Zilnek chimed in as well, “He… might not come.”

Joe thought for a moment before nodding, walking into the building finally. Joe seemed a bit nervous, as he looked in and stared around carefully before stepping in himself. Kilniara and Zilnek walked in easily enough, stepping into the waiting room; they had been here numerous times before. Joe found the room sparse, although there were seats available so he stood for several moments before sitting, head bumping back against the wall behind him and resting.

“So… this usurer. He wants…” Joe didn’t finish the statement but nodded his head to Kilniara while looking at Zilnek. Zilnek tensed, as did Kilniara, but then he nodded slowly and the human’s face twisted in anger… or disgust. He turned away and no longer continued the conversation.

Several moments later, the usurer himself came out, gregarious as always, “How are you doing, Zilnek, Kilniara? I see you have found some friends.” Kilniara shuddered, always finding his smiling disingenuous and his eyes a bit too intense… too focused on her. She slipped back around behind her brother.

“Oh… certainly you can say hello to an old family friend,” the usurer gave a cursory greeting to Zilnek which included a hand shake before he quickly moved around him and tried to press himself on Kilniara. She shuddered and offered a hand but remained hidden behind her brother. As the overbearing man tried to press himself more intimately into her private space, the human quickly interjected.

“Ah, hi. I’m the one with business here. I came here at their leading. I’m Joe. I’m pleased to meet you,” Joe came forward and blocked the way to Kilniara, pressing a hand forward in greeting.

The usurer stopped, looking at the human with some surprise but quickly backing up, offering the man the respect he deserved. The human did wield several weapons in his harness, a terrifying sight to behold. The usurer quickly offered his own hand, returning his cheery smile.

“Hello, Joe. I am Gurnan, a close family friend of these two kid’s parents, gods rest their souls! I’m certainly grateful that they have someone so strong able to watch over them.” Gurnan pumped Joe’s hand sinuously with sliding ease of well-practiced ingratiation.

“Especially from the family friend who keeps sending other adventurers to attack and kill them,” the human’s response almost seemed kind and considerate because of his tone and smile but the hand he’d used to shake Gurnan swiveled around his back and rubbed itself across his clothing. Kilniara boggled, then stifled a giggle at the man’s blunt, if hidden, insult.

Gurnan, however, stiffened, his smile freezing for a moment before responding with a renewed smile, “A mistake. A mistake. Nothing more than a mistake. I’m so grateful that you were there to protect them. The fools completely misunderstood my request!”

“Of course, of course… A mistake that happened twice,” the human’s face was now downright malevolent. Gurnan this time had no response, frozen in angered indecision. “I find it astounding that tailors who run a small, minor tailor shop in the outer city would ever need to borrow ten cores! It’s so surprising! Were they crafting magical suits? Were they making armor for a king? Wouldn’t a tailor prefer coin to purchase new materials? So very interesting. Hey, may I see the loan note?”

Gurnan jerked in a bit of surprise, seeming a bit confused. “Loan note?”

“There is always some record, yes? Where would the record of the parent’s loan be? Who witnessed the loan?”

“I…” Gurnan stuttered a bit, struggling to respond.

“Well, I’m sure that it was all legitimate! Please bring your witnesses and all the necessities to the temple plaza tomorrow morning. I’ll be certain to make sure you receive the justice due you. Oh, and to make such a trip worth your while,” Joe pulled a single slime core out of his pouch and dropped it on a table in the reception area. “It must be difficult helping the children of such close family friends, so I offer a little incentive to come; more when you show up tomorrow morning, alright?” Joe smiled and waved at the man, turning to leave the small office as he waved the other three out the door in front of him.

Garnedell took the hint quickly, although Zilnek and Kilniara quickly followed. Joe shooed them all out even as Gurnan began spluttering ineffectually at their leaving. “Wait! Wait.. I’m certain…”

“Oh, we couldn’t ever stay and bother such a busy and important person such as yourself! We’ll leave you to your busy evening. We really shouldn’t interrupt your day. We’ll see you tomorrow? Bye!”

Joe quickly shuffled them all out the door and they were soon down the street and away, although Joe quickly turned to Garnedell, “Garnedell, can you get us to the inn? We need to get out of here pretty fast.”

Garnedell quickly nodded and turned, leading them back towards the better part of the town, the city streets becoming cleaner and brighter, at least populated with a few individuals, although much less than normal. Zilnek and Kilniara followed after, pulled on by inertia but soon the two started planning to move on.

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“Ah… well… thanks, Joe, but we should be heading home.”

Joe stopped quickly and looked back at the siblings, “That wouldn’t be a good idea. I think Gurnan would be an idiot not to do something tonight. Especially if he feels pressured and I’m pretty sure I pressured him a bit. You really shouldn’t go back to your home or where he can easily find you. You could come to our place? We can keep you safe.”

Zilnek immediately reacted, placing himself between Joe and Kilniara, “You cannot have her!”

“Woah! Woah! I don’t want your sister, relax. I’m just worried about…”

“That’s what he said! That’s what they all say, but they all desire her.”

Joe stopped, confused a bit before looking over at Kilniara, “Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but… is she considered beautiful?”

Zilnek stopped, staring with some surprise, “Of course!”

Joe looked at Garnedell before nodding towards Kilniara, “Really?”

Garnedell blushed before nodding, looking shyly at her, “Yes.. uh… for an Acokzau, yes.”

“Huh,” Joe looked at Kilniara for a few moments. Is he trying to … see if I’m beautiful? “Well, I guess she’s cute enough, but… why is… Really? Everyone really fights for her?”

Kilniara actually found herself feeling a bit insulted, relieved, and annoyed. It was a truly strange feeling. She’d always cursed her beauty, and thought that she would find only relief if a man didn’t find her attractive. But having experienced it, she was surprised to realize that she actually felt bothered. She stepped out from behind her brother, straightening slightly before confronting the human.

“You think I’m ugly?”

“Oh, no… you’re not ugly.”

“You’re not attracted to me?”

“Well, you’re beautiful and I would think just about anyone would be attracted to you, but… Not enough to go through the trouble of trying to indebt you, maybe kill your parents, burn down a building in the middle of a city… That seems a bit much!”

“She would be worth quite a bit,” Zilnek interrupted the two.

“Worth a lot? How?”

“She could be sold or her dowry would be… quite expansive.”

“So he’s looking for money? Wouldn’t the ten cores be worth more?”

Zilnek blinked a bit, surprised, then shook his head a bit uncertainly, “No… I don’t think so…. Maybe?”

“So then he probably wants her for himself…”

“Yeah… I … yeah, I think so…”

“What an idiot.”

Why is Gurnan an idiot? Kilniara looked at Joe with some confusion and Zilnek asked the question for her, “Why is he an idiot?”

“Huh? Oh… Well, he should just grow a pair and go and ask her if he really wanted her. Why is he doing all this stupid convoluted idiocy. He should just ask her! Didn’t he ask you first?”

“I don’t like him!”

“So he asked and you said no?”

“No. He never asked, but I would have said no.”

“Did he know that?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

“Well, still an idiot. At least ask. And if she says no, just go find another girl. Such a loser.”

The Kilniara and her brother looked at Garnedell uncertainly, confused by Joe’s words. Joe turned to walk on, and Garnedell looked back and forth between the two before running after Joe. When Joe heard the pounding footsteps behind him, he turned once again. “Are you guys coming? If not, that’s fine, but make sure you find a new place to sleep for the night. And make sure you aren’t followed! If Gurnan is going to do anything, he has to do it tonight!”

Joe turned and left with Garnedell, heading through the streets. Kilniara looked to her brother for a few moments, following after slowly but conversing between themselves in rapid undertones, both hoping, but fearful of being deceived once again. The more they thought of Gurnan and what had just happened, the more certain they were that Joe’s guess would likely prove true; Gurnan would show up for them tonight.

“It could be dangerous,” Zilnek cautioned.

“Yeah, but he has helped twice now and he seems to have no intentions even now.”

“A trap?”

“Maybe… shall we follow them and see this inn. If it appears to be upright and in the good part of town, we can see how he treats us at the inn.”

Zilnek considered for a few moments before nodding, “At the inn, then.”

Kilniara nodded and the two rapidly caught up. Joe turned around and found them following, smiling at them before gesturing for them to join the group. They soon made it to the inn and Joe called the matron over, asking for another room next to his. When Kilniara heard this, she calmed, although she was still quite nervous by his request for a room next to his. Joe seemed to have caught this and he turned to her.

“Would you rather have a room somewhere else? It’s fine. I just figured if I’m nearby and they show up, I can hear any fight in your room and come to help you. If you’re too far away, I might not notice anything going down.”

Going down? What is going down? “Ah… I much appreciate that.”

“If it will make you feel better, talk to her and figure it out yourself,” Joe responded and dug out some coin, enough to cover a meal and stay for the night before he gave it to her. “She’s a great lady. She can help you with anything.”

Kilniara stared at the coin in her hand before gesturing for her bother to follow, the two taking the inn matron aside and asking for a room.

The matron obviously felt the two’s discomfort and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Take the room next to him, miss. He’s a young man, yes, but a good man. I’ve heard no complaints from any of the maids here. He leaves all alone and never bothers one. If there be dark deeds after you tonight, having a man such as him by your side would only be a boon. He will leave you alone… Unless you do not wish for him to leave you alone?” The woman tittered with her last question, “I would wish he would call for me!”

Kilniara blushed a deep red and looked away but her brother jumped to her defense, “Please, matron! My sister is maiden!”

“Yes, she is. And a maiden seeks a man as surely as a man seeks a maiden. Do not tell me you seek no maiden yourself!”

This time, Zilnek blushed deeply, joining his sister in her silence before his reddening cheeks flashed to a hint of anger, “Enough! Please, miss. We will take the room next to his.”

“Of course, of course,” the matron seemed to quickly calm, shifting to a more reserved tone, the two obviously not enjoying the matron’s friendly attention.

They returned to the table where Joe sat with his apprentice and a priest of knowledge. The meal was bland, but the conversation was overwhelming. Kilniara found herself looking at her brother many times as both pondered the strange human.

* * *