Fool me once, shame on you (440 views)

Arthur remained where he was, shifting through his coin purse as he got enough to pay her for the water. He was already uncomfortable given the rowdy nature of the tavern – and he heard some of the dancing girls giggle as some man grabbed at her. God, this was so uncomfortable. How did anyone get enjoyment coming here on a daily basis? He was still convinced anyone who said ale tasted good had a foot up their arse, and was just trying to sound cooler than they actually were.

When the barista spoke up, Arthur’s blank expression turned to a scowl as she told him he was in a tavern and suggested an ale. It was actually probably uncommon for someone to enter a tavern and just order a water. Her interest in selling him an ale made sense but it still pissed Arthur off. His glare darkened and he slammed the money on the counter, pushing it towards her. No one else at the tavern seemed to bat an eye – already used to such actions.

”Did I stutter? I want a water. I don’t give a shit about your ale.” He said. He returned the coin purse to his belt and waited for the water he’d demanded. "And that's sir to you, not lad."

He knew the bar maiden was probably pissed off at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Arthur stared at the water he was given, and sniffed it to confirm it wasn’t some ale hiding before he took a generous sip of it, and when she replied in a snarky tone he rolled his eyes.

”Thank you. Don’t worry, I’m not staying here for long.” He assured her, the loud chattering of other patrons going in one ear and out the other. He glanced over at the girl as she downed a shot of rum and shook his head. ”No need for me to drink. You can drink enough for the both of us if you want. I don’t care.”

Arthur rolled his eyes when she said he was wasting her time. All she had to do was ignore him. He didn’t know what the fuck her problem was. He took another sip of his water when she said that she’d be attending to other people – good riddance – but then she tripped right beside him like a fucking idiot. He groaned and glared over at her, but didn’t shove her off of him when she steadied herself on him. He didn’t want her to trip again, after all.

”Maybe you’ve already drunken enough for the both of us.” He snapped in retaliation. But then he felt her hands traveling lower towards his belt and he froze for a second. Was she trying to feel him up? But, no – he felt her fingers by his hip, silently relieving him of his coin purse. Her touch was smooth and swift – had he not been so observant and trained, he might have missed it. He allowed her to steal it from him, but before she could get away, he grabbed her by the waist and yanked her towards him.

”I’d appreciate my coin purse back, girl,” He said louder than necessary given their proximity – but it got several customers looking their way. He glared into her eyes, a frown on his lip. ”I don’t take kindly to thieves.”

He saw the confusion in her eyes, and heard it in her voice. She hadn’t expected to be caught and probably thought of herself as some kind of an expert. It wasn’t that uncommon for thieves to work at places such as this but with the customers eyes on him now he knew if she didn’t fess up she’d be in for a significant drop in business.

He smirked when she returned his money and called him an asshole, releasing her as he was granted his money back. He was stingy, and on top of that, needed the money to take care of Adelaide. No way in hell was some dingy barmaid stealing it from him.

”You’re just not as skilled as you think you are.” He said as way of explanation. She actually was very skilled – and had he not been so aware of himself and his surroundings here, she would have fooled him – but he didn’t need to tell her that. ”Stick to robbing the drunken fools, will you?”