Alrynn very bluntly remarked, “You still haven’t told me what this is about.”

“Hey, I don’t know much more than you,” Veru replied. “I’m not questioning it every three seconds, though, am I?”

Balros sighed. “Come on, Alrynn, you should understand these sorts of things by now. There’s just some things we have to keep to ourselves for a mission to go successful. This is one of them.”

“I think there’s still room for honesty,” Alrynn pointed out.

“Look, we’ve been together this long, haven’t we? I thought we’ve already proven ourselves to you. You know you can trust us, so could you please act like it? You’ll understand all of this when it’s over. Then it’ll probably just be something we can laugh about over drinks or something.”

“Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

“Yeah, you still haven’t accepted my clear and good answers.”

Veru nodded and backed Balros by saying, “There’s only one way this thing is going to get done and that’s by doing it. This isn’t anything different from our other jobs. We go in, do what we need to do, and get back out again. A paycheck and a night out at the bar is waiting for us to announce a job well done and that’s all I care about.”

“I guess I’m going along with it, then,” Alrynn decided, though he made his still-present apprehension clear. “Where do we need to be?”

“Just downtown,” Balros answered.

“Not anything more specific than that? There’s at least a dozen possibly interesting places downtown.”

“We’re going to be in the park, probably. Or at least close to it—near the houses there. That’s probably where the people we’re looking for are.” He sighed. “And speaking of, I think this is going to have to be a solo mission. I mean, I’ll need some backup in case of an emergency, but I don’t expect it to be hard or take long. I want both you and Veru out here—all you’ve got to do is wait for a signal, if there ever is one. Then, and only then, are you allowed to come in and try to help. Do both of you understand that?”

Alrynn and Veru both nodded.

“I’m gonna get bored on my own, though,” Veru pointed out casually. “If we’re not going to be let in on the fun, then I at least am going to need something else to do.”

Balros sighed. “If you want a smoke break, you can just say as much. I knew I shouldn’t have pulled out my pack in front of you—this is supposed to just be for me, you know. But fine. You’ll each get one, if it helps you do your part of the job.” He took a box of cigarettes out from his coat and offered both of the others one.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You’re the best, Boss!” Veru said cheerfully. “You got a lighter in there, too?”

“You’re going to be the death of me, you know…” He dug through another pocket to get a portable lighter. He lit both of the cigarettes then slipped the lighter back in his pocket before Veru could get any other ideas. It was clear he was already trying to decide where he could move it that would discourage her from “borrowing” it later.

Once that was done, he continued, “Have I babied you enough now? Can I get on with this commission, or would you like to keep me here all evening and blow our chances of finishing quickly?”

“Go on and get it over with,” Alrynn decided. Later, he couldn’t help but wonder what really would’ve happened if they’d taken a little longer… “And I’ll buy you a new pack once we’ve split our paycheck. Seems fair.”

Balros chuckled. “I think I’m going to need something more than just a cigarette… But thanks, I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.” Then he gave a dismissive wave and went off to wherever the commission was.

Veru casually went over to one of the park benches to sit down, but Alrynn couldn’t quite muster the same amount of nonchalance.

He couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this, not least because he suddenly became very aware of shouting from where Balros had disappeared to.

And then he remembered what his apprehension might’ve been about.

“Hey, Veru,” he said slowly, “didn’t the Brycan family live around here?”

In her surprise, she ended up coughing on some cigarette smoke. “D-do they?” she finally managed. “I don’t remember them mentioning that.”

“You know, you’d think at the very least you’ll be better at lying,” he remarked. “What is this commission really about?”

“Balros has it handled.”

“If that’s the only thing you’re going to tell me, that’s fine. I’m just going to see for myself.”

She quickly grabbed his arm before he took too many steps away. “Don’t do that. Look, just let Balros take care of it.”

“I’m not about to let him make a decision he’s going to regret.” Alrynn tugged his hand back. “I don’t care who’s the one doing it, I’m not going to just stand by and let it happen. I’ve stood by my ideals this long, I’m not going to go back on them now.”

Frankly, he’s done too much in the name of those ideals already; he was willing to stand by them despite everything… because, in the end, that was the only reliable way he had to navigate the world around him.

Veru sharply warned, “You’re making a mistake. It’s just another job, you know? No hard feelings. You shouldn’t get involved—you’re misunderstanding something.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. And, for the record, I hope you’re right—I hope it’s not what I think it is. But we all know what I’m not afraid to do if it comes down to it, and I don’t need to remind you what that means for your reputation.”

“And you’re just going to waste that perfectly good cigarette?”

He didn’t answer, deciding not to waste another moment standing there or talking to her—he started towards where Balros went.

Where the previous shouting had transformed into crying and, just as Alrynn got to the door, a high scream before a thump.

He opened the already-busted door to see Balros shifting through the pockets of the corpses of the Brycan family. And the way he avoided Alrynn’s glare—and walking up to shove him out of the way to see if there was any hope for even one of them—showed they both knew the family hadn’t deserved that fate.