The man’s glare beca sharp as Leonard coughed his lungs out.
"What trash?!" he asked out loud as if he was offended by Leonard’s words. "This is the best damn alcohol you’ll ever find in this whole town! This bottle costs more than a week’s worth of food, boy!"
Leonard froze mid-cough, his eyes widening slightly.
’Best? This shit?’ He couldn’t help but doubt those words. ’If this is already considered high-quality around here... then what the hell are the rest drinking? Paint thinner?
He coughed again, quickly shoving the jug back into the man’s hands.
"You can keep that. I don’t even want to be near that thing." He waved his hand dramatically, and the disgusted expression was still on his face.
Anika had her hand over her mouth, barely holding back her laughter. Her shoulders shook as she whispered, "That’s what you get for showing off."
The man snorted, hugging the jug back to his chest protectively.
"Tsk. A soft kid like you wouldn’t understand at all. This—" he gave the jug a small shake, "is the only thing that makes life here bearable."
Leonard studied him quietly for a mont. The man didn’t look threatening anymore. The hostility in his eyes wasn’t gone. Instead, it was replaced by sadness, or the look of longing for sothing so far.
"What’s your na?" Leonard asked him even though he already knew who he was. He didn’t want to scare the man.
The man squinted at him suspiciously.
"Why do you care?"
"Because just what I said, I want you to work for ," Leonard muttered. Slowly, he sat beside the man as if saying that he wouldn’t stand up without knowing it.
"Work, huh? That’s rich. You don’t even know who I am." The man let out a dry laugh. It sounded bitter and tired to the ears.
"Then tell ."
Silence stretched between them. The man scratched his unshaven jaw, looking between Leonard and Anika. Sothing in his eyes flickered. There was hesitation, maybe even sha, but in the end, he muttered, "My na is Gareth."
Anika tilted her head slightly, surprised he actually answered. Leonard smiled faintly, repeating it under his breath.
"Gareth. That’s a good na."
"Good na, but bad life," Gareth muttered flatly. He looked down at his crutch, tapping it once against the ground. "I used to work in the army. But one accident... one broken leg... and suddenly, I wasn’t useful anymore. They tossed aside like garbage. That was years ago."
Anika’s lips parted slightly. She thought that this man was just a random guy that Leoanard found. She didn’t know he had a backstory, a sad one on top of that.
"So they couldn’t see your value anymore?" Leonard’s expression softened.
"Hah. Value." Gareth smirked bitterly, raising the jug again but not drinking this ti. "The only thing I’m good for now is drinking until the day ends."
Leonard quickly shook his head.
"Wrong. I told you already. I’m not looking for legs. I’m looking for soone who knows how to hold their ground. Soone who I know will be trustworthy."
Gareth raised his eyes, studying Leonard. For the first ti, his glare wasn’t filled with hate or mockery. Instead, it was filled with caution and curiosity.
"You talk too damn much for a brat."
"Oh well, I really do talk a lot," Leonard admitted with a grin. "But I know a good person when I see one. And you, Gareth, are worth trusting."
Silence hung between them for a mont. Then, unexpectedly, Gareth chuckled under his breath.
’Did he just laugh?’ Anika blinked.
Gareth shook his head, smirking faintly. "You’re a persistent brat, aren’t you?" he muttered again.
"So?" Leonard leaned closer, his voice calm but firm. "Will you work for ?"
Gareth narrowed his eyes at Leonard’s persistence.
"What kind of work are you even talking about?"
Leonard’s lips curved upwards.
"I’m planning to build a den," he said simply.
"A den?" Gareth repeated out loud, his brows furrowing.
"Yup. A gamble den," Leonard quickly clarified, his grin widening.
For a mont, Gareth just stared at him.
"What the hell is gamble? I’ve never heard of that."
Anika blinked rapidly at that, looking between the two n. Leonard didn’t even flinch. Instead, he leaned back, as if he was ready to fully explain.
"Simple," Leonard said, the sparkle in his eye returning. "It’s a ga of chance. You will roll a dice, people will bet money on it, and if luck’s on their side, they win. If not, then they lose. But here’s the trick. It’s really us who will win."
"..." Gareth blinked slowly. He stared at Leonard for a mont before asking, "Are you high?"
"Of course not!" Leonard quickly muttered, almost offended at the thought. His face then settled into a stubborn grin, as if daring Gareth to call him crazy again.
Gareth tilted his head, his mouth twitching between disbelief and amusent.
"You’re really serious?"
"I’m dead serious." Leonard nodded. "But I’m not asking you to believe right away. I know what I’m offering sounds too good to be true. So..." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Go to the market tomorrow. Watch what I set up. Then you’ll understand what I an."
Gareth squinted his eyes at Leonard, but didn’t say anything further.
Leonard pushed himself up and stood up. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. He took out ten silver coins and placed them on Gareth’s rough hand.
"Here. Accept this."
Gareth glanced at the unexpected coins in his palm.
"What’s this for?"
"It’s the paynt for taking up your ti," Leonard smirked.
For a mont, Gareth looked torn between throwing the coins back at Leonard or pocketing them. But in the end, his fingers curled around them slowly, and he stared at Leonard as though trying to see through him.
Anika, standing beside Leonard, whispered under her breath, "You’re insane, Leonard... we only have a little money left."
But Leonard only grinned wider.
"I’ll see you at the market tomorrow, then. Please take a bath and have a good rest. Please buy new clothes too and eat." Leonard muttered as his gaze flew to Gareth.
"I’ll be waiting for you, Gareth."
Reviews
All reviews (0)