Pay Day

[Roxanne Abernathy]

It was an average night at the Singing Sparrow: people filled their usual booths with chatter and laughter, the smell of alcohol and roasted meat filled the air, and Roxanne swung through the chaos easily with her tray. She had been doing this as long as she'd been big enough to carry the tray, after all. Dishes slid neatly to a halt in front of the right customers, drinks were kept full, and a comfortable familiarity was strung between them all. Even those who didn't know each other by name recognized each other by face or drink, and greeted each other with a raise of their glass. Roxanne was warm and happy with the windows flung open to the fresh spring night. 

The door swung open and she glanced up at the newcomer as she dropped off her last order and let the customers know to pay Roman on their way out. Ah! Raphael Bishop. She raised her hand and grinned at him as she returned to the bar, already grabbing a glass and the whiskey she knew he'd order.

"That time again, is it?" she teased, pouring his glass as he came to sit at his usual place along the bar. "Always good to see you, Bishop. You want dinner tonight?"

[Raphael Bishop]

It was probably a good thing Raphael no longer lived at home- even at his age the frequency with which he visited the isle’s taverns would earn him a clip around the ear from his mother. In his letters and on his frequent visits home, the ranger would talk more about work than recreation- and stress he was too busy with the former to have time to seek a wife or even visit more often than he already did. He didn’t know which would be worse, her finding out he had lied to her or her finding out he spent most of his evenings in a tavern- even one as nice as the Singing Sparrow. He had long made his peace with this habit of his. It was either that or sit in the barracks and drink alone, at least this way he had company of sorts.

    Payday was a day full of paperwork rather than action, checking figures and distributing the money amongst his men. Somehow a day of inaction took more out of him than a day on the field, he felt a weariness in his limbs and a tired fog settle over his brain- even the air in his lungs felt stale somehow. The stench of alcohol mixed with the aroma of cooking meat didn’t bring any freshness to his lungs, but it was still a welcome change from the smell of smoke, sweat, and old leather that had surrounded him all day. Roxanne’s welcome brought a crooked smirk to his lips, though the ranger didn’t raise a hand to mirror her greeting. ”Seems so.” The day had dragged for him, and this time had not come quickly enough, ”I’ll bet you say that to all your customers Roxanne.”

Long fingers, still splotched with ink from the day’s admin, brought the glass to his lips then as he drained half the glass in one large gulp. ”I’d ask how it’s been but I’m guessing it’s the same as always?”

[Roxanne Abernathy]

"Oh pshh, only the ones I like," Roxanne protested with a laugh. "And yep, same as always around this place. Although, my new cook might be out of commission pretty soon here! She's about due to have that baby. Crazy girl insists on working until she can't anymore, though, so I'm keeping a close eye on her." She winked.

He hadn't answered her about dinner, but she decided to take that as a yes--something about Raphael always made her think he could use a home cooked meal, and dinner in the Sparrow was pretty damn close. Worst case he told her he didn't want it, and she'd insist it was on the house and try to make him eat it anyway. She didn't mind. She waved a hand at Aileana in the kitchen, who passed her a plate full of roast beef and mashed potatoes, both smothered in hot gravy. She set it in front of Raphael, then busied herself with drying the clean ale mugs that Aileana had left on the rear counter for her. She leaned back against an empty space on that same counter and looked back up at him as she worked.

"And you, Bishop, same as always? Or are things starting to pick up a little now that the weather's warmin' up?"

[Raphael Bishop]

”Again, ain’t that just all your customers?” Raph asked with a wry smile, he didn’t quite know how she managed to always seem so cheerful and upbeat. So energetic and full of life even though she was on her feet all day- and worse, dealing with customers all day. He would be wanted for several murders had their roles been reversed, Raphael just knew it. ”Won’t be doin’ her or the baby any good.” It was stating the obvious, but there wasn’t much the captain could do to intervene even if he had wanted to. Besides, Roxanne would look after her. ”I doubt your regular’s will be all too pleased if her waters break and get in the gravy. Me included in that.” It wasn’t a pleasant thought, and his nose crinkled at it- the man had seen enough horses born to know that the ‘miracle’ of birth was every bit as bloody and horrifying as it was miraculous. And the idea of any of that ending up in his dinner was enough to make him lose his appetite.

    But not his thirst it seemed- Raphael drained the rest of his whiskey before speaking again. ”Same as always- if someone had had the decency to tell me being captain would come with this much paperwork I would have turned it down.” Picking up his fork, Raphael realised he hadn’t even responded to her question about dinner- somehow Roxanne had read his mind once again. ”Thanks.” He mumbled after the first mouthful of potatoes. ”Doubt things will pick up my way unless there’s another war or rebellion, I’m not complainin’ mind.”

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne shook her head. "Nope, I'm just very good at smiling when I'm upset." She gave him a wink as she set the glass aside and picked up another.  "My favorite's know who they are." 

His comments about Aileana's water breaking and ending up in the gravy actually had her doubled over with laughter.

"Oh, Bishop, Sweetheart, that's definitely not how that works at all. I promise you, there's no way it's ending up in anybody's dinner," she managed to answer once she'd caught her breath. "I've been there and done that, and you'd never even know I hadn't just spilled some ale on my skirt. So don't you worry about that. It'll just mean you'll all be stuck with my cooking again for a few days, which is nowhere near this." She gestured to his plate, the smell of which was reminding her she hadn't taken a dinner break yet.

She was glad to hear things had been boring, honestly--for soldiers, boring meant safe. Maybe it wasn't fair of her to lay the weight of what had happened to James on the other soldiers she knew, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to lose anyone else, whether they were casual acquaintances or close friends. It certainly didn't help that Raphael reminded her of her husband more than any of the others. It was little things, once in a while, that sent a pang through her heart. James had been quite a bit more upbeat, but he had the same drive to do something and hatred of sitting still for too long. She could easily imagine him saying the same thing about turning down a promotion to avoid paperwork.

"Good thing you caught yourself there, hon, or I'd have had to give you a talking to. Don't you dare go wishing trouble on yourself or anyone else around this place. We need all the peace we can get, I think." She smiled, but there was a slight sheen to her eyes as she resisted the urge to cry. Dammit, she'd been doing so well.

"Anyway, at least the paperwork is only once a month, and it means you can afford this whiskey, hm?" She raised the bottle in silent question, to see if he wanted a refill, or he'd want to switch to something else.

[Raphael Bishop]

How people, women in particular, could hold everything together when the world was falling apart both amazed and perplexed him: he had seen it himself in his mother and sister. Whilst he had wandered from the path, they had held fast and waited for him to work through his grief and return to them. All the while, they had carried that hole in their hearts without trying to fill it with something else like Raph had, like was still doing. And how Roxanne could say something like that and follow it with a wink, as though it was just a joke and nothing more.

    ”Don’t Sweetheart me.” He grumbled through a mouthful of roast beef, the flavour forgotten as he pointed the fork at her. ”I’ve seen all the blood and-“ Pausing to swallow (and to stop himself cursing in front of Roxanne- a courtesy Raph did not offer to many), ”- what else on the linens after that. You don’t want it in your kitchen.” Somehow, miraculously (or perhaps it was because he was occupied with his dinner), the man managed to keep a straight face. ”More information than I needed there Roxanne, I’m tryin’ to eat.” He liked her, Raph might even go as far to say he was fond of the barkeeper- the last thing he wanted to think about when he looked at Roxanne was childbirth and all the chaos the captain associated with it. ”Thanks for the head’s up, best be looking for another tavern for those few days.”  Though he could usually take his meals at the barracks, it didn’t compare to the food at the Singing Sparrow- it was the only thing keeping any meat on his frame.

    The captain was oblivious to her thoughts, blind to the fact he was sitting in James’s shadow. And it was probably better that way, if Raphael had known his presence, mannerisms, anything he did occasionally brought pain to her- the guilt would be more than difficult for him to bear. ”Yeah, yeah. Wouldn’t want t’risk a talking to.” Rolling his eyes, the man couldn’t keep the ghost of a smile from finding its way to his lips. But then blue eyes found her, saw the veil of tears over them, and the smile faltered. ”Hey now- none a’ that.” He said gently, as though talking to a spooked animal rather than a full grown adult woman- damn- this was not his forte. Raphael was glad the bar separated them, else he would have probably tortured them both with an awkward hug. Instead he just slid his empty beaker forward, ”Aye, I can afford it- at least tonight I can.”

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne laughed softly. "You don't have to tell me twice!" She agreed as she poured him another glass of whiskey. "I'm usually just fine, but every so often something hits me sideways and I get all weepy. The joys of being a widow, I suppose." She shrugged.

She didn't have any idea that Raphael would have hugged her, but if he had, she'd just have made it even more awkward by sobbing like a child. She didn't generally let herself get sad, instead, she beat her emotions back into their bottle by sheer tenacity. But when she did break down, well...the flood gates weren't easy to close.

"Anyway, I'm alright. And you better be alright, too. Otherwise, I'll bring you back from the dead to strangle you myself." She shook her fist at him, although her grin belied her violent words. "Not a single one of my people are allowed to die anymore. I'll fight off a whole army by myself if I have to."

Her brother Roman gestured to her from the other end of the bar just then, distracting her. "Sorry hon, just one sec," she told him, raising a finger to gesture at him to wait as she ran off to fill several mugs of ale and pass out a few plates. By the time she returned she was smiling truly again and seemed to have forgotten her tears from earlier.

"Here I am again! You need anything, Bishop? 'Nother whiskey? Some desert? Stories about how my four-year-old is too smart for her own good?" She grinned.

[Raphael Bishop]

Raphael knew Roxanne would keep the whiskies coming for as long as he asked for them, or at least for as long as he could stand without stumbling, and the captain would pay for them tomorrow with coins and a sore head. It was the same every payday afterall. A well worn routine, practiced and long perfected.

    The soft laugh that came from her lips was a relief after seeing those tears gloss over her eyes and threaten to spill. Today was supposed to be a good day after all- Raphael did not want to make it worse for the both of them with his horrendous attempts at being consoling. Roxanne Abernathy was strong, stronger than most of the soldiers he had met in her own way. ”I know, I know.” The captain dismissed, brows furrowing as he looked at her with a look of poorly concealed concern. ”And that’s your right, I-” Free hand found his hair as Raphael grasped for the words. He wasn’t much good at this, never had been, but that didn’t stop him trying. ”Just try not to get all weeping on me, otherwise you’ll just get a’ awkward hug and well, neither o’ us want that now.” If his awkward words hadn’t shown just how uncomfortable Raph was in that moment, the sheepish smile he offered her certainly would.

    ”I’m always alrigh’, you know that.” He assured her, continuing to spoon mouthfuls of potatoes into his mouth as they spoke. Considering Roxanne had helped him up from the floor on more than one occasion, there was no need for putting on airs and graces. ”I’m harder to kill than you’d think.” Smirking, Raph took another sip of his whisky before continuing. ”Pretty sure I’m immortal at this point.” He had survived everything thrown (and shot, and slashed, and so on) at him so far- there was no reason to doubt the trend would continue.

    Joking aside, the man watched as Roxanne dashed off before returning his attention to the last few morsels of his meal. It had been excellent, but then again it always was, and Raph would miss the cook when she left to have her baby.

    By the time Roxanne came back, Raphael had finished his meal and his whisky and had pushed both the plate and glass away from him. ”Good to have you back,” He smirked, enjoying her company despite the earlier threat of tears. ”Yes No. And always, what’s she been up to?”

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne poured another glass as asked, then dropped her folded arms onto the counter next to him and propped her feet outward so she could lean and chat comfortably. She was glad that Raphael was willing to listen to her; while she got to talk sometimes with the girls that they'd taken in--Aileana and Xenosa--she liked talking with Raph. It was a different thing, somehow. Girl talk vs...She wasn't sure. Just more casual, she guessed. Not so much heavy stuff, usually. Unless she slipped up the way she had almost done a little while ago.

But back to the fun things: Dottie stories!

"Well, she's growing like a weed, of course, but she's also been learning to play cards with Michael's boy, Danny. Which is all fine and dandy, 'cept his brother, Ian, taught them to cheat," she couldn't help laughing, although she caught herself and was able to finish explaining.

"Apparently Michael doesn't let the kids win because he wants them to really learn to play and realize that you can't win every time. Well, Ian took that as a challenge and taught Danny to beat his dad by any means possible." She was cracking up now. "You should have seen them with their little pile of cookies when they cleaned him out. Oh, it was beautiful."

She shook her head and added, "And now Dottie wants to play against me too, so she can 'win' some more. I tried to explain to her that cheating isn't any fun because it's not really winning, but she doesn't care that much as long as she gets the cookies." She was still laughing, but there was just a hint of concern in the twist of her eyebrows. She wished things were that simple in real life. But gambling with cookies was a lot different than gambling with money, and she didn't want Dot falling into any bad habits this early on. She was barely big enough to understand the games, let alone get herself in trouble, but... Well, it was a mother's right to worry.

[Raphael Bishop]

He nodded his thanks for the drink, raising it to his lips without a word. Roxanne’s company was easy- like his sister’s and the conversation flowed with little coaxing from his part. But that was mothers, they could talk about their babies until the sun came up and then continue until the stars began to burn again. And so Raphael leaned upon his elbows, his dinner finished, and made himself more comfortable as the woman talked.

    As Roxanne spoke, Raphael nursed the whisky- probably a little faster than was really sensible but still slower than he would have usually. Payday was a time for luxury, but something in him did not want to waste this evening as he usually did- part of him wanted to just enjoy the conversation and not drink to the point where he would forget it all by morning. But, the night was young, and there was still plenty of time for the captain to embarrass himself tonight. There was little point in rushing towards the inevitable.

    He couldn’t help but laugh when he heard about the young girl learning to cheat- at least she was being taught useful life skills. Cheating was a good start, though she would have to learn to cheat and not get caught, that was the other half of that particular skill. He would have argued that cheating was a lot more fun that playing properly- that part of the fun was the risk, and the rest of the fun was the prizes. But, Raphael somehow managed to hold his tongue.

    Instead he contented himself with a smirk as Roxanne continued to tell the story, ”She’ll be alrigh’.” The captain said with a shrug, the concern in her face not quite managing to escape his notice. He had learned to cheat young, he had perfected the art in his teens, and kept it sharp into his adulthood. But Raphael imagined Dottie would grow up like her mother: too smart and sensible to find herself in much trouble. ”At least you won’t have to worry about paying the bills when she’s older, she can sit in the corner and hustle your patrons.”

[Roxanne Abernathy]

Roxanne stuck her tongue out at his suggestion that Dot would be sitting in the corner hustling patrons when she grew old enough. And yet, when she was done making faces, she still wound up laughing.

“I certainly hope not! I’m counting on her to run this place, and that definitely does not leave any time for sitting on your ass playing cards,” she quipped, gesturing to the jovial chaos around them. “Unless Roman gets his act together and finds himself a wife, Dottie’s our only hope.”

Roxanne was still smiling, but a hint of worry still crept around the corners of her eyes. She’d hoped, not that long ago, to give Dottie a little sibling, someone to be her own Roman, to keep her company and prop her up when the going got tough. But it was looking like that wasn’t in the cards for little Dot Abernathy. So that meant Rox had better nudge her brother a little in the romance department–although things had brightened quite a bit in that area.

“Speaking of, have you met our new help, Xenosa? You should see the way Roman looks at her…” Rox grinned and glanced over at her brother who was slinging drinks at the other end of the bar. “It’s almost gross, honestly, but I’m hoping it goes well.”

[Raphael Bishop]

It might have been the whisky, but the captain felt himself slipping into an easy grin as he listened to Roxanne talk. She always lit up whenever Dottie was the subject of the conversation, it was nice to see- and it made Raph wonder if his mother had lit up in the same way when she talked about him and his siblings, before sadness had crept into her eyes and never quite left. There was a similar sadness to Roxanne at times, no matter how hard she fought to hide it. ”I’ve seen how people tip here Roxanne, Dottie learning to play and win at cards might be your savin’ grace ya know” Following her aimless gesture, Raph looked around the tavern with something akin to fondness in his features. He wasn’t sure if it was the atmosphere, the company, or even the food- but The Singing Sparrow was always a place that put him at ease, made him feel at home, in a way that his lodging rooms never quite could. ”Could always send Roman into the military? Might scare him into findin’ a wife and settlin’ down even sooner?”

It was a good job, more so in peacetime, steady income- but if Roxanne asked him too, Raph wouldn’t think twice about scaring Roman out of the military and back into the tavern (or at least trying to). ”Can’t say I have, you know I only come here for you Rox.” He grinned, it wasn’t completely true- the food and the whisky played into it as well. But he hadn’t had the chance to meet Xenosa as of yet. ”I’m guessin’ you approve?”