Once we reached the next room, Clover slowed and held out a hand to stop me. “Looks like there are only Deep Rats, but there are five of them. Be careful; they can carry diseases, and while I can heal that, we're trying not to use too much mana.”

I nodded, gripping my sword tighter, ready for action. We carefully entered the room. The Deep Rats, oblivious to our presence, scurried around. Three huddled in a corner not far from us, while the other two were near the door to the next area.

I gestured to the three in the corner, silently claiming them. Clover nodded, holding up three fingers before slowly dropping one––her countdown. I focused on the Deep Rats, waiting. When the last finger fell, we lunged into the fight.

My armor clanked against the stone floor, and the rats turned towards me, eyes widening in surprise. I seized the moment their shock gave me, twisting slightly and swinging my sword in a wide horizontal arch. It struck two of the three, their squeaks echoing off the walls like nails on a chalkboard.

The third dodged back as its companions slumped to the floor, lifeless. Its beady eyes fixed on me, filled with rage. It leaped at me, sharp teeth bared. I raised an arm just in time, my armor absorbing the impact as it latched on.

Without giving it time to switch targets to something easier to chew––like my face––I spun and slammed the rat against the ground with all my strength. It let go and staggered, allowing me to heft my sword overhead and cleave its head from its shoulders.

With all my enemies handled, I turned toward Clover. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a smile curling her lips. The Deep Rats she'd been fighting were in a heap on the floor, and when I caught her eye, she winked. “I could watch that all day.”

Heat inched up my neck, and I rubbed it with a cough. “Is that what you like––monster guts and beheadings?”

Considering the first attack had splattered blood across my armor, I probably looked like something out of a nightmare. Despite that, she tipped her head, smile widening. “I could do without both of those, but there's something to be said about watching a man cleave through his enemies with the grace you did.”

She sauntered closer, tapping my chestplate with her nail, her smile turning impish. “Competence and confidence are exceedingly attractive looks on you, Darling. Has no one from that town of yours told you that?”

I relaxed my sword arm and grimaced. “No, they haven't. But to be fair, the women in Dawncrest aren't…my type.”

She raised an eyebrow and waved me on. “Well, don't leave a lady waiting. What exactly is ‘your type’?”

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Some of the teasing left her voice, replaced by genuine curiosity. I knelt next to the Deep Rats, prepping them to be skinned for a distraction as I spoke. “It's not that I have a type I like, so much as I have one I don't. Dawncrest is small with very few men, none my age, at least. I've had offers for courtships before, but…”

Old anger flared as I bled the Deep Rats, turning them upside down to speed up the process. I avoided Clover’s gaze as I continued. “I told you, I adopt people. It's a habit I picked up young and I have no desire to break it. As of now, I have five siblings, and the women in Dawncrest weren't interested in ‘prestarted’ families.”

I shrugged, as if their flippant disregard for my siblings didn’t still burn me up inside. “They wanted me to leave the kids behind to start a family with them instead. I not-so-politely told them I wasn't interested.”

Clover hissed under her breath, the smile gone, replaced by a scowl. “As you should have! The gall they had, to ask you to leave children behind, and for what? So they could start their own family with you?”

Steam all but poured out of her ears. “That's disgusting behavior, and you damn well deserve better than that. So do your siblings.”

Some of my anger ebbed as I took in the indignation on her face. I'd felt that same anger more times than I could count over the years, but this was the first time someone shared it with me. A tiny flutter twisted through my stomach before I shoved it aside.

Friends, Frederick. Don't forget yourself now.

Looking over my shoulder at Clover, I nodded. “That's how I viewed it. Poor Daedra though. When a woman tried that garbage most recently, she started sobbing on the spot, thinking I was going to leave them. She's my youngest sister and the most recent adoption. She has issues with abandonment and that did not help. It took me hours to convince her that I wasn't going anywhere.”

Hours of soft reassurances, rocking in a corner of our modest house while all the others watched in concern. It'd taken several pinky promises before Daedra had stopped, falling asleep on me. She'd been clingier after that and I couldn't bring myself to mind.

The vultures in town tended to leave me alone when I had a young one on my hip.

Clover’s expression softened in sympathy, and her grip on the mace tightened. “Poor dear. I'm glad you're the one who found her, though. I've met many who would have accepted the women’s offers. Disgusting as that is.”

I grimaced. “I can't imagine it, but maybe that's a good thing. Those idiots you met better hope I never see them doing such a thing. I…make no promises for their continued survival.”

Approval warmed Clover's eyes. She nodded. “I definitely won't be holding you back. If anyone asks, you were with me across town when the brutal murder took place.”

A laugh bubbled out of my chest. “Shouldn't you be trying to convince me not to murder people, as a cleric?”

She shook her head. “Common misconception about clerics. We aren't here to play babysitter or nanny. We make a pact, like you paladins, to get power. Ours is just…magic-focused instead of physical abilities. And if my patron spirit has a problem with you offing the scum of Nexus? Well, I need a new patron then, because that isn't one I'd willingly serve.”

She popped one hip out pointedly, an almost feral grin tugging at her lips as she raised an eyebrow. “So you've got an alibi, should the need arise. Sounds good?”

I hummed and looked away, not wanting the warm, fuzzy feeling working through my chest to show on my face…Or for the far more indecent stirrings southward to make themselves known. Forcing the surprising flash of arousal down, I nodded. “Sounds perfect. Also, the Deep Rats should be ready for skinning now.”