The inn was bustling tonight, and Ilys couldn’t be happier. This meant having drinks, listening to the bard, socializing with friends…and making some money.

She smiled at the Dark Elf male sitting next to her, nudging him with her elbow. “Thank you for the gold and for buying my fourth drink, Nilos! Sorry about your loss in the arm wrestling match.

“Yeah yeah, damn bitch,” he grumbled as he handed the young human woman behind the counter a few gold coins. “One mug of ale, Alwyn.” He handed Ilys her winnings and pushed his pitch-black hair away from his face, glaring at her with his faded black eyes. “Next time, I’ll win!”

Ilys couldn’t help but give him a smug smile. “Looking forward to it.” She waved at him as he walked away before turning to her friend,  grinning at her.

“One of these days he and his friends are going to ambush you in the streets,” Alwyn quipped, giving the Earth Elf a mug of ale. She looked around, seeing her older sister, Anise, and their mom, Agatha, helping other patrons. The bard and his group began playing a slow song now that there wasn’t anything exciting going on. She sighed as she saw a young human woman with dark hair come up to the counter. “What is it now, Malene?”

The young woman fidgeted a little. “U-Umm, I-I was wondering if you’ve seen Dol-”

Alwyn slammed her hand on the counter. “I swear on Amorina’s tits, no! He’s not here for the hundredth time! And before you ask me again in five minutes, the answer is going to be no! He’s not here yet and he’s not interested, you dunce!” She didn’t feel bad as the young woman ran away in tears and looked at Ilys, who drank her ale and looked at her in amusement. “Don’t give me that look! I don’t want to yell at her like that, but she’s persistent.”

Ilys shrugged her shoulders. “I agree with you. Though swearing on Amorina Joli’s tits is a bold choice of words. I don’t know if the Incarnate of Love would appreciate that.”

The human female blew a strand of dark blonde hair away and waved her hand. “The Incarnate of Love won’t mind that someone swore on her chest. People have sworn more horrid things on other parts of her body. Dolion has told Malene plenty of times that he’s not interested, but she still wants him since he’s a lover boy. I’m surprised Corny hasn’t banned him from the chapel. The only one she wouldn’t ban is Sal since he’s calm.”

“He is a saint compared to Dol and me,” agreed Ilys as she took a sip of ale. She turned in her seat and leaned back against the counter as she looked around the common room. “Seems like business is booming tonight.”

Alwyn laughed as she wiped down the counter. “Yeah, but you and your brothers keep us busy the rest of the year. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the three of you have a drinking problem. Especially you. You’ve been drinking a little more than usual…”

The Earth Elf laughed as she took a few more gulps. “Okay, I’ve been drinking four mugs of ale instead of two. At least I can function, unlike Kara who starts getting tipsy after one drink.” She heard the door of the inn open and saw her brothers enter, waving to them. “Speaking of the lover boy…”

“My dearest, Alwyn!” Dolion greeted loudly as he walked up to them and sat next to his sister. “Might I have your finest mug of ale, my sweet lady?” 

Ilys felt something fly by her head and saw her brother fall to the ground. An apple rolled away and bumped into Sal’s foot. He picked it up and handed it back to Alwyn.

The innkeeper mumbled thanks to him and glared down at Dolion. “Save your sweet nothings for someone else, you wet cloth.” She looked at Absalom who sat on the other side of Ilys. “Ale for you too, Sal?”

“Please and thank you.” 

Dolion huffed as he got up and sat down. “Why are you so nice to Sal and not me? I always give you compliments.”

“You give her compliments in hopes that she’ll give you free drinks and food. You’ve been doing it since we were kids,” Ilys pointed out cheekily. 

The other female laughed as she handed the men their drinks. “And to get under my skin. Not to mention, Malene is always asking about you and thinks I have all the answers.” 

“Well, you usually know everything going on in the province,” Sal pointed out.

Before Alwyn could respond, she heard a group of men getting loud. That wouldn’t have concerned her too much if she didn’t see that it was three large men yelling at a small figure in the corner of the common room. 

“Ye think yer so much better than us, don’t ya, boy?” a human male who looked around his late thirties, yelled at the figure. He grabbed the person by their cloak and slammed them against the wall. 

Dolion and Ilys stood up and walked over to them, seeing two other human men around the same age as him standing at his sides. From what Dolion saw, it was the young man he bumped into earlier being held against the wall. “Gentlemen, is there a problem here?”

“Piss off!” the man shouted at them. “This prissy boy thinks he’s too good to drink with us!”

“I already have a drink and don’t wish for company,” the young man quipped. “Not my problem you can’t accept a refusal to your…offer. Now, let me go and I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“Ha! You hurt me? You barely reach my shoulders and don’t have any muscles, boy,” he sneered. 

“Choose wisely, gentlemen,” Dolion warned them as he stood in front of the young man. “We’d hate to ruin such a fine night.” The other two men glared at him for a few seconds then grabbed their friend and left the inn.  He turned to the young man behind him and smiled softly. “You okay? Hope they didn’t scare you too much.”

The young man nodded as he adjusted his cloak. “It’s going to take more than some large guys to scare me, but thank you. Fighting them off would’ve been a real pain and I don’t want the innkeepers kicking me out.”

Dolion grinned at him. “Nah, Alwyn and her family wouldn’t do that. They know those guys started it.”

“Some could easily twist it around and say I started it because I refused their invitation,” the young man pointed out. He smiled and held his hand out to Dolion. “So, thank you, Mister…?”

“Dolion. Dolion Outlaw-Sun,” he greeted, taking the young man’s hand and bringing it up to his lips. The fire from the pit in the center of the room gave Tegan’s fair skin and the stars in his eyes a nice warm glow. “Tegan, right?”

The young man blushed as he pushed his hair behind his ear, showing he was part Elf. “Yes.” 

Dolion’s ears twitched as he heard the young man’s heartbeat speed up a little and looked at Sal, knowing his brother heard it too. That made Dolion a little suspicious, but right now the man seemed harmless. “Well, Tegan, would you like to join me and my siblings for a drink? We promise you’ll enjoy our company better than those guys. Though Ilys might be a bit drunk already…”

Ilys flipped him off as she bought her fifth drink for the night. “I’m drunk, not useless. Still could kick your asses like this,” she hiccuped. 

“Yes, I would like that. Thank you,” Len replied and followed them back to the bar where they saw Alwyn cleaning a mug. After sitting down, he bowed his head to her. “Miss Alwyn, I’m sorry for causing a disturbance.” 

She waved him off. “No worries, hun. I’m just glad you’re safe and that Dolion made himself useful for once.”

Dolion clutched his chest and groaned as if he were in pain. “Oh, Alwyn! You wound me with your harsh words! I’m very useful! Ask Sal and Ilys!” He looked over to the ebony-haired male and smiled. “So, Tegan, what brings you here to our small, humble town?”

Lenus blinked, noticing that the group looked at him. He had a feeling that Dolion and Absalom knew he lied about his name. After all, being demi-humans with enhanced senses gave them an advantage. They probably heard his heartbeat speed up when he told his name. Keeping a low profile was going to be tougher than he thought. “I traveled here because I wanted to learn more about the plants on this side of the province. I heard there are some rare ones we won’t see elsewhere and want to know more about their alchemical properties.” That’s partially true. Being an alchemist, he’s always curious about the various flora around the province and he’d read that there were rare plants around this area.

“If you’re looking for an alchemy expert, you should head over to The Boiling Cauldron tomorrow. Talk to Miss Gloriosa. She can tell you everything you need to know,” Alwyn informed him. “Very talented and one of the best alchemists I’ve ever met. She’s been looking for an apprentice.” 

The young man’s eyes lit up in excitement and smiled brightly at her. “Really? I didn’t even know that there was an alchemist here. I haven’t had time to explore the town yet.”

“In that case, how about I introduce you to Miss Glory?” Dolion offered. “She’s known us since we were kids and can’t resist my charm when I ask a favor of her.”

Alwyn snorted as she cleaned another mug. “Don’t listen to him, Tegan. Dolion might be the town’s lover boy, but Miss Glory finds him about as charming as a fish on land.” 

“Lover boy…?” Lenus questioned, arching an eyebrow. 

The innkeeper nodded and grinned mischievously. “Yes. He’s a lover boy. Flirts with men and women so don’t be swayed by his pretty words.”

“Alwyn!” Dolion shouted in shock. “Don’t tell such lies about me! I don’t flirt with everyone I set my eyes on.”

“That’s a lie,” Ilys countered as she finished her drink and held her mug up so Alwyn could refill it.

Sal nodded as he took a sip of his ale. “Agreed.”

“Ahh, that explains why he would save a stranger. He wanted to impress me and use it as a way to start a conversation,” Len bantered. 

Dolion looked at him in surprise. Ever since they bumped into each other earlier, he’d been hoping to see him again and properly introduce himself. Even if it hadn’t been Tegan, he still would’ve stopped those men from harassing a person. But he couldn’t deny that saving the young man gave him the chance he needed.

“I like this guy. He’s smart,” Sal commented. 

“Miss Glory is going to love him,” Ilys giggled. “Dolion is losing his charm on Archangels.”

Len looked a little confused at that. “Archangel?”

“Aren’t you an Archangel?” Alwyn asked as she cut an apple into slices. “We don’t see many Celestials on this side of the province. Forgive us if we’re wrong.” 

Len looked down with an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. “I’m one-fourth Seraph…” He pushed a strand of hair back. “My f-father is half Seraph and half Light Elf, and my mother is a full-blooded Light Elf.”

Dolion didn’t hear his heart speed up and wondered why the young man lied about his name. He’d been truthful about everything else but that. “You’re three-fourths Light Elf? You look more like a half-Dark Elf and, forgive me for being rude, you’re quite small for a Seraph. Most I’ve met are usually above six feet tall even if they’re aren’t full-blooded.”

“I was very sick when I was born and it had a lasting effect on me,” Len replied hastily. “Do you think your friend Miss Gloriosa would be fine teaching what she knows about alchemy? I learned a lot from my mother back home, but she doesn’t know much about the plants that grow on this side of the province.”

“Then you’re in lucks,” Ilys slurred as she swung her arm around. “Miss Gloriosa ish the best alchemist ever and will teach you everything even if you goes insane. Trush me, the three of us learn the hard way. She’s been looking for an apprentice for a while, but we’re too busy.”

Alwyn quietly took Ilys’ mug away and gave her a bowl with sliced apples. The Earth Elf didn’t even notice her mug had been taken away and began eating the slices. “And Miss Glory will love you if you call Dolion on his bull shit.”

“I’m right here,” Dolion grumbled. 

“Shh, you’re meant to be seen, not heard,” Alwyn teased. She looked around and saw most of the people were leaving. Her mother and sister were cleaning the empty tables and straightening the chairs. She looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner and saw it was nearly midnight. Typical for around this time. “Sal and Dol, you two better take your sister home. She and Kara have a job tomorrow and I don’t want to hear Kara complaining about her being too hungover to do it. Tegan, a pleasure seeing you, and I hope you enjoy your stay here at the Drunken Wanderer.”

Len smiled and nodded to her, leaving a few coins on the counter. “I’ve enjoyed it so far. Thank you, Miss Alwyn.” He stood up and looked at the siblings. “And thank you, all of you, for helping me with those men.” He looked at Dolion and gave him a sweet smile. “And I hope you’ll make good on your word and introduce me to Miss Gloriosa? I could use a little help.”

That made Dolion’s fox ears perk up and he grinned at the younger man. “Oh, don’t worry. She’ll take you as her apprentice. I’ll meet you here in the morning.”

Len smirked. “Good. Because if you’re as charming as Miss Alwyn says you are, perhaps I’ll seem more charming next to you and can convince her myself.” With that said, he walked away and headed to his room. 

Absalom and Alwyn grinned at each other as they saw Dolion looking at the Light Elf with his mouth opened in shock. “I think Tegan is going to be a great addition to our small town,” Alwyn cackled.

“Agreed,” Absalom chuckled as he stood up and helped his sister stand and paid Alwyn for their drinks and the apples. “Thank you, Alwyn. I’m sure Dolion and I will be back tomorrow.” He helped Ilys walk out of the inn with Dolion’s help and heard her mumbling how something wasn’t her fault and that she hadn't meant to cause any harm. They ignored it, figuring she was dreaming about a time she pissed off Father Hammond or Mother Cornelia, and walked home.