If Tristan would have noticed the lawyer upon entering, he would probably have made a U-turn and found another pub. He certainly wouldn't have addressed the young foreigner. But he had still not noticed the lawyer, which was probably a good thing.

Or a bad thing. Time would tell.

The stranger was hardly more than a boy, both in his features and in his manners. Tristan wondered what had brought the kid to Whitby all alone without a job and without speaking the language. His clothes were decent - he was dressed almost too well for his current situation. It only added to the enigma.

It was almost painful to listen to him talking so naively. And awkward. For now he was obliged to translate and he already knew the answer and would rather not draw the attention to himself.

He nodded all the same and then leaned against the bar to get the barman's attention. "A brandy please. And this young man is trying to ask if you have job, sir." Was it too late to go to a different pub?

"I'm not looking for staff, and I wouldn't hire a Frenchman. Tell 'im 'e can order or leave," the barman said before turning away to get Tristan's drink.

"Ah come on, Tommy! Wouldn't 'e make a fine barmaid with that face!" shouted a drunk old man sitting at the bar. Some men laughed.

Tristan very much wished he hadn't gotten involved. He turned back to the young man. "No jobs here..." he summarized.