The Bar

Boreas's Day was a week away and Tyr still had trouble thinking of the perfect gift for Macha. He wanted her to love the gift so his confession would be accepted. Tyr searched Macha's room for a piece of jewelry while she was in the office. He wanted to find out her style, but she did not own a single piece. Tyr made the mistake of buying Fenrir jewelry he liked once, she threw it at him and complained that he did not really know her.

Tyr sat at the dining room table eating a piece of chocolate he stole from Macha's bedroom. She entered the apartment and he quickly popped the rest of the chocolate into his mouth. Tyr gave Macha a small nod. If she noticed, she did not make any indication.

Macha gave him a small wave. She hugged a large package in her arms and made her way across the room. She tore the packaging paper off and held out a grey, white, and gold tapestry blanket. Macha held it up above her head and asked, "What do you think? It was just delivered. I decided we can take baby steps towards more color." Macha wanted to test the waters with the gold in the throw. She did not want to shock Tyr and have him change his mind about adding color to the apartment.

Seeing the throw made Tyr upset that he did not get her gift yet. He swallowed the chocolate with guilt. Tyr took the blanket and put it on the table. "It's beautiful. Whatever you pick will be fine. Is there anything you've wanted?" He was still at a loss on what to get her.

Macha sat down and played with the blanket's fringes. "Not really. I have everything I want." She got up to put the blanket on the sofa. The sun reflecting off the falling snow made her silhouette stand out in front of the window. He admired her long ears as she arranged the throw.

Tyr realized that he could get her some ear cuffs. They would show off her long elegant ears and it would be the first piece of jewelry she owned. He got up and stood next to her.

Macha admired how the sofa looked with the throw on it. She thought it added a softer look to the apartment and felt pleased with her purchase. "I think it looks good. How about you?" She turned her head to face Tyr and his finger poked her in the eye. "Ah! What are you doing?" she whispered. Macha covered her eye with her hand and turned away from him. Her eye teared up a little.

Tyr pulled her into him and patted her head, "Sorry! Sorry! I was just curious about your ears. Are you all right?" He had been using his fingers as a measurement for how long her ears were. He did not expect her to turn so suddenly and poke her eye.

Macha gave a soft little grunt. Her eye was tearing, but she waved his hands off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just ask me next time."

Tyr told Macha she could have the rest of the day off because he had an errand to run. She went shopping to pick up more chocolates. She caught him eating the last piece from the box when she entered the apartment earlier. Macha did not say anything because he knew he was guilty. Tyr liked chocolates so much that she had to ration him off to one per meal. The first box she bought was eaten by the next day, so after that, she hid them in her room or desk.

While she walked along the street, she spotted Ivan. She remembered that he wanted to dance with her at the bar a couple of weeks ago. He was talking to someone who was around the corner.

Macha walked to greet him. As she drew closer, she spied a knife in his hand. It had blood on it, and a pool of blood stained the snow a deep red in front of him. Ivan calmly wiped the blade off and put it in its sheath. Macha took a few steps back and looked around. No one did anything around him. People did not react or move to stop him.

Ivan turned around and saw Macha. He smiled warmly, "Ah, it's you again. How have you been?" His voice seemed casual as if nothing happened. His platinum blonde hair was shaped into a fohawk and he had a black staff that he swung back and forth in his hand as he made his way to her.

Macha gave him a polite nod. She cleared her throat and said in a shaky voice, "I've been good. I'm on an errand, so I can't stay." Behind him, a hand with a circular tattoo on the ground lay motionless.

Ivan walked towards her. He noticed Macha's eyes fixated on the ground in the direction of the slave. "Don't be like that. It was just a slave. Come, I'll treat you to a drink. I see you aren't with Tyr right now." He pushed her along the street and into a nearby bar.

Ivan seemed to know Tyr, so Macha did not want to offend him. Tyr had many contacts and business partners. She hesitated for a moment but decided it was still daytime, so it should be all right. No one else seemed concerned with Ivan's actions, so Macha assumed it was a cultural misunderstanding.

****

Tyr finished ordering the custom-made ear cuffs from the jeweler and headed back home. He hoped his sister's suggestion would be a success and Macha would be happy with a surprise. He had chosen to put an enchantment on the ear cuffs. The enchantment he went with was practical. Once a day it would allow Macha to clean herself as if she had showered. He knew many women used it while adventuring.

Tyr crossed the street and spotted Macha through a large window. He took a moment to admire her profile and smiled to himself. She talked with someone who was hidden behind a pillar. She twirled her cup on the table and laughed. Tyr liked that Macha's face was always animated and open.

Tyr watched Macha gaze up at the ceiling. She had a look of wonder in her eyes as she studied the fresco that was painted above. As she looked at the ceiling, Tyr saw a hand pour something discretely into her drink. A sense of dread gripped Tyr. Macha did not realize what had happened.

Tyr rushed into the bar. He strode around the entrance and found Macha's back facing him. She took a sip of the drink and nodded her head. Tyr looked at who she was talking to and saw Ivan's face. Ivan was smiling and laughing. If Tyr did not witness Ivan pour something into her drink, he never would have suspected the man did anything wrong.

Tyr rushed to Macha and grabbed the drink from her hand. He threw it on the ground. In a commanding voice, he ordered, "Macha, throw up what you just drank." He recognized that Macha sat stunned, and explained, "Ivan put something in it." He pulled Macha up by her arms and pushed her towards the bathroom while keeping an eye on Ivan.

Ivan sat there calmly tapping his cane in his hands. He looked at Tyr and thought how bothersome this man seemed to be. He grew tired of Tyr's meddling.

Macha did not understand what was going on, but she trusted Tyr. She rushed to the bathroom to do as he instructed. As she stuck her finger down her throat, she felt confused. It was broad daylight, so she wondered how Ivan thought he would get away with anything.

Tyr glared at Ivan. He wanted to say something but his anger clouded his thoughts and he could not come up with anything coherent. Tyr gave up trying. He reached over the table and grabbed Ivan's coat. Reaching back, he hit Ivan across the face and the man flew out of the window.

Macha threw up whatever she could. She did not have more than a sip, so she wasn't sure if she got it all. From the bathroom, Macha heard a loud crash and ran out. Tyr stood in front of the large broken window, the cold winter wind blew inside. The falling snow danced around him, making him look like an ice prince. His broad shoulders were squared, and he pointed to Ivan. Tyr's voice was cold, and he said in a deep voice, "I warned you, stay away from her."

Tyr wanted to challenge Ivan to a duel right there, but he did not know what Macha ingested. He wanted to take her back to the headquarters as soon as possible. Macha's health was more important than his duel with Ivan.

Macha rushed over to Tyr and put a hand on his arm. He was trembling with anger and his eyes focused on Ivan. "Tyr?" Macha called, but he did not notice her. "Tyr!" Macha had to shake his arm to break his concentration.

Tyr looked at her. She appeared to be fine for now, but he did not want to take any chances. He grabbed Macha's hand and strode out of the bar. Tyr tossed his business card onto the counter so he could be billed later for the damages. Tyr eyed Ivan once more before summoning his mount. He placed Macha onto it and sped away with her between his arms.

When Macha and Tyr left, Ivan slammed his hand against the ground. He decided that he wanted to kill Tyr. On the way home, he planned how he wanted to execute it.