Raythanya's: The Boys

The sun hung low in the sky above the Ver Sayles tundra, but the warm glow of the bar’s lights beckoned the Boys to the doorstep of Raythanya’s. Still separated from their own corporeal form, the best their handler could do was provide some R&R in a place as cut off from the weave as they were, however temporarily that would prove in both cases. They walked alongside one another, strange to the sensation of existing separately in a place that, at the very least, felt “real” to them.

From behind the bar, Rialto eyed up the strange visitors. He knew all types, and was no stranger to folks that had no business beyond the Severance, but he’d never seen anything like the pale blue pair that walked through his doors that evening. Not twins, but somehow distorted mirror images of one another, like they were different, but also not. They moved differently, acted differently, but always seemed to be in sync despite it all. When Cassius finally turned his gaze to the bar, the aasimar waved the duo over.

“Welcome to Raythanya’s, yinz look a bit lost. What’ll you have? First round’s on the house, and we’ll see where things go from there.”

Cassius spoke up first, clearly, slowly, politely, as was his nature. “I’ll take a whiskey, neat. Dealers' choice, you look like you know your drinks.”

Andi lagged behind just a bit, but caught up shortly after he realized patrons were staring and Cass had moved to the bar. “I’ll have a… I think it was a Veilpeircer? I enjoyed those… strong enough to quiet things a little…”

Ray had just slid Cassius his drink when Andi’s request caused him to do a double take at the boys.

“Veilpeircer? I don’t have any Damai liquor on hand, but that’s an odd request, pal. Are you two some of Fyg’s? I’m always hiring, but it’s a bit of a bad time… things are gonna get real weird, real fast, real soon.”

At the mention of Fyg, both of the Boys smiled warmly. Cassius began to answer, but saw Andi’s excitement and allowed him the chance. “She’s wonderful, but no… we’re something else. When we’ve stopped the gods from fighting, we’re going back there, though. She said we can stay!”

Ray began to grin and chuckle as he did his best to fashion a bootleg Veilpeircer for the strange visitor, as Cassius put a hand up to his partner. “We’ve gotta deal with Silas first, kid. He can’t be let near Miss Fyg.”

Ray’s chuckle turned into a deep throaty laugh at that response, and as he handed Andi his best possible effort in a tall glass, he chimed in with a confident tone.

“Now, boys. If you’ve got a boogeyman, Fyg is probably the exact right person you need to be around. She’s as dangerous as she is kind, don’t let her fool you kids. And she knows how to handle those inside monsters, too.”

The Boys cocked their heads to the side a bit, and Cassius chewed thoughtfully on an unlit cigar. “I reckon you know Miss Fyg, stranger. Probably better than we do, I’ll give you that. But you don’t know us. And you don’t know Silas.”

Ray lit a joint and took a drag before passing it over to a more than willing Andurien, and reiterating his lack of concern.

“I remember when she faced down an Archdevil. And she’s twice the Fyglet she was then, and then some. I can assure you that if she can handle an infernal asshole, whatever situation you boys have going on is not gonna shake her. I feel bad for this Silas character if he does you any harm though. I can tell, you’re exactly the type she’d take in and love something fierce. So, bunk beds at Eldertree?”

Andi looked at Ray in confusion as Cassius fielded the question. “We aren’t normally so separate, sir. We share a being back where we come from. Unfortunately, so does ol’ Silas. And he’s locked us out. We’ve been wandering a void, and then we saw the lights. Felt better than waiting in silence.”

“Firstly, don’t ever call me sir again. Name’s Rialto. My friends call me Ray. You… y’know what, I like you boys, go ahead and call me Ray. You seem like the right spark of chaos, and I always enjoy a bit of that.”

“And second, that’s a shit sandwich you’ve got to eat there, Boys. Anytime you can find your way to this bar, you come wash it down on the house.”

The Boys nodded in appreciation, and both took a moment to sip their drinks in silent contemplation of the events they’d been piecing together since the beginning of their most recent adventure. It had been a rough ride, and this point was a very new and very real low. But they were far from done, and Ray’s offer of future solace in the face of the void gave them a hope that they would survive, perhaps to see future trials and tribulations, but perhaps to outlast them. Ray just looked on, occasionally passing the joint to either of the two men, and taking in their uncertainty and fear of the moment.

“You two boys let me fuss over our Fyglet, okay? Goddess knows that she’s got plenty of us to keep an eye out. She’d want you two to love yourselves enough to know you’ll see this through. You just keep your spark alive, and trust that those strings are being pulled in your favor, always. We’re all rooting for you. And this Silas guy? I don’t know him, and I won’t serve him. “

Cassius looked up with a scowl. “He knows everything about the both of us. He’s good at facades, Ray. Don’t trust us.”

Once again, the grizzled bartender laughed his deep laugh.

“I’ve got the insight to see through the lies of Lucifer himself, kids. That shit might fool your friends, maybe even some deities. But nobody can bullshit Rialto Duquesne.”

As he turned to other patrons and left the boys with their musings and two fresh rounds of drinks, he grinned the most devilish grin a celestial could muster.

“I’m the patron saint of bullshit.”