James looked around the inn. He had gone down into the town looking for something interesting to occupy himself with, but it quickly became clear that the quiet town didn’t have much in the way of interesting. Rather than return to the castle, he figured he might as well meet the locals and figured the inn was the best place to do it. It was mostly empty, and somewhat poorly lit, with a few poorly spaced lanterns, but the bartender was friendly enough and was happy to pour him a glass of whisky.
As he surveyed the bar he saw one group of locals playing cards and another simply drinking and laughing, but what caught his eye was the attractive woman sitting in the corner of the room, her face buried in a book. He recognized her from the meeting at the castle, but hadn’t had the pleasure of speaking with her by this point. James took a large gulp of his whisky before he got up from the bar and walked over to her. When he reached her table he put his hand out to shake hers and began introducing himself.
“Hello there, I believe I saw you back at the castle, right?”
The young woman nearly jumped out of her chair as she noticed him, almost as though he had woken her up. She rattled the cup of coffee in her hand and closed her book. “Did I forget my spatula again?”
James smiled, laughing internally as he raised an eyebrow to her and sat at the table. Maybe he had woken her up. Her question had thrown him off, but he pressed on. “No, ma’am, I don’t think you did.” He extended his hand a second time. “James Ford’s the name, and you are?”
He watched as she placed the book down very deliberately and carefully offered her hand. She really was very attractive, even in the simple dress that she wore. Her grip was light, and her hand felt soft against his own rough skin. “Sofia, sir.” She smiled softly as she spoke. “A pleasure to meet you, though I admit, I didn't expect to see anyone from the order here in the village so soon."
James flashed a smile in response and looked at the book she had been reading, though it didn’t appear to be in English. “A pleasure to meet you as well Miss Sofia. I came through the town earlier this morning, wanted to see it when the people were actually awake. What brings you down here?”
"To study, Mister Ford. These quaint little mysteries spreading through the land like mold on old cheese need a critical mind to break them down thoroughly. And I fear, I only really have the practical apt for these experiments so far..." Her cheeks turned pink as she finished speaking, apparently embarrassed.
James leaned back in his chair as he considered what she said, balancing it on two legs. She might have a point, but at the very least, the logistics of studying the things they were going to have to deal with here would make it difficult. “I suppose these beasts might be worth studying. Seems easier to just put a bullet in their heads though.” Damn he wished he had his guns. “Either way, I'm sure you'll have enough specimens to experiment on soon enough.”
Sofia smirked, the corners of her mouth curling up, as she straightened the sleeves of her dress. “Well you clearly have your aim set straight all from the start, haven't you, Mister Ford? No doubt, no fear? No room for any critical analysis of the very nature of these superstitious phenomena that seem to worry the master so?"
James began responding to Sofia’s question when he saw a young man move to stand behind her. Before James could say anything the well-dressed man bent over and spoke quietly into her ear. “My lady.” He straightened up, even as Sofia delivered a high pitched squeal and turned to look at the man. As he took a seat at the table he turned to James. “Sir, what beasts might those be?”
Sofia didn’t give him a chance to respond before yelling at the young man. “That is no way to behave in a public setting such as this!"
James looked angrily at the man for a moment, both for the interruption and his behavior, before returning to smiling. “Those beasts being werewolves, vampires, liches, and the like.”
Sofia, seemingly annoyed, made a show of rolling her eyes and avoiding eye contact with either of them.
The young man laughed, though James couldn’t tell what for, before responding. “Lighten up, if such beasts even exists then be happy instead of giving me an angry look, there was no offend meant my lady, may I enquirer you names?”
James couldn’t help but smirk as the Sofia turned away from the many and questioned him. “How about you offer yours first?”
But James didn’t care so much about trading names as the man’s comments about “if” the beasts exist. Thoughts of his family lying dead flashed though his mind briefly before he pushed them aside. His voice was eerily calm as he responded to the comment. "Boy, I can assure you that there are such beasts. Perhaps you shouldn't be here if you think otherwise."
The man smiled, but it was clear to everyone that it was fake. “Should I be scared of fantasy tales? And my name is Lord Richard Darvill, now it’s your turn.”
James didn’t feel like arguing with the fool in front of Sofia, instead he answered gruffly. “Name’s Ford.”
Sofia still looked angry when she responded. “You seemed to take glee in eavesdropping on a private conversation between a lady and a gentleman before. Surely you know our names already? But if it so eluded you, Sofia is my name, sir. Sofia Skarp."
“Very well, Ford and Sofia, why do you think these creatures are in this land, i have never heard of such strange creatures in this land?”
Sofia only glanced at the man before turning away again, leaving James to answer him. “Because they called us here to deal with them. Tell me son, d'you leave your castle to come fight bedtime stories?"
Richard ordered a drink from the innkeeper before responding vaguely. “They?”
James wondered how the man could be so dense as he took a drink of his whisky. “Yes, they, the Order.”
“The Order, hmm.” He took a sip of his drink and them immediately spit it back out. “Tastes horrible. So the Order has called an American here?”
James adjusted his hat to cover his eyes more as he wondered where this was going. “Seems they’ve called everyone they can.”
Sofia, who had been sitting quietly, took her opportunity to jump into the conversation once again. “Are you jesting or do you just enjoy playing the fool, milord? If Lord is really what you are.”
Richard answered her dismissively before returning his attention to James. “I am a lord, don’t worry about that. But still, an American, the Order must be very desperate to call an American, Americans have a horrible way of being loud obvious.”
James wasn’t exactly going to dispute the claim, but decided that he’d rather have another American in the Order than this man. “Maybe, but we also have a way of getting results.”
Sofia scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest before speaking in a language James didn’t understand. “Karlar…”
“The only result you will get is a scared population, you are in Eastern Europe. In Britain we could have called you a nutjob, here they might believe you enough to get so scared that civil unrest will ensue. It’s not always wise to speak about Order business while out in the public.”
James drank some more of his whisky and looked down at the table. “Can’t say I care much what the locals think. I’m not here to calm the people.” To prove his point, he made a show of looking around the nearly empty inn. “Anyhow, it’s not as if anyone cares to listen to our talkin’.”
He looked over to Sofia as she spoke, apparently becoming more comfortable. “Or speak English for that matter. Getting a plain cup of coffee was hard enough. Imagine discussing just basic stoichiometry or paranormal tales of fairies and talking wolves."
“All people know the stories about the monsters under their bed; there is a reason we don’t act in the open. It takes just one spark to ignite a fire, so be careful what you say"
James shrugged, clearly annoyed with Richard. “No one is plannin’ to talk with the locals.” He pulled one of the crumpled cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and lit it. “But I’ll speak as I please.”
“Besides…” Sofia paused for a moment before continuing. “What would you suggest we talk about instead, since you seemed fit to disrupt us?”
“An American indeed. Well let me change topic then, where are you from Sofia?”
“Sweden.” James noticed that she seemed bored as she answered Richard, as if she were distracted by something.
“Ah, and your interests are?”
She turned back to him, her lips curling into a slight smile again as she looked at him. “None I think you’d share.”
James laughed loudly at this and smiled at Sofia. Richard ignored him and leaned in closer. “Try me.”
"I currently am trying to assemble a quite extensive system of auto-electrolysis in the castle cellar level, able to perpetuate the separation of most aqueous solutions of the more common chemical compounds available to us in Transylvania, to see if the ions can be used to form new sorts of solidius compounds of gases normally only found independently as single molecules in air. I find this quite, 'interesting'."
“Ah chemistry, yeah I am not even gonna try to pretend I know any of that. I was never a fan of the subject, personally I prefer medicine.” He smiled at Sofia as he spoke. “Well medicine or law are my interests.”
James couldn’t help but laugh again as her eyes lit up when she discussed chemistry. “Sounds like your skills will be very helpful to the Order miss Sofia, though I can’t say I really know what you meant.”
She turned to James and smiled warmly. “That’s why I’m here, I suppose. How about you Mister Ford? Have you any exciting stories to tell about the wild frontier in the New World?”
James grinned, trying to decide which story might be best to tell her. “Oh, I could go on about that for days. Tell me, have you heard of the Alamo?”
She turned bashful at the question and began clutching at her nails nervously. “I’m afraid I haven’t sir…”
James kept grinning at the nervous woman, trying to put her at easy. “That’s fine. Perhaps when we have more time I could tell you about it…it was interesting.”
Before she could answer, James was interrupted yet again by a commotion at the front of the inn. A man had burst through the door, appearantly running into it at full speed, causing the Innkeeper to begin yelling at him. James recognized him as another member of the Order and turned to Richard. “Maybe it’s him you should talk to about being discrete.”
Sofia simply gasped at the commotion caused by the new arrival while Richard laughed. “Perhaps it is, I take it he is another member.”
“Yes, he was at the meeting the master called.”
Richard took this as an invitation to wave the new man over to their table. “Sit down my friend.”
The man looked behind him, as if three members of the Order would be talking to anyone else, but then seemed to accept the fact that they were signaling him and walked over to the table. “'Hello, and sorry for the commotion.” His voice was a low whisper and he had a thick accent.
Richard signaled the bartender to bring the new arrival a drink before turning to look at him. “So my friend, what is your name?” Sofia attempted to take a drink of her coffee, but her fingers shook and her eyes appeared uneasy.
The new arrival just looked at Richard and whispered his name. “Willem”
Still somewhat annoyed at having his conversation interrupted, James put his hand out to Willem. “James Ford.” He figured he would spare the nervous woman from having to make an introduction and gestured to her. “And this is Miss Sofia Skarp.”
She smiled behind her cup of coffee. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Richard immediately began probing the man. “Indeed, so how do you find the area, Willem?”
Willem looked around the table, some of his nervousness fading. “I don't think you want to know, let’s just say this place is... special.''
“It is indeed, they could use some wine or just better beer would do.” The smile never faded from Ricahrd’s face.
Sofia smiled politely before leaning in close to James and whispering into his ear. “I do not think these two are all that well.”
James smiled as he felt her lean in close and tried to stifle his laugh at her comment, before responding at the same low volume. “Almost certainly not.”
Willem looked intently at Sofia when he noticed her whispering to James, though he was fairly certain Willem wouldn’t have been able to hear her. When she noticed him staring at her, Sofia leaned back in her seat with a frightened expression on her face, hiding behind her cup of coffee. James made an effort to catch Willem’s attention. “Willem, where are you from, I can’t say I recognize her accent.”
Willem looked away from Sofia and turned to James. “I am from Emmeloort, it’s a small Frisian island. So, where are you guys from? And what are you doing here id I may ask?”
James wasn’t surprised that Richard jumped to speak first. “I am Lord Richard, from England, I was asked to go here by the Grandmaster of the English Order.”
“I’m from Texas. As for why I’m here, there are monsters that need dealt with, simple as that.” James considered answering for Sofia, who still seemed rather nervous, again, but decided against it.
Sofia nodded slightly, still holding her cup in front of her face. “Sweden. Building a lab.”
“Nice to meet you all.” Willem picked up the beer Richard had ordered him before giving it a strange look and setting it back down. “This place needs some improvements.”
James laughed internally at this as he removed his cigarette and took another drink of his whisky. “Seems fine enough to me.”
Sofia spoke up, growing more confident again as she got used to Willem. “Then what do you suggest we do? Or where we should go?"
“I know a place.” A smirk spread across Richard’s face. “I rode past it on the way here.”
Sofia glared at Richard suspiciously, which James found very amusing. “And what place would that be, milord?”
Richard answered cryptically. “It will be fun, I can assure you of that.”
James rolled his eyes at this and looked at Sofia. “Nothing good I’m sure.” She looked back at his with an expression of unease spreading across her face.
Willem looked at Richard nervously. “We could have a look…I guess?”
“All right then.” Richard stood up and began walking towards the door, assuming everyone else would follow. James, annoyed but curious, stood up from his chair and led Sofia out of the inn. It was dark when the exited the inn and the air would have been cold if he had been wearing his coat. Sofia walked close to him as they rounded a corner and came upon a big, well-lit house. Before leading them into the building Richard handed his coat to an older man and withdrew a few coins. When they got inside a fat woman sat at the front with a door on each side of her desk. As Richard handed her the coin she looked upon Sofia with a bit of a surprise, causing her to take a step closer to James. After entering the door they walked down a small hallway before coming to an open room with very loosely dressed women.
"Vad i helvete..." Sofia gasped around and looked terrified, and though he didn’t speak Swedish, James could guess the gist of what she meant. "W-What is this place?"
As Willem struggled to avoid making eye contact with one of ‘ladies’, James looked from Sofia to Richard. He wondered how the ‘Lord’ could think that this was acceptable behavior. “Christ, don’t you have any class?”
Richard answered with a big smile plastered across his face, clearly enjoying their responses. “I do, but I also like pleasure.”
Sofia clung onto James’s arm as she looked around, seemingly unable to focus on any one thing.
“It costs a small fortune in here Ford, but it should be well worth the money. There is something for every taste and every sex.” Richard laughed as he finished speaking.
Sofia was shocked to hear that. “You... You don't mean you'd ever bed one of these? I can only imagine what strange and exciting fungi I could extract from some of these people."
Willem started wondering towards a nearby table, looking very uncomfortable as he did. “Jesus Christ what is this place?!”
“I don’t normally bed these types, I prefer actresses and princesses.” Richard looked at Willem with a big grin across his face. “I heard the princess of the Netherlands is a rather good looker.”
It wasn’t as if James had never visited a brothel in his life, but he wouldn’t have even thought to bring along a woman. He looked angrily at Richard. “Honestly, is this how you act in front of a lady?”
Willem seemed insulted by Richard’s comment. “She’s no princess of my people.” He looked at Sofia hanging uncomfortably on James’s arm. “Can we just go sit somewhere, or make our way out of here, please?”
Sofia narrowed her eyes at Richard. “Let him have his fun. And when he catches syfphilis, he'll neither have my mercury, or my sodium iodide, or my arsenic! Those elements happen to be expensive, and should not be wasted on such glarish... Impolite... Osedliga svin!"
Richard ignored her and snapped his fingers to be pointed to a table. A woman arrives with glasses of wine shortly after they arrive at the table. “This is how I act after a long carriage ride and in need of fun. Sofia is a lady indeed but I would like her to know how I act when I want to have fun. And not a face I put on to appear fake, and the same goes to Willem, I rather have them see me for who I am rather than a mask"
James stepped closer to Richard and began speaking in a low voice. Ironically, he normally would have punched someone in the face for the way Richard was acting, but he restrained himself for Sofia’s sake. “I don't care if you don't want to be "fake"; you don't take a lady to a whorehouse."
"Oh stop being so overprotective, there is no use for that. I don’t care for your norms, heck even the late Queen of England was more fun than you. You should see some of our parties, this is nothing in comparison." He broke off the cold stare as he began laughing.
James’s knuckles turned white as his fist tightened, but he thought better of it and relaxed his hand. Sofia was uncomfortable enough; she didn’t need to be part of a whorehouse brawl.
Richard quickly changed the subject, his voice taking a more serious tone. “So what did the Grandmaster say?”
James turned away from Richard, wishing he had his whisky, and answered in a monotone voice. “They need us to secure the town of Pretz I believe.”
"Well then, let’s do it"
Sofia snorted, seemingly both at the establishment and Richards comment. “From myths and wives tales?”
The smirk returned to Richard’s face. “What is wrong Sofia, have you never seen a naked body before?”
Willem pulled a map of the area from his jacket and laid it flat on the table. ''Where exactly was this again?''
“Good question.”
James glared at Richard intensely, angered that he felt the need to harass Sofia. Rather than start something he just answered in the same monotone voice. “It’s just south of here, north east Romania.”
“Well then we could go there and get this mess sorted out, if you guys are up for it that is."
Sofia looked annoyed by Richard. “I thought we were loud and indiscreet. What's with the sudden change of heart?"
“Here we paid for discretion, you didn’t pay for that at the inn.”
Sofia looked up at James, her face a mixture of wonder and worry.
James smiled reassuringly at her before turning to Richard. “Oh, is that what you paid for?”
He just smiled. “Yes, as I said, these aren’t my type; I prefer a princess or an actress.”
Willem looked around the room. “Discreet enough.” He looks at a group of men then suddenly ducks under the table.
Richard smirked again. “Afraid of butcher are we? It’s like the start of a bad joke.”
James shook his head as he lit another cigarette and muttered under his breath. “Christ.”
Sofia leaned in and whispered into James’s ear again. “Do you think it's very wise? To travel with these two?"
James didn’t think that it really was, but he shrugged to Sofia. “I'm going to Pretz no matter what. It would be nice to have some companions, but these two...I don't know.”
Richard looked around the table. “Anyways shall we head for, what was the name?”
Willem kicks Richard from under the table. “Keep quiet.”
“Ouch, what the hell are you doing!” Richard shakes his head and turns to Sofia. “Ford is right, besides you can all join me in the carriage if you want to, saves you from a walk."
Willem seemed to begin recovering from his scare and crawled out from under the table and sat down. “Sorry, familiars.”
Richard glared at him with an exasperated look. “Surely you are joking.”
Sofia madea long sigh before looking down at Willem. “It doesn't seem like the Frisian trust our company all that well. Though I didn't come to Transylvania only to determine the polar energy of basic compounds all day. I'll come." She stares angrily at Richard. "If there'll be no more unpleasant surprises on the way."
James shook his head and took a drag from his cigarette. “You all can do things I can't and I can do things you can't, I'm willing to try this at least once." He looks at Richard as well. "Provided we all respect each other."
Richard laughed. “Well, surprises are fun, but I will try to keep it under control.”
“I am in as well, I want to know what is going on in this place.” Willem lowers his voice. “But let’s be careful.”
James flicked his cigarette away. “If we’re all in agreement then I’m going to leave this,” he looked around, “establishment. Sofia, are you coming?”
She nodded to him and put her arm though his. “And not a minute too soon.”
Willem put his jacket on and tried to hide his face before turning to Richard. “I’ll be off as well, have…fun.”
James laughed and looked over his shoulder as he escorted Sofia out of the building. “Enjoy your ‘discretion’!”
