“Do we have to stop by the chapel?” a young man with fox ears and a fox tail asked. His gold eyes looked up at his adopted brother, seeing his jaguar ears and tail twitch in irritation. “I don’t wanna deal with Corny and her crap today. Can’t we go tomorrow?”

The man he was talking to sighed and looked down at him with annoyed, pale green eyes. “No, Dolion.”

The shorter man groaned dramatically. “C’mon, Sal! You know Corny is going to throw a fit by looking at me. Then she’ll demand that I leave because I’m sullying the oh-so-holy grounds of Memoria with my lowlife presence. It’ll be followed up by a lecture on how I shouldn’t be so promiscuous and should've saved myself until marriage, which is a load of-”

“We’re going,” Absalom cut him off.

Dolion’s ears and tail drooped, and he sighed in defeat. Once Sal made up his mind about something, there was no changing it. A trait that Dolion loved and hated at the same time. “Fine…but you’re buying me a drink at the Drunken Wanderer later.”

Absalom nodded as they continued walking to Ebonwood. When they got near, they saw Miss Glory talking to one of the guards and handing him a vial. What caught Dolion’s attention was a short figure walking into town. They wore a dark blue cloak that went down to their knees with the hood pushed back. Dolion assumed they had to be human or a Dark Elf based on their wavy, black hair. “Wonder who that small cup of mead is…” He jogged up to the older woman and bowed to her in respect. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Miss Glory.”

The woman laughed as she picked a leaf off his coppery hair. “You know how to make an old lady feel special, Dol. I’m glad to see you and Sal are back safe and sound. How did your job go?”

“Boring,” Dolion replied. “There weren’t too many goblins, but enough to make the villagers scared. The village chief was happy we got rid of them and paid us…”

The human woman chuckled at that as they walked to her shop. “I know that tone in your voice, Dolion. They didn’t give you much, did they?”

The Vulpkith male sighed, making his fox ears and tail droop. “No, but we knew that before taking on the job. It wasn’t a total waste though…”

“Meaning?” Miss Glory asked, arching her eyebrow in question.

Dolion smiled mischievously. “His daughter is pretty...”

She smacked his shoulder. “You naughty boy!” Miss Glory looked at Absalom, who looked away from her with a red flush staining his warm beige skin. “And you’re in trouble too, young man!” She sighed and shook her head at Dolion. “Well…did you get caught this time?”

He shrugged. “Well, not during the act. After the act…yes. That’s why Sal is mad at me. We had to leave in a hurry since the village chief wasn’t happy to know I “defiled” his daughter and that she was to be married soon. I’ll tell you this much: she was “defiled” long before I bedded her.”

“And why didn’t you stop him?” Miss Glory asked Sal.

Absalom shrugged, pushing back a strand of dark green hair away from his face. “He’s a grown man.”

The older woman sighed again as they reached her shop. “You’re right, Sal. He is grown, but we wouldn’t know it with the way he acts sometimes. Speaking of which, are you two going to the chapel after this?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sal replied.

Dolion shook his head. “No, but I have a question. Did you get a good look at the person who walked into town while you were giving the guard that vial?”

“No, but you better clean up first before flirting with someone new. You stink,” Miss Glory told him, giving him a hard look. “Seriously, boy. You smell. I’ll have Alwyn drag you to the river.”

“So cruel…,” Dolion whined. “Alwyn is such a violent woman. Her betrothed is a brave man. Maybe I’ll ask Anise out again instead of flirting with someone new. Think she’ll say yes this time?”

“No,” Sal and Miss Glory answered at the same time.

“We must go to the chapel. We’ll visit soon, Miss Glory,” Sal said, bowing to her again.

Dolion huffed and crossed his arms. “I change my mind. I’m going home. I don’t feel like dealing with Corny’s crap today.”

“Malene Honey-Tongue is looking for you,” Miss Glory informed him. She and Sal smiled at each other, knowing he would go to the chapel now. It’s well-known that Dolion avoided Malene like the plague. She often tried to seduce him into spending the night with her, but hadn’t been successful so far. “She’s been searching for you since you left.”

That made the younger man stiffen. “Fine. I’m going with Sal. Let’s get this over with. Thank you for warning me.” He and Sal left and headed to the chapel. “Why do we have to visit that awful place?”

“Father Hammond sent a message via courier to come to the chapel as soon as we’re back,” Sal replied. “He didn’t say why.”

Dolion clasped his hands together and moved them behind his head. “I bet it’s something pointless.” He saw the figure from earlier walking around town. From what he could see, the person had fair skin and burgundy eyes that reminded him of boysenberries. What shocked him were the white eight-point stars surrounding his pupils. A Celestial. That’s different…

Absalom bonked his head with the rolled-up letter. “Focus,” he ordered. “What did you do to Corny before we left?”

The younger man shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. Last time I saw her, she lectured Ilys and me about how we’re wasting our lives because we don’t serve Memoria. You would think she’d lighten up since we haven’t lived in the chapel for years.”

The Jagukin male nodded as they walked through the courtyard of the chapel. “She won’t ever let it go.”

Before Dolion could say anything, a female voice yelled at them. “Dolion Outlaw-Sun! Absalom Peace-Guard!”

Both men stiffened and saw Mother Cornelia walking to them. Absalom gave a weary sigh while Dolion mumbled, “Should’ve put this off till tomorrow.”

“What in Memoria’s name are you two doing here looking like that!?” she asked angrily, seeing they were dirty, sweaty, and covered in some blood from their travels. “First, Ilys. Now you two! Have you no shame? Why do you insist on defiling this chapel?”

Dolion shrugged and winked at her. “If you really want me to defile it, I can-”

“DOLION!” Cornelia shrieked. “You two need to get out! You have no business being here!”

Absalom held up the small scroll. “Father Hammond ordered us to come the moment we get back,” he informed her. His tone was calm, but made it clear there was no room for argument.

Her face turned red and her glare got even colder. “Fine,” she hissed. “Go about your business. Leave as soon as you’re done, Absalom. As for you, Dolion…” She glared at him with all the anger she had. “You stay here! You’re nothing but trouble.”

“All the better, milady,” Dolion said in a mockingly formal tone, bowing to her and giving her a cheeky smile. “I didn’t want to come here, but Sal insisted.” He could see that she was about to say something, but was interrupted by the one person that she wouldn’t talk back to.

“Mother Cornelia, please return to your duties,” Father Hammond ordered. “I asked them to come here the moment they get back. Please give us some privacy.” He saw his peer leave in a huff and sighed wearily when she was a distance away and looked at his sons. “I guess I should’ve told you two to clean up before coming. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“What did you need to tell us?” Absalom asked, getting straight to the point and looking at his father figure warily.

Father Hammond gave them a hard stare. “You two and Ilys are trying the patience of Mother Cornelia and other members here at the chapel. Ilys showed up earlier, covered in blood and caused a scene. And I heard that you caused some trouble as well, Dolion.”

Dolion rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do anything. Ilys and I were walking by and Corny started berating us like she normally does. She’s the one who causes scenes, Hammy.”

“It’s Father Hammond, and I’m afraid that if the three of you continue to antagonize her and cause problems, I will have to ban you from the chapel,” Father Hammond warned them. 

The brothers looked at each other for a few seconds and chuckled. Dolion smirked at Father Hammond. “Is that supposed to be a problem for us if we’re banned?”

“You don’t care if you’re banned?” the priest asked in surprise. “You won’t be able to come to the chapel for anything, visit Kara, or use the study whenever you need information. I know you two read a few books regarding your recent job.”

“It won’t be a problem if we’re banned,” Sal stated calmly.

Dolion nodded in agreement. “We only came here just to make sure we were right about something. Plus, Kara is always willing to drop everything because she thinks we’ll come back if she helps us.” He gave Father Hammond a knowing look, grinning at him. “We know you fill her head with thoughts of us coming back. You keep telling her that this is “just a phase” that all three of us are going through. Or that we’re going “come crawling back for Memoria’s forgiveness” once we realize how much we need her.”

Father Hammond looked at Dolion for a minute. A part of him wondered where he and Mother Cornelia went wrong with raising these children. Dolion and Absalom had always been more or less defiant of Memoria’s teachings, but now…it almost seemed like they were hostile toward the chapel. He’d tried to pry answers from them about their disdain, but Absalom said they had their reasons. Even though he loved them like his sons, Hammond knew he couldn’t let things continue as they were. “Just know that the next time any of you cause trouble at the chapel, I’m banning you.” With that, he walked away.

Dolion and Absalom walked out of the chapel courtyard. “Was that really what he wanted to tell us?” Dolion griped. “That was a waste of time.”

“It was,” Sal agreed. “Let’s get cleaned up, then head to the inn tonight. I’m sure Ilys could use a drink too.”

The Vulpkith male nodded, thinking about the young man from earlier, and wondered if he would be staying at the inn. He looked down at himself, seeing that he was covered in dry blood and dirt. “Yeah, I don’t wanna look or smell like this when we go.” 

He hadn’t paid attention where he was walking and bumped into someone. The small figure stumbled back and would’ve fallen had Dolion not caught them by the waist. The soft aroma of juniper berries and rosemary made his nostrils flare from how delightful the combo was. It wasn’t overly sweet and floral that most females wore or musky and woody like most males. Wide burgundy eyes with white eight-point stars in the middle stared up at him in surprise. Dolion realized this was the person he'd seen enter the town earlier. 

“S-Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention,” the young man apologized.

“It’s okay,” he assured him with a smile. Now that he could see the young man better, he noticed his features looked soft and delicate, giving him an innocent look, and the sun gave his fair skin a nice glow. “And you are…?”

Len looked up at the man with wide eyes, feeling his heart pounding. The man holding him was one of the most handsome men he’d ever seen. His gold eyes looked at him in amusement and his hands held his waist with a firm grip. “T-Tegan, just Tegan,” he replied.

Both Sal and Dolion’s ears twitched when they heard the younger man’s heart skip a beat. 

Tegan was lying about his name.

Dolion ignored it for now. “Well, Tegan, I apologize for bumping into you. How about I make it up to you with a drink?” 

Len gently pushed himself away from the man and straightened himself. “I’m sorry, but I’m looking for the inn.” 

“Perfect! The Drunken Wanderer is the only inn here in Ebonwood. I can escort you there if you’d like. How about we have a drink this evening?” Dolion asked again. 

Len shook his head and waved his hands. “N-No thank you. I think I can find my way. And thank you for telling me the name of the inn.” Before either man could say anything, he ran off. The town wasn’t huge, so finding the inn shouldn’t be too much of a task. He kept running until he was out of their sight before stopping to catch his breath. He covered his face with his hands and felt his cheeks burning up from the encounter. 

“Get yourself together, Lenus,” he reprimanded himself. Now was not the time to fantasize about a handsome man. He needed to focus on getting a room at the inn and making himself scarce for the time being. Ebonwood being far away from all large cities and other towns worked for him since news would get here slowly, but also worked against him since it’s a small town. The townspeople were naturally going to be curious about him since he’s new.  

Len looked around and laughed to himself when he saw the sign ‘The Drunken Wanderer’ a few buildings away. He whispered a thanks to the handsome man for indirectly leading him to the inn.