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Another easy one. Dan had even included this myth in his book. He suspected they’d have to move on to a tiebreaker round.

Dan wrote the answer on his card: Orpheus looks back. Eurydice is lost.

The moderator tinkled his bell. They both flipped.

Tempest had written: Orpheus looks back. Eurydice is lost. But this is not the entire story because in the earlier variants she’d already chosen to stay!

The moderator looked at both cards. He called someone over to consult. They whispered amongst themselves for a moment then seemed to reach a conclusion.

“Standard answer: correct, one point each. But… in lieu of a tiebreaker we’re awarding a bonus point for the additional historical context on the second contestant’s card. Congratulations to tonight’s winner! Trivia in a Teacup!

Dan stared, open-mouthed.

Tempest was still staring down at her card, her expression a little too neutral. When she did look up, she looked at the moderator, at some of the other contestants, at the guy in the Guns, Ammo, Snowcones tee chugging his beer in the back of the bar. Anywhere but at him.

Dan couldn’t believe he’d lost the whole night on one question about the Orpheus myth, of all things. Especially since he’d written an entry on Orpheus in his book. It was a total no-brainer. But of course, he hadn’t even thought to question the ending of the story that most texts served up. He had never, not for one moment, gone digging for alternative endings.

But Tempest, it seemed, had burrowed right in. He was willing to bet his beer money that she’d argued with his take in blue ink in her tiny handwriting in the margins of her copy of his book. He just hadn’t reached that chapter yet. He was still slowly making his way through the first half of the book, savoring her comments there.

She had a lot to say.

One point. He’d lost by one point!

Afterward he sat at the crowded bar without getting a drink. He still had to drive back to the airport, and he was now down three hundred dollars. His stomach growled but he refused to eat. Tempest approached him cautiously.

“Hi,” she said.

“Well done,” Dan said. It came out louder and more clipped than he intended.

“You had it too,” she said. “The Orpheus question.”

“I had half of it.”

“The half everyone has,” Tempest agreed. She draped her jacket on the back of the barstool beside him but didn’t take a seat.

He narrowed his eyes on her. “Are those supposed to be words of comfort you’re offering?”

“No,” Tempest said. “It’s just the truth.” She studied her hands. He noticed the blue ink smudges on her middle finger where she gripped her pen. Her voice was quieter when she spoke again.

“You can just keep the book.”

“I told you. I don’t have it.” Dan fiddled with the car keys in his pocket.

She looked at him for a moment with an expression he couldn’t read. “Right,” she said. “Well. If you find it, just hang on to it.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“How? You don’t know my details.”

“No,” Dan said. “I don’t. But you can’t hide. I’m pretty good at finding people when I want to.” Her eyes went wide. That came out far more ominous than he meant it. Tempest reached for her jacket.

“What I meant was,” Dan self-corrected, “it seems like we’re both at a lot of these events. I’m sure our paths will cross again, right?”

“Oh, hey, Tempest! You leaving? I’ll walk you out,” Vance appeared holding two beers and a plate of fries. He set them down on the bar. Dan’s stomach growled.

Tempest shifted her weight away from Vance. “Don’t let your fries get cold,” she said. “I’m parked really close. I can’t stick around. It’s dinnertime for my bird.”

“Okay.” Vance looked from Dan to Tempest, like he was trying to figure something out. Then he looked down at her barstool, and back at Dan. “Were you saving the seat for anyone?”