“Rum,” Esmyra answered. The woman nodded once and reached for a bottle.
The barkeep slid the mug of rum across the counter without a word. The liquid sloshed inside as Esmyra turned from the bar and began weaving through the crowd, her eyes scanning the smoky haze and flickering candlelight.
And then a different kind of noise than she was used to caught her attention.
Tucked into the back corner of the tavern, half hidden by a tattered sail repurposed as a curtain, sat a group of women. Four of them were clustered around a wide round table littered with mugs, coins, and scattered dice.
They werelaughing. It was the loudest, most unabashed, open laughter she’d ever heard from a group that wasn’t a bunch of drunk, raucous men.
Esmyra slowed her steps as she stared at them, drawn toward the sound as it rolled out over the chaos like a symphony of music.
These women… they were sodifferent, each one like a separate world.
The first who caught Esmyra’s attention appeared to be an elven, her brunette hair tucked behind a pointed ear while her green eyes shone brightly in the tavern light. In front of this female, a white wolf head was carved into the top of her dagger, wings protruding from its hilt as its blade dug into the table’s rotting wood.
Another woman stood at her side, her golden-blonde hair braided over her shoulder’s armor. This one appeared mortal, though her expression seemed sharp enough to draw blood.
“One, two, three,GO!” the elven boomed with a laugh, spilling part of her drink onto her black leathers.
Both women began to chug their drinks.
Were they in some kind of drinking contest? Esmyra had half a thought to go over there and teach them a lesson, but she wouldn’t even know the first way to approach a group of friends like that.
Mainly because I don’t have any myself.The realization made her throat tighten. Tits, she missed Jak.
A silver-haired woman crept out of the shadows, seeming to have them floating between her hands before she sent a few wisps of darkness at the two drinking. Her gold and violet eyes shone with mischief as they smacked the mugs out of their hands.
The cups fell to the floor with a loudclank.
Esmyra’s head reared back. Had she just wielded shadows? It must’ve been a trick of the light.
“Veli, that’s cheating!” the golden-haired knight yelped as she wiped the liquid from her mouth. She lifted her middle finger toward the culprit as she winked.
The elven one leapt down from her stool and jumped toward her. “Witch!” she screamed, dragging out the word as they all burst out in another fit of laughter.
The silver-haired woman—Veli—smirked at them both but said nothing.
Esmyra didn’t even realize her own lips had kicked up, laughing with them at their game. Was that what it was like to have girlfriends?
And the last of the women sat on her stool, her fiery-red hair looking like flames in the candlelight. “When’s it my turn?” she yelled with a giggle, sounding tipsy.
The one named Veli looked over her shoulder, checking for watchful eyes, before she sent shadows at her companion, knocking her off her stool with a shriek. But then she walked over and reached out to help her up. “We’re not going to let you win this time, Avery.”
“Wyvern’s shit!” The redhead blew out a breath, sending her hair fluttering as she reached out and dragged Veli down to the ground with her. “If you’re afraid of losing, you can just say that.”
Those chuckles sounded again, but this time from all four of them.
Esmyra wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly felt an immense amount of respect for these women. They were all different. And yet… theyfit. Maybe not with the realm, but with each other.
They seemed like they were each other’s homes.
And it was then Esmyra realized that maybe this sense of home she’d come here to search for was something she would never find. Maybe home wasn’t a place at all. Maybe home was just the people you love and would do anything for.
An ache cracked in her chest, and then she noticed the green-eyed elven was watching her. She stiffened on instinct as the female approached her.
“Hi!” she greeted, tucking her hair behind her pointed ear. “Would you like to join us? Apologies for the rowdiness. We were just fucking around,” she finished with a laugh, peering back over her shoulder at them.
The entire group of women were watching, heads tilted in curiosity.
