In His Name

Extra 1

*warning* Harsh language, discussion of abuse. 

The bar hums with the patrons of the busy night. Drunk voices rise in songs and woes, in cheers and tears, only growing more boisterous as the night wears on. Maggy weaves her way in between the tables. Skillfully avoiding wandering hands and haphazardly swung mugs in a perfectly orchestrated dance.

A scowling man sits alone at one of the small back tables. She'd never seen the man before, but he's most likely a local, seeing as how he'd strolled in with a cluster of other men who'd come straight from the docks. A ship, heavily loaded down with fish had come in this morning and the dock workers had set a new record for their unload time, earning them all a few extra coins. Maggy has already heard the story several times in various levels of exaggeration and knows quite well that her rowdiest consumers tonight are mainly happy dock hands. The one in the back alone is the only one who doesn't seem pleased. She quickly decides it's a shame he doesn't come in more often. He is very easy on the eyes, and despite having drank quite a bit, has yet to try and grab at her or otherwise make a fool of himself.

"Maggy!" the bar owners gruff voice calls out, grabbing her attention, "Take a quick break, this lot will probably be here a while longer."

She nods to let him know she'd heard, setting her pitcher behind the bar. She grabs a bit of pastry and makes her way over to the lonely man in the back. He's just her type after all. Tall and broad with clean cut, light blonde hair and pretty blue eyes that hold a hint of sadness and danger.

***

Yewin looks up as the serving girl sits down.

"Hi there," she smiles, "I was just taking little break and was wondering if you'd like to share this slice of pie with me?"

He's never come to this bar before, or any bar, and has no way of knowing if this is normal behavior or not. He lets his lip twitch into a half smile, and she beams taking the seat.

"I'm Maggy!" she introduces, offering him the extra fork, "Why don't you tell me about yourself, I haven't seen you around before." Her flirty tone and coy smile aren't new to him. If he came to the bar more often, he would probably know her, and any other pretty waitress very intimately, but there's a good reason he doesn't. Yewin normally doesn't have money for things like visiting a bar after work. Even when he gets a little extra, like today, he'd give the money to Granny to help feed the kids. But today is different. Today he is being selfish. Because today, he can't stand the sight of all those fucking horrid children and hadn't been able to since the day Rosco left.

"I don't imagine you wanna hear about me," he grumbles to the girl, irritated by the drunken slur in his voice, "I'm not having the best of times."

Maggy's smile turns sympathetic but her eyes like up like she'd won some sort of prize, "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Yewin laughs. He's been in a sour mood for weeks and everyone has been asking that same question 'What's bothering you' but he can't answer, can't explain. His answers would raise questions, raise concerns, and that simply can't not be allowed to happen. But the alcohol is strong, and he has no tolerance for it, so the warm muddy haze is making his decisions for him.

"What's bothering me, is that she let him leave, told him he was free to go and let him just walk out our door with some strange man claiming to be a god. A god! Isn't that the most ridiculous shit you've ever heard? What the fuck would a god want with Rosco anyway? It's not like he's good for anything! And what's worse? That little shit actually left. Do you have any idea how much work I put into that little fuck? Training him to be a good, obedient little puppy, My good, obedient little puppy. From the day my granny brought him in our house I knew, I just knew, that he's supposed to be mine. He'd been left on our doorstep by the gods as a present for me. A perfect soft head of curls, big dark eyes that would look up at me and light up with a smile. He couldn't talk when we found him, wouldn't say a damn word but he learned my name right away. Couldn't or wouldn't say anything else until granny started bringing home other children. I gave him everything. Everything! But that selfish little bitch always wanted more. That kid's a fucking attention whore, always seeking affection anywhere he could get it. Probably would whore himself out if somebody would praise him for it. But he's mine and I don't like to share. I share everything else, but not him. He's pretty but he's dumb, so I had to teach him that lesson the hard way, over and over again; until he finally stopped fucking looking for affection from anyone but me. Nobody else really wants him anyway, nobody but me," Laughing bitterly, "Maybe they all can see what a worthless little shit he'd turn out to be. Granny can find a home for pretty much every cute little tot that ends up in our house, but not him. Rosco stayed homeless just like he's supposed to be. But then granny started thinking he'd need to learn to find for himself, that he'd need to be independent. I don't know what the fuck that old woman was thinking, but the only thing Rosco will ever need to depend on is me, and I made every effort in insure it would always stay that way. It helps the kids a fucking airhead. It's hard to try when you're convinced, you're hopeless, and then he'd make his stupid mistakes and I'd make sure everyone heard about it. Do you know how difficult it is to get a job if everyone hiring thinks you're a massive screw up? And even if you do get hired, they are just watching, waiting for a failure. And as always, after a while, my sweet little Rosco would end up ruining things for himself. I was fucking livid when he left, spent days pondering the ways I'd punish him for leaving when he inevitably screwed up and came home with his tall between his legs. I was going to make him suffer for leaving me like that, and then, just before he breaks, I'd shower him with kindness," Leaning in a little closer, "That's the secret you see," grinning wickedly, "Rosco will forgive anything if you just show him a little kindness. I can be as cruel to him as I want as long as I top it off with some sweet words. He's so easy to manipulate, so anxious to be good. He could survive for weeks on a single well-timed compliment," Shifting back in his chair nervously, "But he's been gone too long now. Out there somewhere suffering my absence and I don't even get to watch! By the time he finally comes crawling back to me he'll be so broken. I won't get to crush him myself. See the sweet little expression he makes when I grind him into the dirt. I'll have to skip straight to the kindness, not that I don't enjoy that aspect too, it's just so much more enjoyable to bring him back from a brink I dangled him from myself." Sipping on his drink.

Maggy stares wide eyed, shifting uncomfortably. Yewin doesn't care, he'd started talking and now he isn't finished.

"You know, he tried more than once to tell me that he's in love with me," snorting out a laugh, "Isn't that just so disgusting! You can't say that kind of shit out loud! He needs to keep his pretty little mouth shut about it. I mean of course he loves me. He has to love me, he's mine. But I don't want to fucking hear it." Shaking his head in disappointment, before a small quirk scrunched between his brows, "He's almost 18 ya know. We don't know exactly when he was born so we just guessed around summertime and if he'd just behaved and stayed put like he was meant to, I was going to reward him. Treat him like my little bitch just like he's always wanted to be. Tell him that as long as he stayed quiet about it, and let me have him any time I wanted, I'd take care of all his needs. He wouldn't need to find some wife like granny wanted, he could play wife for me," chuckling drunkenly, "But he's gone and screwed it all up now."

"Yewin."

The sound of his name startles both him and the annoying serving girl who'd invaded his alone time. Yewin turns, finding the unimpressed face of Sam staring back at him.

"Lolly sent me to fetch you, since you've decided to be an idiot and spend good money on drinks."

Yewin growls at the newest invader, "Go away, twerp or I'll make you."

"Try me." The twelve-year-old challenges, "Lolly sent me to get you and frankly I'm hoping you'll give me trouble. I'd love an excuse to start shit, seeing as how I'm pissed you've wasted good money." glancing around the table, "How much have you even spent tonight? Huh? A weeks' worth of food money and all you'll have to show for it is a splitting headache in the morning." The boy hisses.

"I'll just be getting back to work now," Maggy mumbles, scampering quickly away from the table, using the distraction to escape.

Yewin reaches out to thwack the annoyance on the head, but Sam ducks and Yewin isn't sober enough to adjust the swing. The momentum nearly throws him from the chair.

Sam laughs, giving the drunk the last kick needed to send him toppling to the floor, "Don't try that shit on me, Yewin. I'm not stupid enough to let you push me around just cuz that idiot's gone, and you have no one to bully. I know you ain't shit and I won't let you con me into thinking otherwise." Sam kicks again, harder this time. Yewin groans almost losing his lunch, "Now get up and walk," the boy demands, "You're too damn heavy to carry and you don't wanna find out who I'll rope into doing it if you don't."