(Charles)

  Thirty minutes earlier…

  Charles woke surrounded by the familiar darkness. Proprioception firmed that the room had shrunk. Last night, he’d added a room to the arborhearth, taking space from both his bedroom and ste to make a pce for Dyn.

  No o the hospital could se Dyn’s vermilion ivy rash st night—not surprising, sioxin sing ecialized ability. If they’d gone during the day, they’d have had better luck finding a mender with a global se—just one more reason Charles preferred the day shift.

  He pulled his pants up with a hop, the zipper’s curt rasp breaking the room’s silence. After slipping on a fresh shirt, he grabbed the first of mas lined with ste loops and pouches. Under his pillow, his fingers found the dagger—he hadn’t o sleep with it in years. Thinking back, he’d been too seal about his decision to store all his ons when they suspended his adventuring lise.

  He’d enjoyed adventuring, taking tracts, and helping people, but staying with Ebonscale? He still felt bitter toward them, even now. The thought of iuring himself to anuild held no appeal, but he wasn’t about to start his m angry, so he focused oasks at hand. He had an errand to run and o che Dyn before leaving.

  Charles left his room, only a few strides from Dyn’s newly added quarters. He knocked on the door and waited. No response. He knocked harder.

  “Present,” came Dyn’s muffled reply through the door.

  ‘How does anyone sleep this much?’ Charles eyed the door, but Proprioception warned him there wasn’t enough clearao open it safely. A glowrune would’ve been optimal, but most merts were already closed by the time they’d retur night. He was lucky to have bartered for a few dles—one of which was burning right behind the door.

  “Dyn,” Charles said.

  Dyn grunted.

  “As we’ve discussed, the arborhearth bines both dark and pnt magic. It’s highly susceptible to fire, so don’t leave dles unattended while you sleep.” Charles spoke to the door, knowing Dyn could hear him.

  “Excrement. Sorry.”

  Charles didn’t uand Dyn’s obsession with feces. He waited as Dyn picked up the dle from the floor a on the small serving table he’d lent him. He’d arranged a cot and stool for Dyn. The chubby man had disrupted his routine, and this was the best hospitality Charles could offer on such short notice.

  “Stop scratg.” Charles shook his head. Even in his sleep, Dyn’s fingers found the blistering rash.

  Dyn stopped, looked at the door, and said, “You know, it’s really creepy when you do that.” Slowly, he lowered his palms to his thighs and rubbed vigorously, making the rash worse.

  Charles wouldn’t warn him again. It’d be more productive to just get the cure. V’ega’s Potions & Lotions should be open by now. Leaving Dyn alone wasn’t ideal, but the arborhearth was the safest pce for him.

  “I o step out for half a turn of the clock. I’ll be back soon. Keep an ear out for your caseworker.” Charles winced, realizing how iive that sounded. He hadn’t meant to be cruel, bringing up Dyn’s deformity. “They’ll be by sometime today.”

  “I already told you, I’m not answering if they use that stupid gover name,” Dyn’s muffled voice called from behind the door.

  “The League of Adventurers isn’t a gover, Dyn.” Expnations and Dyn mixed like oil and water. Charles didn’t think he was good at giving or receiving them.

  “I’m serious, Charles. I won’t do it.”

  Charles sighed. “Dyn, it’s just a name.” He uood why Dyn set, but it wasn’t the League that had chosen the unfortunate name—his own people had.

  “It’s a stupid name.”

  Charles was out of patience. Arguing about somethiher of them could ge was a waste of time, and he’d only be gone a short while.

  “Stay iil I get back,” Charles reminded him. He left the arborhearth and headed for the shop. His stay in Dartmouth was stretg lohan pnned, but he was his own elf now—no rush to be anywhere. Before the chubby man, he’d be setting up stalls and hawking his wares by now. ‘Only ara day or two,’ he thought.

  Before leaving, he opehe chest and grabbed a cloth bag of empty vials. The gss ked as he slung them over his shoulder and shut the lid. A assed by and nodded. He didn’t reize the elf, but she wore the jacket he’d sold her during his st visit.

  By this time tomorrow, Dyn would be out of his life and in the care of someoer suited to help him. The chubby man had proven to be surprisingly resilient, if a bit ignorant, and Charles wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or wary. He pushed the thought aside, fog oask at hand. He strolled dowreet toward V’ega’s Potions & Lotions, passing at least one alchemy shop on the way, but V’ega’s sele was always better.

  The bell above the door chimed, announg Charles’ arrival as he stepped into the small shop. Shelves and dispy racks filled every er, stacked high with vials of every shape and size. The air was thick with the st of herbs, oils, and something faintly metallic that g to the back of his throat. The wooden floor creaked underfoot, adding to the shop’s rustic charm. If you had an ailment, V’ega had the cure—he was one of the best alchemists for leagues around.

  “Charles!” an attractive, cerulean-scaled drai called from behind the ter. V’ega’s personality was as warm and weling as always.

  “V’ega.” Charles gave his usual curt nod. The drai had ged his horns since Charles had st seen him. They were still dual horns, curving down and back, but now a couple of fingers wider. The new look gave the drai a more proportioned head, which was a better fit with the rest of his figure. ‘Very fitting,’ Charles thought.

  “What I get for my favorite er?” V’ega smiled, revealing his bright, sharp teeth—an expression that suited him.

  ‘Favorite? Why does he always say that? I’m only here three times a year.’ Charles figured it was just a sales tactifortunately for V’ega, it didn’t work on him. He only ever bought what was on his list—that’s how he stayed within his means and out of debt.

  The gssware rattled as Charles set the bag on the ter beside V’ega. The st of peppermint—his favorite—cut through the medley of aromas in the shop, always sharpest he handsome drai.

  “I need something for a vermilion ivy rash. Not for me—an acquaintance.”

  “An acquaintance, you say?” V’ega gathered the bag of empties and pced it behind the ter. “Better be careful, Charles. That sounds dangerously close to making an actual friend.” He leaned ba the ter. “Should I be jealous?”

  ‘Why would he be jealous?’ Charles wondered. “I found him on the way to Dartmouth. He needed help, so I took him under my prote.”

  “Oh, such chivalry.” V’ega pced a hand on his chest, smiling pyfully. “I wish someone would take me uheir prote.”

  “Why? Has someohreatened you?” The League might have suspended Charles’ adventuring lise, but he was still a on-ranked adventurer and wouldn’t stand by while thugs extorted his favorite alchemist. “Just give me a name, and you’ll never see them again.”

  V’ega ughed warmly, shaking his head and waving the notion away. “No, nothing like that.”

  Charles liked that ugh. He wished he could hear it more often, but with no family of his own, he’d resigned himself to being alone. Maybe it was safer that way. Letting others in had never gone well for him in the past, and while he valued his independehere was a certaiihat g the edges of his te. His thoughts drifted back to the chubby man and the effect he had on Y’rell. She was exquisite too—like V’ega. Y’rell was slender and graceful while V’ega was warm and charming. Charles sighed, wishing he had half the charisma and fidence of his misshapen ward.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a list. “I’ll also need everything on here, too.”

  V’ega took the note and sed it. “A rainy-day grenade?” He raised an eyebrow. “Not sure I’ll have that one, but for you, I’ll che the back.” From behind the ter, he swung the door open to the ste room and disappeared inside.

  Charles heard the sound of bottles emptying in a er, followed by V’ega shifting boxes and s through them.

  V’ega raised his voice slightly. “Any ce you’ll stick around this time?” he asked.

  “As long as it takes to get my ward settled. I might be here a day or two lohan usual.” Charles turned and leaned against the ter, fag the door.

  “It’s all work, work, work with you, isn’t it?” A vial shattered on the floor. “Bollocks,” V’ega cursed as his tail k off the shelf.

  Charles sidered a hand, but Proprioception showed the space was already too tight. V’ega’s question stuck with him. Charles liked spending his downtime puzzling out designs or reading to keep his mind away from his past. But maybe there were other options he hadn’t sidered. “What’s there to do besides w?” he asked.

  V’ega returned, pg several items on the ter, and handed Charles the empty cloth bag. “Perhaps a nice dinner with someone?” He excused himself past Charles and grabbed a basket to gather the rest of the list.

  “Who’d want to have dinner with me?” Charles only ate fk, and no one else seemed to enjoy it like he did. Most people reacted the same way Dyn had, which was why he’d stopped it.

  “You might be surprised.” V’ega’s finger ran down a shelf and stopped at the on healing potions. He grabbed tced them in the basket. “Is there anyone you’d like to have dinner with?” He looked up at Charles, smiled slightly, and waited.

  Charles mentally mapped out a mundane dinner. First, he’d have to choose a dish—preferably something his guest would enjoy—but how was he supposed to know their preferehen, there’d be the shopping fredients, possibly involving several stops. Iing with merts wasn’t his favorite, though if they were like V’ega, he wouldn’t mind. Cooking wouldn’t be so bad, but serving the meal, with all the unnecessary focus oatio like a chore. He sighed, already dreading the small talk he wasn’t good at. ‘No thank you,’ he thought.

  Then a novel idea struck him: What if someoually wao join him for fk? There was just one problem. “How do I know if someone wants to go to dinner with me?”

  V’ega reappeared, rounding one of the floor racks with a basket of supplies. He set them on the ter, exg himself past Charles in the cramped shop. Charles inhaled, giving him as much space as possible. He could taste the peppermint now, and it was delicious.

  “It’s simple. You just ask.” V’ega stood behind the ter, a brief pause settliween them as he looked at Charles expetly. Folding his cwed hands, he rested them on the ter. “Is there anything else you’d like?”

  “No. That’s everything on my list.” Charles picked up the items and pced them in his bag. “You’ve been helpful.” He pulled out his suspended lise, which still worked as a League card, and tapped it on the register at the ter’s er. He used League credits to pay. When he was done, he looked up at V’ega. “Thank you.”

  V’ega’s smile faded. “Back to work then?”

  The rugged elf nodded.

  “Alright,” V’ega sighed, “maybe ime…”

  ‘That’s unfortunate,’ Charles thought. V’ega’s disappoi wasn’t lost on him, but he refused to buy things he didn’t need. He’d never let himself fall into debt again.