PRINCESS LEIA
At the first sign of light through the shutters, I went downstairs. The sun was barely up, the shadows still long in the street, yet the front door to the hotel was wide open and all the shutters on the windows had been retracted. These people didn’t like the night, that was for sure. I desperately wanted to ask them what they were afraid of, but there just wasn’t a way to ask the question without giving away the fact that I didn’t belong here, in this dimension. And at the moment I had enough problems to face without bringing more down on my head. Aahz had always told me to solve one thing at a time.
The problem I had right now was that I wasn’t sure I could solve any of my problems.
I went down the street to Audry’s, tipping my hat to the guy with the shovel who was back in the street picking up after the horses. My old bartender friend and employer from yesterday had the door to Audry’s open and the shutters retracted. I was the first customer.
“Didn’t find her, huh?” he asked as I entered.
“She must have got sidetracked and stayed with a friend,” I said. “She’ll show up pretty soon, I bet.”
He winked. “Yeah, pretty women can lose track of time.”
I didn’t want to think about how he came up with that.
I had decided about halfway through the night that I was so hungry, I could even eat old veggies.
“Mind if I have a small breakfast and a glass of your wonderful beverage?”
“You bet,” he said, pouring me some of the carrot juice.
I looked at the glass of orange liquid. Given enough time I might actually only loathe the stuff.