••••••••••••••

The town bustled with life as Roach and I walked down the main street, restocking my supplies.

After tying up my horse outside of the familiar pub, I casually approached and greeted the barkeeps.

"Marina, Tom. Always a pleasure."

"Calara, heard you had a bit of a row with your uncle. Everything alright, love?" The older woman asked as I sat at the bar.

"He worries too much, and I was too harsh. I'm giving him space for now, before apologizing." I admitted with a sigh.

"That's probably for the best." Tom agreed, approaching his wife's side. "The two of you have the worst tempers I've ever witnessed."

I nodded, a small cringe on my features. Mine and Brom's tempers always do seem to clash.

"Let us speak no more of my family squabbles." I muttered, quickly changing the subject. "Are there any new jobs for me?"

"Well–." Marina started to explain before she was cut off by a drunken man who was seated at a table not far from the bar.

"Come closer, beautiful, and I'll give you a job you're sure to enjoy!"

As quickly as the slurred words left his lips, my dagger had flown through the air and into the wall, dangerously close to the man's head.

"You must be new." I spat venomously, before muttering a spell that returned my dagger to my hand.

The man now subtly shook in his seat, the light sound of dripping coming from the bottom of his chair.

The drunk quite literally pissed himself.

Some of the regulars who knew me let out chuckles of amusement, before returning to their drinks and their meals. All turned back to their business.

All, except for one, a young boy around my age, perhaps a year or two younger. He continued to gaze at me with the most curious look in his blue eyes. I gave him a small smile, before turning my attention back to Marina.

"I'd also like to pay for Brom's tab this week."

Marina and Tom both gave me knowing looks. The kind that said 'why must you enable him'.

"Brom has seen far more horrible things than any of us could ever fathom. If his drinking keeps away the nightmares and stops him from reaching that low point again," I paused, pursing my lips at the memory that hid behind my eyes. "Then I will do what I must."

"Here's his bill for the week, love." Tom sighed, taking a piece of parchment from a drawer and handing it to me.

"Thank you both." I muttered, taking the details of the bounty that Marina had given me and my uncle's bill.

My brown eyes scanned the bill, before reaching into my knapsack and pulling out my coin purse. Quickly counting the amount of coin that my uncle owed and handed it to Tom.

"Stay safe, dear!" Tom shouted as I started to exit the pub.

"No promises!" I chuckled in response, before making my way to Roach and heading back to Brom's for the impending apology.

••••••••••••••••••••••

I was never one to hesitate.

Hesitation is a fool's downfall, and it leaves too much room to change your intentions. It welcomes death and destruction to bloom in its wake.

Yet, here I hesitate, fist raised in midair. The simple act of knocking on the familiar door, seemingly too daunting for my mind to allow me to follow through with.

"Get a grip, Cal. You've slain hundreds of monsters and the idea of facing your uncle scares you?" I muttered, recognizing how ridiculous I was being.

I lightly knocked on the aging wooden door, before letting myself in. My uncle laid strown out in his chair, no doubt passed out from his usual drunken stupor. His empty cup still loosely gripped in his hand.

I quietly approached, gently taking the cup from his hand, before covering Brom's slumped figure with a nearby blanket.

I laid the paid receipt from the pub on the table. A weak peace offering, but an effective one.

Creeping silently out of the hut and towards Roach, I let out a defeated sigh. "That went well. Eh, Roach?"

No reply from the horse, obviously.

"To the inn." I muttered, mounting my horse and heading back into the town square.