Author's Notes: Onward to Capitan. The bulk of this chapter is a little incident involving plenty of drinking. Personally, I favor wine, rum, and soda, just because beer tastes flat and whiskey feels like I'm guzzling razor blades. If you're going to drink, at least get something with flavor and body. And don't you worry, all you Nina fans--she'll be getting her turn with Ryu soon enough. I managed to finish the drafts on four six chapters this week. That's a record, even for me, and I'm a fairly prolific writer (check out my update times on "The Weakness That is Love"--that was pretty fast.)

Chapter Nine: The Truth in Drink

"I've never…been in a place like this before," Nina admitted, looking around the taproom. A day out of Capitan, the party found a wayside inn promising a warm fireplace and piping hot broth—perfect shields against the growing chill of the season. But to Nina's highborn sensibilities, the inn was little better than a filthy hovel. The stares she received from the swarthy patronage did little to assuage her concerns.

"Places like these are where they good stuff is kept," Katt stated confidently, referring to strong ales. "Hey, barkeep! Give me the biggest flagon of swill that you got!"

"A Woren," Ryu heard the fat bartender mutter in resignation, "that one'll drink me dry, for sure." Ryu let a small smile play across his lips. If Katt's appetite was any indication, Ryu suspected that the bartender's claim was overly generous.

Ryu saw Sten moving toward a long table surrounded by gamblers; they were playing some form of bones. "I'll just earn us a bit for tha' evening," the Highlander said with a glint in his eye. Ryu said nothing, certain that the clever-fingered thief would earn plenty of gold in numerous ways—not all of them legal.

The ranger led the Woren and the Windian to a table and ordered dinner and drinks. They were served quickly. By the time they started to tuck into their meal, the inn was packed with travelers. The first snows were coming in, so most of the trade caravans between the port town of Capitan and Corsair were heading southwards. As such, traders, peddlers, and caravan guards comprised the majority of the inn's patrons.

"There's a lot of mercenaries," Nina noted. "I feel like I'm in an armed camp."

"It's always like this in the fall," Ryu said, handing her a flagon of dark ale. "Try this."

The Windian looked into the cup in askance. "What is it?"

Katt, who had already drained three tankards and was working on a third, said in a voice a few notches higher than normal, "Just the best stuff this side of the ocean! Ha!"

Nina gave her a depreciating look. "You're drunk."

"Am not!" the Woren pounded her chest for emphasis. "I'm as hale as a horse. Or a mountain lion. Or something."

"You're drunk," Nina insisted. "You should stop or at least drink slower."

Katt slapped her hard on the back in reply. "Don't be such a prude, Nina! It's a party. Let's enjoy ourselves while we can! Ha, ha!" Suddenly, Katt's expression became dead serious as she fixed a wobbly-eyed gaze on Ryu. "Hey, ranger, shmile for once, okay? I mean—hic—you're about as mush fun as a dead…a dead…a dead log."

Ryu just raised an eyebrow. "Nina was right. You are drunk."

"Don't you tell me that!" Katt hiccuped. "You're almosht as bad as Nina. Only you ain't a prude—you're jus' a statue, is what you are! I mean, you're pretty—hic—pretty cute, y'know? I'm wild for green eyesh, even if the blue hair's a bit weird, but you're at least a nice, big, tall guy. Hic—gotta love broad shouldersh. Hey, Ryu, tell me shomething. You…you—hic—you ever done it with a girl? Huh? You still a virgin, hon? Heh, I called you hon."

Nina decided that this was going far enough. She was not going to sit by while a friend made a fool of herself. She took Katt's shoulders and shook her gently. "I think you've definitely had enough, Katt. Let's get you up to your—"

The Woren demonstrated her impressive strength by shrugging off Nina's hands with a single shake of her shoulders. "Now you look here," she said, prodding Nina in the chest angrily. "Jus' cuz you're too mush of a prude to say you wanna get in Ryu's pants doesn't mean that I don't wanna."

Katt turned her attention back to Ryu, who watching the entire episode with a completely placid expression. That seemed to irritate the Woren. "See here, you—hic—you statue. Why don't you ever say anythin', huh? Are we that borin' to you? Come on, say somethin'! You shtill didn't answer my queshtion! You a virgin or ain't you? You got anyone special waitin' for you to bone her?"

Ryu tilted his head. "Will you go to your room and sleep it off if I tell you?"

Katt nodded her head vigorously, an act that almost sent her spiraling to the floor. "Shure! For you, that's a good deal, I think. Or somethin'."

"Then no, I've not lain with a woman yet and there's no one waiting in line."

Katt guffawed. "Ha! I knew it! Well, guessh that just meansh Nina and I've got shome work ahead of us, right? Ha, ha! Where's the door keys, anyway? Oh, thanksh, Ryu." The Woren wobbled up the stairs, roaring loudly. Where she passed, people scattered; few wanted to deal with a drunken Woren, especially one with the strength to rip a man in half.

Nina sat down with a sigh. "That was…awkward." She glanced at Ryu, blushed, and then found something terribly interesting to look at on the tabletop.

Ryu drank his ale calmly, as if the whole episode with Katt had been a normal occurrence. "Does it surprise that I'm a virgin?" he asked bluntly.

The Windian's head popped up, the redness stealing into her face like wildfire. "Erm…no, that is, well, I'm just shocked that you were so…well…candid about it."

"I'm usually not," he said, "but telling the truth seemed the quickest way to end what could have been a much more complicated situation. As it is, Katt's going to feel like a fool tomorrow morning."

Nina twiddled her thumbs distractedly, her face still bright red. "Um…about what Katt said. About me and her and work that we had to do…that isn't true at all, you know." She faltered and said hurriedly, "Not that you're an ugly sort or anything—she was right about you being nice to look at—I mean, that is, ah, er…I'm just going to be quiet now," she finished in a very small voice.

Had she been speaking to anyone else, she would have expected a snide comment or a laugh. But Ryu just smiled quietly and said simply, "Don't worry about it."

Nina felt a little better because of his calm, understanding reply. So she did not feel so strange when she asked, "Uh, so, is there anyone special in your life? I'm just curious, of course."

A faraway look entered Ryu's emerald eyes. There was…she used to call me Ryu-niisan. Aloud he said, "I said there wasn't, didn't I?" He stood up then. "I'm going to check up on Katt and then go to bed. I'm starting to feel a little wobbly myself."

"Oh," Nina murmured. "Of course. I'll tell Sten."

"Do that." He walked off without another word. After he made sure that the Woren was sound asleep—and snoring loudly—he went into his own room and sat at the foot of the bed. He had said he was getting tipsy, but in truth he was still as sharp as a knife. The only drug taking the edge off was memory.

A memory of soft blue eyes.

"See, Ryu? This is your new baby sister."

"Ugh…she's kinda ugly. Wrinkly."

"Ha, ha, ha! But she has eyes like your mother's. Blue ones. And don't you think okasan is pretty?"

"I guess. But the baby still looks wrinkly. What's her name?"

"Why don't you pick a name for her? If you think she'll be ugly, you should pick an ugly name. But if you want her to grow up strong and pretty, then you better name her well."

"Okay! How about Yua, then? Like Ryu and Yua! All the letters are the same except for one!"

"Yua…Yua…yes, that's a very pretty name. Yes, a good name indeed."

The ranger awoke with a start and rubbed his eyes clean of sleep. I seem to be drifting a lot lately, he mused. Like…like I can't stay in the present anymore. He slapped his own cheeks to force himself to full wakefulness. Focus, Ryu. Got to focus. This is no time to dream. You have a thief to catch.

He walked down into the taproom, almost completely devoid of patrons in these early hours. He was apparently the first of the party to wake. I guess I'll just have to wait for them.

Sten came down less than ten minutes later. The two locked gazes. An early riser, as well, Ryu thought. A sign of alertness beyond the simple ways of a mere traveler.

The Highlander suddenly broke into a disarming smile that failed to disarm Ryu. He tries to hide it, the ranger knew, tries to hide what he can really do. I wonder why?

"Good morning," Sten greeted winningly. "I heard Katt caused quite a commotion last night. Seems she fancies ye, lad."

"If that's the case, there's little I can do about it," Ryu replied in his usual distant tone. "But just because she has an eye for me, you shouldn't leap to the conclusion that the feeling is mutual. I, for one, don't have time for those kinds of games."

"Ye know," Sten said, "I paid the Woren a little visit last night. She was still drunk, but she was bawling. Didn't expect that at all. Said she wondered why ye never even give her a second glance. Said yer just a cold stone statue who doesn't even look at girls twice. I think ye hurt her feelings."

"Is that supposed to be a reprimand?" Ryu shot back, feeling more than a little annoyed. What business is it of theirs to pry intomy social life, anyway?

"Love is a precious thing, Ryu," the Highlander stated in all seriousness. "Ye shouldn't waste it when the opportunity arises."

"I'll keep that in mind," the ranger said dryly. "But in case you forgot, Katt was very drunk when she started saying those things. I place little credence on things said while under the influence."

"Last I recall, drink removed yer inhibitions. She may 'ave been baring her heart out."

Ryu said nothing for a long while. Finally, he said, "You should wake the others. We have a long journey ahead of us yet, and I'd like to be in Capitan by nightfall."

Sten snapped a sarcastic salute and said, "Aye-aye commander."

The Highlander went back upstairs, leaving Ryu to his thoughts.