In the bar

An observes

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An

I went for a walk after dinner. It was a lovely summer evening. I went to the Overlook, and looked around over the tops of the trees in the RingGelf Forest. It always was such a surprise to see how small the town was, comparatively. You never noticed when you were in it.

I looked for the slightly lighter green patch of trees that was Daved's woods, and smiled at my memory of the last time I had been there in the spring, when the sap rose. Years ago. Then I shook my head. This was summer. The sap must have risen months ago. I'd go and visit them tomorrow, see how they were doing, and what Jelana thought of the latest mess Tolly had gotten himself involved with.

With a sigh, I wrapped my jacket around myself tighter, and walked down the long staircase toward the town, as the sun dropped behind the horizon.

The streetlights began lighting, as I walked back to, the bar. Tolly was the barkeeper tonight. I wondered where Jasin was. I had thought it was his night.

He smiled as he saw me, but I could tell his mind was drawn elsewhere. He limped over to where I stood by the bar.

"Hello, An," he said. "I heard you were in town for a few days. The usual, or something stronger?"

"The usual. Trallberry juice. What happened to your leg?"

"Old war-wound," he said shortly.

I snorted. "I know that. But last time I saw you, you were hardly limping at all. Only needed the cane when you were tired."

"Just aches, that's all," Tolly said, not looking at me. "The weather's been most uncertain recently."

"Tolly, I was just out. It's gorgeous out there."

"It'll storm tomorrow," he said. "See if it doesn't."

He was called away then, so I sat watching everyone. I did enjoy this place. Didn't get down here often enough. Not that I had time to make the four-hour drive from Haranbeth more than every few months anyway.

Jasin and Belinda both came by, separately, and said a few words. They both looked a bit harried, but I doubted any of the customers would notice.

After a while, Tolly came back. "How've you been, An?"

"Oh, the usual. Busy," I said. "You know how it is."

He looked at me sharply. "Hmm." His eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something."

"Like you have room to talk." Yes, but it wasn't anything definite, just being more tired than I ought to be, and a general feeling that something was wrong.

He snorted, then wiped down the counter around us. "Do you need anything?"

"No," I said, indicating my still nearly full glass. "I'm fine."

He gave me another sharp glance, then looked away.

"Petron called me today," I said. "He mentioned that your cataloger might be causing some trouble."

Tolly drew himself up to full height, and suddenly the atmosphere of the place stilled, as he gave off an aura of menace. Then he sighed, and returned to the demeanor of a friendly barkeeper.

"So you know," he said. "She's been working here almost two months, with maybe a month left to go. We've become . . . friends. I still can't believe that she could be a thief. Among other things."

"Friends?" I said, noting that hesitation.

"Dorst! Yes! Just friends. Naught more!"

I'd get nothing more from him on that topic. I made a mental note to ask Jasin later. Tolly was far too defensive on that point. But we'd never known him to be interested in anyone. "You can't believe it," I said, "but you do believe it, don't you?"

He took a long deep breath. "Yes," he admitted. "No. I don't know. She's beautiful, smart, stately, charming. I don't know."

"None of that would stop her from being a thief."

He shook his head. "I know." He looked off into the distance. "Something's always felt false about her. I know she's been holding something back. But why shouldn't she? We all have something to hide." He gave me another sharp glance. Then he sighed. "When she arrived, she was sporting the remains of a black eye. And she fainted right into my arms. Like she was being sustained by magic. Though she denied it."

"Oh, of course she denied it, " I said.

"Not like she was angry at the suggestion, more like she had no idea what I was talking about. I'd swear that on that point, at least, she was telling the truth." He shook his head again. "I didn't know what to make of it."

"So, you let yourself get close to her, to figure out what was going on?"

He gave me a long look. "Right. To figure things out," he said. "Who told you I was getting close to her?"

"You did."

He snorted, but didn't deny it.

"Also, Belinda's been saying you were neglecting your work to be closer to her."

He shook his head again. "I wouldn't say neglecting." Then he thought a bit. "But it doesn't matter either way. Glorina will be gone in another month, on to the next job. I'd be unlikely to see her again. For very long, at least. I didn't think a season's flirtation would do either of us any harm." He shook his head again.

I smiled. "Why wouldn't you think otherwise?"

He was about to say something, then got called away again. I continued to people watch, as I finished my drink. Tolly was all smiles to his customers, but I could tell, he wasn't just angry, he was hurt. I shook my head, and pulled out my notebook to jot down what he had said, my observations. After I put my notebook back in my bag, I stood to leave. I wanted to find my nieces, talk to them before it got too late. I wasn't certain that they were there, but they probably were in one of the upstairs rooms, doing homework, reading, whatever they felt like.

But as I stood up, Tolly came back. "You leaving already?"

"I'll be around for a few days, Tolly. I'll talk to you later."

"Yes," he agreed. "I'd like to see what you think."

I turned to go, when a commotion from the far end of the room caught my attention.

"Eh? What's that?" Tolly said as he turned. "What on earth? Glorina?"

I caught sight of the small girl, no, definitely a woman, that dress left no doubt of that, at the center of the commotion. Her short black hair was curled all around her face, which was made up to be most alluring. To a certain type of man. Which Tolly was not. She was wearing a black dress that was cut low, slit high, and probably at least two sizes too small. I wondered how she could breathe.

"Glorina? What is she up to?" he said.

"She's drunk," I said, watching her stumble through the room half-falling against people as she went by. Always men, I noted.

"Obviously," Tolly said. "That's not like her. She barely sips her drinks."

"And you've known her how long?" I said, then instantly regretted teasing him, as he spared me a short glare.

"Not long enough, apparently," he said. He opened the bar gate, and took a few steps towards her. "Glorina?"

"Tolly!" she said, and stumbled toward him, raising her arms as if to embrace him.

"Uh-oh," Tolly said, and quickly came back to the other side of the bar, putting the gate between them.

She put on a sad face. "Oh, I have failed. I have failed!" she wailed. "He will beat me! He will kill me!" She seemed to shrink into herself.

Tolly turned away, anger and disgust on his face.

"Tolly?" I said.

"Take care of her," he muttered. "We'll figure out what to do tomorrow."

Glorina, still wailing, dropped to the floor, bowed into a form of supplication. "Tolly?" she called out, a quaver in her voice. She held out her hands imploringly. "Will you protect me from him?"

Tolly turned, and looked at her.

Then suddenly he was next to her, so fast I couldn't tell if he went over the bar, through the gate, or just materialized beside her.

"Glorina," he said, and I jumped, and looked at him closely, for his voice was deeper than I had ever heard it before. He knelt beside her, and put her hand on her shoulder. "I shall do everything in my power to protect thee. None shall harm thee while I keep watch." He said a few more words in a long disused language, which I doubted that anyone else caught in the noise of the place, in spite of the fact that everyone's eyes were on them.

They were part of an old fealty oath, swearing protection to those under him. He looked up, and realized I understood what he had said.

Jasin and Belinda came from different parts of the room, and converged on them.

"We'll take care of her, Uncle Tolly," Belinda said.

"Sorry I wasn't able to head her off, sir," Jasin continued.

"Not your fault," Tolly muttered.

He continued kneeling there while Jasin and Belinda helped her to her feet, and got her walking in the right direction.

Then Tolly looked up at me with a rueful smile. "I can't get up," he said. "Could you hand me my cane?"

I went behind the bar, and found where he had stashed his cane. By the time I came back, half a dozen friendly hands had reached out to help him up, and he stood unsteadily until I handed him the cane, and he leaned on it heavily.

"Thank you," he said.

Then, from one far corner of the room, several men made loud suggestive comments about Glorina, laughing lewdly.

Tolly glanced their direction, then laboriously made his way toward their table.

As he limped there, the room gradually grew silent, as various people caught sight of his thunderous face, and nudged their neighbors. By the time he reached that table, only they were still making any noise, still laughing at their lewd jokes. Then they looked up, and paled as Tolly towered over them, glowering down at them.

"Uh, Uncle Tolly," one of them said nervously. "We didn't mean anything by it."

"I don't want to hear it," Tolly said, his voice a low growl. "Get out."

"But, Uncle Tolly," another one started.

"I said, 'get out,'" Tolly said, his voice even lower. "Before I decide you can't come back. Ever."

The young men looked at each other, and quickly stood and filed out.

Tolly glared at them as they left, then slowly made his way back. He came back through the gate, and leaned on the bar. No one looked at him, or tried to order anything.

"I shouldn't have done that," he muttered.

"I don't think that oath is enforceable," I remarked, "since she didn't give her half of it."

"Hmm? The oath? That's what you think," he muttered darkly. Then after a moment, he sighed. "It wouldn't be valid anyway," he said. "It's in a form only applicable with a title I no longer hold. But I intend to keep it as best I can. At least until I know the full truth. Whatever that is." He shook his head.

"She may have been trying to get you to react the way you did on purpose."

"Maybe." He shook his head again. "Those young louts are usually pretty good kids. I should not have been so hard on them. And she may be exactly what they said she was."

"Tolly," I said. He looked at me. "Don't worry about it. It didn't do them any harm, and next time they might think about what they say."

Jasin came up. "We've taken her to her room, sir," Jasin said softly. "She's asleep. I'll take over here. You can take the rest of the night off."

Tolly nodded. "Thank you, Jasin. I think I need that." Then he shook his head. "I rely on you too much. You need to take a break sometime. You and Belinda both."

"Maybe, sir," Jasin said. "But not tonight, sir."

"Not tonight," Tolly agreed.

He stretched, and began lumbering his way out of the room. "We'll talk later," he said to me as he walked by.

"Later," I agreed. "Take care of yourself, Tolly. I don't like seeing you limp like that."

He peered down at me. "I don't care for it all that much myself. But I'll be all right." He continued to go.

Jasin said to me, "Glad to see you here, sis. Maybe now we'll figure some things out."

"I'll do what I can, Jasin," I said. "But this may be beyond my depth."

"I'm glad to see you anyway." He smiled at me, then went back to work, as suddenly he had a bunch of orders given at once.

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