ACHIM
When the bat-wing doors were pushed open, Achim, Naomi, and Brielle entered a dim hallow steeped in degraded décor. The hot room was tight in size and congested with incense that burned the nose. Lanterns above sprinkled dots of light amid the haze, but the sweaty patrons were content enough with cool songs of blues pouring out of a nearby jukebox. A stained bar counter sat at the center of the saloon and rows of booths were packed against the walls. People corralled wherever they could , leaving the three children before an impenetrable mesh of bodies.
"The Slum Slug's Saloon. As filthy as I remember," groaned Achim. The dark looked at Naomi and Brielle. This realm of drunken-ravings and aged rum stupefied both of his companions, forcing Achim to push both of them through the drunken maze. "Alright, enough starring. We have a job to do."
"Oh yeah," said Naomi. Achim watched as she shed her demure. She then grabbed Brielle and powered through the crowd, sweeping bottles and trash across the floor with her shimmying feet. "Let's go find a table."
Achim was on the verge of stopping the sun-kissed girl, but he was immediately stopped by a passing child no older than ten. The kid scooped up the refuse as they flew across the molding floor before tossing it into a large bin. The kid came and went so quickly that Achim did not notice a second person in the shadow of the first. It was a girl roughly the same age as Achim. Maybe older.
"We ask that you and your party not kick any trash around more than necessary, bottles in particular. It could cause an accident," said the waiter girl. "...or a really bad fight."
"Sorry," Achim replied. He just barely recalled her face from his first visit.
"Are you three even old enough to be here," said the young waitress. Achim thought of Naomi and Brielle and almost choked. At fifteen, he figured he was the oldest. He definitely looked and acted as such. Alas, the waiter girl smiled before his discomfort. "It's a joke," she teased. "I remember you from a few days ago. Welcome back," said the waiter girl. Shen then pressed a thick sheet of wood against Achim's chest and winked. "I'm sure you'll be needing this for you and your girlfriends."
"They're not my"--
"Good," said the young waitress. "You and your friends-that-are-girls can sit at any free booth you can find. Though I think the short one already found a spot."
"Achim! Over here," Naomi shouted. Having found a seat freshly abandoned by a previous party, Naomi waved both hands high as her voice shook the tavern walls.
Achim saw the way she turned heads and immediately face palmed. "Naomi," he griped.
"She's not from around here, is she," said the inquiring waiter. Achim's expression must have been all she needed, because the waiter did not press the issue after glancing at him. She only laughed. "She's cute, for a friend."
"She's annoying," said the grumbling boy.
The waiter girl shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, go to the bar when you are ready to order and grandpa will send your request to the kitchen."
"Thanks," said Achim.
"Don't thank me. Just come back a third time okay? You can even bring your friends-who-are-girls, though do it in the morning when things are quieter. It'll be safer." Achim nodded, his eyes avoiding direct contact with the waiter girl. She did not seem to mind though. "If you do come back, your next order is on me. Promise." The young waitress drifted off after that, leaving Achim just curious enough to give the girl a long lock.
"Achim! Are you listening to me," Naomi said from across the saloon.
Her voice was like steel-on-steel; inherently agitating. Achim scowled at Naomi as he approached their table, trying not to look back at those that watched him walk to their unique group. Before Achim sat down, he spoke to the sun-kissed girl with simmering words. "Naomi, why must you absolutely insist on bringing attention to yourself?"
"Oh. I'm Sorry," she whispered. "I know you said to be inconspicuous, but I'm just really excited. Like really excited." She tucked her red locks beneath her hood again after they came loose. "Speaking of excitement. T-that waiter girl seemed excited to see you too."
"She's a waiter. She's nice because she wants more money," said Achim.
"Oh yeah," said a blushing Naomi. "I-I guess you're right."
"Umm." Brielle finally peeped up and pointed a dainty finger at the wooden menu Achim set on the table. "C-c-c-can I get that, please? I-I-I'm really hungry...I-if you guys don't mind."
"Knock yourself out, Crazy Hair," Achim replied. The menu was closest to him, but Achim did not hand the etched wood over. By the time a full minute went by, the only thing Achim attempted to pass around was a long yawn.
"Aren't you going to pass it," asked Naomi.
"Why? It's right here," said Achim. "She can reach it herself."
"Have you always been this rude," said a prickled Naomi.
"Rude?! What the hell are you talking about," said an offended Achim.
"Haven't you ever eaten with people before," asked the sun-kissed girl.
"Actually, no! Not since I was a kid," Achim said. "The Wilds aren't exactly full of family dinners, Naomi. But what would you know about that?"
Naomi was speechless, at first. "W-well it's rude to reach across a table, Achim"
"Not out here it's not. In The Wilds, you take what you can get. That's all there is to it."
Again, Naomi was speechless. "Well that's clearly not the case for Brielle. And you can still call her by her name." Naomi placed a hand on the shy girl's shoulder, startling her. "Go on, Brielle. Tell him," said Naomi.
"Huh," went the shy girl. She seemed to have just come out of a hungering trance. She quickly wiped away the drool slipping off her lip and onto the menu before replying. "I-I'm sorry. I-I-I wasn't really paying attention."
"See?! She doesn't even care," Achim stated. "And what's with the attitude? You were literally sun-shine and rainbows a few seconds ago."
"I don't have an attitude, Achim. I just don't like it when you're – Ugh! Nevermind."
Naomi huffed and puffed before slouching in her seat, leaving Achim annoyed and perplexed. "Whatever," he scoffed. "I only have a bit of coin in my pocket so I can't feed the both of you anything big. Just get something small and"--
"Wait." Naomi squinted at Achim. "When did you get that?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," Achim stated.
"What does that mean," Naomi said with added anger.
"Look, do you want to eat or not," Achim bit back.
"Let me know where you got the money first, Achim."
"If you have something to say just come out and say it, Naomi."
"Ummm...I...Umm...I actually brought my own money," said the soft-spoken Brielle.
Hidden beneath her cloak and oversized shirt was a large pouch of dirty dollars, rusted coins and odd trinkets tied to her waste. Pulling the pouch from her belt, the shy girl clearly thought nothing of the extravagant amount she poured onto the table. Achim and Naomi's spat was immediately forgotten, but the glittering cascade turned every eye in the saloon.
Achim felt the stares and his scarred brow twitch. "Could we not"--
"You mean all that junk is money over here," said Naomi. She then brandished her neatly rolled wad of dollar bills and set it next to Brielle's stash. "Here's what mine looks like. Have you ever seen money like this before, Brielle?"
"N-no," Brielle curiously replied. "It looks so new."
The trio's young age made them odd enough, but Naomi and Brielle could not spare a thought between them. Achim, pinched by the mounting attention at their table, quickly wiped the money out of sight. "Alright! You've compared riches! Just put it away already!"
The girls did just that, but only Naomi made a childish little face. Her antics alone were enough to drive him up a tree, attitude notwithstanding, but between her and Brielle? Achim felt a migraine coming on.
"Brielle. Please. Go to the counter and order for us," said Achim.
There was visible unease on the part of Brielle's face not hidden by her hair, but it did not stop her from doing as told. Her compliance was innate, so she simply nodded before squirming out of the booth.
"Order me whatever you want. No pressure," said the encouraging Naomi. She then turned to Achim just short of seeing him roll his eyes. "She seems really shy. I like her"
"She seems really suspicious, and I don't like her," Achim replied. "But you're the one who made friends with her, so she's mostly your problem. At least I would like to say that."
"Well one of us has to be the social one," Naomi teased. She then paused before shimmying in her seat as if a bit unsettled. Achim glanced at the girl, and watched as she began to tap the table when she realized her curling locks were out of reach. "You're more popular with girls than I thought you were," Naomi bashfully confessed.
"What're you talking about," Achim responded.
At the question, Naomi fumbled into the next subject. "So is it true that you haven't eaten with anyone since you were a kid? No family meals? Not even with friends and stuff?"
Achim rolled his eyes and paid the girl little mind. "Uh-huh," he aloofly confirmed. "I don't have friends, and my brother is my only family that survived the...accident." Achim shrugged off the tale so that Naomi would not wonder, but even after saying so little, her face churned with empathy. Suddenly their roles were switched, the dark boy now discomforted by the subject. "Let's stay on track. Did you see Brielle's reaction when you said my name earlier?"
"I did." Naomi adjusted her veil as she set her head on the table. "I got her to react to your brother's name too. I'm pretty confident that she knows the both of you."
"Wait. That was on purpose?" Achim was in genuine awe.
"What do you mean? You weren't there..." Naomi then understood, and smirked. "Unless you were, Nosey-Nose," giggled the sun-kissed girl.
"Shuddup." Achim blushed.
Naomi smiled at the dark boy before continuing "Well, as I am sure you heard, she clearly knows a lot more than she lets on. I sort of feel bad for misleading her though."
"Why's that," asked Achim.
"I don't really know." Naomi's lips twisted with mixed feelings. "I guess it's because she's the most honest person I've met in a really long time." Naomi did not look directly at Achim as she spoke, but there was something poignant about her words.
"I take it you don't meet a lot of good people, besides bullies," Achim remarked.
"Nope," Naomi responded. She sighed and stewed before giving Achim an affectionate glance. "But things have been looking up lately."
When her bright eyes found Achim's, they twinkled something special. The dark boy quickly caught butterflies. His words then fell out of his mouth like loose spittle and, just like that, Achim's adolescence became apparent in his squealing voice and his awkward delivery. "So what's the plan, again?"
"I don't know. I'm the talk-ee girl, not the idea guy," Naomi stated.
"Right. T-that's right." Achim took a moment to settle himself. "...Well, like you said, she clearly knows me and my brother. This is my first time coming this far north too, so the possibility of her just hearing about me is low." Achim tapped his temple as he observed Brielle at the counter. "But she does know us. It's just a matter of figuring out how she knows."
"Well if your brother has been here, he might have heard about you from her," Naomi stated. "I mean, he could be looking for you too."
Achim gave little reception to the possibility. "Maybe," he replied.
As the two continued to observe Brielle from afar, they witnessed her shivering display at the bar. Even though she was at the very head of the counter, she had gone unseen. There were a multitude of patrons that seemed to bury all but the most obvious traces of her. Even more telling, Brielle barely lifted a finger for the bartender's attention. When the old bartender finally took heed of Brielle's presence, he did so due to his attentive nature. However, even when deliberate effort was made to acknowledge the shy girl, Brielle's meek poise forever kept her on the backfoot in an unseen background. Brielle remained patient though. Patient and pitiful.
"She looks like she could use some help," Naomi stated.
As the sun-kissed girl began to shuffle out of the booth, Achim took hold of her cloak to stop her. "Wait," he said. "Before you do that, I think I figured something out. Look at her." Again, their eyes trained on the shy girl. "Remember all the money she had?"
"You mean that bag of junk and gems?"
"Er...Yes," Achim replied. "Do you think someone who can't even make an order at a restaurant would be able to hustle for a job that pays that much? Because I don't."
"Oh!" Naomi was eager to contribute. "She did mention something about her family when we were talking outside. She was lying about some stuff, but maybe that part wasn't a lie. Do you think that might mean something?"
"A Family or a group in which she belongs, at least. I don't think my brother is the one who told her about me for various reasons, but someone has to be taking care of a girl as dysfunctionally awkward as her. They must have told her about us." Achim sighed before laying back in the booth. "It isn't really a good theory though. There's just too much we don't know."
Achim glanced at Brielle to find that she kept the barkeeper's attention long enough to order. Something seemed strange though. The old man at the bar was struggling to communicate with her. He even seemed shocked. Achim made an effort to listen, but the crowd proved too loud for him to hone in a particular conversation.
"What is she even ordering," said an annoyed Achim.
"I just hope it's good," Naomi replied. "But, Achim?"
"What is it?"
"I know there's a lot we don't know – I know there's a lot that I don't know - but I'm willing to do anything I can to help. After all, we've come this far and we've eaten together. Believe it or not, but that makes us friends. Good friends." Achim blushed a little, his eyes going elsewhere. His silence did not stop Naomi though. In fact, she seemed emboldened by it. "You don't have to say anything. I know you're shy too."
"I'm not shy," Achim squealed.
"If you say so," she giggled. "Just tell me what we should do."
Her words hit home and, despite how easily she wore on his nerves, Achim's stiff shoulders eased. "Well, if you're willing to do absolutely anything, the most efficient and effective idea I can come up with on the spot is to kidnap her. It'll be easy if we"--
"ABSOLUTELY NOT," Naomi shouted.
"Keep your voice down," Achim whispered. "We aren't going to hurt her or anything. And we pretty much already kidnapped her already when we didn't let her leave."
"Convincing someone to stay and eat with us is NOT kidnapping, Achim!"
"Isn't it though," said Achim.
"NO! I'm not kidnapping someone! Especially not someone as good as Brielle!" Naomi's freckled face was ripe with rage. "I can't believe you would even think of doing something like that."
The people sitting in front and behind the pair were openly suppressing their desire to stare at the arguing duo. They had been doing that alot since the three teenagers sat down.
"Would you calm down! You're gonna cause a scene!" Nevermind the fact that Achim was rather loud as well. "Besides, you just said that you'd be willing to do anything to help!"
"I meant those words within legal parameters! I thought that was understood. Why is that not understood!? You were literally just warning me about not getting kidnapped, and now you think it's okay when it benefits you?!"
"I'm not a bad kidnapper! A-At least not like the other ones!"
"Oh so now there are good ways to take someone against their will?!"
"Not good ways, good reasons," Achim declared. "W-why am I even arguing about this with someone who doesn't have any ideas!?"
"I HAVE an idea," Naomi spat. "I just thought you could think of something better."
"Well, what's your idea, Ms. Prim-and-God-Damn-Proper?!"
Naomi quickly became smug. She then sat down, clasped her hands together, took a breath, and gave Achim the most condescending smile. "Well, since you asked, my super-good-better-than-planned- kidnapping plan is that we ask Brielle about your brother."
Achim tried to wipe the confusion from his face. "...Come again."
"We just ask Brielle about your brother," Naomi replied. "Easy-peezy."
"So you want to politely ask Brielle, someone that has already lied to your face, to tell the truth about me and my brother?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"It's a dumb idea, Naomi."
Naomi banged a fist against the table and stood up. "Everything I say is a dumb idea to you! Well, guess what, Achim. It was my dumb ideas that got us here! Mine!"
Achim tsked his teeth and sank into his seat. "Whatever."
"No! No whatever's this time, Achim! I'm the one that helped you get around the city! I'm the one that asked around and got answers! I'm the one that bumped into Brielle, and I'm the one that got her to talk and stay with us! You act like you can't trust me to do simple tasks, but your progress is because of me! Me Achim!" The dark boy was ready to spit his rejection, but the truth caught in his throat. "Hah! You can't even say anything, because you know!"
Achim slumped in his seat as if outright shrinking. His shoulders were pinched high, his eyebrows furled, and he muttered petty meanness beneath his breath with the knowledge that he had nothing to refute her.
"Any objections," goaded Naomi.
"I don't even care anymore," Achim muttered. "Do whatever you want."
"Really!?" Naomi brimmed with eager brilliance.
"I said I don't care," said a moping Achim.
Naomi cheered in her seat, happy to be at the helm of their adventure. In truth, Achim was not displeased by her enthusiasm. He even hid a small smile. "We're doing it my way now," decreed the sun-kissed girl. "...and my first order of business is taking off this stupid scarf!" Naomi ripped away the veil and her fiery curls sprang forth like fire.
Achim's panic was immediate. "Naomi! I told you that it isn't a good idea to"--
"Wow! Your hair really is pretty," said the returning Brielle.
"WHERE'D YOU GET ALL THAT FOOD," Screamed Achim.
Brielle had come back with two young waiters carrying a week's worth of meal orders. It was a three dozen pound platter that pushed the server's spindly arms to their limit, but they managed to heave the feast onto the table before their muscles failed beneath the weight. As the banquet was placed, Brielle looked the most eager she had been all evening. The shy girl rushed to her seat with a tiny fork and knife hoisted high, but Achim demanded an explanation before she dug in.
"Brielle," Achim hissed.
"Y-y-yes?" The shy girl's enthusiasm was sapped as she ducked between her shoulders.
"Why? Did. You order. All. Of this. Food?! You couldn't possibly eat it all," said Achim.
"Don't be so uptight, Achim," Naomi replied. "I bet she got it all for us. Right, Brielle?"
Brielle lip twisted side-ways. "I-I guess you guys can have some if you want."
"That's not even the point," Achim snarled.
"Then what is the point, Mr. Grumpy-Gosh-Darn-McGrumplestein," said Naomi.
The small waiters interrupted the banter with an old camera in hand. "You guys are going to be celebrities on this side of The Alley for even ordering that," said a young waiter. "We only get big fat types that try the 100lb Barbeque Challenge, but not even they make it halfway. Grampa said it's the first time he'd seen a little girl order it, so he was a little shocked at first. Now say cheese for the photo wall!"
Naomi spread her smile wide, and the bashful Brielle followed suit while hiding her teeth behind the menu. Achim was the only detractor with hands raised in a failed attempt to stop the unraveling. Ready or not though, the FLASH went off and the old camera spit out an undeveloped film.
"Enjoy your meal guys! If you finish it all it's free, but no pressure. The leftovers often go to the rest of the patrons, so good luck."
The young waiters scurried off soon after and posted the emerging photo on the front wall where all could see.
"This is so exciting," said Naomi. "So what was the point again, Achim."
"FREE BBQ PLATE FOR ALL PATRONS! FREE PLATE IF THE GIRL AT THE TABLE OF THREE DOESN'T FINISH!" Both servers were making the declaration both in and out of the tavern, funneling all eyes within the saloon and beyond to their table. Achim slumped in his seat before answering Naomi's question.
"Forget it," he replied. He had given up.
"Alright then," Naomi shrugged. "But before we eat, I think we should go wash our hands. What do you think Brielle?"
The shy girl had just finished praying over the meal. "Oh." Brielle paused to wipe the saliva seeping from her lip. "Umm... I-I-I guess so. B-b-but I should really really eat soon. Nadine says that I should eat as soon as I feel hungry."
"Who's Nadine" said Achim.
"We'll talk about it later," said Naomi. "Come on, Brielle. Let's go find the little ladies room. Oh and Achim?" Naomi signaled him with a wink as they got up. "Stay here! Keep the sanctity of our new trio safe by first protecting our meal, okay?" Achim quirked a curious brow as Naomi continued to wink at him. For a moment, he though she suddenly developed a tick. "Stay. Here," said Naomi. She then unleashed a second flurry of winks.
"I get it," Achim replied. "Just hurry up so I can go wash my hands too." He shot her the sassiest wink he could concoct, both to signal that he understood and to mock the sun-kissed girl.
"Will do," Naomi said. She winked again. "And don't bring any attention to yourself."
Achim growled at Naomi as she pulled Brielle to the counter where they asked for the washroom. The barkeep gladly pointed them toward the back, to a side door exit at the rear end of the saloon. The dark boy pinched his lip at the curious instruction, but, before Naomi left his sight, she turned to him and mouthed the words "Outhouse" and "Listen" before beckoning him to follow them. Achim pinched a scowl at Naomi, but he understood. He shooed her off and lingered a moment before executing the mission.
"Idiot," he said to himself. But, as laborious as it was to do so, Achim had to give Naomi credit. She was not wrong when she said that she was the reason they had come so far. Indeed. Naomi had proven perfectly capable, albeit in a roundabout manner, in the eyes of the dark boy. Perhaps he had been worrying for nothing. Achim was ready to drop his guard, but, for the sake of caution, he conducted a thorough survey of their surroundings. He dragged his eyes across the tavern, asking himself why he had been so concerned, but it was then that he realized something that he should have already known. Naomi's gaze was so green that many red flags were painted a less cautionary color.
Bandits, mercenaries, and slavers. They were all here, and they had all been watching. Achim warned Naomi of the hornets in The Saloon, but it was not her fault. He himself had been so engrossed in tempering the girl's antics that he failed to see the scum where they so clearly stood. Now, after realizing his folly, Achim quickly plucked the predators out of the mass as they spied upon their prey from booth to bar. There were a number of nefarious characters in the tavern already, but more were buzzing in at the prospect of a free meal. For those that already saw the price on Naomi's fiery crown, as well as the money in her pocket, the decision had already been made. It was not just here though, of that Achim was sure. Brielle was a young girl with burgeoning beauty that not even Achim could deny. Her docile ways only added to her value for those in the business of trading live bodies. Not even Achim was immune to their appraisal, for they saw gold in the white glow of his glare.
It was easy for Achim to see it. Three children, each of exceptional stock, alone and loaded with riches of their own. The job was, on its face, easy. Snatch them, bag them, and ship them to the highest bidder. Naomi would get a ransom letter or two sent into the interior, but those were neutered scenarios free from the ugly details Achim knew far too well. Like bees in the brush, all it took was one thoughtless step to send the hive ablaze, and Achim counted many. All it took now was one wayward wing to embolden the hive, and one was already on the move, buzzing toward the dark boy with venom in his grin and a hand on his bloody blade.
. . .
I like Achim and Naomi as a pair, but there is something about this trio that makes them very fun to write. It just feels appropriate. I hope you enjoyed it as well.