The Quiet Ones

r/HFY
Guardian1030

Janax looked around the street where he was, years of vigilance etched across his face. Most people walked with their eyes lowered, minding their own business. A mother and her small child passed on the opposite side. Then a construction worker, a businessman, a "businessman", and a steady stream of others. There were some light and short conversations, but no one paid much attention to the old lizard as he stood still, observing all the street around him. His destination was across the street, "Lugkey's Zirish Bar"

He crossed the street, went in, and found a table in a dark corner. As he sat and ordered a drink, he reflected on how everything had been touched by the humans. Even the drinking joints. The owner, a Ziri lizard like him had embraced the changes, hence the name. They couldn't quite speak the human language, but they got close enough. Janax didn't care for the establishment, preferring a real Ziri bar, but, this was where his client wanted to meet, so, here he was.

As the thoughts rolled around slowly in his mind, the door opened, and he recognized his paycheck walk in. The young Ziri sat down, more loudly and with less grace than Janax thought he should have. Another touch of the human. Eban was a youth of his race, and had even taken a human name, albeit misspelled. Janax didn't care, Eban had money. As he looked over his young employer, he thought to himself, my father was right, you'd be surprised what you can stomach for money.