The Fare - Epilogue (Shaera, Phae)

Casey was busing a nearby table when the door opened and a stunningly pale woman with a kerchief around her throat dressed in rags and outwear many times larger then necessary crossed the threshold and slowly, effortlessly traversed the floor heading for the section of the bar directly behind which Phae, his back turned, was policing various containers.

“Hello Phaedrus.”

“Hello Shaera” Phae replied having recognized the voice.

“Now Shadow Walker is that…”

“No.” Phae barked, spinning around to face her. “You have no right. Once is an accident…twice is the last time.” His upturned hand, fingers extended, held a hair’s breadth from the hollow of the beautiful woman’s throat.

“You always had such strong hands.” She purred showing her contempt for the message the hand was meant to send by gently stroking the palm.

Phae withdrew the hand, almost as if in the moment he had forgotten himself. Snapping his towel from off his shoulder he began to wipe down the bar.

“Conduct your business and leave.” Phae uttered in a throaty growl.

“My appointment will arrive shortly. Until then may we please catch up?”

Casey had been watching the entire exchange afraid to get to close to what seemed an almost elemental conflict. As she watched Phae grabbed onto the counter and glared at Shaera, his features flowing like cold mercury.

Glaring at her through partially bloody orbs Phae growled, “Then do it and be gone.”

Smiling at the perceived torment her mere presence was causing Phae, she casually tossed an “As you wish” over her shoulder, turned and walked to a corner booth recently occupied by another woman.

Phae tried desperately to maintain control. He knew it could be done he was just sorely out of practice. His normal stature was usually enough to assuage any attempts to illicit more then a cursory response from the man. Shaera and he had a history that begat violence and as such her mere presence was enough to evoke a form changing hatred.

“Phae are you ok?” Casey asked, keeping her divine attention on Shaera.

“I will be” he replied his voice softening to his normal baritone.

“Do you know that old crone over there?”

“Unfortunately, we’ve met before. Hand me that scepter over at the corner of the mirror please.”

Gingerly Casey rounded the bar, fisted the ornately jeweled piece of medieval finery and walked it over to Phae.

“Phae?”

“Yes Case.”

“If you know her, then you know she’s a…”

“I am intimately aware of that.” He interrupted. “ you need not worry she’s just on her way out.”

Hefting the phallic collection of metal and silica nodules Phae struck his open hand with a sound reminiscent of a clap of thunder. Upon drawing the attention of every organism in the room he fixed his stare on Sheara and slowly, deliberately pointed at the bar portal with the scepter.

Fear in her eyes, Sheara seemed to grab her female companion and hustle her out the now beaconing threshold her feet striking rapidly on the floor.

“Wow that was intense.” Casey said relieving Phae of the scepter and stowing it back on its display stand.

“I am sorry for that Casey. Please settle everyone for me, I’ll be in the back a sec.” Phae asked turning and walking through the double door bahind the bar to the back storeroom.

“No problem Phae.”

Slowly making the rounds Casey explained off what had just occurred as nothing more then a former lover’s spat, figuring all who had witnessed could identify. As the room gradually started buzzing again with the sounds of conversation Casey quietly stepped outside. Taking a slow deliberate draw of the city aire, she turned and stepped back through the Serenity threshold as the howls of urban nightlife echoed in the streets.