Oracle

Part 18

"I'll ask Maria about it, the wardens are generally well informed into the dark arts and the abilities or not of their practitioners," John said off-handedly. "Shame they ran off the shadow cult we had a few months back," he said sadly.

"You asked them to do that John," someone else laughed from the side. Several other teasing the man as well who took it gracefully. Jaspar smiled and drank his water. Someone appeared on his elbow and took the empty glass from him when he finished.

"Hey there, I'm Leo," a bubbly voice commented. Jaspar recognised the voice as the one Elison had been talking too earlier in the day. "The day shift bartender," Leo added cheerfully.

"Hi, I'm Jaspar," Jaspar smiled shyly in his direction. There were a few sounds in the room, the type people gave to cute puppies or bunnies.

"Still, it's a great shame it was his eyes which were taken," someone mused, "He is a handsome one."

"Also in the room with you," Leo said dryly, making Jaspar smile unable to keep it in. He had been aching to say something but without Elison and not really knowing John's temperament yet he didn't want to be too rude and outspoken in the bar. Some of the men made apologetic noises. Others seemed paid no notice to the statement.

"You look nice together Leo," another patron whistled lowly, mostly teasing. Jaspar felt his cheeks burn and the calls increased, most sounding good natured and teasing but some were definitely lewder.

"Come on guys, leave him alone," Leo managed to say above the dim in a disapproving tone. "He's still green," he added. Slender arms wrapped around Jaspar's shoulders and a kiss was pressed to his bruised cheeks. "Give him some time to settle in eh?" Leo asked the sultry tone Jaspar has heard him use with Elison returning. Leo shifted his weight in a way which suggested he was wriggling his body in a seductive manner.

The bartender smelt of soap power and his skin was hot where it touched Jaspar. He wasn't heavy but Jaspar was almost painfully away of the touch, the flush on his cheeks spreading until he could feel in on his neck as well. Jaspar honestly wasn't sure why he was reacting so fiercely to the teases and to Leo's touch. He was no virgin and he had been in similar situations before where old men had been flirting and teasing him.

"Look at him, though! He's adorable," the very drunk patron teased, his voice still husky and slurred. "You and Justice rarely blush very much anymore. Not unless we go into really graphic detail about what we would like to do with your bodies given half the chance." The man's voice turned leerier, the others howling with laughter at him. "Time was, we just had to slap your arses and your cheeks would light up."

There was another howl of laughter and Leo's arms tightened around Jaspar. Before the man could say anything else, however, there was a loud bang as a glass was slammed onto the table. "Oct, I'm cutting you off for the night," Justice said sounding extremely unimpressed.

Leo giggled in his ear, making Jaspar feel a little confused. Several men yelled teases to Oct about making Justice angry with him. Jaspar could hear John's laughter in the mix.

"But Justice!" the man wailed like a toddler who had just been told it was nap time.

"Either drink some water or pay up your tab. You have gone over your limit Oct," Justice said firmly in a voice which clearly said he was not going to back down on this issue. Justice was not afraid to stand up for himself when he needed too and was in the right too.

"John! Get Justice to let me drink more," the man moaned pitifully, asking the bar owner for some help.

John hummed thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on a glass in his own hands. "What's Oct's tab Justice?" John asked calmly, clearly trying to show some fairness in the situation.

"Not that much," the drunken man muttered sulkily, which suggested that, yes actually it was that much.

"A thousand. I realise that it is under the normal limit normally set however, it was two hundred yesterday. Oct has been drinking vintage all evening," Justice commented darkly. "I don't know what happened Oct, or what you got yourself into but you are doing yourself no good here," Justice added, his voice lightening from a dark tone to an oddly concerned one.

Jaspar guessed it made sense that the barkeepers would be fond of the regulars to some extent. Even if they were all perverted men who seemed to be taking great pleasure in making them blush. Which was when Jaspar realised Leo was still leaning on him from behind him.

"You started the moment you came in at noon," Leo commented sounding equally concerned as Jaspar about Oct.

"Oct..." John trailed, more for the drunken man to accept it was about to say about out of concern more than anything else. "Can pay your tab?" he asked gently.

"I always do," Oct said stiffly.

"But not at the moment," John clarified before sighing. "No more drink today Oct. Either head home or nap on one of the couches but I'm not funding this any longer. No more tab until you pay up at least half," he said firmly but softly.

The drunken man made a heartbroken sound. "John, I just need..."

"You need a glass of water," Justice said sharply, clearly putting a glass in front of the man. "A shower, a good night sleep and a good breakfast wake yourself up and be able to deal with whatever crap you got this time," he added more kindly.

"Can't I stay here?" the man moaned.

"The Rook is a bar, not an inn. Head to the King's Retreat for that," John commented firmly. He didn't like how the Rook was turning more into a boarding house than a pub but they paid good money so he couldn't really do much about it. "Elison and young Jaspar are staying because Jaspar needs the enchantment here because of things out of his control. Not something he had caused," he scolded.

"Might as well turn the place into a boarding house at this rate Master," Justice snorted. "Next door has just gone for sale," he added. Some of the men in the room making hopeful sounds at the news.

"I'm aware," John sighed. "I'm thinking it over but it would mean having to free up some more boys to work here and I'm struggling for staff at the moment," he admitted. "I guess, I could hire some city boys to work the less flirty jobs but the paperwork for free men works in a nightmare."

"You could make the people living in the rooms do some of the work," Leo said darkly, "If they are going to be living here, they might as well put into the work." There were several groans of complaint at the idea but no one outright fought the idea interestingly to Jaspar.

The conversation moved on and Jaspar found himself listening amused to a game of poker Leo was playing with some of the men. By the end of the hour, Jaspar could see how the bartenders could grow fond of the men who were drinking there. Most of them were actually quite funny when you ignored the flirts. Leo was doing pretty well in the game when a clock chimed loudly.

"Leo, bedtime," John called as he picked up Jaspar, leaving the blanket behind on the chair. "You too, pretty one. Just because Elison is used to nighttime hours does not mean you should be," he commented to Jaspar as Leo said good night to several men and Justice.

"I've been asleep most of the day," Jaspar grumbled, not bothering to fight the man on this. John just chuckled again and continued to take him upstairs. Despite his words, he was actually quite tired. John tucked him into bed, kissed him on the cheek and left him to sleep in peace.

The last thing which went through Jaspar's mind before he fell asleep was that he was going to punch Elison in the balls.