A Bar Downtown

[Anatole]

The bar was small and quiet but oozed authenticity: warm brick and subdued, dark colours; glass frontage yet the main access was through a side alley. One could imagine the bar could get much more lively but right now, at this moment, it was quiet. The wait staff manned the bar, using the time to clean and prepare for the later evening, rather than simply standing and talking. An air of professionalism hung in the air, gently challenging the resinous scent in the air.

Anatole had found his corner. His spot looked out onto the street certainly, but from within the bar's interior he was really quite hard to find thanks to the shape of the space and layout of the furniture. As was his want, the Wizened had found a place that was both open and private: one could imagine that his spot would vanish into the shadows during the later evening when the tasteful lights came on and the (still) wintry darkness pressed on the street outside.

While he waited, the burned dwarf scrolled clumsily through his phone's browser. A foaming pint sat on the table before him.

The message had been received and Anatole had sent out his response.

He waited with quiet anticipation for Gerrit@Aeolus

[Gerrit]

Gerrit entered the bar and looked around. It was far from what he would consider a comfortable surrounding - and even though it was not busy, they would have to mince their words in here - but the little time he had spent with Colonel Worm had made it easier to somewhat relax in such places. It was fitting, really: he still wasn't sure if Anatole was holding a grudge, so the conversation might get difficult enough.

It took him a while until he spotted the Wizened in his gloomy corner. Ultimately, there was no use in worrying about it. Gerrit made his way over to Anatole and regarded him with a respectful nod. "Hello Anatole. May I?" Pointing at a seat across from the Autumn. A formality, mostly, since Anatole wouldn't have agreed to the meeting if he hadn't planned on talking to Gerrit, but it never hurt to be polite.

He took off his windbreaker at sat down. His rust-rot-marked right hand flexed slightly, a painful reminder of what had happened months ago. "Thank you for agreeing to this." A short, almost awkward pause. "How are you?"

[Anatole]

The burned dwarf's eyes rose and a crooked smile sliced through his effusive curls.

"Gerritt! Ha ha!"

The smile grew, shifting the contours of the Wizened's face. He gestured to the seat.

"Fine. Fine. Hope you don't like the place. It's quiet enough and away from the clamour of the... Freehold."

The dwarf's eyes shot around, looking for any muggles too close for comfort but found none.

"How are you? Well? Have you... recovered? When last I saw you, you were not in a good place. Lost track of you after that."

He coughed, knuckled his moustache.

"Eh. We can get to that, naturally. Please sit and join me? Let me get you something. I'm afraid most of the beers here are craft, but there are a few still solidly grounded. Like this one."

He tapped his perspiring drink

[Gerrit]

It took a second for Gerrit to read Anatole's expression and decide for himself that there was no grudge standing between them - probably - and another second for him to not get lost in looking at the shifting shadows - Ashen Mantle or a trick of the light? - in the Dwarfs face.

The Winter's eyes followed the Wizened's at the mention of the Freehold, then landed on Anatole's drink. Ever so slightly, the scars where his brows would be furrowed. "Thanks, but I'm not drinking. I'll have a water." If there ever was a time to start drinking, today surely wasn't it.

Since the opening had already been presented, he couldn't think of a more natural way to say the things that needed to be said than outright talking about them. Once properly seated, Gerrit's posture and facial expression barely changed as he explained himself. "I am... better, I guess. Sarah had actually helped me get the medical attention I needed." A minimally raised brow broke the neutral expression momentarily to drive home the used code and double-speak. "Thought I had to go home after that. To try and reconnect with old relatives." A huff. Then the Stonebones took a deep breath and shifted to sit in a slightly more relaxed way. "Thought better of it about halfway there."

"I hope Liam and you got home safely that day?" And while Seraphina had already told him that nobody else got seriously hurt, it was always good to hear a first hand experience.

[Anatole]

Anatole nodded slightly and ordered Gerrit a glass of water. He waited for the Ogre to be seated and for the wait staff to come and go before continuing, using the pause to observe the changes to Gerrit's mantle and the Crown positioned so firmly on his head.

"We got away, that is true. Liam, it must be said, did most of the work. He... ah... carried you some of the way. All I did was guard you both as you left. Fortunate that nothing pursued us. Good thing too - I think I would have unleashed my fury on anything that tried to take advantage of us when you were in... eh... distress."

"What happened was wrong!"

"I should have perhaps foreseen it and done something about it, but I didn't and for that I am sorry. I'm very glad that Sarah was able to help. We haven't done much more regarding the canker in the backyard. Not yet. What I have been doing is research - a lot of research. I do have some ideas on how to deal with the problem but I'll be honest: this is beyond my skill and it is quite widespread. I'm glad you are back. I think we will need your green fingers on this one."

"I felt your return, by the way."

At last the dwarf managed to dip his head respectfully to the Onyx Sovereign; here in a bar of ordinary mortals where anything too out-of-the-ordinary was dangerous. It wasn't as deep as what he would give to Seraphina or Rhodes, or even Circe. Hopefully Gerrit would understand that there was no disrespect intended: the Onyx hid in plain sight and, Anatole believed, eschewed many outward trappings of power.

"Half way?"

Anatole let his head tilt with an enquiring look upon his face. He offered an opening of his own.

[Gerrit]

Gerrit pressed his lips together tightly when Anatole told him about Liam's part in his rescue. It could read as embarrassment, shame even. "Thank you. I guess I'll have to thank Liam too." A glance at his rot-scarred right hand before he looked at the Paladin of Shadows again. "I'm sure that we were only half as lucky as whatever didn't get to feel your fury." The Ogre tried a crooked smile to offer a bit of levity.

"I would gladly try and offer my help. It's the least I can do. And I would gladly listen to what your research has brought up. Somewhere where you can show me those results more readily, maybe." He didn't need to look around to make his point. While meeting in public might have some advantages, it limited the things one could openly talk about.

Such as the Wyrd deeming the Stonebones fit to represent the almost non-existent Winter in Sacramento. He briefly wondered if returning the nod would be out of line, but did it anyway. He did not want to believe that he was in any way more entitled to respect than the Wizened. "I feared as much. Thank you." He still wasn't used to this - maybe something he should talk to Seraphina about.

Gerrit met Anatole's look and drank a bit of water. Something inside him wanted to remain silent, to heed the Ice Laws and stay distant until he felt more comfortable - but then again, when would he ever feel completely comfortable. Hadn't Anatole earned his trust? "I..." A low grunt, then he got over himself. "I took my time to get there. Did a lot of thinking. I figured that, uh, reconnecting probably wasn't worth the trouble. That I probably changed too much to find what I was looking for there." A shrug. "Sometimes it's better not to see every idea through. So I made my way back here." Now Gerrit's head tilted, albeit less so than the Autumn's. "What about you? Any developments or new business opportunities?"

[Anatole]

A smile flashed through the dwarf's effusive curls.

"It is true. Put an axe in my hand and I tend to get angry."

Anatole chuckled, stole a glance at the bar in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"I would very much appreciate your expertise. We can schedule a time for that. The matter is too confidential for here, I agree."

The Wizened's eyes flashed as he glanced again at the Stonebone's Crown. A hand reached out, tentatively, across the table but stopped short of grasping the big Ogre's hand.

"Don't fear it. Accept what the Wyrd does. It knows what it is doing."

So said the Wizened who shrank into his corner as he spoke. The dwarf did not seem to notice. He remained in his corner, smaller and shrunken into himself, as Gerritt continued.

"Fascinating.... Eh. Interesting that you say that. So you have... moved on? As they say? Bah! Best not dwell... It isn't my business to pry. For myself. Nothing new. I'm still basking in my recent successes, although 'ask' is not the correct word. I've been buried in my research too deeply for that. Last year was very much about the mundane world; this year is going to be about our world. I can feel it."

[Gerrit]

The subtle flattery seemed to have worked on Anatole. Either that, or Gerrit's sudden departure hadn't managed to stain the Freehold's opinion on him too much. Something stirred inside the King of Sorrow, something that could almost pass for cynicism if he wasn't so coldly detached. He was welcome here - that was all that mattered for the moment. "You can reach out to me when you want to bounce off some ideas. Or when you want to act." And Anatole was right: there was no use in trying to talk more precisely here.

Gerrit watched the Wizened's hand reach out and looked up at the burned Dwarf with a small smile when he ultimately didn't follow through. The gesture was appreciated, almost as much as the respect for the Ogre's boundaries. "I'm inclined to agree with you. Still," he turned around to see if anyone overheard the Dwarf's curious words, then regarded the Lost again, "I also can't help but wonder sometimes. I don't know if you knew this, but I've had some.. uh, problems after Cassandra and John had moved. Some thought that I broke a promise and shunned me, in a way. It makes for a weird rollercoaster that I'm regarded so highly now." The urge to ball his hands into fists, to nervously pick and scratch at the wounds like he used to was strong for a moment. He never talked this openly about the curse the Wyrd had laid upon him. Maybe even Winter would disagree with him sharing this secret, but Gerrit figured that putting this behind him also meant not giving others the opportunity to find out about it on their own terms.

If Gerrit noticed the chance in Anatole's posture or behaviour, he made no show of it. He considered the Autumn's question for a moment after he was done, then his scarred lips broke into a small smile. "Yes, I think I have. I won't forget, but I will try not to get burdened by my past." Now, Anatole focusing on Fae matters? He couldn't put his finger on the why, but this surprised the Stonebones. In a way, Anatole had always seemed like he valued the mundane, material world. Maybe it was testament for how little he knew the Wizened. "I think you'll thrive in any field you put your mind to. I'm glad to hear that you had some successes. I would ask about the specific topics that interest you, but that's maybe too technical for a bar." Almost made him wonder if Anatole wanted to meet him here to not have to disclose this information. "If you would be willing to share, that is."

[Anatole]

Anatole listened attentively, still lodged firmly in his corner. He tilted his head to one side, eyes narrowing as the Onyx Sovereign continued.

"Good intentions do strike back at us, sometimes. And when it does, it is not a pleasant thing; for people such as us, it can be crippling. As fir the social isolation, I can't say. Sometimes I feel we can be cliquish and sometimes I think it is all in our heads. And on occasion, I've found that we... sometimes shy away from difficult conversations and difficult situations."

"If you were looking to share with someone who has experienced something similar, you might wish to track down Jasper. He is a bit of a beast. Relatively new - I don't think you have met him. He has been left behind by some ... tightly bound companions... as well. Please don't think I'm pushing or anything. I am no socialite. But if you felt the need... he has had a similar experience is all I am saying."

He drank from his glass as much to whet his lips as break the conversation.

"You were well respected before you left on your... journey. Your recent lucky manifestation only confirms that. Respect is due to all those who keep our little club turning."

He smiled as he placed down his beer, his face taking on a friendly and grandfatherly look.

"Oh I'd be happy to share my aspirations. Very happy. Definitely for another time and in a place where we won't be disturbed."

"How are your own business ventures going?"

Still watching the Onyx, Anatole turned the conversation onto a new topic.

[Gerrit]

His first instinct to Anatole's suggestion to share all of this with a complete stranger was to dismiss the idea. But sharing experiences and growing close were not the same thing, were they? "I will consider it. I think I might also come around to the thought that sometimes things just happen. And nobody is the blame." Gerrit shrugged slightly, then drank some water. "It almost feels like you've got some experience with this yourself. Maybe just enough second hand experience." He stopped for a moment. With how frequent people came and went here that might just be it. "Anyway. I appreciate your input in the matter. Thank you."
Anatole's praise was not further commented on.

Seemed like the Wizened followed Rhode's open policy about their knowledge. A double-edged sword, but Gerrit would take the offer. As for his own business? "I have recently brought the shop back up to shape. I was lucky to have a few people I could ask to help me out there." A warm smile broke out on the wounded face. "But maybe it was not just luck there. I always tried to foster good relationships with other business owners." He almost commented on the fact that those acquaintances hadn't left him - but Anatole was among the last persons that deserved this kind of attitude.
"So yes. That's moving in a good direction."