Artemis stopped at what seemed like a tavern that was made of wood and other stuff. On the wall, there was hanged a sign in some weird language that Regan had no idea of. The building's walls were covered with vines of red roses and blue leaves, that stretched all the way down and up.
The locals seemed to enter and leave through the self-opening door, endlessly.
"Why did we stop here?" Regan questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.
"We're going to get something to eat." Artemis replied.
Regan was going to say she wasn't hungry but she wasn't the only one there, so if Artemis was hungry and perhaps her maid as well, Regan wouldn't prevent them from eating.
"Okay, but why here? What's this, a market?"
"Market? We are just going to buy something to eat and then leave." Artemis replied, her expression confused.
"I certainly won't enter. I've got an odd vibe about this." Regan cracked, her voice a hint of uncertainty.
Artemis rolled her eyes, "I can't enter alone. And if you don't want to come, I can't let you here alone either. So now, come inside and let's finish our business fast."
Regan shrugged awkwardly. She knew she wasn't willing to stay alone and she knew she wasn't willing to enter the tavern either. Even if Artemis would get food alone, she didn't want to leave her alone.
She took a deep breath and reluctantly agreed.
The tavern was dimly lit but not dark. Its windows were small and isolated but still could filter the light. The walls were made of panels of wood and other beige material. Weird and unnatural paintings were hung on them, adding to the odd aura.
The aliens, males and females, were seated on different tables, as the space was large enough. They were talking, laughing and other weird things that Regan had no idea of. The tavern was filled with the smell of food, drinks and other stuff she couldn't quite figure out.
A weird kind of music was playing from some other aliens, that were using instruments and singing weirdly. She tried to seem as invisible as possible and barely even moved her head. However, she felt other's eyes on them and she couldn't help but feel anxious and vexatious.
Artemis approached the main desk and leaned against the polished wooden counter, her eyes scanning the assortment of bottles neatly arranged behind it. The bartender, a peculiar alien with reptilian features, had scales that shimmered in various shades of green and yellow. His slit- eyes glanced up at Artemis but lingered on Regan.
"Hello," Artemis greeted as she started ordering some unknown foods.
The bartender took notes of what Artemis ordered, but his creepy gaze stood at Regan. Regan felt a wave of anger mixed with another wave of an unsettling sensation that coursed through her veins. She didn't know if it was only because of the bartender's stare, or something else.
"Hey, you....you don't seem to be from here, are you?" the bartender finally asked, directed at Regan, an evil smirk creeping up on his face.
"Oh, where the hell do you assume I'm from?" Regan sharply retorted, her anger coming through.
"Well...." the bartender trailed off as he leaned on the table, "Beauties like you are uncommon here," he said as he roamed his gaze on her, "And I've never seen one like you before."
Regan felt the disgust creep up on her, although all he could see were her eyes, eyebrows and forehead, "Shut the fuck up or I'll execute you just right here and now," she snarled, her voice angry and threatening.
"You're not from here, beautiful," he spat back, glaring at her, "and you shouldn't be talking to me like that."
Regan's blood boiled at the man's remarks. She clenched her fists tightly, her veins bulging at her forehead.
"Regan, stop, don't make a scene," Artemis nudged Regan's arm, upon noticing what was happening, "Just ignore him," she continued, before turning back to the other bartender. Cora, on the other side, was watching everything but couldn't interfere.
But Regan was even more fueled up, "Ignore? Listen up here, asshole. If you think you can ever call me 'beautiful' again, you'd be terrified of what I can do to you. Now, fuck off and never get on my sight again," she growled.
The bartender laughed, a harsh sound that seemed low in the voices and sounds of the tavern, "Oh, I don't think you'd be any trouble." He leaned closer to her, his reptilian breath wafting past her face. "But if you really want to know who I am, why I'm here... there are ways to find out." He smiled, a menacing grin that made Regan's skin crawl.
The music and the voices around, made it hard enough for anyone else to notice what was happening. Regan could feel the fire burning in her veins. She was just going to strike him if the tavern's doors wouldn't have slammed open.
Everyone and everything went unnaturally and abruptly quiet, their loud conversations gone, their laughs long interrupted, their gazes directed to none other than the two massive figures standing at the doors.
Two tall, muscular men stood there, their attires completely covered by long dark robes, their aura speaking one of mystery and power.
As Regan turned back too, she couldn't ignore the piercing haunting feeling she felt, but she was way too furious to even realize where it was coming from.
"Did you get it?!" Regan once again snapped at the bartender, whose attention was stuck on the unknown men.
But suddenly, she felt an arm sneak around her waist, pulling her back and away from the bartender. She was immediately alarmed like a hurricane had just hit her and her gaze hurriedly travelled up. She was shocked at who she saw. It was the man in the cloak. But that wasn't it all.
It was Sirius.
Regan's eyes widened in shock, what was he even doing?
Snapping out of the daze, she tried to free herself from his grip but it was unyielding. She grew extremely anxious and mad, as she felt trapped, "Hey, what the hell are you doing?! Get away from me!" she hissed, her voice a blend of confusion and anger. Had she forgotten she loathed being touched? No, she hadn't.
Sirius didn't even seem to care, his intense gaze was burning at the bartender, not looking at Regan. As if sensing her struggle, he pulled her closer on his chest and tenderly stroked her hair, which was visible from the falling hood. This just served Regan's rage to grow.
A cruel smile grew on his face as his gaze was on the bartender, "You're the wannabe?" He asked, his voice madly menacing.
The bartender swallowed hard but didn't reply.
"I asked, you're the wannabe?" Sirius repeated again with a higher tone, his grip on Regan tightening, but not painfully.
The bartender's figure trembled as he took a step back, "I-I don't know what this means, m-my m-master. I-I'm just a worker." He stuttered, his eyes wide with fear.
Sirius's face twisted into a snarl, "You dare to lie to me, worm?" He hissed, "You think I don't know who you are? You're nothing but a foolish little bastard, trying to take what doesn't belong to you!"
With a sudden movement, Sirius let go of Regan and pulled her behind him, as he took another step closer to the cowering bartender. "I should rip your soul out right now and end you," he growled, "and I'm afraid I'll do it."
The bartender glanced back at other patrons but they were too much in fear to even dare say anything let alone try to help. Everyone looked like they were holding their breaths, fearing the outcome. The silence grew merely heavier as even if a tiny pin were to drop, it would be heard at each corner of the place.
Regan was furious and confused at the same time, as she was more preoccupied with the fact that he had just grabbed her by her waist, instead of the overall thing.
LpArtemis on the other hand, was shocked as well as she never had expected Sirius, in a bar. Her servant, stood in a corner holding her breath, fearing of what was happening.
"What the hell are you doing here, Sirius?" It was Regan now that whispered harshly.
Sirius didn't pay attention to her, instead, he lunged and caught the bartender by his collar, slamming him against the counter. "I'm here for what's rightfully mine!" he growled, his voice echoing in the silence. "And you'll be over!"
The bartender struggled for breath while the other man in the cloak approached the sorcerer, "My lord, let's not get too violent here," he tried to calm Sirius down. But it was obvious that Sirius wasn't listening.
"You think you'll get away with what you just did?" Sirius growled, his grip tightening even more. The bartender let out a whimper of pain.
"Please, my lord, I didn't mean any harm. It was just a misunderstanding." The bartender tried to reason with him, but it seemed to only anger Sirius further.
"Misunderstanding? You think I'm some fool who would believe that?" He yelled, his voice echoing through the bar.
An older patron who was standing at a corner, decided to voice out, despite his voice shaking with fear, "My lord, what wrong did he do? He's just a worker here." He tried to reason with him, but Sirius only gave him a menacing glare.
The bartender cowered, his face pale with fear. He glanced at Regan, hoping for some sort of help, but she only looked away, her face tight with anger and confusion.
Suddenly, Sirius's gaze flickered to Regan, and she felt a chill run down her spine. "You," he hissed, "get out of here."
She blinked, surprised by his command. "Excuse me?" she said, trying to sound braver than she felt.
Sirius's grip on the bartender tightened even more. "I said, get out of here." His voice was cold and hard as steel. "This doesn't concern you."
Regan hesitated, glancing around the bar. No one was moving, no one was saying anything. She felt like she was in some sort of nightmare, where everyone was just watching and doing nothing. Her eyes glanced at Artemis, who was shocked too. But then, she turned and rushed towards the exit, her heart pounding in her chest.
Sirius shot Artemis a menacing glare and there was no room for defiance. Artemis shifted quickly from her place and picked up the food with the bag she was given. Then, followed by her servant, she left on her heels.