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“Break ’em open.” Leo looked happy with the choice. “Nothing to be guilty about, either. Unless you’re a closet vegan?” said Leo.
“What, like you?”
“No comment. Hand ’em over.”
“I used to be vegan once upon a time, but they don’t make it easy for you here.”
“Here?”
Damn. Another slip-up.
“I er… meant here at this pub. There’s a big board behind the bar with packets of pork scratchings stuck to it,” replied Quint, covering himself.
The trickiest thing about coming from a vegan planet like Vondiv’d to here was that regrettably, the animals here did actually taste pretty good. Quint did try and keep his meat-eating to a minimum, though.
Leo placed his hands on the table and interlocked their fingers, leaning forward.
“So, you need to tell me more about you, Mr. Quint. I mean, I know that you worked for Wrap’d for a bit. I can tell by the way you dress you did alright there.” Leo nodded to his slim-fitted Hugo Boss leather jacket before continuing. “And I know that you were a farmer in a previous life, but I want to know more about you. Present day you, I mean.”
Quint sat his pint down and stared at Leo. “What do you want to know? The usual? How many brothers and sisters I have, where I grew up?”
“If you like. It’s as good a place to start as any.”
“Well, no brothers or sisters. I grew up in a place called Whitstable on the Kent coast. As I told you, my parents are no longer with us, unfortunately.”
“I’m sorry.” Leo tightened his grip on Quint’s hand.
“I sold the house in Kent after they died and moved to London to try and find my fortune. After a brief spell as a rave DJ, I became friends with Will at Wrap’d after being introduced to him by Harry, a mutual friend, and the rest is history as they say.”
Leo frowned a smile and let go of Quint’s hand. “Sorry, you were a rave DJ? Well, that doesn’t compute… at all.”
Quint felt a mixture of perturbed and confused. “Why not?” Although he chuckled.
“Well, you’re dead posh for a start. I just pictured rave DJs as being a bit more rough and ready,” replied Leo.
“Oh, I can be rough and ready, believe me.” Quint tried but didn’t try to plant a seductive seed into the conversation.
“Now you’re talking my language.” Leo winked.
Quint thought better of it and turned the heat down. It was early in the evening, and he didn’t want to play all of his aces just yet. “So, what about you? Tell me more about your life.”
“Not much to tell, really. I grew up in York, lived with my mum and dad until I could afford to move out, which I should say wasn’t until three and a half years ago. I’ve been trying to figure out a career, but there’s nothing I really want to do except make music. It’s in my blood, I guess. My dad’s a cellist and travels with an orchestra and my mum’s a session singer. I’ve kind of grown up around it.”
“Sounds like a dream being surrounded by music like that. What a glorious childhood you must have had.”
“Yeah, they didn’t have much money, but they were happy. I wanted to follow in their footsteps, hence me not having a proper job… ever,” said Leo, sheepishly. “It’s not like I’m lazy, I just haven’t found anything else I want to do, so I just take whatever shitty job I can to get by, while I try and spend as much time as possible making music.”
“Well, hopefully now that you’ll be working with Kris and Will, your fortunes are going to turn around. They’re good guys. The best.”
“I hope so, I’d love to move down south, move out of that shitty basement flat for a start. I mean, the landlady’s been great not putting the rent up since we’ve been there, but it’s falling apart, plus it’s tiny. It’d be good to get somewhere with a bit more space for the three of us.”
“Three?”
“Yeah, me, Kai and Ariella, our cat.”
Quint stilled. Yet another amazing coincidence. He’d named his cat after the guardian of theMediunntoo. This seemed to be yet more confirmation that Leo was indeed, Leo.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Leo.
