Dash Vikal
Character
Dash pushed open the door to the bar; the familiar scent of polished wood and bitters greeting him. The low hum of conversation barely registered; his eyes swept the room automatically, tracing the usual contours, the familiar arrangements, the silent rhythm he had memorized over months.
He reached for the canteen slung at his side with the metal cool against his palm. Ice water swished inside as he took a careful sip, letting it slide down his throat and ease the scratch that had become a permanent companion. With a habitual glance toward the fridge behind the bar, he set the canteen down inside of it to store it for the day.
And then there was someone new. A man standing behind the counter, moving with ease but still carrying a cautiousness that spoke of unfamiliarity. Dash froze for a heartbeat, a quiet pang of something he couldn’t name twisting in his chest. Jealousy, maybe. Or territorial instinct. His gaze lingered on the man’s face, searching for a flicker of recognition. Another bartender, perhaps, from some previous posting, a past life he might remember. When nothing sparked, Dash tilted his head slightly, as if adjusting the focus of his own memory. Vaguely, he recalled overhearing his boss mention something to someone about a new bartender starting soon. And that small, incidental memory gave context to the scene, though it did little to ease the tight knot in his chest.
He approached with light footsteps, his hand brushing the counter as he came closer. “You… worked… before?” His voice rasped; a low, deliberate sound with each word measured and strained, carrying more effort than it seemed necessary. The question was simple, neutral, but his eyes that were both steady and searching, gave away the undercurrent: he needed to know who had claimed part of his world.
Tag:
Darth Empyrean
He reached for the canteen slung at his side with the metal cool against his palm. Ice water swished inside as he took a careful sip, letting it slide down his throat and ease the scratch that had become a permanent companion. With a habitual glance toward the fridge behind the bar, he set the canteen down inside of it to store it for the day.
And then there was someone new. A man standing behind the counter, moving with ease but still carrying a cautiousness that spoke of unfamiliarity. Dash froze for a heartbeat, a quiet pang of something he couldn’t name twisting in his chest. Jealousy, maybe. Or territorial instinct. His gaze lingered on the man’s face, searching for a flicker of recognition. Another bartender, perhaps, from some previous posting, a past life he might remember. When nothing sparked, Dash tilted his head slightly, as if adjusting the focus of his own memory. Vaguely, he recalled overhearing his boss mention something to someone about a new bartender starting soon. And that small, incidental memory gave context to the scene, though it did little to ease the tight knot in his chest.
He approached with light footsteps, his hand brushing the counter as he came closer. “You… worked… before?” His voice rasped; a low, deliberate sound with each word measured and strained, carrying more effort than it seemed necessary. The question was simple, neutral, but his eyes that were both steady and searching, gave away the undercurrent: he needed to know who had claimed part of his world.
Tag:
Darth Empyrean