’round the place, sure he can’t.”
Sebastian put out his hands in feigned indignation. “Dude, I’m right here.”
Niamh acted like she hadn’t heard him. “I figured I’d get him out of their hair for a bit by bringing him for a drink. Maybe he’ll get in trouble with the big boss for leaving the pack lands and be sent home, huh?”
Timmie laughed, and Sebastian continued to stare in indignation.
“What’ll ya have?” Timmie asked him.
He just shook his head. “A ride home, maybe?”
“Bourbon, neat,” Niamh answered for him.
The bartender moved away, and still Sebastian stared at Niamh. “Really?” he finally prodded.
“Everyone knows it, why pretend like we don’t?” she replied.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered as the bartender served his drink and looked around in confusion.
“Weren’t there three of you?” she asked with squinted eyes.
“No?” Niamh glanced over her shoulder. “Why? Did someone walk in behind us?” She hooked a thumb Sebastian’s way. “He never notices when danger’s around.”
“You’re going to give me a complex,” he grumbled.
“Maybe I got it wrong. So what did you…” Timmie’s words drifted away as she watched a skinny guy with a plaid shirt and a shiny gold watch walk in through the door. He stared straight ahead, walking in an equally straight line, until he got to the open stool he wanted. Then he did a ninety-degree turn and sat down. It was more than a little unusual.
“Is he serious with that watch?” Sebastian murmured without thinking.
“Right? ” Timmie whispered, leaning toward him before sparing Niamh a knowing look. “They’re all like that, I swear. Right, Niamh? You must’ve noticed over the last few days.” She looked skyward, shook her head, and slowly made her way to the newcomer.
“That’s one of ’em, right?” Niamh asked.
“Obviously, yes,” Sebastian whispered, his lips against his glass as though he were about to take a sip. “Lower level and insecure, so he’s overcompensating with the watch. He hasn’t got the funds or the position to wear a nicer one, though, so he’s gone for gaudy. You’ll get some scheduling information from him, maybe. His contact, what his contact is hoping to achieve, what he’s learned from the shifters here, but you won’t get anything the likes of which that runner gave Tristan the other night. But we’ll wait and see who else shows up. This guy could be the low-hanging fruit. The one you trip if something scary is chasing you.”
Niamh chuckled. “Makes sense.”
“You haven’t been using the potions to see invisible mages, right?” Sebastian asked before lowering his glass.
Niamh coughed and then threw her head back really quickly, downing the small vial before slipping it into the satchel, the strap resting around her knees.
“No. I’ve felt them around but didn’t want to give anything away by looking right at them.”
“Smart.” Sebastian tapped his fingers against the bar.
Niamh looked over slowly. “Would ye stop that? When did ye get so annoyin’？”
“We’re still in character…right?”
“Is that what this is? Yer bein’ annoying to play some sort of part?”
Sebastian lowered his brow at her but stopped the tapping.
She settled in to her drinking as Timmie talked to the new guy.
“Have Jessie and Austin been out since the night she got challenged by those girls?” Sebastian asked, not able to settle down. He wasn’t used to working like this, with zero defined plan and now under the guise of a ridiculous story he likely wouldn’t remember. They were all flying by the seats of their pants, and he was not good at doing that. If he didn’t come up with small talk, he’d look as stressed as he felt.
“No,” she replied, seemingly staring at nothing, but he could see her eyes flicking discreetly toward the mage. “They say it is because they are tired, though that’s not why.”
“I know Jessie isn’t fond of beating people up in a jealous rage,” he said, watching the bartender serve a few more people as another awkward-looking guy walked in the bar. He was also wearing plaid, though a different color, and oddly fitting jeans. The waist was cinched too tightly and the legs were too short.
Was this some sort of signal meant to communicate something with each other? There was no way these mages could dress so poorly by accident.