Gin Mills and the Goods

The Foxwood Interlude

The same night Gavaldon is raided, Arthur is drinking himself into incoherency at Foxwood.

"I mean, he never told me anything about her," Arthur says, slurring over his words. "So I was pretty... surprised."

"What did you say her name was?" Asks his companion casually, watching him over the rim of his glass.

"She said it was Essa Woods. Thought I recognised her, but I don't know the name. Not the prettiest girl, but she was very astute."

His companion doesn't really react, but had Arthur been sober, and actually paying proper attention, he'd have seen his eyes dart across the bar to the other young man sat nearby. They share a very significant look.

"Her mother's name was Vanessa, apparently." Arthur adds.

"No, it wasn't." Murmurs his companion. Arthur looks up, confused.

"What's that?"

"Nothin'. You done with that?"

Arthur looks with surprise down at his empty glass.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose."

Almost the second he says it, a waiter has appeared and swept it away.

"You want us to take you home?" Asks his companion, packing several bottles into a bag for Arthur.

"If you don't mind." Says Arthur vaguely.

"It's no problem. My brother will take you."

Arthur nods vaguely, taking the bag with unsteady hands.

"Thank you. You're nice boys. Good young men. Remind me of my Tedros."

"Yes, sir."

Arthur frowns.

"Don't see Tedros much." He murmurs. "Think he's ashamed of me, y'know. Don't want to be near me."

"I'm sure that's not true, sir."

Arthur barely hears him.

"He's never home. Never comes to see his old man. Can't remember the last time he was home..."

He continues to mumble vaguely to himself as he unsteadily follows his companion's brother out of the speakeasy.

Rhian stares after him for a minute. Tedros probably has been home. Arthur just will have been too drunk to remember seeing him.

"Wonder where he could be all day." He remarks to himself.

Then he snorts and turns back to the bar.

---

It's not long before Japeth comes back.

"Completely smoked." He sneers. "Could've punched him and he wouldn't have noticed." He pauses. "Why can't we just take him for a ride? We don't need him."

"We do need him." Rhian says thinly. "He's proving to be useful."

Japeth doesn't look convinced.