[Ridge]
When Caroley reaches the bottom of the stairs she inserts a small key from one of her many pockets into a tiny lock on the massive door. The metal door itself takes up the entire end wall of the corridor, while not even my pinky finger would fit in the lock. The disproportionately sized design and cramped staircase makes the whole place seem uninviting and creepy.
After turning the key almost five times the door cracks open with a click and she pushes it the rest of the way. We all file in behind her, the woman who followed us making up the rear of our group. Once we're all through Caroley shoves the door closed and slips her key back into her dress. We all look around in wonder.
It's just as crowded as upstairs, but it's like walking into an entirely different building. Instead of the dim yellow lighting of the bar, it's almost completely dark down here except for the many oil lamps hanging above a smooth, black stage. Booths line the walls, and the ceiling is surprisingly high, a stark contrast to the tunnel-like staircase leading down here.
Another bar is set up in a small wagon tucked in the far corner. There's a door of a different color on each wall, and only the green one is open. Through it are betting tables and games piled high with painted wooden chips and unsavory characters. Everywhere you look is covered in a thin veil of fog or smoke, making Kadeeth cough a little. I try to repress the memories the slight burn in my throat attempts to dig up.
Caroley herds us over to a chipped red door and produces yet another key, this one scarlet to match its door. The cheap wood swings open easily and we all rush inside to get away from the energetic men and women crowding around the stage.
Inside the new room are four brown leather couches facing each other in a square, and a sleek knee high table centered in the middle of them. Caroley tosses her body onto the nearest one and pulls out another smoker, but doesn't light it yet. We all find a place to sit, with Kadeeth on my right and Tellur across from us.
"I was worried you wouldn't make it." She smiles and pats Raforn on the head.
He leans away from her thin hands, "We weren't late, it was still light outside." He corrects. She nods thoughtfully, moving the smoker roll around to the corner of her mouth with her lips. Tellur slowly reveals a small matchbox from the inside of his sock and extracts a single matchstick. He politely offers it to Caroley, who smiles but kindly refuses.
"I only smoke when I'm doin' business. Right now, I'm catching up with my new friends." She explains, leaning back against the rough cushions. Tellur silently slips the match back in its little box and tucks it away again in his shoe.
"You shouldn't 'smoke' at all, it's bad for you..." Raforn mumbles, folding his arms.
Caroley belts out a laugh and wipes a fake tear from her eye, "This again. I swear he thinks he's a prophet or something, even doctors prescribe these things." Raforn rolls his eyes and angles his body away from her in a pout. This must be a common disagreement between them.
"Actually, I heard there's new research being developed that supports Raf-" Kadeeth's science rant is cut off.
"Nevermind that. Y'all should meet my good friend, Caleigh." Caroley interrupts, pointing her fingers at the woman sitting alone on the fourth sofa. The woman smiles daintily, her pudgy face turning a rosy pink.
She's clearly very strong as well, and her muscles are much harder to hide because of her heavier body type. This is not someone I'd go out of my way to pick a serious fight with. On the other hand, she looks like she'd be an amazing sparring partner. Maybe I can get her to practice with me some before we move on from Rancid. Right, we have a mission.
"Nice to meet you all." She says. Her voice is sweet and crisp, her whole vibe doesn't mesh well with how she looks like she could crush someone's head with her bicep, but maybe that's part of her appeal.
We all return her greeting before I quietly catch Raforn's attention. I dart my eyes to Caleigh and back to him, inclining my head slightly in a silent question. A look of realization dawn's on his features and he addresses the room.
"It's nice to see you both again, it's been too long." He converses.
"We've really missed you around here!" Caleigh coos sweetly. I look at Raforn again, asking for more, "So what brought you back? Some of us thought for sure you'd finally gone off for good."
"I wouldn't leave the only people I can trust that easily." His face turns red and he quickly locks onto my eyes until I nod satisfactory, and he goes back to pouting over the smoker hanging from his friends lips. So, she can be trusted just as much as Caroley.
"Well that's not the case anymore, Forn. You have some wonderful new friends!" Caleigh assures him. He bobs his head stiffly in embarrassed agreement.
A swift, triple knock on the door grabs our attention. Caroley packs her smoke into her dress and mutters a few curses as the sound of a key clicking into place fills the room. We watch the door with baited breath until it swings wide open dramatically, hitting against the wall and bouncing off hard enough to make a dent.
In steps a very tall, deathly thin man with the posture of a Noble. His pointed beard is thin, like he's struggling to grow facial hair at all, and his short top hat hides his receding hairline. The top of the hat barely misses dusting the door frame.
His long legs carry him into the tense room. He smiles a curled, Cheshire grin and taps his cane against the stained carpet. He doesn't move to approach the sitting area, giving off an air of indifference. At the same time, his snake eyes scan the room before landing on the back of Caroley's head.