Hands in his pockets, he followed behind Tabitha, chewing on a mint leaf he bought in the market.

What time is it now? It feels like this day never ends.

Daire looked towards an overcast sky. It caused the entire world to sink into shadows. The streets were quiet, with minimal noise escaping the umber buildings along the thoroughfares. The possibility of audible interruption was all but eliminated. Perhaps if it were a more residential area, they would have heard a baby crying. A small prayer before bed. A couple in the throes of love.

Daire was glad for the silence. And for once, he didn't feel the need to fill it.

Enough conversation. Enough small talk. He had no obligation to fill the void.

Walking behind Tabitha, he waited in content silence. They were traveling up a small incline through a narrow sidestreet now. The clustered buildings always produced claustrophobic feelings within Tabitha. However, Daire felt the encroaching sides more comfortable and preferable to the wide-open spaces.

He knew there would be no muggings, robberies, or altercations this evening. No one would dare.

"Hah!"

He laughed a bit at the thought. Tabitha jumped a bit at the suddenness of it. She had been content with the silence as well. She knows this city and these streets well. People knew her.

"What's so funny?"

Tabitha didn't know Daire. He seemed nice enough, but he could be anybody. The several weapons on her person vibrated with caution. A pair of knives tucked in her boots. A short dirk hiding in the small of her back. A stiletto along her calf. Not to mention the mini-crossbow she wore openly on her hip. The only ones missing were a longbow and quiver, but those were cumbersome when walking through town.

She wasn't a battle maniac, just cautious. You never know. And you pick up a thing or two while working near adventurers all day.

"Just a funny thought. I didn't mean to laugh out loud."

"It must have been a hilarious thought then."

Daire tried to contain his mirth. Instead of out-right guffawing, he managed a restrained smile.

"It was."

Daire left it at that, deciding that elaborating was troublesome.

Tabitha let it lie as she rounded another corner to a structure that was squished between two larger warehouses.

"This is it. The Low Well. It doesn't get many guests, but I enjoy the atmosphere when I want to unwind."

Daire examined the building but there wasn't much to say. It reminded him of the movie UP. Like the old man's house stuck between skyscrapers. Only less exaggerated. And without a lawn.

"Looks quaint."

"Shall we?"

"Allow me to get the door."

=

Trinket dragged the huge cart back home, following the flying family member. They shoved it in one of the empty horse stalls. Not that there were any other steeds, to begin with.

Trinket belched.

"Ugh! Trinket. Warn me next time."

It was burning her eyes.

Trinket sniffed. The smell reminded him of food. The young human man was a kind older brother. Sharing food. Delicious food. Good food! Trinket never ate good food. Mostly bugs.

Currently curled up, he allowed the tiny one to sit in his fur. She didn't weigh anything. Patches of his fur stood on end whenever she came near. It almost tickled.

He was upset that the little green thing was also sleeping on him. But Violet made him spit the frog out and forbade him from eating it.

It wasn't that Trinket was hungry, or the little frog would fill him, or that it would even taste good. It was just instinct.

Eventually, the little one was asleep, holding the green one. Trinket was just dozing off when a stray scent scurrying past his nose, his instincts sending warning signals.

*Danger*

=

"Little Tabs! What can I get you?"

"Harold, I have company. I told you to use my name."

The bartender glanced at Daire, noticing him trailing in after Tabitha.

"My apologies, Tabby, I was just reminiscing on the old days."

"Enough nicknames. I told you, call me Tabitha. That is my name, you know?"

"Yes, yes. This old man can't even pick on his favorite customer anymore. Oh, woe these old bones. I will drop dead any day now. I am pleased you decided to drop in one last time before I go."

"Oh, stop that. You're only 50."

Tabitha grabbed a stool and sat at the counter.

"My 50 is older than your-"

"DON'T. You. Dare."

Tabitha glared at Harold. He shut his mouth with a harumph.

"Hmph. The usual?"

"Yes. Please."

The please was an afterthought. A growling afterthought.

Daire decided to take a seat to Tabitha's right. He noted only one other patron sat in the corner of the room. Besides him and the bartender, the only other person was a cook who peered through a hole to the kitchen. The only visible image was of a chef's hat that moved to and fro.

"And him?"

The bartender eyed Daire. Daire met the inquisitive gaze with a relaxed expression. The "old man" didn't look aged. The only indication of age were flecks of white in his furry mustache. And the shining dome that reflected the overhead lighting.

Instead of staring at his reflection, Daire examined the shelves. Harold seemed to keep most of his liquor on display, or maybe they were just for show. Who knows?

"Do you have something light and sweet?"

"Aye, I can do that. You have money?"

"As long as it doesn't cost gold. I will pay for her drinks as well."

"HA! You'll regret that kid."

"I resent that!"

"Resentin' the truth don't make it go away."

Daire decided to interject before it turned sour.

"Do you have any snacks? Something to nibble on? I've had nothing but rabbits for nearly two weeks now."

Harold and Tabitha both raised their eyebrows, breaking off from a brewing dispute.

"How can you afford to eat meat every day for two weeks but not spend gold on drinks?"

"I sell them. I had more of them than I could handle."

"Again, you can't afford to spend gold?"

"I sold them for coppers."

"You did what!?"

Both of them were in sync. Daire sighed and just gave them a weary look.

"It was more about giving people with lower salaries a chance to change their diet. That, and I was appalled at some of the street vendors. One was practically cremating a rat. Slimy bastard."

=

Willy Pulner was fuming. It wasn't enough that conniving twit and his pet fairy insulted him and his cooking, but he took away all his potential customers by selling rabbits for coppers. Rabbits! For coppers!

Where did that slimy roach get them?

He had spent days setting up a space for breeding rats. Stealing the grain to feed so many was exhausting. Keeping them contained, fattening them, catching them. So what if he burnt them a little? They were still edible. And it was meat!

And now a new merchant sets up a stall, and his business is booming?

Pulner wouldn't let it stand. He pulled at his whiskers, trying to straighten them, but just ended up making them wrinkled or curled. He watched Daire the entire evening from afar. Biding his time.

And now his time came.

The man was gone, leaving just a tiny fairy and... a giant bear. No worries. No worries. It was just a bear. A sleeping bear. Those things never wake up.

He tagged the merchandise as being in one of the pens. All he had to do was sneak in, snag a couple of docile little bunnies, and replace his rat operation. After all, rabbits breed faster than rats...

Don't they?

=

Tabitha exchanged a glance with Harold. Harold shrugged, seeming to accept Daire's reasons more easily. He broke off to get their drinks, briefly stepping into the kitchen. Tabitha continued the line of conversation.

"I actually heard about that. I didn't know it was you. Where'd you get so many? Do you breed them?"

Daire chuckled.

"They are a stable source of income. As to where I got them... You know the forest about half a day southeast?"

"Oh, the Stupid Forest? what of it?"

Daire paused.

"The stupid forest?"

"Yeah, the one where none of the trees make any sense."

Daire rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying really hard to unknit his eyebrows. Does everyone in this world have shit naming sense? Meanwhile, Tabitha took his silence as room to clarify.

"People call it the Stupid Forest for many reasons. One, the trees don't make sense. There are trees over a hundred stories tall, yet small ones sprout up nearby as if they could compete for nutrients. Not to mention that many of them are supposed to grow in different climates. It is like a child picked their favorite trees and stuck them together."

When he traveled through the region, Daire noted the same things but attributed it to being a fantasy world.

"There is also the fact that there's no game there. No animals, no predators, no birds, nothing. Except insects. Nasty bastards. Not the huge suckers like in the eastern swamps but just tons of the small buggers."

Tabitha's dialect was starting to loosen.

"I deal with monster requests all the time. In my years of working with the guild, there has never been a single monster sighting in that area. Not even slugs."

At this junction, Harold brought their drinks in wooden mugs. Daire took a cautious sip.

It was good! Sweet. It wasn't tangy at all. If only it were chilled.

Magically, Tabitha leaned over and grasped Daire's mug. He was about to ask why when he felt the mug cool, then turn brisk to the touch. Tabitha let go and Daire took another sip. It was chilled!

"Delightful. Was that Ice magic?

"Yup, just enough for a cool drink."

She waggled her fingers while drinking with the other hand.

Handy. I wish I could use ice. Or even just water magic. I could've built a glorious pool.

"Hm, you mentioned slugs?"

Tabitha set down her mug, wiping her mouth.

"Yeah, you didn't see any of them on the road?"

"No, it was unusually hush."

"It isn't that strange. Adventurers, and even civilians, practically hunted them to extinction right after the famine started. But you get sick of eating them soon. Blegh."

Tabitha's expression indicated incredible revulsion.

"It... It was horrible. I'd rather eat acid flies. Without the acid, mind you."

Daire couldn't imagine it otherwise.

"You'd probably have to search for any slugs within a ten-mile radius of the town."

Daire put up fingers as he counted.

"So... No monsters or slugs in the stupid forest. No animals, just insects. Stupid trees... anything else?"

"Yup! Anyone who enters will exit soon after. I'm talking like five-ten minutes after. People get turned around somehow. Multiple different hermits tried building abodes in the forest, but every time they cut down a tree, the log would disappear when they turned their backs. The tree reappeared, standing tall."

"Seriously?"

"Serious. There was one crazy hermit who brought his own building materials inside. He actually managed to last there three weeks, building an entire cabin."

"What happened after?"

Tabitha slapped the counter.

"When he went to bed, his entire cabin appeared outside the woods! Hahaha! He-He was so mad that-that he set fire to the entire cabin and walked off."

Daire laughed along with Tabitha. It was a hilarious story full of stubbornness, and the alcohol made him feel warm inside. The entire scenario sounded like something he would do—Bullheadedness through trial and error. He briefly wondered what happened to the hermit but decided to enjoy the story for what it was.

They both started exchanged other funny stories, simply unwinding. Daire learned a bit about Tabitha. She was pleasant to be around and glad he took this time out of his night. He cut himself off alcohol after two drinks. He knew he had the soft buzz right now, and any more would end terribly. Instead, he snacked on some appetizers Harold set out. It was some kind of crushed crustacean and crackers. Odd and not exactly tasty, but filling.

"This is fun. Thank you for showing me this place, Tabitha. You don't mind if I come here in the future, do you? Harold?"

"Not at all, young man. I am glad you and Tabbi get along so well. She's been coming here for years and almost always drinks alone. It is rare to see her enjoy herself."

"Oi! Old man, don't be giving him the wrong idea. I am a responsible drinker."

"You are. But you are a lonely one."

Harold looked like he wanted to boop Tabitha on the nose but was afraid to lose a finger. Daire noticed that Tabitha didn't correct Harold's nicknaming.

"I ain't lonely. I like being alone. Besides, Daire said he also had business. Didn't you, Daire?"

Seeing it was time, he nodded slowly. Pushing the appetizer plate aside, he took out another mint leaf and chewed on that instead.

"True. I did have a long day and wanted to unwind, but I sought you out specifically."

=

Pulner started towards the stables. He would bolt at the first sign of danger, but...

He unsheathed a crude dagger just in case. He mainly used it to kill rats, but tonight the rusty metal might transform into a bear killer. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but Pulner was ready.

Creeping alongside the stable walls, he kept low and in the shadows. Watching his footing for breakable objects, holes, or anything that would make noise.

Slowly, quietly, he made it to the correct stall.

Yes! Now... Even more slowly...

Still crouching, he pushed open the stall door; the hinges creaked ever so slightly. With just enough space to squeeze through, Pulner wormed his way in.

Shimming around the gate, he gently closed it behind him.

Finally. Time for some looting.

"It's about time. I've been waiting thirty minutes."

Pulner's blood ran cold. Sweat drizzled down his face, falling off his whiskers. He turned around.

"May I ask what you are doing here, sir?"

A guard adorned in leather carrying the town insignia.

"Were- uh, were you there the whole time?"

"Yup, watched you spend five minutes opening and closing that door. Never even noticed me. I'll ask again, sir."

The 'sir' was a bit more forceful.

"What are you doing here?"

Pulner was panicking. Why was there a guard here?

I was watching that fairy and bear the entire way here. Was the guard here even before they got back?

"I-I-uh, um, you see I- I'm here to, I was, I mean that is-"

"I think this situation is pretty clear. Please drop your weapon, turn around, and put your hands behind your back."

Pulner thought about the guard's words for a moment, then immediately complied. He wasn't going to attack a member of the watch! He wasn't insane.

"Good! Easy. Just how I like it. I thought you'd bolt for sure."

"Hey, are you done in there?"

Manacles clacked around Pulner's wrists.

"Yeah. All done."

"Why did we need to do this?"

"It was that merchant character, remember? The one who sells rabbits?"

"Hmm."

The guard tried again.

"The one who gave us the lucky coins."

"Oh! I suppose this is fine then. It's our job anyway."

"Plus, we get overtime pay."

"I'm not looking forward to the paperwork, though."

"Just help me escort this guy back, and I'll take care of the paperwork. You deserve to spend more time with your daughter."

"Thanks, Crale."

"Anytime."

Pulner was about to start sobbing hysterically but was instead thrust into contemplative confusion when he saw a tiny green frog staring at him, unblinking. Even when the frog licked its eye, it gazed deep into Pulner's soul. He was unable to break eye contact for the entire time he was led away.

=

Pebbles hopped back into Violet's embrace. She still slumbered, undisturbed.

Trinket huffed and laid his head back down. Ignorant of how the creepy unblinking frog slumbered.

=

"I need to get to Orlin."

Tabitha's face screwed up as she set aside her beer and seemed to sober.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

The story and moving parts were difficult to explain. Daire had multiple reasons for asking her, but none of them he could voice without sounding either insane or like he tricked her.

"My friend was taken there, and she only has a couple of weeks left. It is why Violet and I initially traveled this way."

Harold took to cleaning a mug silently. Daire could feel the set of eyes on him from the corner and the ears listening closely from the kitchen. Everyone here knew what Orlin was, but none of them lived it, not that Daire knew of.

The books took him there. To a place of violence, crime, sin, and insanity. Debauchery and gulttony. Envy and wrath. The author didn't spare any details. The amount of gore and painted imagery caused Daire to flinch away and nearly throw away the books he loved so much.

But that was how the world was. He couldn't hate the entire series because of a fictional city. Even if that city was now more than real, it changed nothing.

"I'll ask again. What do you want from me?"

Daire came back to the moment.

"I want to sell you information for assistance. Maps of the city and an escort to get me there. You're in the position to know the most and facilitate hiring an adventuring party discreetly."

"I've heard enough. I want you to leave."

The frost in her tone was clear. The fact Tabitha could no longer hold eye contact spoke to the seriousness.

"I thought better of you, boy."

Harold shook his head.

"What a shame."

Daire let it go, trying to speak softly.

"What is your reluctance to help?"

Harold spoke for Tabitha, who went back to drinking in a sour mood.

"There are people like you all the time. Grieving loved ones. Party members. Spouses or friends. It is always the same. They beg people for help to stage a rescue. Orlin is a dark place that takes things from all of us. Why should we continue to help more innocent folk walk to their deaths and never return? What does that get us? Nothing but more hurt."

Daire understood, so he admitted it.

"I can't change anything. I could walk in there and never return or fail to save anyone. Even if I do save my friend, I'll have to pass by countless others trapped in cages or even more deplorable conditions. I can't save them all. But I need to save my friend."

"You're no different."

The edge in her tone was completely different from how they'd spoken earlier.

"Get out."

"..."

"Now."

Staring down a polished crossbow bolt was more than a little disconcerting.

"Tabitha, you're drunk."

"I am not."

The one-handed crossbow teetered as she spoke, her eyes focused on his.

"Fine. You're not drunk, but stop waving your weapon in his face. He was just leaving."

Daire carefully nodded, conscious of the sharp iron tip reaching his nose.

The weapon lowered. The threat hadn't vanished; it just moved to a more precious location.

Standing, Daire walked backward from the confrontation. When he was more than spitting distance away, he pulled out a leaflet. A compressed dossier he compiled. Making his actions clear, he ripped a page clean and placed it on the table.

"The information I was going to sell you. Take it."

"I won't change my mind."

Daire didn't say anything. Placing another mint leaf in his mouth, he used the silver he owed as a paperweight, placing it on top of the information.

"I wish we could have chatted more."

He walked out before he could get shot.

=

"The first nice guy that comes along, and you chase him out the door."

"You didn't like him either."

"I didn't say that."

"Whatever. Give me another drink. I'm going to pass out and avoid work tomorrow. Today... In the morning. Whatever. Just give me a drink."

Harold's anxiety chest loosened, pulling out the watered-down stuff. He let her pour it herself.

The figure in the corner stood, gliding over to the silver coins left behind.

"There's extra."

"Great! He'll be paying for my watered-down beer."

"Just leave it there. I'll grab it in a minute."

"And the information?"

The cloaked figure tapped a sharp nail on the wood surface. Their voice was husky, like their throat was parched.

"Burn it-"

"Don't burn it."

Harold sighed.

"You know what... Just bring it here. I'll read what the kid wrote."

"He's not a kid. He's like half your age."

"My point exactly."

"Shaddup."

Harold accepted the paper from the appearing figure.

Reading it, Harold rubbed his mustache.

"Hmm..."

Turning it over, he skimmed the words sprawled on the flip side.

"You owe that boy an apology, Tabitha."

The cloaked figure nodded twice, having read the information over Harold's shoulder. Tabitha groaned long and hard.

"It better be world-changing because I don't feel like apologizing for less."

"Read it."

Tabitha's hand lashed out to grab the paper. Squinting her eyes, she tried to focus past the alcoholic haze blocking her vision.

Notes: List of information to sell to Tabitha of Red.

"What the hell kind of moniker is that?"

"You always get so feisty when you are drunk; just read it."

"Fine. Fine."

She waved a hand.

1. The new Milton wall is costing thousands of more gold than it should. Someone is profiteering. Speak to Rila, the stonemason, and a city planner to get the full truth.

"Okay. That is interesting but not worth all the fuss."

The cloaked figure exhaled.

"Read."

2. The cattle plague was deliberate and carried out by a small sect of necromancers hidden in an old, dilapidated lighthouse.

Additionally: Look into fishing.

"Of course we fish! I mean, we do fish, right? What about those shells you served earlier?"

A gritty voice called out from the kitchen.

"Rock Slugs."

"Ew. Okay. But the higher-ups already knew about the necromancers. The party we sent after them only managed to kill one while the other three got away."

3. The three remaining necromancers hid in an old elvish crypt hidden at the bottom of the Lake.

Important: Make it clear to leave the one remaining male necromancer alive.

"Alright. That is weird. Why should we let them live?"

"You can ask him tomorrow."

Tabitha threw down the paper, slamming a fist into the countertop.

"I'll admit this is good information, but not enough for me to apologize or help him! You know what happened last time I helped. It got my friend killed! No way am I going to put anyone else in jeopardy just to save the friend of a stranger."

The flat stares she got made her teeth grate. Even the Chef's hat was pointed her way accusingly.

Together, Harold and the cloaked figure flipped over the piece of paper. Written on the back were three words.

He is alive.