Len didn’t know how he found himself in The Drunken Wanderer, but here he was. Sitting near the counter and drinking some ale as he, Alwyn, and Anise watched Dolion and his siblings argue not too far from them. Well, more of him and Ilys arguing with Kara while Sal sat there quietly.

“And I said no, Kara! I’m done with that damn orb and I’m not going to wherever this scholar is!” Ilys snapped at her sister.

“Ilys, we need to find out what that vision we saw means,” Kara pleaded. “Or at least accompany me so I don’t have to go alone. That’s not too much trouble. Not with your skills…”

Dolion growled in irritation and rolled his eyes. “We’re not working for free again, Kara! The last time we did, you and Ilys fell through that trap, and she got a concussion.”

“S-She only got that because she protected me and took the brunt of the fall,” Kara murmured. She shivered thinking about that time. Ilys bled a lot when they fell.

Dolion slammed his hand down on the table and stood up, glaring at her. “Exactly! Protecting you! We’re so busy protecting you that we can’t even protect ourselves. One of us always ends up seriously injured. Sal broke his arm the time before Ilys’ concussion. And the job before that, you shot an ice spear at me!”

Kara looked down to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. She felt bad for asking her siblings to help, but she didn’t trust any of the acolytes or any of the other priests and priestesses for protection. "I didn't mean to..."

"Your ice spear pierced Dolion's shoulder and pinned him to the wall," Sal pointed out.

“Should we do something?” Len whispered to Alwyn.

The blonde woman shook her head as she cleaned the counter. “They’ll be fine. They have their arguments here, so Anise and I can keep things from getting too bad. Kara will ask them for help, Ilys and Dolion get mad while Sal sits there, and they’ll eventually agree. Try as they might, the three of them can’t really say no to Kara. But I’m hoping one day they do. Kara really uses the abandonment excuse a lot to get them to say yes.”

“Why didn’t she leave the chapel too?” Len asked.

Alwyn shrugged and blew a stray hair away from her face. “She thinks she owes it to Hammy and Corny for raising her. Always the dutiful daughter. She ignores that they take advantage of her love for them sometimes. Sal and Dol saw right through it when they arrived and only stayed until they had enough to move out. Ilys moved out a year after them. She never felt comfortable living at the chapel either.” She smiled knowingly at him and leaned over the counter. “Speaking of which, I heard about what happened there…”

“A-Already?” Len sputtered. “It just happened!”

She laughed. “Gossip spreads like wildfire no matter where you’re at.” She nodded to the two men sitting in the corner. “They were there when you told off Hammy and Corny.”

He sighed, laying his forehead on the counter. “I…I didn’t mean to raise my voice at them. But I was upset with the way Father Hammond was talking about Dolion, and Mother Cornelia stopped me so...” 

“Ah yes, they don’t approve of Dol’s life choices. Father Hammond is a decent man, but he’s a bit close-minded. Not as much as most priests and priestesses I’ve encountered, but still believes Dol should live a life as a ‘righteous man’ of the Incarnates,” she explained. “But they’ve never prayed to Memoria unless they were forced to. Even after losing her memories, Ilys refused to pray to her much. As for Sal and Dol, I don’t know why they’re so against it. It almost feels like they have a personal grudge or something against the Incarnates. I think it’s because their parents abandoned them in the middle of nowhere when they were kids, and praying didn’t bring them back.”

That bit of information got Len’s full attention. He remembered Father Hammond saying the same thing. “Both of their parents abandoned them on the side of the road?”

“Yes. We were here when they showed up. They didn’t want to go to the chapel, but no one could afford to take them in,” Alwyn replied as she handed him a drink. “I think that’s the only time I’ve ever seen them cry. Now, Absalom is so stoic that he barely shows any emotion. Dolion went from being a crybaby to being what he is now.”

“A lover boy?” Len offered in jest.

Anise laughed as she cleaned a mug. “Don’t let Alwyn’s nicknames affect your judgment of them. They’re good men.”

Alwyn sighed and shook her head. “I’m not going to lie to you, Tegan, Dol is a flirt and has had some partners, but he’s not a bad guy. One of the main reasons why he hasn’t tried with you is because Miss Glory told him not to hit on you. She’s been waiting for the perfect apprentice, and she doesn’t want anyone or anything to scare you off.”

Hearing that Dolion had been with other people didn’t surprise him at all. He’d seen the looks the other man got from the women and men in town. Len didn’t deny his attraction to him, but he didn’t plan on saying anything. He cherished his friendship more, and if that got ruined, he’d have to leave town. Traveling to a different city or town would be too hectic. Plus, Alwyn and her family also happened to know about the latest things happening in the province. “So, have you heard any gossip?”

Alwyn’s light blue eyes lit up in mischief. “Of course! I’m always listening to the latest gossip in town and the province.”

“How do you receive word so fast? Ebonwood is pretty far away from the kingdom and a lot of other places.” That was one thing that Len had wondered about. Alwyn and her family always seem to be in the know about current events going on around the province, even those that were considered “secrets.” The inn got a few new customers regularly, but it wasn’t terribly busy compared to the inns in the kingdom. 

She winked at him. “I have my ways, my friend.” Her tone sounded playful, but it was clear she wasn’t going to tell him exactly how she got information. “As for the latest gossip in town, everyone is talking about Malene Honey-Tongue getting punched in the face by Ilys late last night. She was looking for Dolion and didn’t believe Ilys when she said he was already asleep. Tried to push her way into their home, and Ilys didn’t even hesitate.”

Len winched at that. Ilys wasn’t big and burly, but she was pretty muscular. He'd seen a lot of men lose against her in arm-wrestling. He felt sorry for Malene since he knew that it had to hurt. “How is she?”

“Other than a bruised face and ego? She’s okay. Someone brought her in and our mom healed it as best as she could, but it’s still going to be swollen and bruised for the next couple of days,” Anise answered, waving to the two men as they left the inn. “We feel bad for her, but Malene is…reckless. Drinking is good for winding down after a hard day’s work, but she’s a clear example of what happens when one doesn’t know when to stop.”

Len could only guess how that was. He’d seen people drunk out of their minds in all of the districts of Luxivita. The people in the Riverfront got a little handsy and aggressive from time to time, but nothing compared to the people in the higher-class districts. 

He hadn’t realized he was lost in thought as Alwyn and Anise continued talking, and said something that caught his attention.

“-and the latest rumor that’s going around is that one of the princes of Luxivita is out looking for someone,” Alwyn chattered. 

It took everything in him to keep his face composed and not show the panic welling up inside him. “Really?” he asked. “Do you know which prince?”

She shrugged. “Prince Regulus, from what I heard. The rumor is that he’s looking for someone, but the poor guy sticks out. Apparently, he’s going back to the castle because he and his guards got robbed of all their gold.” 

Len looked away nervously. “I-I see. Did the rumors say who he’s looking for?” 

The human female nodded as she cleaned a mug. “No, but I heard that he confronted a man at the…Wisteria Inn? Misty Inn? What’s the place called, Anise?”

“Wisteria Mist Inn,” Anise corrected gently. “The same inn that Ilys and Kara had a job at.”

“That one!” Alwyn exclaimed. “That’s where Regulus and his guards got robbed. No one knows who he’s looking for, but I’m sure a reward will be announced to find whoever robbed him. It’s just odd that he left the castle. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a royal member leaving the way he did. Minimal protection. Only two guards. Stupid man if you ask me. Celestials stick out everywhere in the world. Especially half Celestials and half Elves.”

Len stiffened at that. He tried his best to blend in, but being part-Seraphim made him stand out no matter where he went. It was already rare to see any kind of Celestial in this world. Most of them lived in their realm of Sanctuarium. Very few would come to the realm of Threa, let alone live in it. At first glance, Len looked like a Dark Elf, but his eye color plus the eight-point star around his pupils gave away his true lineage. He smiled at the two sisters nervously. “Excuse me…” He quickly walked out of the inn and sat down on the bench in front of the building to calm his nerves. 

A soft meow caught his attention, and he saw Varrick’s cat sitting next to him. “Mr. Sugar Cloud. What are you doing here?”

The black cat meowed again and rubbed his head against Len's arm before pawing at its charm. Len opened the charm, and a small note fell out. He picked it up and opened it to see Varrick’s handwriting.

Leny,

Prince Regulus is looking for you. I’ve managed to stall him for now, but it won’t be long before he sets out again or the king hires men to find you. I’ll keep moving around so they think I’m going to see you while Mother works back home. For now, stay in Ebonwood. It’s one of the most remote towns in the province, and we can’t risk you moving around and having more people see you. But if you’re able to, try to visit one of the towns or cities not too far from the border and look for any weak spots in the border patrol. We’re probably going to need that knowledge.

Stay safe, my brother.

- Varrick

Len folded the note and put it in the inner pocket of his cloak. He smiled at Mr. Sugar Cloud and rubbed under his chin, making the cat purr. “Thank you. You better hurry back to Varrick. I know he misses you. Be safe, Mr. Sugar Cloud.” The cat meowed at him again before jumping off the bench and disappearing into thin air.

Just as he leaned back against the building, the door slammed open, and Ilys and Sal walked out. Len could hear her grumbling and cursing under her breath. Dolion walked out after them, ignoring Kara’s pleas to him, and closed the door. He looked over at Len and gave him an uncomfortable smile. “Too much to listen to?”

The Light Elf-Seraph smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I just wanted some fresh air. How was your…discussion?”

The Vulpkith sighed as he sat next to him. “For the first time ever, we said no to helping Kara. As much as we love her, the three of us are tired. First off, she expects us to work for free and be at her beck and call all the time. Not happening. Second, one of us always ends up getting hurt. Anise and Alwyn even have a list of all the times we’ve gotten hurt helping her. So far, Ilys is in the lead.”

Len bit back his laughter. “That’s…unfortunate.”

“You can laugh. We do,” Dolion snickered. “Kara is just gonna have to ask one of the people at the chapel to join her. Unless she coughs up some gold. I’m not working for free again.”

“What if someone doesn’t have enough gold to pay? Can they pay in some other way?” Len asked playfully. “Maybe they can make you food or something else?”

Dolion thought about that for a few seconds and smiled down at him. “Well, if it’s you, I’ll ask for something else…”

Len’s cheeks heated up, and his heart pounded a little faster when the other man’s gold eyes looked at him. “What would you ask for?”

The Vulpkith grinned. “You can relax. Nothing big. Just a kiss on the cheek is all. What man wouldn’t want a kiss from a lovely beauty? You give me a kiss on the cheek, and my services are yours. And if I complete the job successfully, maybe a small kiss on the lips?”

The Light Elf laughed and covered his blushing face. “You’re terrible,” he joked before looking up at him. “Fine. If I ever need your services, I’ll kiss your cheek. And a kiss on the lips upon completion. Deal?” He held his hand out to him and smiled at him.

“Deal,” Dolion agreed and shook his hand.

Kara walked out of the inn at that moment. Her eyes looked swollen and red. It was obvious that she’d been crying. She dropped a bag on Dolion’s lap and gave him a hard look. “There.”

Dolion looked at her, then at the bag in confusion. “What…?”

“Half now. The other half when we get back,” Kara stated coldly. “You, Ilyssia, and Absalom are to escort me to Viridiasia. I expect the three of you to be ready and at the town entrance before sunrise tomorrow.” She walked away before her brother could say anything.

Both men looked at her dumbfounded, then looked at each other. Dolion opened the bag and saw the gold coins in it. He looked at Len, who looked concerned. "Looks like we're hired."