Adeline sat at the bar, her finger spin around the rim of the empty cup that had previously held a hearty dose of scotch. Not her usual choice of drink, but she just wanted to get away for a while. It had been almost a year since her husband's death, and though it had been an arranged marriage, they had been close friends.
Though, it had hurt Jane much worse. Jane had spent a week in her room refusing to leave. And when she found out that her mother had gone back to work the day after he died, she had gotten quite angry, claiming that she had not cared about him. They had gotten into a nasty argument then and had barely spoken since.
'She did not understand.' She thought to herself with a sigh. 'We all deal with loss differently. I accept pain and work to get past it, yet she hides from it. Maybe someday she will understand.' She finally got bored with the empty cup and waved the bartender for another drink. But as she did she heard a familiar voice.
"Evening Stranger!" Said a Raven-Haired man as he sat down in the empty seat next to her.
"Gunther." Adeline said nodding slightly.
"What'll you be have'n?" The bartender said gruffly to Gunther as he put Adeline's drink down in front of her.
"Um…" Gunther began drumming his finger's on the counter. "I guess whatever she is having." He said finally pointing his thumb towards Adeline.
"Scotch, got it." He said turning to get the drink. Gunther's eyebrows shot up as he turned to Adeline.
"Scotch? You are quite the brave drinker!" He said as his mug arrived. Adeline chuckled as she looked down at the murky liquid.
"It's been a rough day." She said as she took a drink. Gunther took a sip as well as he turned back to her.
"I can relate. I beat Jane a staves today, yet everyone ran over to congratulate her on her 'excellent' effort, before going over to tell me everything I did wrong, and how I need to 'improve my skills'. Is it just me or is that completely backwards!" He said taking another gulp. Adeline shrugged.
"It does not sound very fair." She murmured.
"No, it does not. Why is everyone obsessed with keeping her happy? Not that she minds. Oh, how she must love being the center of attention." He said shaking his head back and forth.
"She is not all bad," Adeline said, once again tracing the rim of her now half full cup.
"I did not say she was bad. But she is a user. She will captivate your attention and be your best friend, as long as she can get anything she wants from you. And when she gets all that she wants or needs, she will move on to another person so she can do the exact same thing. She has replaced all her friends with a lizard, and they still worship the ground she walks on." He said incredulously.
"Mmm…" Adeline said softly not sure how to respond. Jane was her daughter, and she did love her, but there was truth to what Gunther was saying, even if she did not want to admit it. Gunther finally looked over at her.
"Look, I am sorry. I did not mean…Let's just not talk about Jane." He said brightening up. "Let's talk about you." Adeline looked over at him curiously.
"What would you like to know?" She asked. Few people had ever asked about her, or her past. It felt oddly nice to have someone be interested in her for once.
"Hmm…" Gunther pondered, rubbing his comically. "Why do you wear chalk on your face?" Adeline looked a little taken aback, but still answered his question.
"I got a scar on my face when I was 7. I use the chalk to cover it." Gunther suddenly looked very interested.
"A scar? I did not know that. Can I see it?" He asked. Adeline shook her head and was turning back to her drink, but before she could object, Gunther lightly grabbed her chin, and began to wipe her power off with a damp cloth. Gunther could now clearly see a white scar that began at her right eye and ended at the corner of her mouth.
He finally let her go, placing down the cloth. Adeline immediately held her hand up to her face to hide the mark. Gunther just pulled her hand down.
"I think you look much prettier without the make-up. Scar and all." Adeline blushed. The make-up was not very flattering, but she always assumed the scar was worse. She found herself suddenly found herself staring at Gunther, as he starred back at her.
"Umm, is there anything else you want to know?" She said, looking down at the floor.
"Adeline…" The blonde lady-in-waiting looked up to find Gunther standing so close she could feel his breath on her skin. He slowly raised his hand back to her chin, but this time, he pulled her closer. His lips finally meet hers as his left hand rose to touch the side of her face. Adeline swallowed hard as she began to kiss him back, but suddenly pulled back.
"Gunther, look, you are drunk, and mad at Jane, and I am just…"
"No, I am not drunk, and what does being mad with Jane had to do with this. You are kind, and attractive, and I like you. You are the only decent person they have in this kingdom." He said, his left hand now brushing her hair back. Adeline finally stood up from her seat.
"I…Have to go." She said a she put some money down on the counter to pay for the drinks, and started for the door, but Gunther was faster then she was and before she could make it towards the door, he grabbed her waist and pulled her in for another strong kiss, his right hand sliding up her back so it now pressed to the back of her head, lost in her long blonde hair. Adeline closed her eyes; feeling for the first time like someone truly cared about her.
"GET A ROOM!" Someone shouted from across the bar. Gunther pulled his lips away from Adeline's and raised an eyebrow.
"Now a bad idea." Adeline's breathing quickened.
"Gunther, Jane would…." She began, but Gunther pressed his finger to her lips.
"Jane does not have to know." He said, grinning mischievously as he walked over to the front desk and paid for a key, and then took Adeline up the stairs.
"Gunther…" She said as he unlocked the door to their new room. As the door opened Gunther finally turned to face her.
"Do you really care about me?" She asked her eyes glued to the floor. Gunther merely replied
"I'll tell you in the morning." And finally pulled her into the room.