Lea and the Chemist

Lea swung open the tavern doors. The inside was dark, humid, and
released the distinct stench of something illegal being burned as she
leaned in. She wrinkled her nose and turned to the two masked figures
accompanying her. "Wait here. Let no one else in. If the law
shows up, disappear."
They bowed, drew their curved swords, and turned to face outside.
Lea strolled in. The patrons slowed their dealings, glancing her
way. She knew she stood out. The Messenger and Trademaster of the
Lirun was dressed in accordance with her station—expensive furs
from the Overworld, sewn into a jacket of pig leather. A small silver
diadem was set upon her head. Her coal-black skin offset pale pink
irises. Her dark brown hair was cut very short, revealing several
jeweled earrings in her left ear. The least notable thing about her,
in fact, was the strange netherrack-and-metal device at her side.
She suspected it wasn't her ethnicity that caught the eyes of so
many. This was clearly not the sort of tavern that often saw wealthy
visitors. This was the sort of tavern where such visitors came to
accomplish at least one of two things: Get robbed, or get something
done that couldn't be done legally.
She grimaced. Easier as it might have been to come in disguise,
today she was to be recognized. Contact's insistence.
She spotted her target at once: A hooded man (or woman; she
couldn't tell) leaned back against the corner. A very long, curved
pipe was clenched between their teeth, producing a steady stream of
smoke billowing out between their lips. Lea hurried over and—after
pausing to clear away some of the filth from her chair with a
handkerchief—sat down opposite the figure.
She could feel the eyes of most of the other patrons on her back.
Some of them probably looked at her wondering if she might not be
vulnerable to a robbery. Others, she had no doubt, eyed her for other
reasons. Overworlders could be so predictable, even in the...unique
state of Varrenholm.
"So," her target rasped, speech slurred by the pipe. It
was a she, Lea guessed. At any rate, a very effeminate voice. "So.
You're her?"
Lea raised an eyebrow. "How many people like me do you see at
this old place?"
"Ooh. Heh." The target pulled the pipe out with one
gloved hand. Lea peered. Even with the smoke dissipating, she still
couldn't see any eyes—it looked like the target was wearing
darkened safety goggles of some sort. "Heheheh! If by 'people
like you' you mean Lirun, plenty. Junkers. Thieves. Your kind seep
into this place like slugs into a beer pan." Lea knew the target
was only trying to get a rise out of her, but she bristled
nonetheless. "But if by 'people like you' you mean rich fops
with one of my trinkets at the belt..." The target blew out
several rings of smoke towards Lea's face. Lea screwed up her face
reflexively at the bitter smell. "...Not many at all."
Lea swallowed. She beckoned one of the servants over. "One—make
that two Azure Ales, please."
“Azure whats? We have wine.” 
Lea blinked. She looked up at the servant, realizing she was a lot
better-dressed than Lea would have thought. "This doesn't seem
like a winehouse."
"This place has seen better days.” The servant grimaced.
“We have Hopscotch. It's like ale, but...more affordable. It's all
we seem to sell these days."
"Sure. Two." Lea frowned at the woman, then turned back
to her target. "So. You're the chemist?"
"Call me Chimney." Chimney put the pipe down.
Lea cocked her head. “Isn't that a Teasian surname?"
"Ha! You know your stuff, Madam Messenger." Chimney
grinned, showing many missing teeth. "Common name thereabouts.
Teas always does take interest in foreign affairs."
"Wait. Are you...with the Teasian government?"
"Does it matter?" Chimney's tone was cool, but there was
a hardness to it that could turn icy.
Lea hesitated.
"Now, look." Chimney sniffed, then snorted, as though
something was irritating her nose. She reached over and grabbed Lea's
own handkerchief from the table edge.
"Hey!" Lea cried. Chimney blew her nose loudly, then
handed the filthy thing back. I'd better remember to burn that,
Lea thought. "So, like...where was I? Ugh." She rubbed her
head under the hood, and Lea caught a glimpse of startling red hair.
"Right. Right. You already agreed that I could do with the tech
whatever I want, 's long as it don't go to anyone collaborating with
Nether Spirits or the Monitor. So does it matter if Teas gets it,
too? Hypothetic, I mean.”
Lea paused, choosing her words very carefully—considerably more
carefully than anyone who would say 'hypothetic' seriously. "It
matters a lot," she said. "But not in the way that would
prevent this deal. That said, I would appreciate knowing. You
know how important this is. I don't want to see it in Akarv's or
Llysos's military before we've had the chance to...show it off."
She left Krolesk out. It was on her list, for sure, but she'd heard
Teasians didn't get along with Krolesk very well for some reason and
didn't want to offend their contact.
"Right, right." Chimney sneezed. "First dibs. On my
honor. I wasn't really keen on selling it away to that lot, anyways.
Fact is, things get boring if any one 'dividual has all the power.
And my confidence in a nation's ability to guard itself was a wee
shaken when the Monitor's goons blew up my hut and got my youngest
killed."
Lea bit her lip. She didn't know what to say to that. Chimney was
quiet, too, as if she regretted saying quite so much about herself.
"So, listen," Chimney said at last, "what's the
problem, Lea? Do we have a problem?"
"No," Lea said quickly. "We already settled issues
of ownership. I simply did not expect..."
"Look, maybe I'm with the gov', maybe I'm not." Chimney
shrugged. "But I can get you your trinkets. Hand me what you've
got."
Lea reached to her belt and pulled out the device. She slid it
across the table.
"Hm." Chimney raised the item up to her nose, giving it
a sniff, then up to eye level. Lea heard a little clicking sound from
the goggles. "Netherrack and metal. Why's the metal glow like
that?"
"That's vacanted netherrack. We treat it to excise the
spirits."
"How do the spirits feel 'bout that?"
"They don't care for it." Lea chuckled. "But I wouldn't like to imagine what could happen if you let a spirit stay
inside a weapon this powerful."
"Yeah." The chemist was silent for a moment. "Imagine."
Lea waited. She nodded to the server and took her beer. The bottle
felt grimy, and she cleaned it off with her sleeve (I miss my handkerchief already...) before opening it and taking a swig. The chemist didn't react as the other bottle was set down beside her.
"Well." Chimney snorted. "You've made a neat item
here. Followed all my specifications?"
"Yes, ma'am." Lea nodded eagerly. "We've been
building up a cannon powder stockpile for years and years. Er, that
thing's loaded, incidentally."
Chimney looked at her sharply. She'd been staring straight down
the barrel, but she quickly lowered it now. "Seems a bit
reckless to bring it loaded. If someone were to slip their hand in
your pocket—"
"That hand would never leave." Lea glowered. "Frankly, it seems more reckless by half to carry it unarmed. You're the one
who insisted I come alone and without any...defenses."
"Hmph.” Chimney shifted. “Local unions doesn't care for private contractors. A Lirun scurrying around laden in
privately-owned glowstone and netherrack would be asking for a fight."
"And alone?"
"I don't care for numbers. Even those two goons you brought
put me on edge."
"There are those who would very much like me out of the way."
Lea folded her arms, giving a small but fierce smile. "I am
inconvenient."
"Hey, we agree on something." Chimney raised her bottle
in a mock-toast. "So listen, I can get you more of these, but
I'm curious on a matter." The hood raised slightly. Lea made out
a pair of dark, glittering eyes behind the goggles. "Just what
are you planning on doing with a whole mess of cartloads of these
things?"
Lea considered the question. She unfolded her arms and took a
cautious sip from her 'Hopscotch'. It really was awful beer. She
wasn't an expert in Overworld cuisines, but so far, Varrenholm beer
was not something she cared for. She wondered if the wines were any
better. "How about you mind your business and I mind mine."
"Hey." Chimney shrugged. "It's no skin off my
singed nose, Anabal. I'm just curious. You and your lot have been
poking some bears lately. A war with Akarv ain't good for anybody
right now.”
“We're done fighting Akarv.” Lea took another sip. “If
they're willing to bury the pickaxe, so are we.”
“I hope so. 'Cause Akarv may give a lot of bluster, but they can
be very sensitive about the whole 'being attacked' thing."
Lea's eyes narrowed. "So can we."
"Just saying.” Chimney raised both hands. “If it's an
arms race you're getting into, you're gonna lose."
Lea finished her bottle, getting to her feet. "Not if we're
on separate tracks."
======
"So?" the Warrior-Saint Ino asked. "How'd it go,
Lea?"
Lea closed the tavern door behind her. "It went fine.
Anything off?"
"Oh, no." The other guard, Das, smiled cheerfully.
"Quiet town. We got some looks, but I think they were just
wondering if we were selling something."
"Of course they were." Lea laughed. "Anyways,
everything's underway. The Lirun will soon be flying into the
future."
"Aw, that's nice," Das said. "Are you sure we can
trust the chemist?"
"Not at all. But I don't think she's keen on giving the
secrets up to just anyone." Lea considered telling her
bodyguards about the chemist's nationality. For now, she decided
against it. "And she's definitely not with the Monitor or
anything."
"That's swell! Say, Lea, fancy we get something to eat while
we're here?"
Lea made a face. "Varren food is weird."
"Oh, don't be like that." Ino jabbed her with his elbow.
"A Messenger should be open to all new things! Just like—well,
just like any other Trademaster."
"Hm.” Lea felt her good mood slip slightly at Ino's small
slip. She scowled. “I suppose Father tried all sorts of
strange things during his tenure.”
The guards exchanged looks. "Well, Ian was his own man, Lea,"
Ino said. She had that look Lea knew well: The 'don't antagonize her,
she's just a child' look. "He wouldn't let old traditions tell
him what to eat."
"Am I my own woman?"
"Golly, I think so," Das said. He looked down at the
ground, clearly disappointed.
"I don't feel compelled to meet these Varrens' approval,"
she said. "But...we can try something."
"Great!” Das's face broke out in a tremendous smile. “I
saw this stupendous-looking vegetable joint—"
"But no weird plants," she snapped. She started
walking off towards a seafood joint she'd noticed earlier.
"Ugh. You're the worst Messenger."
Lea grinned, not even looking back. "Isn't that the whole
point?"
Category:New Voldrania Category:Story