The Rose Garden had always been like a second home to Vynx. In truth, he much preferred sleeping at the high-end brothel to his own room in the depths of the Alchemy Commission's building. With chambers containing lavish velvety beds, maroon woven rugs, and walls decorated in tapestries between golden candle sconces, the brothel was a far cry from the cold stone walls and medical cot that Vynx had spent his formative years in. At the heart of all the splendour and extravagance was the comfort that came with their services: the company and pleasure of a beautiful woman. He had learned to crave it like opium. 

Although he hardly remembered the names of most of the courtesans he had slept with, there was one whom he could never forget. She had captured his heart the moment their eyes first met at the Garden, during a sweltering summer night. She was also the one paramour who had slipped away from him, leaving nothing but the memory of her perfume ingrained in his senses. Rosina had been bought out by a certain Lord Bellino and taken from the capital to his summer home by the coast. Vynx learned this much later in life after receiving a rose-scented letter with her signature on it. Even as he went to visit the manor for a second time, he clutched her letter tightly in one hand while grasping the vial of mermaid tears in his other. 

Vynx loathed how he still longed for her eyes. He already had three perfectly lovely women in his life and was no longer the touch-starved stag he used to be. But Rosina was different. She had always been too good for him—too expensive and cultured for a mere wanderer to ever claim for himself. Even if he grudgingly wore his title as the King's most competent hunting dog, Vynx never fooled himself into thinking that Rosina would leave her comfortable life behind for him. He knew this was another business exchange like every other encounter before it. Yet still, he had to see her.

Sophia's gonna hate me, Vynx thought. While the vampiress had been (relatively) accepting of his relationships with Soleil and Hilde, she could always tell when he was hiding something from her. Sophia's eyes had been icy when he forced the party to stay behind while he made the delivery alone. It made him shudder to think what she would do if she found out about his past relations with Rosina. Well, it's not like I'm expecting anything. I'm just here for the gold, Vynx told himself.

The reward money never came. It, along with everything else in the Bellino estate, had been turned to cinders by the time Vynx arrived. To his utter shock, the grand mansion had burned down in his absence, and there was little left of the house aside from its stone foundation and charred pillars. The pungent smell of smoke still lingered heavily in the air, and aside from a few volunteer firefighters, many onlookers stood far away from the blackened site. He rushed to speak with the nearest worker clearing away the debris and learned that a fire had broken out the night before. Most of the servants escaped due to their quarters being on the ground floor, but Lord Bellino and his wife had been caught in the flames and perished.

"What about Rosina?!" Vynx demanded. He grabbed the labourer by his shirt and stared at him like a madman.

"W-who? Oh, you mean the mistress! I heard she was carried out and was taken to the hospital—"

Vynx let go of the man and stepped back. Without delay, he sprinted to the city square, frantically asking any passerby for directions until he reached the nearest hospital. The hunter tried to calm himself enough to enter the building without startling the staff. With as much restraint as he could muster, he asked to see Rosina. 

A nurse shakily read over the patient list before saying, "Miss Rosina has asked not to see any visitors. She's still recovering from the house fire—"

"Please. I have… I have an ointment she asked for," Vynx panted. He was out of breath with sweat dripping down his temple, and he could feel a pit forming deep in his stomach.

"Are you one of her servants?" the woman inquired.

Vynx ignored his pride and nodded.

The nurse in the doorway gave him an uneasy look. "... Very well, but please try not to agitate her," the woman whispered. She hesitantly allowed Vynx into the medical ward, guiding him past the rows of beds and other patients until they reached a corner sectioned off by a pale beige curtain at the end. "Miss Rosina, you have a guest. He brought something to help you feel better," the nurse said softly. Vynx could hear the pity in her voice as she moved the curtain aside just enough to let him through. 

The woman lying in the hospital bed barely resembled the glamorous mistress Vynx had seen merely days ago. Her hands and limbs were wrapped in gauze bandages, with the rest of her body hidden under a cheap blanket. Half of her face was covered in bandages, but Vynx could see the deep red burn marks marring her formerly flawless skin. Her emerald eyes, once brimming with passion, were dull and empty. 

"Rosina… Gods, I'm so glad you're still alive." Vynx exhaled in relief and sank to his knees by her bedside. 

As her head rose to acknowledge him, the woman's eyes widened in abhorrence. "You…" She let out a rasp and turned away from him, shielding her face with her hands. Most of her flowing ginger hair had been singed and shaved off, and only a few stray strands dangled between the woman's bandages. "Don't look at me! Why in the Hells did you come?!"

"I… I brought the Tears for you," Vynx managed. His chest stung as Rosina ignored him, but he continued, "You don't have to worry about paying me. I'm… sorry about what happened." He reached into his pocket to procure the glass vial. There were only a few crystalline drops within, and he truly hoped they held the miraculous properties Rosina had boasted. Pulling open the cork, he poured a single drop onto his fingertip and gently moved one of her hands aside. "H-here, let me help you." Vynx applied the teardrop to Rosina's cheek along the border of her scars. The skin it touched shimmered like newly formed dew, but even as the liquid dried on the surface, the rough and tender patches of burnt flesh remained. 

Rosina pulled back and violently slapped Vynx's hands away. "JUST LEAVE ME!" she screeched. The impact sent the glass vial into the wall, shattering it instantly. Her voice was hoarse, but the anger in her tone made him shrink back. Rosina covered her face again and crumbled into an anguished, broken sob.

Vynx stood there, stunned. He felt his heart cracking like the shards on the ground, but he reminded himself that it must have been nothing compared to the pain that Rosina was experiencing. He told himself that she was only grieving. That the once proud courtesan had just lost everything that she spent her life working for in a single night. That her anger was not directed at him, but towards the cruelty of the gods. Vynx could only repeat these facts to himself in a feeble attempt to feel better while her wails echoed through the cold, dirty hospital room.

The nurse returned in a hurry to ask him to leave. Vynx put up no protest as she escorted him out of the medical ward and closed the door behind him once he was back outside. He made the walk back to the pierside tavern in a daze, searching through his memories for the Rosina he once knew, even if they brought him no comfort. The flower who once welcomed him in the Garden was now no more than the shell of a woman.

It was nightfall when he reached the docks again. He saw the lights coming from the windows of the tavern, but he was not ready to face the others at the moment. Instead, Vynx trudged to the edge of one of the docks and dropped onto his rear. The hunter simply watched the moonlight as it reflected off the distant waves. 

Vynx had learned to brush away the guilt that ate at him whenever one of his jobs ended poorly. In his line of work, it was simply impossible to save everyone. Those he did save would also pass away in time, claimed either by age, disease, or any other multitude of inevitable ends. Vynx had accepted this reality long ago. Yet as he gazed at the endless ocean, a single tear rolled down his cheek. The hunter could not help but bury his face into his arms and pull his knees to his chest. He did not move for a long while, even as the familiar click of high heels approached behind him.

Sophia sat down silently next to Vynx. The cool air by the sea didn't bother her, but she wasn't used to feeling Vynx's hands at the same temperature as her own. At last, she said, "You should come back inside. It's cold out here." 

"I don't have the Mermaid's Tears anymore. I also didn't get any money," Vynx mumbled. 

"That's alright. We still have enough to pay for our lodgings for a few more days."

"You all deserve better than this."

Sophia pursed her lips and ran her hand up and down his back. "I read about what happened at the Bellino estate in the paper. It's not your fault, Vynx."

"I know. We were hundreds of miles away on a boat," he muttered into his sleeve. "I don't blame myself. I just wish I could have done more."

The vampiress observed him quietly. "You loved her, didn't you?" Sophia asked. Despite not seeing his face, she could still see the resigned way he nodded.

"I was young and stupid. It was more of an infatuation than anything, but I still kept coming back anyway. Even now, I feel like an idiot for caring so much about someone who gave zero to no fucks about me," Vynx chuckled wryly. "I don't have any right to feel sorry for myself after walking straight into the honey trap." In spite of his words, some sentimental part of him still hoped for Rosina's recovery and for her flame to burn once more. He would never bask in her presence again, but he wanted to remember her as the brilliant light she had always been. 

Sophia shook her head. "It isn't easy to forget about your first love, even if such feelings were born out of lust or loneliness." 

He finally lifted his face and turned to Sophia. "You're too good to me, Soph." Vynx put his arm over her shoulder to pull her close while he fought back another wave of emotion. Sophia continuously saw through him and somehow still tolerated his shortcomings. She was always steadfast and by his side, no matter what hardships they went through. Vynx squeezed her tightly into a hug and sniffled.

The vampiress wrapped her arms back around him, holding the hunter in a gentle embrace. "I should really be more stern with you, but I know that caring side of yours all too well," Sophia sighed. "Just no more secrets, please."

"No more secrets," Vynx agreed. He kept Sophia in his arms and swore to himself that he would do right by her. There were still too many emotions fighting inside of Vynx for him to count, but he understood now what his heart really wanted. It was no longer the blazing flame of passion that drew him in like a moth, but the comforting warmth of someone who truly saw him. She made him feel as if he was more than a mere replica of the famous Hunter—that he was more than just another tool for the King and Commission. Vynx firmly set his hands on her shoulders and began, "Sophia, I—"

"There you two are. Are you going to keep the rest of us waiting all night for dinner?" Soleil cut in as she loomed over the pair, arms crossed.

Hilde waved gingerly from behind the paladin. "I tried to keep her busy, but Soleil really couldn't wait any longer," the cleric mouthed rather obviously to Sophia.

The vampiress pulled away from Vynx with an awkward cough and offered Soleil an apologetic look. "You could have started dinner without us if you were hungry, Soleil."

"I should've, but it doesn't feel right," she grumbled. "Especially when this idiot has been moping around all week." 

Vynx cleared his throat, then bowed his head humbly. "Sorry for worrying you all. Drinks and dinner are all on me tonight." He got up and helped Sophia to her feet again. Vynx attempted to flash them all his trademark grin, but none of the ladies were buying it.

"You don't need to force yourself, Vynx," Hilde said softly.

"You should also avoid drowning all of your problems with alcohol," Soleil added.

The hunter blinked and pouted childishly. "Fine. I'll go easy on the drinking," he conceded. Vynx kept Sophia's hand in his, though he hardly felt as if he deserved her compassion. As he let the three drag him back to the tavern, he allowed himself to enjoy the brief moment of peace. His days of wandering alone and seeking repose in the Garden were over, buried in the ashes of the past.