The sight of the small boy running off strangely warmed his otherwise cold heart. Not to say that his heart was all that unusual. No, not at all, in fact. A cold, steeled, heart was as common a part of a wizard's arsenal as their staffs or hats were.
The mind, though… a wizard's mind was the opposite of their heart. A trade off.
'That's why wizards and knights are so different, I suppose.'
Alwyn turned around, snickering. For the next few days, he'd be riding solo. He couldn't say he hadn't missed the lone wolf lifestyle that he'd been leading for quite some time—before he found Linnie.
Linnie or not, though, that time was destined to end. But, a short respite wouldn't hurt. Not that this would be a respite in any real meaning of the word.
Alwyn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Unfortunately, he wasn't to get right into the action. The task the Duke had bestowed upon him would have to wait—if for a moment. The wizard had to be certain his entire party was safe and accounted for in his absence.
And, while the kids were all settled, there was one… member… left.
Alwyn pushed through the tavern door and was met with a bustling atmosphere. Despite what people may think, he wasn't a big drinker. It wasn't that he didn't like to drink—no, he enjoyed it very much!
It's just that, he wasn't the type to drink on the job. And he was rarely not on the job.
The fun scene unfolding in front of him was certainly tempting, though. The bard noticed Alwyn as soon as he walked inside. He wasn't very hard to notice. Not at all. Very few people dressed as he did, nor did very many people carry around a large wooden staff—err, have it float next to them?
The bard played a famous tune that told of a brave wizard slaying some mighty beast. Surely, he was trying to squeeze money from Alwyn. Surely, too, it wouldn't work. And it wouldn't—on most wizards. But Alwyn appreciated the gesture, and smiled as he tossed a meal's worth of coin at the musician. Then, he walked closer, observing the man.
"Say, have you seen a woman around here?"
The bard looked confused, and halted his lyrics. Naturally, he kept playing his lute as he spoke.
"…Well, sure I have. I've seen plenty! This tavern's quite a popular spot—especially during the festival, if you know what I mean. Just take your pick, they're all over the place."
Alwyn laughed, shaking his head. "No, no… that's not what I meant. A woman, a few inches shorter than I am. She's got short-ish black hair, expensive clothes. Probably wearing tinted glasses, too—round. Seen her?"
"Ah…! I know exactly who you're talking about, Sir Wizard. But, what business have you got with a woman like that? There are so many others… oh, forgive my prying."
"Well, you know. It's not about the body, it's the person."
"But, sir… I agree."
Alwyn wasn't sure why he was playing along with this silly conversation. It was a fib—and it would've been much faster to dismiss whatever false notion the bard had formed. But… it was a little amusing. And he was sure she'd hate it if she heard.
"Yes, she's got a fiery personality. Wait… but how would you know that?" Alwyn said with faux-concern. "Don't tell me she did anything terrible…"
"No need to worry, Sir Wizard! It's all been settled. Actually, maybe that's a reason for you to worry. Your lady was thrown out… considering the state of her, I'd bet she's still out there. Behind the tavern, through the back door over there."
Alwyn's eye twitched. "Aha, what did she do, exactly?"
"What anyone does when they're too drunk." Seeing Alwyn tilt his head, the bard continued. "She got real angry. At everything… for no reason. Even me, at one point. And then she started fighting…"
The bard shivered, reliving a memory.
"But that's all normal stuff, here. It was when she started undressing, claiming that it was too hot—"
"That's alright, I'd rather not hear the rest."
'What an idiot. She's lucky all they did was throw her out. Tsk-tsk, this is why I hate drunks! But, undressing? How embarrassing,' Alwyn thought as he walked to the back exit.
He poked his head into the alley. He nearly missed her, thanks to the darkness of the late night. Luckily, the light leaking from inside illuminated her half-unconscious face in a strip. She was laying in the muddy dirt, strands of hair slick and plastered across her face. Her eyes, half opened, made her seem almost dead. The milky color of them didn't help.
But, she was breathing.
"Aliza, wake your ass up," Alwyn said, giving her head a nudge with his boot.
He grimaced. The scene was actually a lot… less funny than he'd expected.
'I've never seen her like this before. No, I already knew that she's changed a whole lot since back then.'
He knelt down and pinched a strand of her hair, observing it closely.
"But why'd you cut it so short?" he mumbled to himself.
"Donut touch meee—hic—bastard!"
"Aliza, you're awake—how wonderful! Can we leave, now? I've got things to do."
"Uuuh-huh, allllllways something ta do. Why—hic!—should I… come wiiith youuuu?"
"Because… hah, you need me—remember?"
"I dun neeeed… shit from you—hic!"
"No, you need me to live. You're sick. So, can't you just stand up?"
"Juust let me die. Die in this—hic!—stupid, gross mud. A gooood place ta die! Hehe…"
Alwyn looked away. "I wish I could. Do you know how powerful the spell protecting you is? It might drain me to death before you at this rate!"
He laughed as he stood up. His staff flew into his hand, and he slid it under Aliza. Soon enough, she was floating in the air on top of the wood. She stopped talking for the most part, and Alwyn started walking back to the estate.
"I haaaate you. Fuuuck—hic!"
"Yeah? How come~?"
"You know why, bastard."
'Do I?'