"Suit yerself." The bar was as dark and dim inside as it looked on the exterior. It was rundown and had mostly been forgotten about in recent years in favor of more upscale establishments. This place had been around since John's childhood, however, and he wasn't willing to abandon it for some pub with nicer bathrooms. "We just thought that we would warn ya. The word is that they'll be sending those patrols after you and yer guys sometime soon. Ye should keep your head down and yer mouth shut. If yer looking for a Rablin then. . There might have been one spotted around you-know-where. I wouldn't recommend going that way though. Not if ya treasure that pretty head of yers!"
Rose Palace.It was baffling to John that an outsider would find their way to such a place. Why would Caleb's friend end up there anyway? That didn't make much sense and seemed more like a trap than anything else. Stepping onto another gang's turf was surely a bad path to take. Still. . There was a part of the older man that felt sympathetic towards the boy that had risked so much to get news of his father's fate home. Even still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was
something that Caleb was hiding. Why else would Rainbow have an interest in Rose Palace? It just didn't add up. "Wasn't planning on it. Tell me a bit more about the Rablin that you didn't see though. There might be something in it for you."
"Tell me another joke, Jake!"
Edward and Jake had bonded surprisingly well in the past few minutes. Neither, it seemed, were bothered by the fact that they had been left outside of a seedy pub. Caleb, on the hand, felt completely uneasy. He kept glancing towards people who walked past yet none seemed to bat an eye in his direction. Only evil men would go after children, right? They were fine. Probably. The fact that he was a child didn't stop him from being robbed as soon as they hit land though. . .
"Okay, I have another really good one. ."
Listening to conversation was difficult when every shadow made you jump a little.
This was ridiculous. Caleb had a sword and he knew magic. There was no reason for him to be this nervous over some low level thugs. Besides, they had John with them. Or they did have John with them and he'd back soon enough. . Hopefully. Shady man or not, Jake was still his family and he probably wouldn't let any harm come to him.
Right? Even still, Caleb could only keep a hand hovering over the hilt of his sword as Edward and Jake erupted into laughter again. It must have been some funny joke by the way that the golden horse shook with glee. It was nice to see the hippocampus having fun, at least.
Caleb could only hope that John would be back soon.