Once A Whore ...

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"Lina?"

Lina looked over her shoulder at Zelgadis, "Yeah?"

"We're headed for Tane, right?"

She nodded, wondering were he was going with this. The chimera took a deep breath -- for him anyway -- and looked somewhere over her head.

"There's an inn we can stay there, it's pretty cheap," Zel paused again, "if you tell the bar tender -- his name's 'Ol Tabletop -- that Ze-gey sent you, he'll give them to you for nothing."

Lina stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "How would you know something like that?"

"I used to ... work there," he said, shrugging, "besides, there's something I have to get ... I'll meet you at the inn."

The sorceress opened her mouth to ask what, but the chimera was gone, a pale blur streaking off into the distance.

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Lina and company, being much slower than their speedy friend, finally wandered into town and since it was lunch time, made a bee line for the inn. It was a reasonably nice in, nothing fancy and a little small, but it was clean and the smells of lunch on the make wafted from the kitchen. A big, heavy set man was sitting behind the bar, cleaning a large glass mug, round face smiling at them as they walked in.

Remembering Zel's little words of wisdom, she walked up and hopped into a bar stool, "Are you 'Ol Tabletop?"

"That I am, Missy. What can I do fer ya?"

"Lunch and rooms would be nice, Ze-gey sent us."

"Zel?! He's still alive?!" the man exclaimed, eyes sparkling, "Well, I'll be."

Lina blinked, curiosity rising as she figured that the man might tell her something about Zelgadis's rather elusive past. "He's alive, how do you know him?"

"Used to work around here. Poor thing, thinner than a stick, but then, they seemed to like him that way." The man shook his head mournfully, and made a derisive sound over what he thought of "them".

She blinked again at this odd turn of phrase, "Like him that way? He was a ladies man?"

The bartender looked at her strangely, "Inna way ... don't tell me ya don't know what he is! I mean, yer comin' in on his percent ya see, ya have ta know!"

"Percent?"

He nodded emphatically, "Yeah, he's a nice 'un, gives me a percent of his take when he brings his customers here. Guess they git tired of his place after a while."

Lina was thoroughly confused, "Take? Customers? His place?"

"Ya mean ya really don't know?!"

She nodded.

"Then how'd ya meet him, Missy?"

"Well, he wanted to buy something from me for Rezo and ... well, lots of stuff happened ... and we've been traveling together ever since."

"Oh, Rezo." The man spat the name out like a curse.

Lina shot the man a questioning look.

"That 'un always did hang around a wee too much fer my health, too much in and out of Zel's place, if ya know what I mean."

"Hello, Lina. Tabby. Seem's you two are getting acquainted." She turned, not noticing that Zel had shown up behind her as he dropped into the stool beside her and pushed back his hood.

Tabby's -- if that was the bartender's name -- eyes widened at the sight of the chimera, but after a probing look he smiled, chubby fingers waving as he grinned at Zel. "Zel, good to see you, see ya filled out a bit."

"Yeah. A bit." He returned absently, peering into the ale glass Tabby had pushed into his hands, "They don't forget around here, do they? I got four offers the minute I stepped into town." The words were bitter as he glared into the glass, hands clenching tightly.

"They al'ays liked their toy, boyo," Tabby replied quietly, awkwardly patting his shoulder. He brightened then, like he found had a present hidden away for the young man, "Well, seems you've been doin' alright if ya got outta here and picked up this sweet little thing."

Zel blushed. Lina raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Lina? Oh, she's a friend. I guess ... Rezo got me out, changing me like this."

"Better than the other stuff."

"Yeah, the rat ..."

"Um, Zel? Tabby?" Lina was still confused, if this was Zel's hometown why were they talking about all this weird stuff?

"Yeah?" they asked, simultaneously turning to look at her.

"What are you talking about?!" she demanded, getting a little angry.

Zelgadis smiled humorlessly, "You better explain it, Tabby, she's violent when she's mad ... and you always tell it better anyway."

Tabby set the glass he's been cleaning down, settling his bulk in the chair behind the counter and steepled his thick fingers. "It's like this, little Missy, yer friend here used to make a livin' round here of a rather ... negotiable virtue. He wasn't born 'n raised here, mind you, or they never would've jumped at what he offered ... yer friend is, quite frankly, a whore."

Lina just stared.

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