4

"What exactly is your plan here Sloan?" Hunt asks me after the boy leaves.

"Gather information. After that I will see about going back. I have to make sure that Raoul does not think that he managed to run me off already. He seems to think rather highly of himself as it is." I tell him.

Raoul might think that he got rid of me with the last mission that he gave me but if he thinks he can run me off that easily then he is going to have to think again. I am not that easy to get rid of. Not by any means. I will always make my way back stronger than ever.

"You want to go back? After what the Guild did to you? Why not get away. We can leave and find a better life. We can learn how to do something else and be happy. Together like we always are." Hunt says.

I know that we could easily learn a trade and do something else but why would he want to give up everything we have worked for already? Why would he think that I would be happy leaving with him? I have spent my entire life trying to learn who I am and who my parents are and I cannot just leave the place that I was born in and all of that information behind. I have to stay and learn everything I can about my past.

"Of course I want to go back. That Guild is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. To us. I have to go back. It is the closest thing we have ever had to having a home of our own. I will not be happy until we set things right and I go back to the Guild." I tell him.

"Will I never be enough for you? You have always been enough for me. We have been best friends our entire lives. Through everything. Why can't we do that again? Why does it have to be the Guild?" He asks exasperatedly.

"Hunt, you are the best friend that I could ever ask for. I do not want to lose you ever. Still, I have been learning so much with the Guild and I am getting closer to learning who my parents are. I want to go back. I have a feeling that I was set up for a reason. That reason has to be important if they were going to set me up for something that bad." I say quietly.

Hunt stares at me sadly as I explain everything that I need to do. I have to get the answers that are floating around somewhere. For all I know, the answers could be the only thing that keeps me alive in the future. If this is what happens when I start getting close to learning something then it is only going to get worse before it gets better.

"I think that it is time that we make our way back inside for some food. I am not sure what she was cooking but it smelled fantastic." Hunt says with a forced lightness.

I give him a funny look as we turn and head back down the ladder and into the Tavern. He has been acting strangely the last couple of days and I am not sure why. He just keeps talking about me getting into more trouble and having to save me. Now, he will not leave my side. We might have been best friends our entire lives but we have always kept a bit of space between us. What changed for him now?

"It looks like you guys could use a warm meal. Come on back here and help yourself to a bowl of stew and a hunk of bread. It is leftover from lunch and we will end up just throwing it out so eat as much as you want. We will be preparing for dinner soon." The tavern keeper says before she walks back towards the front of the building. 

We grab seats and settle into our stew. It really is quite delicious. It looks to be chunks of rabbit and hearty vegetables floating around in the soup. Whoever cooked it is really good at what they do. The flavors are enough to make me want to keep eating bowl after bowl. 

Instead of eating nonstop, I finish after the third bowl and begin cleaning up. Hunt eats one more bowl than I do and then stands up to start stretching. He brings me his dishes as I begin to wash my own. If I am going to be a dishwasher then I might as well start with our dishes. 

Hunt gives me a sad look before walking back towards the front to find out what his chores in the stable are. We most likely will not get a chance to see each other again until after dinner. Taverns are amazing at keeping workers busy and visitors entertained. They eat and drink nonstop so I am expecting plenty of dishes to keep rolling back to me.

"Ah, I see that you have already started. Good. Once you get all of those washed I would like you to take all of the leftovers out back. There are a couple of people out there with buckets that will take whatever is left with them. After that you will need to wash the big pot and get some more water boiling. The cook will be back soon to start the next meal." She instructs.

I nod my head and quickly get back to work. I do not want to be stuck back her for the entire night. If I get the chance I want to head out to the front and see what all is going on out there. If I can listen to enough rumors then I might have a chance of landing back on my feet sometime in the near future. I just have to find enough luck to hear the right conversations.