The snow drifted lazily through the night air, a brisk and biting cold compared to the the quite comfortable and warm interiors of the Baron’s manor. The meeting had adjourned and standing next to one another were Lucian and Lakshmi, both seeming very out of place in the wintery climate considering the places they both had called home. While most of the others had departed, having had the foresight to arrange transportation, the two friends had elected to split cab fare and catch up on the adventures they had been up in recent years since they’d last been in acquaintance. If nothing else, the good Baron Carnock had a way of bringing people together.
Lucian readjusted his scarf, feeling like he was have preferred to endure another bout of malaria than wait another ten minutes for the headlights of the taxi to arrive in the snow. “Quite the interesting assortment of guests tonight. I must admit I was surprised to see that you were in attendance. How long has it been?” he asked Lakshmi.
Interesting was an understatement, though she politely kept that comment to herself. Or rather, she was distracted by trying to remember the last time she had seen Lucian. She never did have the best recollection of events, only remembering highlights and never details. “I want to say...four years?” She took a random guess, although that didn’t seem right. “No, it’s three, you passed by Newham and we ran into one another then,” She paused, realizing her memory was complete crap, though she couldn’t quite hide her smile. “Actually, you nearly toppled me over. Always in a rush, aren’t you?”
That prompted a chuckle from Lucian’s lips as he slipped a cigarette between them, his hand searching his great coat pocket for a lighter. “Perhaps I am always fishing for a conversation starter with you. That or crowds and I do not agree, so in my haste, I might have taken inspiration from a rhinoceros. What makes for a better tale?” he asked, offering a cigarette to Lakshmi. “We always seem to find the strangest locations around the globe to come across one another. Perhaps we should begin sending telegrams and leave it less to fate, no? It is always a genuine pleasure to make up for lost time.”
Politely shaking her head and declining his cigarette, Lakshmi exhaled into her hands in an attempt to warm herself. He had a point; they really did have an odd time always running into one another, whether it was in England, France, or any other country. Even reuniting now had to be more than happenstance, or at least, that was how she felt. Looking up at Lucian, she raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s not as fun if we start arranging to meet,” She couldn’t help but tease him lightly, although she did agree. “But yes, we should try to close the gaps. Maybe shorten it to once a year? I have to admit, this time I don’t have as much to report. I falsely believed once I graduated I’d have more adventures, but...well, tonight is the most exciting I’ve had for quite some time.”
“My dear, you’re going to have to start paying me a visit in the Congo. Outside of this particular job, I mean. Rich French aristocracy pays handsomely to look at animals and suffer from heat exhaustion, I’d much rather be in the company of someone who could actually appreciate it.” Lucian replied, letting the embers light from the Zippo. Inhaling lightly and letting his breath mingle with the fluttering snow, he continued. “But yes, I think once a year could be quite agreeable for both of us. Both from a social and business standpoint, I’m always looking for new clients. I could always take on an apprentice?” he teased, offering her a wink.
“If you’re in need of an arm, leg, whatever it may be, I’d be more than happy to help,” Lakshmi’s boredom with her life was apparent, and she made no effort to hide it. At the very least, she knew there was never a dull moment with Lucian around. “There’s only so many mothers I can tolerate coming in hysteria because their husbands didn’t notice their new haircuts.” She huffed, slightly pouting. “It’s the same reason I even considered this...expedition. I thought it better to go searching for something that may not even exist than staying home reading the paper and ignoring the hundreth telegraph coming from my mother.”
“You’ve gotten your hair cut?
When?” He asked, feigning shock before resuming his stoic vigil of staring towards the darkness for a sign of reprieve from the damned cold. “Life is too short and interesting to stay cooped up in a life of domestic tedium, I feel. Even if this expedition turns up being a much of
merde de chien, I’m still going to be doing what I do best with my life regardless. Perhaps afterwards, you would like to stay for a while longer? Weeks out in the bush, watching sunsets with elephants and fending off all manner of beasts with the muzzle of a
fusil? I’ll tell you, Lakshmi, life is seldom boring where I’ve learned to call home.”
The dark haired woman nodded in agreement, shifting her weight from one heel to another. She should take a page out of his book and do the same. Then again, her life had a way of throwing some unexpected twists, so who knew where it was going? Shivering slightly, she tried to clear out the more negative thoughts and ended up letting out a small sigh, watching her breath. “You’d think I’d learn...but if that’s an open invitation, I’m taking it,” She told him with a surprising amount of certainty. “I won’t lie, most of my motivation for accepting is getting away from this sort of weather, I can’t
stand snow or cold or--any of it!” She joked, letting out a laugh.
As if answering her wishes, a pair of headlights began to round the bend. It appeared as if their taxi had finally arrived. “Now, when have I been a man who extends empty platitudes? Let us see what you think of the proposal after a few drinks, because I am going to need them to feel my toes again and try to recall if the Baron was being truthful that
fucking dinosaurs still exist.”
~~~
Kingsguard Tavern & Inn, Southampton, several hours later…“So the idiot pulls out this big fuck-off sized knife from his belt,
oui? He says to me, ‘You watch your damned tongue to me, Frog’. It was as if God himself had a sense of humour about this man and his over-compensation choice of sidearm, because the fool steps towards me, slips on the glass I’d knocked over earlier, and down he goes!” To emphasize the point, Lucian ran his arm down and back upwards, mimicking the man’s fall. Suddenly, the Frenchman smashed his fist into the table. “Bang! He smashes his face off of the bar, comes up and his face,” he circled his hand over his mouth several times, “It’s a mess, blood everywhere. Both his front teeth are missing, and he starts bawling like a child. I’m not joking, this was a week after we met in Newham. Apparently, the gentleman American was quite envious of our agreement.” he let out a rancorous laugh at the memory, definitely feeling quite a bit warmed up after a for whiskeys and ales.
By now, a few glasses had piled up between Lucian and Lakshmi as they raced the liquor to recount stories and make up for time that had been lost. Considering the time of night, there were still numerous patrons about, and perhaps the most patient tavernkeep Lucian had seen. Then again, compared to much of the English lads that had called the place home, he was rather quaint and restrained in comparison. In fact, the only thing off about the night were the table of three men in the corner with dark eyes and faces that might as well have been carved from stone. It was actually what had prompted this particular drinking story.
Lakshmi watched Lucian, greatly enjoying his stories as her middle finger continuously traced the rim of her glass. The woman was definitely having a good time, letting herself go a bit with her own drinks. Lucian’s story had her grinning as he painted the picture of the scene for her, and she let out a chuckle as he finished. She picked up her glass, downing the rest of the whiskey and placed it down, raising her eyes to his again. “As they say, the bigger they are…” She laughed, shaking her head slightly. “You always seem to be getting yourself into trouble! I’m starting to think you like it.”
He smiled, in spite of himself. “Could very well be. Trouble seems to find me, but I’ve learned to enjoy the chaos life sends my way. It allows for fine evenings such as this. A toast, then? To good fortune and good company?”
Raising her glass, she agreed. “And dinosaurs,” She joked, though as she drank and placed her cup back on the table, she tilted her head slightly and lowered her voice. “I have to ask, and forgive me if this is my own paranoia, but...do you get the feeling we’ve attracted…
attention?”
“Those gentlemen in the corner? They’ve been staring daggers at us since they’ve arrived. I assumed it was because we are aggressively very non-British.” He replied, setting his own glass down after emptying it. He felt the same unease towards the men, and even as he said it, he felt that there was something more than typical hooligan rage being directed towards them. He’d seen similar looks on the Kaisar’s men during the Great War, one with cold hearts and murderous intent.
“It might be prudent for us to switch establishments for the evening, would you agree?” he asked, glancing around for escapes, and if need be, anything that could be constituted as a weapon. The cigarette tray and several glasses seemed to be the battle order of the day. Adequate, if disappointing.
Lucian’s confirmation soured her mood a little, although she was glad she wasn’t completely losing it. Clearing her throat, she would nod in agreement. “Ah, well, all good things must come to an end,” She stated as she stood up and put her coat on.
If the men were trying to be subtle at this point, they were failing miserably on that count. One went to head off the exit while the other two approached straight towards the pair. Lucian quickly glanced over the figures, and from open coats the distinctive grip of Luger pistols were stuffed in the waistbands. While it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility they were war trophies, nothing was going to be left to chance. Lucian stood leisurely, as if greeting old friends, and downed what was left of the last glass on the table.
“May we help you?” he asked, offering a stern and unblinking stare to the men. “I don’t take kindly to men who accost myself nor my companions while armed. Leave us be, and I might forget this evening.”
The first man, with a surprisingly convincing English accent, replied, “Come quietly. No one needs to get hurt, but we will do what we must.”
“Ah.
C’est la vie.” Lucian replied quietly, regarding the glass in his hand for a few moments before in a explosive burst, he brought it hard into the man’s face. With his other hand, an ash trash was plucked off of the table and shoved hard into the second man’s face, the crunching of a broken nose being blotted out with a puff of ash. With the ashtray still in hand, the Frenchman continued to use it as a striking instrument, alternating between men so they’d have a harder time getting their guns out.
The bartender yelled something out that Lucian couldn’t quite make out, but it sounded not unlike, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”
“It’s being handled, sir!” Lakshmi told him as she spotted the third man coming in to help his allies. “Hinsa se sambhaala,” She murmured under her breath as she slid her coat off, watching the hulk of a man approach them. Drawing her arm back, she decided to let him try to make the first strike, though rather than attack, he decided to try to grab her. Of course, the poor man had no idea what he was in for as she took his arm mid-grab, quickly twisting him around and throwing him onto the other pair. “Did we ever talk about my practice of platha, darling?” She asked Lucian.
“Can’t recall, I’m afraid. Care to demonstrate?” he replied, grabbing the arm of one of the men who was reaching into his coat, twisting it by the wrist behind his back while the other had managed to pull his gun out and had it trained on Lucian and the man’s partner. He began to pull the man away from Lakshmi to keep the gunman facing away from her. If he turned to face her, he’d break for him.
The barkeep, for his part, was particularly alarmed about the sudden presence of gunmen in his establishment. He ducked behind the counter, finding his trusty old side by side shotgun. When he rose up, he trained it on the man with the Luger in hand. “Drop your fucking piece!” the man bellowed.
“You heard him.” Lucian remarked, calmly tilting his head towards the barkeep.
“What a ruckus…” She commented, raising her eyebrows at the armed man. “There isn’t anything in this world that can’t be talked out.”
Apparently not liking his chances, or deciding he was a far better gunslinger than he should have in that particular situation, the man opened fire, firing a shot towards Lucian and his hostage, the 9mm round digging into the German’s shoulder. The gunman swung towards the barkeep, preparing to suppress or kill the Briton only to immediately be hit with dozens of ball bearings from the double barrelled buckshot. He crumpled to the floor, dead before he’d even lost his balance. Lucian tossed the man away from him against a table, grabbing a chair and smashing it over the man’s back. Other than a pitiful moan, the man didn’t move. Lucian looked to the barkeep, who was now fumbling with a box of shells to ram home into the shotgun’s breach.
“Lakshmi, my dear, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.” He reached down and plucked the Luger, training it on the barkeep.
“We do not wish for any trouble, sir. Just keep the gun down.” Reaching into his coat pocket, he plucked several bills and a handful of coin. “That should cover our expenses, you can charge these fine gentlemen after we go,
d’accord?”
There was no hiding Lakshmi’s rather giddy smile, though it faltered for a moment as the last man decided that rather than call it quits he would instead charge at them, grabbing her arm. Reacting without a second thought, she turned herself towards him, her leg hooking his ankle. Normally the next step should have ended there and the man should have stumbled, but she felt her heel slip into the crack and hold his leg steady, and she pushed down just a little too much on the man. His weight worked against him, and a rather sharp crack was heard as he fell. “Oops…” Her word was drowned out by the man’s scream, and she hastily grabbed her coat, managing to wiggle her heel out of the floorboard. “Well then, have a good night!” She hurried to the entrance, her wide smile unabashedly showing her enjoyment. As the cold air hit her, she turned to Lucian. “Care to split a room? I don’t think it wise to travel.”
Checking to make sure no one followed them out of the Kingsguard, Lucian pocketed the pistol and fell into step with Lakshmi. “Travelling, this time of night? Uncivilized.” Lucian remarked, shaking his hand after realizing it ached after their brief encounter with, who, exactly? “And a mighty forward offer on your behalf. I agree, let’s find somewhere a bit quieter. You can have the bed, I’ll take a chair, if they have one. I am a gentleman, after all.” A smile crossed his lips. “And we saved a bit of coin on drinks. I’d say a productive night overall.”
Is this what he called productive? A joke, likely, but still, now that she was clear of mind and the adrenaline was wearing off, she had to admit she was concerned. “I wish I could agree, but…” She looked around for a moment, making sure no one else was around before she would speak. “I can’t think this is a coincidence. It’s clear that they wanted us alive for...whatever reason.” She murmured, trying to think.
“Well, at least it gives some credibility for this entire endeavor. Whom would have the resources and drive to monitor the Baron and his associates and be bold enough to attempt to apprehend or silence them?” Lucian asked rhetorically. He put an arm around Lakshmi’s shoulders to reassure her; danger wasn’t something one could shake off easily, and they’d both escaped quite a bit of peril. “I’m sure the answers will materialize in time, but for now, we shall find our way to safety, and I will teach you how to shoot this gun in my pocket so the next time we run into those sorts of men, you will not find yourself at a lack of options. Besides, where we’re going, you are going to be thankful for it. Think of it as an opportunity to grow.”
