AN: More then halfway done now A Day in the Live - V My second patrol of the day was in the town square of Keeptown. This time I was partnered with another corporal, Bantry. I don't know where that name came from and neither does he. "So I'm going to need a new place to gamble." He said. "Things are just getting a bit too dangerous for me right now." "If you owe them money you'll have to pay it." I said. "Oh what do you know?" Bantry's raven hair was cut short and designed to look as masculine as possible. His tabard hung loose in a poor attempt to hide his breasts. Rarely has someone denied a gender swap so hard as he did. "Is something wrong?" "Excuse me?" "You seem distracted." I shrugged. "Just the usual stuff. Someone accused me of doing nothing, that the Watch will never fix shit." I said. "It's been on my mind all day. I had a meeting with a friend at lunch and after that I'm wondering how much we really do accomplish." "Less then a lot and more than none." Bantry said. He readjusted his cloak, spotless and as pristine as the day he received it. By comparison mine was a stained and frayed thing. Bantry was not like Remmie. Remmie could be something, Bantry had accepted he would never be and made peace with it. Bantry enjoyed like, he never slacked on his work but he never tried hard either. He was competent, I guess that's enough. "What does that even mean?" I asked. A maned wolf in a hideous orange great coat pushed his was between us, deliberately elbowing me as he went. I let it pass. "It means we must be doing something. Even if the only thing we do is collect our price, we're doing something!" "I'd like to do more than just collect money." I said. "It bothers me if I'm not accomplishing something. I didn't join the Watch to never achieve." I joined the Watch to become Justicar and fix the horrendous justice system. Something needed to change. "Yeah they do." He shrugged. "Do you know what the best three things in life are?" "I'm sure you'll tell me." "Money," He held up a finger. "Women and alcohol. Above all else these, or however that saying goes. With these you can be happy." "Why would I need women?" I asked. "Well men then I don't know! Gamble, drink and have a good time. We're all doomed anyway." Bantry cackled. "We're in a cursed valley the whole world hates; if we're doomed we might as well have fun with it." "I don't believe we're doomed. This place should prove that." The main square was alive with people, thronging and bustling about, going and coming, all species and ages, all very peaceful. "To them, the world isn't ending. "Yeah they're all kinds of crazy." Bantry said. "Maybe they're stupid too. We're all doomed, mark my words, we'll be dead in a fire soon enough." "If you believe this, why do you keep showing up?" I asked. Bantry frowned. "Maybe I'm a cynic but I don't want to see this place ruined." He shrugged. "At least I can give them a few good days." Even without reaching out I could feel people's emotions and thoughts, so many in such a tight area. The occasional spirit brushed against me but nothing too bad. It is peaceful. After the morning I've had I could use it. "Anyway I wish the Watch actually could do shit." Bantry said. "I go out looking for women and I say 'I'm a corporal in the Watch' and know how much attention that gets? None!" "We're doing more then finding bed partners for you." I said. "Well I don't get any benefit from that." Bantry groaned. "I'd like to be one of the Long Scouts. You know Brightleaf could get any woman he wanted." "Have you even met him?" "I hear things." "I'd get my hearing checked." I said. I'd met Misha Brightleaf one time very briefly and I doubt he remembered me. I had been struck by his masculinity, his impressive scars and his impressive...axe. I'd visited him in my dreams many more times. I have a love for furry, scarred men; I won't apologize for it. The numerous faces began to bleed together for me. A human, an animal, a child all together and my mind else where. A bull carrying lumber walked- SLAM I stumbled. That...someone tried to Tap my mind? But way too hard? Bantry was talking to someone else and hadn't noticed me. I looked back at the bull as he turned down an ally way. ' Did he...Tap me? Who was that?' Ah you're from Isenport!" Bantry said. "And rapidly becoming a lizard like my friend here." I turned back to find my partner speaking to someone new. He was speaking to a man, a man I did not recognize. His hair was blonde and rapidly falling out. His face was a mass of small round, orange scales and his neck was developing a ridged look to it. Why is he wearing a skirt? "Want to place a bet on what you're becoming?" The man frowned. "Excuse me?" "Place a bet. It's fun, you set down a sum of money on what you think you're becoming, if you're right you double your money." "If you're on the city watch, should you be taking bets from people?" I smirked. At least someone else said it. "Actually I'm off now." Bantry lied. "This is a side business I run." Can you please be a professional just for a few minutes? "You don't know me. You just met me!" "Money never waits!" Skirt man took a step back. I've never worn a skirt or a dress in my life. After seeing it on the half-lizard man, I realized why. "I bet that's a no?" "You bet correct." The man shouted. "Do you know who I am?" "Somebody new to the Keep." Bantry said. "If not for the scales I'd assume you were a transgender like me, especially since you're wearing a skirt." "It's not a skirt!" I could tell it was a skirt. Now everyone in the area was looking at us. "I am nobility; you should not just come up talking to me." I snorted. "I'm sorry your highness, I didn't know we had to follow protocol." "Don't talk to me. Stay away from me." He began to walk away but his eyes drifted back to mine. "I mean...I don't want to be here." I Tapped his mind as he turned but he had moved just far enough away.
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