Talk of Dragon Bones - Part OneWritten April 2015 by Grace Sabella
I slip into Four Winds late on a Monday evening, tired a bit chilled, but the smooth jazz talent playing from the stage is an instant relief. It’s ten—if not twenty—times better than what I’ve been listening to on Pandora lately. A saxophone solo sends shivers rippling down my spine as I take a seat at my favorite booth. It’s the perfect spot to observe the whole place, or at least as much of it as possible in one glance.
Max tends bar tonight, as usual, and I watch him masterfully mix cocktails for a while. Something about the smooth and sure motion of his hands and his easy smile relaxes my mind and smooths out the frays of a hectic day. I order a Southern sunrise (here is the only place I can get one outside the Bible Belt) and retrieve my notebook from my bag. I’ve been working on a few things lately that show promise, and I got a fascinating new idea just the other night. Tapping the back end of my fountain pen to my paper, I think for a moment, then decide to look over some notes for a story involving quite a spunky character named Kat. Then I realize she might very well exist in the flesh here and smile to myself. I’m about to start plotting when a tall man in a pin striped suit passes by and takes a seat at the booth directly behind me. No one else occupies the booth, but he begins to talk softly, and I can barely make out his words. At first, I think he’s talking to himself, but it soon becomes obvious that he’s having a conversation through some kind of one-way voice box. "I haven’t found her yet," he says hardly above a whisper. "Yes, I know we need her services if we’re to have any hope of retrieving the—" he catches himself and hushes his tone even more "—the dragon bones." He puases as if listening. Then, "Of course I do, sir. Yes, I’ve heard she’s a bit particular about accepting clients, but she’ll have no reason to be suspicious." Another pause. “Very close, only a matter of a day or two at the most. Very well.” I hear a soft click, and the man stands to leave. As he passes, I catch a glimps of his face. He has a calm look to him, clear eyes and a clean conscious. And then he’s gone. I write several pages and then realize it’s gotten later than I’d intended to stay, and the toil of my Earth life is calling me home. Before I leave, I stop at the bar and wait for Max to greet me with that signature grin of his. He flashes it the instant he sees me. “Long time! Hear any interesting conversations tonight?” I nod. “So Max, what do you know about dragon bones?” Part TwoWritten April 2015 by Tom Secrest II (click for sound track)
Max shrugs while filling a beer for the Aztec pilot three seats down. “Only what you could already find out at your local library. People dig them up all over the place and try to see what they were like back in the day.” He hands the pilot the much lusted after brew. “I know that most people call them dinosaurs now, and are under the impression that the fire breathing was a myth. I also know that in some worlds they’re rumored to have arcane power. Not sure if that one is true, but I suppose their bones might be interesting.”
Something cheery and smooth is coming from the stage now. Piano and sax flow together with some definite tropical themes backing them up. “So why would someone be interested in the latter then?” you ask him with a squint. “For some kind of magic?” “Could be. For the patter, probably yes. Or some kind of collector. Lotta collectors do come through here. I even had a guy ask me if I knew where he could find the last dinner plate used by saint Jude.” Max throws up his hands in what seems to be a mock gesture of amazement. “I don’t even know what old Jude got sainted for!” You allow yourself a small giggle and continue twirling the end of your hair. “Well that would be an interesting collection, I guess. Saintly dinner plates?” Max spreads his hands with an "I got no nothing" sort of expression. You decide to inquire just a little further about the bone. “What about your friend Dan? He’s been everywhere right? Has he ever come across a dragon?” Max puts you on pause long enough to hear that the young lady with the bronze sapphire ring and the rosy cheeks wanted a beautiful, perfect Carlos and a sandstorm for her fiancé. |
In Case of | Talk of Dragon Bones |