Now then, I am a bit curious about..." the old man stopped himself again when a loud rumbling sound coated the bar. Given that the pair were the only ones still present at this time of night, and Sonol had eaten recently -- there was only one belly the noise could have originated from. Zenna shrunk in her seat a bit as a worried look crossed over her face.

"S-sorry... I didn't mean to do that..."

Sonol laughed at the girl's defeated tone, "a loud one, aren't you? And Alexis was right, you need to stop apologizing for everything. But more importantly -- if you're hungry, you should have said something. You are in a bar after all... food and drink is what brings people in, anyway."

Her head shrunk even more into her shoulders as she refused to meet his eyes, "I'm really sorry... I have no money for food... I'll go," she started to stand.

The old elf laughed again and put his hand on her shoulder to stop her, "a beautiful girl with a loving heart going hungry? Gods smite me if I let you leave on an empty stomach. Us elves have to look out for each other," his vision scanned across the bar as he planned something for her, "now then, Zenna, if I were to ask you to help this old man clean up his bar in exchange for the young one to have a meal, would you agree?"

Zenna looked up to him, "you... you would do that for me?"

"But of course. At the very least I can tell you're trying to become little Lexie's friend, for whatever reason... the least I can do is feed you a bit for your efforts."

Her head tilted even as she remained under his palm, "a-and... what do you mean I have a... loving heart?"

"Like I said, young one, you are trying to make a friend out of that cold guardswoman in just a few days, and any friend of Alexis is a friend of mine. I don't know what you see in her, but I will be here to support your journey," he tossed the rag at his waist to Zenna, "now get to work. The chef is going back to his kitchen."

Zenna stared at the rag, and then up to the old elf as he went away.

She smiled with warmth in her chest.

...

The following night, Alexis did not keep her promise to Zenna about her secrets. The elf did not even bring it up as their conversations flowed like rivers through the night. Then the next night was the same. And the next.

Then, before either of them even realized it, two solid weeks went by in the blink of an eye.

The day after the two women finally grew to know each other, Alexis slammed through the bar doors the same way she had done for countless nights before. Sonol, habitually, snarled a bit as he turned to scowl the guardswoman. Instead, he was a bit surprised to see not a scowl facing back at him, but a smile as wide as the sky itself. Alexis' eyes even sparkled a bit. She hurriedly asked for her drink yet did not wait around for the barkeep to fill it. she spun around and nearly skipped over to her favorite booth -- where a certain beauty awaited her with her own huge smile and eyes. Sonol's scowl rapidly faded as the two began conversing as if they had been inseparable friends for decades, rather than just days. He filled Alexis' mug up most, but not all the way up -- and yet the guard never noticed. By the time she left for the night, there were even some sips still left inside.

Over the next few days and conversations, Alexis would still order her drinks, but put less and less effort into it each time. As a test once, Sonol brought her a full mug of his highest-end ale and gave it to the guard as a sign of goodwill. Even as it tasted wonderful next to the sludge she had been drinking for years -- she barely had time to drink even half of it, as her conversations with Zenna kept her mouth and mind contstantly occupied.

A few days after that -- Alexis Sylvaini had forgotten about her drink entirely. Sonol found himself strangely displeased that the blackened bottle was now collecting dust under his counter.

Now half a month into their friendship, the officer was nearly skipping into the bar now like a child into a candy store. Bypassing the counter entirely she would smack herself into the bench opposite of Zenna, who was essentially a permanent ornament of the seat by now. Both elf and human would hold hands for a bit as they stared into each other's eyes, and Sonol could have sworn the guard's eyes glowed nearly as brightly as Zenna's. It filled his old heart until it grew a few sizes, seeing her joyful again. He remembered a time that in Alexis' youthful innocence she the brightest child he knew, always carrying a monolithic smile and a cheery attitude that was nearly contagious. Having her come in alongside her mother was an event he had always looked forward to as "Little Lexie" was always his favorite patron. But as the guard reached adulthood, and after a series of certain events, he watched as she slowly but surely dug herself deeper and deeper into a bottomless abyss of depression, dredging herself into the bar each night as if forcing herself to continue on with her life. It almost seemed as if that cheery little thing was nothing more than a distant memory.

That is why he, along with Alexis herself, was in complete disbelief at Zenna the elf.

The mysterious woman was apparently on a mission, and so far Sonol endlessly commended her on her efforts. Even after Alexis would leave for the night, the two elves had their own relationship the guard was nearly oblivious to. Zenna would help the old man by cleaning his bar, his dishes, glasses, tables and booths until they shined -- and she would be rewarded with a meal of her choosing as a reward. As it was obvious the young woman was new to Underhill, and by all means unemployed -- Sonol repeatedly offered to hire Zenna full-time as a waitress. The combination of her beauty, skillset, and charm would make her the perfect fit. He even worried people would start coming to his establishment for her rather than the bar itself. More than once she genuinely considered it, but then had to finally lay down she did not think it would last. Although he could only guess at what she meant, he did not burden her with further requests.

Looking over to them now, the two girls were sharing a heartwarming laugh, adding it on to the pile of dozens or hundreds they have created these past few weeks. That sweet little girl he once knew apparently had not been buried in her entirety. It simply took someone more amazing than he thought possibly to dig her back up. He smiled, watching their relationship fill the otherwise-empty bar with their laughter. Sonol honed in to catch the end of one of Alexis' many tales.

"That's," Zenna paused to laugh again, "really good, Alexis. Did you ever find the man?"

"Find him?" she asked sarcastically, "the little shit tried the same stunt a week later! We were more than ready for him!" both women laughed as the story concluded.

"Hey, now... speaking of finding people, did you ever locate that one elf the king was looking for?"

Alexis shook her head side to side exaggeratedly, as if proud of failing at her task, "no... I have had quite terrible luck. All the other guards are nearly fed up with it as much as I am... which is saying something. I think Trinas is about to call the whole thing off... well, that is unless the queen keeps it going. I've never seen her so energetic about something. You should hear her rant and rave... you would nearly think she would start lining us up for the chopping block for not finding that elf."

She looked up to the elf she spoke of, "it makes me wonder... what kind of amazing girl that elf must be to fluster the royal family so much."

Zenna blushed, "she must be really something."

"I bet she is," Alexis answered. She huffed loudly and rocked her head side-to-side again. There was clearly something occupying her mind, given its weight forced her head down to the table. she rested her chin on her arms while her eyes focused on her hand, which was drawing circles on the table.

"Zenny..." she spoke softly, almost to a whisper, "can I say something silly?"

"What is it, officer?"

"These past few weeks have been... indescribable. There's not even a word out there to explain how I feel. Never would I have thought myself to be able to feel so alive again. It almost feels like... just being with you makes me feel like a young, energetic woman again. Sometimes I even feel like that cheery little girl Sonol over there still wants me to be," her eyes rolled up to the old elf, who smiled at her, "but above all... these little meetings with you remind me of my first dates with my husband... how he and I first really fell in love. Until now, there was never a time in my life I had ever felt better. Those were some of the best days of my life... and so are these. I can never thank you enough for the wonderful gift that is you."

Alexis turned her eyes from Sonol and buried her vision into the table for a moment, laughing with such ferocity it rocked the furniture they sat at, "really... this all makes me feel as if I... she stopped herself as she rolled her eyes back up to the elf.

Before, Zenna's eyes had been filled with passion and wonder.

But no longer.

Now, the elf's red eyes were only filled with terror.

Alexis' own eyes grew as she watched her friend begin to violently shake as if someone had a crossbow aimed at her heart. And their finger was edging closer and closer to the trigger with each passing moment. What little color was in Zenna's face was flushed out of her, leaving behind a ghostly gleam.

"Z-Z-Z-Z-Zenna?" Alexis asked with deep concern, her mind having difficulty even finding her name. She leaned up a bit as the woman began to gag and heave heavily, as if choking.

"H-hey! Z-Zenna!" she called again as the elf's face flushed bleach white. The guard nearly threw herself across the table, believing Zenna's life was somehow about to end.

Now with a panicking tone, Alexis shouted her name with enough force to be heard out in the street. She shot out of her chair and leaned in close to the elf, grabbing her clammy little hands as if she were about to be torn away from her. Finally, mixed in with her clattering teeth, Zenna's mouth began to form words.

"Y-y-you n-ev-ever men-mentioned y-y-ou were m-m-m-arried, Alex-is-is..."

Alexis's own eyes nearly exploded from the terror filling them, and her skin drained of color also. Whatever plans the elf seemed to have, the guardswoman seemed to have just crushed them entirely.

So before either of them had a heart attack, she had to clear up the confusion, "n-n-n-no! I'm not! I'm not married, Zenna! I-I used to be! I was just saying... saying that... a-as..."

Her vision fell, unable to make eye contact with the elf any longer. Zenna's face fell in embarrassment over her reaction. Tears big as raindrops fell down her face, which was beginning to blush redder than a field of tomatoes. Their hands shook as they held them together. Both women nearly began sobbing as they tried to feel around each other's emotions during their moment of silence.

Alexis had her thoughts... but she never thought Zenna felt about her that way.

Although she waited an eternity for the officer to take the lead, it was Zenna who finally broke the uncomfortable weight on their shoulders, "I'm... I'm so sorry, Alexis... I didn't know... you never mentioned you were... married. I..." the guard shook her head heavily and took her hands away from the elf in a sign she should cease speaking. She used one of those hands to wipe the salty mess off her face before speaking.

"It's fine... there's no way you could have known. It's not a pleasant point of conversation for me. He's..." she bit her lip for a moment, "...we... divorced a long time ago."

"O-oh... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be. It was the asshole's decision, anyway," Alexis rasped and coughed up more tears.

"Sorry to..."

"I told you to stop apologizing for everything, elf," she growled angrily. She did not want to be frustrated with her friend, yet the old memories resurfacing were clouding her judgement, "you should have learned your lesson by now," Alexis' eyes came up to meet Zenna's. Neither of them smiled. If anything, their conversation had taken a turn for the worse.

Alexis watched for minutes on end as the elf's flaming eyes danced, sorting through endless amounts of thoughts. On occasion they would dart around, as if trying to find something else to talk about. But after a while it was clear that was not the case. She began to realize that Zenna was avoiding something, rather than looking for it.

"What is it?" she suddenly asked the elf, who perked up in surprise.

"What?"

"If there's something you want to say, then say it. You won't offend me," Alexis said. Yet in the manner she said it, it was clear the officer could explode at any moment.

Still, Zenna obeyed and gagged out, "h-have I finally found... the reason why... you were... drinking... so much?"

For a moment, Alexis sat there still as stone. But then she defensively began to laugh as loud as she could manage. The stern gaze she was giving off before was completely buried under her chuckles as Zenna could peer straight down her throat, given how it had grown to accommodate her laughter. Finishing, the guard snorted another laugh and avoided her question, "that's funny to think about... were drinking. You know I've had terrible headaches for the past week or so? Shows how much I've acclimated to that sludge Sonol carries. But none of that matters, now. Let's..."

KRISSSSHHH

Without preamble Sonol slammed down the mug he had been cleaning, shattering straight across the counter and unto the floor. Both women snapped their necks in his direction as their heart rates dropped straight into the bowls of the underworld as he glared a menacing, almost diabolical gaze across them. They then watched as he literally lunged over the counter and stomped over to them, slamming both fists on the table. Zenna and Alexis quivered like a pair of children about to be consumed by a rabid direwolf, who bared his slimy, gory fangs at them.