Chapter Four
Seregil frowned at himself in the mirror, running a critical eye over the strange outfit that Alec had picked out for him: a black shirt, those 'jeans' again and a leather jacket. He supposed he looked alright, but there were more important things on his mind. To be honest, Seregil still wasn't sure what Alec did for a living. He had said that he was a student at some university, so he assumed that Alec was an apprentice of some kind. He had also said that he worked nights at a bar, so Seregil was guessing that this was some kind of tavern. Maybe they had bards and minstrels here too? Seregil found that he wouldn't mind taking the stage with a lyre for a few songs, if Alec asked him to. At least it would remind him of home.
Home. Seregil closed his eyes and took a deep breath, warning himself not to get overwhelmed with emotion again. Still, he couldn't help but wonder. What was the real Alec doing right now? Was he worried about Seregil? Was Thero trying to translocate him back to Rhiminee?
He heard a sharp intake of breath at the door, and turned to find Alec staring at him with wide eyes. "What's the matter?" Seregil looked down at his clothes with dismay. "I look strange, don't I?"
"No." Alec was shaking his head slowly, and he seemed as though he was debating whether to tell Seregil something. "You look...nice. Really nice. That's all."
"Oh." Seregil was suspicious, but decided to let the matter go. He ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks. I think. I guess I'm just not used to these clothes."
"Yeah I know. But if you wear your old clothes, you'll attract quite a lot of attention at the bar tonight." Then Alec added something under his breath, "Not that you won't already..."
"Sorry, what was that?"
"Nothing, nothing." Alec smiled hurriedly. "I'll just go grab my work stuff, then we'll head out."
"Sounds good." Once Alec left, Seregil turned back to the mirror and examined his appearance one last time. Not too shabby, as his Alec was fond of saying, usually right before he would rip Seregil's clothes off. Seregil smiled sadly at his reflection. How could he miss Alec so much when he was right next door?
This was too painful to think about.
Seregil had rarely ever been in a situation where he had not been able to escape from, or at least try to wriggle his way free somehow. This was the worst situation by far, even worse than the time Nysander had translocated him to the Ashek mountains. At least he had known what he was supposed to do there, and where he was supposed to go. This time, he was entirely helpless in a world that seemed to be the complete opposite from his own.
Still, he supposed that it was comforting enough that there were people in this world from his own, even if they didn't know who he was or what their ties were. The worst was Alec, of course, who went around oblivious to Seregil's longing and affection. It didn't help that Seregil kept telling himself that this Alec and his Alec were entirely different people. At the ice-cream parlour, he had forgotten himself and made that slip, and the pain in Alec's dark blue eyes had not gone unnoticed. He could not afford to make that mistake again.
The tavern where Alec worked was quite a distance from his apartment, but the walk there seemed pleasant enough because Alec was in good spirits and was chatting about a myriad of subjects that kept Seregil amused and intrigued. He interrupted every now and then with a question, but otherwise marvelled at the slow change in the boy, who had grown from being quiet and distant to being friendlier and warmer with Seregil. This was more like the Alec he knew.
Seregil could tell when they had reached their destination, as loud music was booming from inside the tavern. There was a bald, burly man standing outside, looking formidable with his arms crossed. Still, Seregil wasn't impressed; he had taken down Plenimaran louts twice the size of this one. The man nodded at Alec, then gruffly tipped his chin at Seregil. "Who's this?"
"This is my friend, Seregil. Seregil, this is Barney, one of the bouncers," Alec said by way of introduction. Barney didn't extend a hand, but nodded warily at Seregil, who did the same. With a sigh of relief, he followed Alec inside, greeted by the sounds of loud laughter and chatter, and the clink of mugs.
The tavern was a cosy, warm place, though quite unlike any taverns Seregil had ever seen in his lifetime. People were sitting in booths or around tables, talking loudly over the music. There was a raised bar at the right side of the tavern, where several people were gathered around, calling out their orders for drinks. Behind the bar, Seregil could see a flash of red hair, which he thought looked vaguely familiar, but he was distracted by the stage at the front of the tavern.
The stage was currently empty, except for a lonely set of drums and a few stands. Mystified, Seregil wondered where the harps, lyres or flutes were kept. Better yet, where was the noisy music coming from, if there was no one on stage?
"Come on." Alec tugged his arm. "I'll go clock in, then I'll show you around a bit. My friend's already started her shift."
"Alright." Seregil felt rather overwhelmed, but was determined not to show it. He could feel the eyes of some women already on him, and he tipped a wink at one of them, who blushed. Better to try and fit in, he thought, and not attract any attention to himself.
Waiting outside as Alec went into the office, Seregil saw that the crowd around the bar had grown dramatically and the men in particular were grinning and wolf-whistling. Curious to see what the commotion was about, Seregil craned his neck for a better look. He spotted bottles skilfully flying in the air, then being caught by a pair of deft feminine hands. This was an extremely talented tavern mistress, whoever she was. The crowd let out a series of 'wows' again as more tricks were performed, then there was scattered applause. Seregil saw a few men waving pieces of paper in the air, presumably for tips.
When Alec emerged, looking smart in a white shirt and black 'jeans', Seregil let out a low, appreciative whistle. "You look good." The words were out before he could stop them.
"Oh." Alec's face turned a familiar crimson. "Thanks. Just what I always wear for work."
Seregil tried to change the subject. "So what's going on at the drinks area? There seems to be quite a commotion."
"Oh, that's just Beka with her usual tricks." Alec smiled fondly. "She's definitely the most popular bartender here, that's for sure."
"Beka?" Seregil couldn't believe his ears. "Beka is here? Is Micum here too?"
Alec looked at him sharply. "Wait, you know them too? Yeah, Beka and her dad work here. That's how I got the job."
"Illior's fingers!" Seregil hurried over to the bar, pushing aside the taller customers and squeezing his way to the front. Somewhere behind him, he could hear a disgruntled man complaining, "Hey pal, you gotta wait your turn like everyone else!" But he ignored him, waving frantically at the red-headed woman tending the bar.
He wanted to rub his eyes in disbelief. But it was definitely Beka, down to the freckles scattered across her nose.
Once she finished pouring another customer's drink, she noticed him and rolled her eyes; she was probably used to the various antics of customers. "Yes, what can I get you?" she said tiredly.
"Beka! It's me!" Seregil shouted over the din. "It's Seregil!"
Beka sighed. "Look buddy, I don't know you. Now, do you want to order or not?"
Seregil gritted his teeth in frustration. Didn't anybody in this world know him at all? He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Alec signalling to Beka, who merely nodded and gave Seregil one last strange look before turning back to the other customers. Seregil let Alec drag him away from the bar, feeling lost, confused and extremely frustrated.
"Look, Seregil." Alec's voice was low, urgent. "If it helps any, I don't doubt that you know Beka and Micum. But now's not the time to spring yourself on them. Just lay low for a while, and later during my break, I'll introduce you to them, okay?"
Seregil nodded tiredly in response. He was sick of the constant cold treatment by the people he supposedly loved most.
"I'll get you a beer." Alec steered him to a corner booth that was deserted, plonked him down and went off to the bar. He came back in a few minutes with a mug of what looked like ale, and set it down in front of Seregil. "On the house," he said with a wink, and for a fleeting moment, Seregil was almost convinced that this Alec was his kind-hearted Dalnan talimenios. Then Alec walked away, leaving a very confused Seregil with his thoughts.
Seregil spent the night observing Beka and Alec at work, and both were extremely quick and professional. He could see that Beka was very popular with the crowd, while Alec had his fair share of female admirers and even the attention of a handsome young man who was seated somewhere down the bar. Seregil was surprised at the surge of jealousy rising in his gut, and turned away quickly before the young stranger noticed Seregil glaring daggers at him. This isn't your Alec, so why are you so hot and bothered?
Seregil downed another swig of ale. This was going to be a long night.
Just as he was getting bored and restless, he spotted some people walking up to the stage with instruments. He sat up quickly, relieved. A performance was the perfect distraction to take his mind off his unusual situation, off Alec, off this strange new world that seemed intent on constantly springing surprises on him.
He eyed the odd instruments, most of which he couldn't recognise. One resembled a lyre with a very long neck, while another looked like the combination of a clarinet and a horn. He recognised the double bass though, which the player was struggling to cart up the stairs. The drummer quickly hopped down to help him, and people were already starting to gather around the stage in anticipation.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" One of the men was speaking into an odd-looking rounded cone on a stand, which somehow amplified his voice. Seregil looked around in wonder, but there was no obvious way how his voice seemed to be so loud. Magic, then. "Thank you for coming down to Mickey's to support us. We're the Birth Of The Cool, and tonight we're here to entertain!"
There was a smattering of applause, and Seregil happened to turn towards the bar, spotting the young man talking and laughing with Alec. The frown barely tainted his face before he smoothened his expression into a neutral one again. He forced himself to focus on the musicians.
"And a one, a two, a one, two, three..." They launched into the most terrific noise that Seregil had ever heard in his life, and he was forced to clamp his hands over his poor ears. That certainly wasn't the sound of a lyre or a harp.
He only released his ears when Alec came over. "Come now, Seregil!" Alec was fighting hard not to laugh. "They don't sound THAT bad."
"Are you sure?" Seregil was incredulous. "I once travelled with a band of deaf musicians, and trust me, the deaf musicians were much better!"
Alec couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. "Geez Seregil, give 'em a break. They're not Miles Davis, but they're not the worst we've had."
"Who's Miles David?"
"Never mind." Alec flopped down next to Seregil, sitting close enough so that both of them were snug inside the booth, his thigh pressed against Seregil's. Despite the loud, awful music, Seregil felt content and happy for the first time since he had landed in this terrible universe.
Not your Alec! The traitorous voice in the back of his mind hissed, and he almost jumped, leaning away from Alec, who looked perplexed.
"Anyway, it's my break now," Alec told him. "You want to meet Beka?"
"And Micum." Seregil was almost fidgeting with excitement. Even though there was a very high chance Micum would give him the cold shoulder just like Beka had, he just wanted a glimpse of his friends, a reminder of home.
"Come on." Alec tugged his hand, and Seregil willingly got on his feet and followed, trying not to think about how good Alec smelled. As they passed the young man at the bar, it didn't escape Seregil's notice how he had looked at their joined hands with surprise, then dismay. Seregil couldn't help a grin as they headed towards the office.
Alec only let go once they were in the office, and Seregil immediately recognised the deep voice humming some off-key tune, emanating from somewhere at the back of the office. "Is that Micum?"
"Yup, that's him. He's in his office, come on." The staff room was dark and dank, and Seregil could spot someone sprawled out on one of the couches, snoring softly. Alec tiptoed past him, and Seregil did likewise. This felt a little like nightrunning, and Seregil was beginning to feel like he was in his element again.
Following Alec down a narrow, dark corridor, they finally reached a brightly-lit room which was dominated by a giant, ancient desk. It was full of books and ledgers toppled dangerously on top of some boxes. There was an abandoned violin beside the desk, and a mug of something which looked dark and potent.
Sitting at the desk, bent over a ledger and whistling cheerfully, was Micum, hair as red as ever, except for where his temples had grayed. He looked up as they came into the room, and smiled at Alec. "How's the crowd?"
"Good, considering it's a Thursday night," Alec said. When Micum's gaze turned to Seregil, he found that he just couldn't utter a word to his best friend of several years. Instead, he stepped a little closer to Alec, who apparently sensed his nervousness.
"Micum, this is my friend, Seregil," Alec said, resting a hand on Seregil's shoulder.
"Ah." Micum stood up and reached over the desk, hand stretched out towards Seregil. "Any friend of Alec's is a friend of mine."
Seregil shook his hand limply without a word.
"Oh, wait." Micum was grinning mischievously. "Are you a friend, or a 'friend'?" His fingers made quotation marks in the air.
"Geez, Micum!" Alec's trademark blush was back again. "Lay off, will you?"
"Ah, sorry." Micum seemed disappointed. "It's just that we've always rooted for Alec to get a boyfriend, you know? Or at least get la-"
"Er, Seregil wanted to meet Beka too," Alec said hurriedly. Seregil, who had been watching the entire exchange with fascination, nodded eagerly. Maybe the presence of Beka would help to loosen his tongue.
He couldn't help thinking of the real Micum back home. If he knew that he had ever caused Seregil to be speechless, he would have snorted with laughter until he fell over. Beka too, for that matter.
"Beka!" Micum called out, and there was an answering yell somewhere from outside. "Come in for a while, would you, love?"
Heavy footsteps thumped towards the office as Beka appeared at the doorway. "Thanks. Think I need a breather from the mob outside," she complained. Her eyebrows shot up when she spotted Seregil. "Hey, weren't you the guy yelling at me at the bar?"
"Beka, this is Seregil," Alec said. "And um, the thing is-"
"I know all of you," Seregil said quietly.