Brotherhood Bar-Talks

[Lucend]

Lucendez nodded, and heard Julio's story, all the while staring into the glass counter top of the bar. Tales of men rarely go beyond "he was rich" or "he was a war hero," or even "he was a father to me." This short story, even off the top of a drunken man's head, was better than anyone Juan had heard in life or fantasy.

Julio ended his story and stared off into nothing. Lucendez processed the information for a while. He pictured Pedro as his mentor and friend, in the good times. Juan got up, seeing Julio's state and thought to let him be.

Lucendez moved closer to the comatose man and whispered "Through our actions, through our deeds, Maniaco will live." He wasn't sure if Julio heard what he said, so he got up, paid both his and Julio's tab, and walked out of the bar.

---

"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."

Osaika Moto, the Fall and Rise of a Kusari Farmer

Juan Lucendez, √ Corsair