The clothed and armoured figures watched as the fat man slowly went down the ladder with quaking legs and drawn out steps. Truly an arduous task. The clothed one facepalmed as he shook his head.
Of course, with the rate at which he was descending, him stating that he'd meet with them shortly was a lie. A funny one, at least.
To be honest, it was quite impressive that he was able to even fit through the narrow opening, though that was only a thought that the armoured one held in his mind, before he too shook his head and looked around the room during the wait.
Whereas the main floor was warm, well lit, and fashioned out of birch wood, the basement was like a small quarry, a completely hollowed out a rectangular stone room, and dimly lit with candles hooked into the walls. Lines of wooden chests were lined against the walls, some placed on top of shelves, and some even placed on the ground, acting as a floor.
What wasn't being used as storage space, though the two were certain it'd happen sooner or later, was the ceiling, and the small opening at the base of the ladder.
Eventually, however, the fat man would reach the ground, just barely squeezing through two chests as he walked around the cool basement. He let out a heavy breath, placing his hands on his hips as he looked around, taking notice of a chest on top of a shelf in the far corner, marked with some parchment sticking out of the chest.
"Come, come," he urged, waving his entire arm as he quickly glanced back and forth. "This chest is empty. We can put it there."
The two followed, feeling the stone floor transition into that of the tops of wooden chests, watching as the fat man struggled reaching for the chest, who started hopping in place, just barely getting his hands over the shelf, which still wasn't enough.
The armoured one placed it down and opened it, revealing that it truly was empty. The clothed one was just about to empty the contents, before the fat man stepped in between and reached for the bag.
"Wait, wait, wait," he said, snatching it out of his hands. "I want to see what else you found."
He flipped the bag upside down, letting its contents crash against the tops of the chests, staring with widened eyes and a gaping mouth.
"Holy Mother of Saint Caterina," he continued, staring in silence at countless nefandite longswords, daggers, bows, arrows, armour, and staves. He darted his head at the clothed one with wrinkles all around his eyes and on his forehead, his jaw still hanging. "You hit a gold mine! How?"
The clothed one gestured with his head to the armoured one.
The fat man quickly shifted his gaze, holding out his arms as though he wanted to hug the armoured one. "Pray tell. How did you do it?" he begged.
The armoured one simply crossed his arms without a word; not even a sigh.
The fat man raised a finger as he was about to speak, but lowered it as he sighed and pursed his lips, looking down as he walked back towards the ladder.
"Right, right. You guys don't speak. Well in any case, let's head..."
He paused in both his speech and tracks, before turning back to watch as they stared at in him whilst standing in place. The clothed one now crossed his arms as well.
Again, the fat man sighed, looking off to the side as he rolled his eyes. "And yes, your payment... I will get it for you... but come! Let us have some dinner first! I have some..."
He paused again as he looked back at them, seeing that they had no interest in moving, let alone dropping their crossed arms.
"Oh come on," he smiled with pursed lips, "we've known each other for a while now! You know I'll hand over your pay." He crossed his arms, looking off to the side with a chin held high and closed eyes. "Besides, I'm an honourable man who makes an honest living!"
The two spared each other a short glance. Though it was fleeting, it was enough to convey a thousand words of doubt, uncertainty, and most of all, mistrust. Reluctantly, they followed, and the fat man smiled.
"Finally. You may not be talkative, but no one can resist good food!"
***
The two sat atop stools, leaving one empty one as space between them, while the fat man paced behind the bar stand, preparing dinner.
The armoured one reached for a neatly folded napkin placed in a glass and grabbed a fountain pen he found laying on the fat man's side of the table.
While he started writing on the napkin, the clothed one simply held onto a nefandite dagger, brushing his fingertips along the curved edge, studying every single thing about the weapon from the hilt to the tip.
"And here you go," said the fat man, turning around to reveal a wide smile on his face and a cloth resting over his shoulder as he placed their dinner on the countertop. "Here's what I really like to have when I'm feeling a bit down."
The two looked down at their plates, staring at it in silence.
"Twice-baked potato atop a smear of herb infused purée," continued the fat man, smiling "garnished with a sprinkle of chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. These golden-brown spuds, hollowed and then mixed with a creamy and delicate blend of the spud's meat, some truffles, roasted garlic, and butter, are also loaded with shreds of beef and melted cheese." He pulled up a plate from behind the counter, revealing another one. "I've even made one for myself!"
He smiled as he took a spoonful of the dish, lifting it up to his mouth, letting it rest there as he closed his eyes, enjoying the aroma, before tasting it. With his free hand, he slammed the countertop, startling the two, as he let out a hum of satisfaction, nodding as he chewed.
"I guarantee you," said the fat man, his fingers held above his head, symbolizing perfection, "no one makes it better than I do in all of Teivel, and you won't find a single person who dislikes this one."
The two exchanged glances, quickly looking back down at their plates. Slowly, the armoured one lifted his mask, only enough to reveal a shortly trimmed, brown beard and mustache. The clothed one pulled the bottom his face mask forward, allowing themselves a way to eat without revealing their faces.
The each took one spoonful and tried it, covering their faces again as they chewed.
The fat man smiled as he watched them. "So," he said, raising a brow as he panned his face forward, "what do you think?"
They both placed down their cutlery and, at the same time, raised two thumbs up, continuing to eat some more.
The fat man's smile gleamed as he raised a fist near his face, whispering, "yes!", before continuing to eat with them.
After about ten minutes, the armoured one slid forth the piece of paper towards the fat man, who took it and read the writing.
He rubbed his chin as he raised his brows. "Ah, so you need a place to stay, huh?"
They both nodded.
"Well," he tapped his chin, looking up through the corner of his eye as he slid the napkin back, "I can lend you guys a room upstairs... but," he leaned against the countertop, rubbing his thumb and index together, "it'll cost you."
The two, who rested their arms on the table, crossed their arms as they straightened their backs, staring at the fat man.
"Look, it's just business!" said the fat man, looking over his shoulder as he began washing the dishes. "People come here and sometimes need a place to stay, and if you're occupying a room, then I can't rent it out to them. Doesn't that make sense?"
They tapped their chins, reluctantly nodding.
"Thank goodness you folks understand that much. Now," he turned off the sink, returning back to the stand, "I'll be nice to you guys since you're doing me a favour helping me collect all that gear. Normally I'd charge fifty silver per guest, but I'll give you both the room for thirty-five each, how does that sound?"
The clothed one quickly looked at the armoured one, finding that his companion was already nodding. He held his forehead as he rested his elbow against the countertop.
Clearly, choosing not to openly talk had its disadvantages, one could say.
"Great! Then I'll just," he paused reaching into a pouch on his side, removing silver coins from it, before he fastened a knot and handed over to them, "take it directly from your pay. Seventy to me, four-hundred and thirty to you." He slid over a small black key, holding a finger up as he looked at each of them. "That's my only key for this room, so don't lose it, or I'll charge you for the replacement, got that?"
The clothed one hopped off the stool without sparing them a glance, and the armoured one quickly followed after grabbing the pouch of coins and writing "thanks" on the same napkin.
"You're most welcome, gentlemen. A pleasure doing business, as always. Your room is the one down the hall. Have a good night!"
The clothed one shook his head as he went up the steps, followed by the armoured one, quickly navigating to their room.
Once inside, they both made sure that the fat man, or anyone else for that matter, wasn't around. Without wasting time, the clothed one removed his mask and pulled back his hood, revealing long, black hair that glistened in the moonlight streaming through the window. His skin as pale as bone, revealing none other than the skinny face of Kane.
Kane looked back, frowning as he watched Bauer standing in silence, yawning.
"Are you fucking nuts?" whispered Kane, his eyes twitching. "Thirty-five silver each? That's still a rip off!"