Page 170 of The Well of Ascension

“Damn Soothers,” Clubs muttered.

“But you’re immune to us.”

“To your Allomancy, maybe,” Clubs said. “But that isn’t the only way you people do things. A man always has to watch himself around Soothers.”

“Then why let me join you every evening for wine?”

Clubs was silent for a moment, and Breeze almost thought he wasn’t going to respond. Finally, Clubs muttered, “You’re not as bad as most.”

Breeze took a gulp of wine. “That is as honest a compliment as I think I’ve ever received.”

“Don’t let it ruin you,” Clubs said.

“Oh, I think I’m too late for ruining,” Breeze said, topping off his cup. “This crew…Kell’s plan…has already done a thorough job of that.”

Clubs nodded in agreement.

“What happened to us, Clubs?” Breeze asked. “I joined Kell for the challenge. I never did know why you joined.”

“Money.”

Breeze nodded. “His plan fell apart, his army got destroyed, and we stayed. Then he died, and westillstayed. This blasted kingdom of Elend’s is doomed, you know.”

“We won’t last another month,” Clubs said. It wasn’t idle pessimism; Breeze knew people well enough to tell when they were serious.

“And yet, here we are,” Breeze said. “I spent all day making skaa feel better about the fact that their families had been slaughtered. You spent all day training soldiers that—with or without your help—will barely last a few heartbeats against a determined foe. We follow a boy of a king who doesn’t seem to have a shade of a clue just how bad his predicament is. Why?”

Clubs shook his head. “Kelsier. Gave us a city, made us think we were responsible for protecting it.”

“But we aren’t that kind of people,” Breeze said. “We’re thieves and scammers. We shouldn’t care. I mean…I’ve gotten so bad that I Soothe scullery maids so that they’ll have a happier time at work! I might as well start dressing in pink and carrying around flowers. I could probably make quite a bundle at weddings.”

Clubs snorted. Then he raised his cup. “To the Survivor,” he said. “May he be damned for knowing us better than we knew ourselves.”

Breeze raised his own cup. “Damn him,” he agreed quietly.

The two fell silent. Talking to Clubs tended to turn into…well, not talking. However, Breeze felt a simple contentment. Soothing was wonderful; it made him who he was. But it was also work. Even birds couldn’t fly all the time.

“Thereyou are.”

Breeze snapped his eyes open. Allrianne stood at the entrance to the room, just at the edge of the table. She wore light blue; where had she gotten so many dresses? Her makeup was, of course, immaculate—and there was a bow in her hair. That long blond hair—common in the West but almost unheard of in the Central Dominance—and that perky, inviting figure.

Desire immediately blossomed inside of him.No!Breeze thought.She’s half your age. You’re a dirty old man. Dirty!“Allrianne,” he said uncomfortably, “shouldn’t you be in bed or something?”

She rolled her eyes, shooing his legs out of the way so she could sit on the bench beside him. “It’s only nine o’clock, Breeze. I’m eighteen, not ten.”

You might as well be,he thought, looking away from her, trying to focus on something else. He knew that he should be stronger, shouldn’t let the girl get near him, but he did nothing as she slid up to him and took a drink from his cup.

He sighed, putting his arm around her shoulders. Clubs just shook his head, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“Well,” Vin said quietly, “that answers one question.”

“Mistress?” OreSeur said, sitting across the table from her in the dark room. With her Allomancer’s ears, she could hear exactly what was going on in the next boothlike room over.

“Allrianne is an Allomancer,” Vin said.

“Really?”

Vin nodded. “She’s been Rioting Breeze’s emotions ever since she arrived, making him more attracted to her.”

---