Rule of Three 2

Rule of Three, Part II

 

Family Matters

528 Words

 

                "Thank you, darlin'." Lefty nodded to the girl at the counter, taking up his package before leaving the little store. Zahn had pushed the car up to the garage, but Emily was watching an airship floating overhead. She'd always loved the ships, always stopped whatever she was doing to watch one sail by, breathless at the soft chop of the motors.

                Lefty was less enthralled.  He glanced up, gauging the size of the vessel and making a guess as to the number of people on board, the wealthy and the influential, and all their money.  If only he could get them passage, just one trip to New Amsterdam or Chicago, he might be able to make their fortune. With luck.

                He turned his gaze back to Emily, only to see that Zahn was looking at her, too. Lefty's blood started to simmer at the expression on Zahn's face. It took a moment for Lefty to calm down, fighting back an urge to kick his friend in the teeth. He drew a deep breath, looking up and down Renaissance's dusty main street. This could be a good place to stop for a while. A saloon always meant a little extra money. With luck.

                "There's water," he said, walking back to the car.  "And a little hotel."

               Emily didn't move her gaze from the rapidly dwindling airship, but she put her arm around his waist when he gripped her shoulders.

               Zahn wiped his face with a handkerchief.  "We're gonna stay?" he asked.

               "I figured we could use a rest," replied Lefty, unfolding the map he'd just bought. "This looks like it's the only stop for miles. If we're planning on going for any length of time, it sure wouldn't do any harm to get a little rest and restock."

               Emily hugged Lefty. "I'm okay with stopping. It'd be nice to sleep in a real bed for a change."  She turned her bright smile to Lefty, her green eyes sparkling.

               Lefty smiled back.  "Let's check out the hotel, then." He glanced over his shoulder at Zahn, who was watching Emily again. His gaze quickly shifted to the car when he saw Lefty watching him. "You gonna take care of that, Zahn?" he asked. There must have been something in his tone, because Emily poked him in the side, bumping her hip against his. "Come on, Em," he continued, ignoring her hints as he turned her away from the service center toward a sprawling brick building. "Looks nice."

               "It's very cute. And, I note, a saloon. With gambling." She favored him with an arch expression.

               "We do need a little money, honey," he said. "You go ahead and get us some rooms. I'm gonna help Zahn get the car inside." He winked at her.  Emily, laughing a little and shaking her head, continued on toward the hotel. 

               "Gimme a hand," said Zahn.

               Lefty drew a deep breath, his fingers playing on the gun at his hip, before he bent to help Zahn shove. As he did, he said, "Zahn, so help me, if I ever see you lookin' at my sister like that again, I might just forget we're friends."

 

Prompts used:

• One of the characters is revealed to be not who or she is
• A relationship becomes complicated

Comments

[Jana Denardo]

yay for airships and saloons. Great last line. I'm enjoying this.

[Kathy R. Coleman]

Thanks!

[Sylviavbruggen]

Love the ending. What a fantastic take on Renaissance!

[David Powers King]

Uh oh. A little threatening going on near the end, there. This setting is fantastic! such wide variety. Loving it! :)

[Nick Rolynd]

Oh, dear, I feel as if this is about to get a lot more complicated... Great continuation! Can't wait to see what happens next! =)

[The Golden Eagle]

Airships! I'm like Emily; I love them. :)

I'm interested to know what happens between the three . . .

[Kathy R. Coleman]

I know, I'm having such fun with it! (And enjoying everyone else's! I need to read some more...)

[Kathy R. Coleman]

I enjoyed yours, too! Very gripping! (And fascinated by imbrangilae...)

[Misha]

Interesting... I'm getting a dystopian feeling from this piece. :-)

[Li @Flash Fiction]

Have I caught the scent of steampunk? :-)
Wondering if there will be a face-off between Lefty and Zahn.

[Chris Kelworth]

A complicated relationship, indeed - I rather like Emily and Zahn together, even if Lefty doesn't.

Is Emily a cheat of some kind, if she figures she can make money in the gambling saloon?

Thanks for coming to Renaissance with us!

[Kathy R. Coleman]

I could spend a couple of installments just laying out the world that came to life as soon as I started thinking about these characters and this setting...!

[Kathy R. Coleman]

I've never written steampunk before, but always liked it, so it seemed like a good place to go!

[Kathy R. Coleman]

Lefty's the one who aims for the gambling tables!

Thanks for opening it up for us to play in!

[Stuart Nager]

Nice. A little steampunk, a little something rotten going on... good characters.

Looking forward to week three!

Stuart
Co-Host #REN3
Tale Spinning

[Donna Hole]

Awesome. I'm entrigued by all three characters.

I'll have to come back later and read the other saga you've been writing. It looks interesting from the little I had time to read.

........dhole

[Kathy R. Coleman]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!