The Heartless and the Solitary

Thana let out a belch and slammed her empty tankard to the benchtop. A table of men at her right chuckled, then grew quiet at her pointed stare. Most knew better than to even cast a look her way, but drink made men brave.

Thana didn't. Thana made men edgy and curious. Their instincts at war with their better judgment. Ordinarily, she enjoyed watching the battle play out behind their eyes. Enjoyed observing the slow death of sense and reason before they came to her like a fly to honey. But not today. Today, she was Nightshade. Poisonous. Fatal.   

Thana slid her empty tankard to the table's edge, and a round serving woman bustled over, expertly avoiding stray hands. She raised a sloshing ale jug, and Thana nodded. The raucous cacophony of voices throughout the tavern drowned out what little tolerance she had for conversation. Apparently, the woman didn't notice.   

"Would 'a thought you'd be at Madame Laverna's? It's Saint Valentine's, after all." The woman mussed while she filled the mug.  

"How fortunate for you that I'm not."  

Suds cascaded over the rim, and the woman stepped back.  

"What keeps you at the backside of a seedy tavern on a Saints Day?". The barmaid sunk a hip, bravely running an eye over Thana's hooded face. "You're too young to be heartbroken and far too pretty to be lonely."  

"Neither are a concern of the heartless and the solitary." Thana wasn't a stranger to the port-side tavern. The barmaids knew their humbugging was just as likely to earn a blade to the throat as a copper for their silence. Thana crossed her ankles over the tabletop and leaned back against the wall. She rolled a gleaming gold mark over her knuckles, fixing the crafty woman with a pointed look. "Not another word, and keep them coming." The woman eyed the coin with practiced precision, topping Thana's mug to the brim before fading into the crowd of roaming hands and reeking bodies. Thana nestled the coin into her pocket, enough to buy the entire stinking cesspit a round, yet it seemed barely to grant her a moment of peace.   

"Thana, there you are!".  

She groaned, pulling her hood low at Finn's timbre.  

"What are you doing here?" he slid onto the empty bench seat, taking a long pull from her tankard.  

Thana cuffed him before repossessing the ale. "Where else should I be?"  

"Nowhere. I just figured" Finn hesitated, then. "Never mind. I need your help".   

"I'm otherwise engaged." she hummed.  

"You're day drinking," he deadpanned.  

"And as such, I'm busy. Go talk to your woman".  

Finn shook his head, casting his eyes to the scarred benchtop. Thana could only hope it was a sign of defeat, but he remained.   

"It's about Saint Valentine's. I can't go asking Aerin; it'll ruin the surprise."   

"Go away," she replied.   

"Come on, Thana." he groaned, scrubbing a hand over his tanned face. "I want to get her something special. She's having a rough time, and she's homesick".  

"Go. Away." he didn't. Instead, smiling broadly at the round barmaid who deposited a fresh mug, filling it to the brim. Thana eyed the woman. Raising a brow each time a muscle feathered at the slightest hint of speech. Today of all days, why couldn't they leave her be.           

The woman moved on, carefully avoiding Thana's gaze. Finn wouldn't be so easily deterred. His affliction towards the girl ran too deep.   

"I help. You leave. Understood?"  

Finn grinned like the fool he was. Thana cursed herself for keeping such poor company. Taking a long pull, she settled in to educate.  

"You needn't get her a gift. The Saint's Day isn't celebrated in Aerin's homeland." she began. "At her age, she'd be included in Lupercalia this year. No gift can substitute the thrill of such an event." Thana's smile was wicked, drawing a confused look from Finn.  

"No gifts for Lupercalia? How do couples show their love?"  

Thana ground her teeth at the word. "In the physical sense, you fool."  

"Oh." Crimson stained his cheeks. "Well. That aside, I'd like to get her something."  

"Of course, you would." She growled, her patience nearing its end. Thana took another drink, then. "Why do you ask me these things? I can't help you."  

Finn paused; his mug raised to his lips. "Aerin's your friend. You know her; you've been to her homeland."  

"Let me rephrase. I don't want to help you. Now get out." Thana threw back her hood and tipped her chin to the door.   

Finn slammed his tankard to the tabletop, ale sloshing over the sides. "What is your problem? You hate Saint Valentine's, is that it? Seeing people happy makes you miserable?"  

"Leave." She hissed. Finn didn't wait to hear it, draining the rest of his ale and pushing away from the table. Valentine's, love. It affected the brain. Turned hard men soft and wise women stupid. A strange malady. One that held both Finn and Aerin firmly in its grasp. Aerin's your friend. She's homesick   

Thana sighed, downed the last for her ale, and called out across the crowd of pungent drunkards. "Finneas."  

He turned, hard lines on his laughing face that didn't belong there. "There's a merchant at the docks who trades in rare goods and antiquities. He sells a moonflower that grows in the highlands bordering Aerin's home".   

A foolish grin split his face; Thana rolled her eyes and pointed at the door.   

"I don't care what they say about you; you're a good person." he beamed.  

"And you'll take thoughts to your grave, or I'll bring the grave to you."   

Finn threw his head back and laughed, the sound jarring and far too encouraging to the rabble now streaming through the tavern door. Thana immediately missed the hard lines and disappointment that would have promised countless days of peace.   

Thana hissed. "Get out, you damned hyena." Finn's laughter followed her curses out the door. The barmaid soon returned, swift and soundless, determined to earn the gold mark warming Thana's pocket. Ale flowed over her fingers where they gripped the mug, and finally, she was alone. Content in her solitude. It was the greatest gift anyone could give her on Saint Valentine's.