Interlude 1

I sat at the bar, drinking my lukewarm beer. Everyone around me was laughing drunkenly, punching friends in the arm and flirting with their loved ones. I didn't come here to socialize. I came to drink away my sorrow. Like nearly every other depressed person in the world. I had nothing to live for. No goal or purpose. So I might as well sit and keep drinking. I motioned to the bartender for another, and although he shook his head, he poured me a third beer.

A loud crack behind me suddenly made all the laughter stop. A rare silence filled the bar. I turned around slowly to see Carlon, the local cad, on the ground in a pile of broken wood (the only remnants of his table) and spilled beer. Above him stood a young woman of about 16 or 17 years of age. What struck me immediately were her wings. She had one pitch black, nearly violet, wing that was like a raven. She also had one pure white wing that reminded me of angels. The expression on her face didn't match the image however. She looked positively fierce, her aquamarine eyes flashing in anger. What struck me were the silver flakes mixed in with the blue. She was a follower of the Goddess and she had special powers.

I knew because her eyes were the same as mine.

I watched as her eyes narrowed as she threw her violet hair over her shoulder.

"I advise that you don't try that again. To me or any woman." She growled quietly, glaring down at the man below her. She leant down to whisper in his ear, even though there was no need. The entire bar was so silent that you could hear the heartbeats of the person next to you.

"Unless you wish to keep your balls." She muttered, and then she quickly got up and stared down at him menacingly. Everyone in the bar knew she wasn't joking either. Carlon gasped as he passed out from fear.

"Wuss," the girl and I said at the same time. She looked up and quickly glanced around the room as I turned back to my drink. I sighed as I took another sip of my beer. Why had I even said that out loud? It didn't matter as the girl finally felt the terrified vibe of the people around her. Her face brightened into a mischievous smile.

"Alright, does anyone here have the skill to challenge me to a drinking contest? Loser has to pay! Who's up for it?" she yelled.

Various men rose from their seats cheering as the atmosphere brightened, looking forward to free drinks. This small woman couldn't possibly drink more than any of them, right?

"Ah, that was so much fun," the girl sighed, as she stumbled to a bar stool. Behind her were the unconscious forms of the men who had unwittingly challenged her to drinking contests. She had out drank all of them within three hours.

"Hey…Papa Bonito!" she cooed happily, waving to the bartender. He shook his head at her in anger.

"What is it, chica? If you order another drink, I swear, I'll-"

"Oh, relax," she said, waving her hand at him. "Do you think I'm that stupid? I wanted to ask you when you're going to close up. You know I need an escort home, especially in this state!"

He shook his head again. "I can't leave yet, chica, I still need to clean up and throw the drunks out. Speaking of which, why aren't you completely drunk?" he asked.

I looked at her quickly. She seemed sober, but if you looked closely, there was a faint haziness in her eyes.

She gave him a huge grin. "You know me, I can handle my alcohol."

He returned her grin with a knowing smile. "So, did you bring your weapons with you today?"

She shook her head sadly.

He stared at her in a scared shock. "You didn't bring your guns? Your sword? Your daggers?"

She shook her head again.

He groaned. "Why on earth would you do that, chica?"

"I thought my hand-to-hand skills were enough for tonight. I didn't plan to get dead drunk."

He sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I was hoping you could take me home. However, you obviously can't do that." She said sadly, slumping in her stool. "Now how I am supposed to get home?"

The bartender leaned down onto the counter as he tried to think. "Hmm…who do I know who is here right now who isn't drunk and whom I can trust will take you home safely?"

I quietly stood up, put some money on the counter, and silently approached the door so I could leave. I knew who his deliberations would lead to...

He snapped his fingers before pointing at me. "Cain! You could take my little chica here home!"

I froze in my actions. Damn, I didn't leave in time.

"Would you please do it Cain? You're the only one that could take her home. Please?"

"Well…" I said questioningly. How could the guy trust me with her? What exactly had I done to prove my trustworthiness?

"If you do it, you get free drinks for a month," he said seriously.

I sighed. I was stuck. I had no choice but to take the girl.

"Fine, let's go," I said, motioning to the girl.

She nodded at me as she walked towards me. Or at least she attempted to walk towards me before she fell drunkenly to the ground.

"Ow…that hurt," she moaned.

I sighed again. Why was I doing this? Oh yeah, free drinks and stupid conscience…

I walked over to her, leaned down, and faced to door. "Get on," I ordered.

"But…I can't do that…there's no need…" she stammered uncharacteristically (or at least, different from what she was like before).

"Look, you can't walk, so this is the easiest way. Now get on," I said again. Why were women so difficult?

She didn't protest this time as she wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. With one last wave to the bartender, we were gone.

Author's Note

Here is the way this story is going to work: it is going to alternate a chapter with an interlude of Cain's memories. They are both important, so it's not like it's just pure character development. I'll post again soon, please review and tell me what you think. Oh, contrary to the rating, I WILL NOT write a lemon in this sotry. It is rated for violence and language.