The saloon was filled with the smell of settling dust, stale alcohol, and the stale men who drank it. It was noon time, and many of the miners had come in after the whistle had sounded to grab a drink with their partners before heading back into the shafts collecting the ore that kept this town alive. They were gruff and many laughed and told tall tales to their mates while bouncing a bar girl on their lap.
One of the pleasure girls danced around to the sound of the piano on the makeshift stage which would sometimes double as a gallows if need be with a mismatched set of of Oriental clothes that showed offer her assets as well as her dark green haired tied back in a pony tail. Even though she was Asian, Lyn still received many enticements from the barflies. She smiled and while she did entice them even more, she continued on her swift movements around the floor, kicking up the dust that had begun to settle.
She walked next to the corner and for the briefest of moments paused in her stride as she passed a slip of parchment into an awaiting hand. The owner turned around and flashed a rare white smile amongst the yellow and black ones that filled the bar to the young lady. Lyn smiled back and gave a wink as she continued on her path.
Marth retracted his hand and looked at the message from one of his old war contracts. He smiled as he read the message telling him the exact location on where they were going to meet to discuss terms of business away from the prying ears of the law.
There is no denying his past, his faded gray wool coat says it all. He is a veteran of the civil war. And it wasn't the winning side. Though Marth, despite his hatred of slavery, didn't think that it was the wrong side he fought on only a few years ago. "Your move, sir." Lucina's voice brought him out of his revelry of the past and back to the game of checkers before them. Martha adjusted his gray coat as he planned his move.
He picked up his black token and jumped one square, taking one of Lucina's pieces. The female bluenett looked back to her boss and then back to the checkered board. He took one of her pieces, but in doing so, he exposed himself for a double jump and her getting that same token to be kinged. "That… is a bold move sir."
"Thanks. I like to live on the edge." Marth replied in a thick Atlanta accent.
Lucina rolled her eyes and performed the exact same move she planned. "King me."
"Nice work, dumb ass." The third occupant of the bar, their current hired gun and half blooded Injun who went by the moniker name of Captain Falcon, despite never serving a day of his life in any military.
Marth reached for his half empty glass of rotgut whiskey, called by the locals as 'coffin varnish' with rumors of the whiskey being cut by turpentine, and drank the rest of it in a single gulp. "She said it was a bold move, and it has lured-"
"A toast!" Some voice bellowed above the music. Many ignored it, just another drunk wanting to make himself hear. "A toast! SHU'A UP!" The volume of the man eventually got everyone's attention and even the pianist Shulk stopped playing.
Marth saw the owner of the voice. A short, fat diminutive man. He had the nose that was as fat as a cactus, and a waxed mustache that looked like bolts of lightning shooting from his lips. He climbed up on the stool, and swayed with a tankard of some sort of beer spilling from it. He looked as if he had been drinking, but didn't display any of the signs that he was drunk beyond a buzz."I...I want to say a few words. Just saying. As we all know… this is an auspicious day." It was a perfect match for the man, slurred and nasally, but not enough so the message could be heard clearly.
"Suspicious?" Falcon asked in the background. "What day is it?"
"A proud day, for all the members of the of the United States… Unification Day! The end of the scumbag confederates, and the rebirth of a nation!" There were several 'yeahs' and 'here-heres' that followed as the drunkard took a drink.
Marth rose from his chair, causing a rare look of concern to briefly flash across Lucina's face, afraid Marth was going to do something stupid like shoot the drunk were he stood. "Sir?"
"Don't worry your pretty head, just feel the need for another drink." Marth replied as he navigated his way back to the bar. He walked in between chairs and around tables until he was right next to the drunk and slammed his empty glass gown on the oiled wood. "Barman, dame un vaso de whisky, y rápido." The Mexican bartender came over as fast as he could with a bottle of the rotgut in his hand and filled Marth's glass as the drunk leered in close.
"Come to toast to the Union with me?" Marth didn't reply as he fished out some coins and began to count the exact change to the barkeep. "Four years ago today, the Union sent the gray shirt cowards running back home to their mommas, pissin' their pants." The drunk then noticed Marth's attire and his tone changed slightly. "Ya' know, that coat you wear… is a grayish color."
"Momma wanted me to look the part." Marth replied offhandedly as he brought the paid glass to his lips and drank the bitter tasting alcohol down in one swoop.
"You didn't toast with Wario." The drunk, who must have been Wario, looked offended. "You know, I's think you one of them Confederates!"
Marth slid the glass away and looked at the angry little man. "And I think that you weren't gifted with an abundance of schooling. So why don't we just let it end here and go our separate ways? War is over any way."
Marth turned away to leave but he heard Wario's voice. "The South were a bunch of cowardly pisspots who should have been killed on every battle ground to a man."
His considerable patience pushed to its limit, Marth spun around with barely contained anger in his eyes. "Say that to my face, drunk." His voice was controlled, but it was low and cold.
Wario looked at him with half glazed eyes. "I said, you'sa coward… and a pisspot. Now what are you going to do about that?"
Marth then broke into that sweet Southern smile. "Nothing at all. I just wanted you to face me so she can get behind you." Wario went to look over her shoulder and was met with the butt of Lucina's sawed off Colt rifle. The blow shattered the drunk's nose and sent him collapsing into the ground. Marth looked up to his friend and kept smiling. "Drunks are so adorable."
There were the sounds of chairs moving and people standing up. Marth looked and saw roughly seven burly men, dressed in the dark blue of the Union. "Well, this is a happy development..." Lucina stated under her breath. Funny, how Marth always managed to find himself in a Union friendly bar, come the anniversery of the end of the war, looking for a 'quiet drink.' "Falcon?" She voiced over to their associate.
Marth looked to see the half-Apache mercenary with his feet up on the table and a glass of water in his hands. "Hey, I didn't fight in a white man's war. Best of luck though."
The pianist began to break out into a fit of exciting music, fitting the atmosphere as Marth pulled down on his jacket and looked to the crowd of opponents. "Alright, let's have a go at it."
Zelda continued to scratch the words down on the page as Ike looked over the parts she had written before hand. "I think this story is coming along well. Is there a chance I will be introduced somewhere?"
Zelda didn't look up. "Later on, yes. I was planning on having you in Marth's place, but I have a feeling that others would think of it as typical in me writing that. A little variety of characters is needed, rather then the same typical shtick all the time."
Ike nodded. Even though he wouldn't be in the main character seat, something he did enjoy from time to time, he couldn't complain that he was at least going to be in it.
Entering into the contest was officially over, and there were quite a few non-Smashers who signed up for the prizes. Of the Smashers, Link was busy writing one of a goat herder, played by himself, against a cattle baron named Ganon. R.O.B was supposedly creating one about a saloon owner, but it was being written in binary. Peach was writing a surprisingly dark one, she never said on what exactly, but Chrom was a little uneasy after reading it.
Zelda had some tough competition, but they had as good a chance as everyone else.
Well, after a few weeks, the option of entering contest is officially closed! I am surprised and grateful for all of you who signed up to participate. it means a lot to me, considering that I was thinking I would be judging only five stories. You guys are great, but now the real work begins. Publish those stories and make sure they are in by July 1st.
On a side note regarding reviews. All three of the judges will review each story at least once to ensure all get some feedback. I will be waiting until the end or near it to review. I encourage all the participants to review the your fellow competitor' stories. It isn't required, but it would be a nice gesture to do so anyway.
Thank you, and best of luck!
Flame Falcon