"Love is beautiful when done with the right person; it's two people being foolish together. So it's only natural that you'd feel like a fool after what happened with you and that girl," rumbled the bartender's baritone voice. "And that's unfortunate, but I promise you, Leo, there's nothing more beautiful than falling in love with someone."

Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing—love was just two illogical people coming together? Wasn't that madness, or did love just make people plain stupid?

The answer... Leo's dejected form sitting before him. The boy's shenanigans with Maria were enough to make him want to pull his hair out, and he supposed that was what other observers saw from the outside. Many times Ryan wished he was the one on the other side of the curtains, but then again, did he want to be?

"If it's so beautiful, then why does it hurt so much?" Leo... sniffled?

"Well, if it doesn't hurt when it ends or you're rejected, then it isn't real," Carl said.

And thus marked the end of what was a sobering conversation. Ryan didn't think he'd need those words, but he'd held them close to his heart.

Leo had gotten back into his stride, at least as much as the boy could, but things weren't as they once were, and Ryan could understand.

The wiry boy went through phases over the next few weeks, being cold or distant or chatty... sometimes even all at once, and it was a little scary, but Carl advised him to just give the boy some time.

—————

So Ryan's concerned look was warranted.

"Yeah, Carl really tore into you, didn't he?" Ryan said with a smile.

"He did. Although I could accept that I needed it then... those words helped straighten me out," Leo sighed. "Only Veron knows what would've happened if I only had you for counsel."

"Hey, I'll let you know that I give the best advice!" Ryan proclaimed, trying to debunk the jab at his person.

"Is that so?" Leo asked.

"Yes, I did tell you that you'd never be a bard... Then there's the time we went to see the sapphire twins, and you didn't heed my advice to ditch the orphanage... Then there was the..." And so Ryan began calling out a bunch of events where he'd been right in his verdict.

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Leo said with a chuckle.

"I don't know, have I? Because I can still remember when—"

"Okay, you've won. Give it a rest," Leo said.

Ryan smiled condescendingly, much to the amusement of Leo, who took no offense.

Oh, how Ryan had missed these back-and-forths.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Do you think she died?" Ryan asked solemnly.

"Huh? Who?" Leo asked, perplexed.

"Carl's wife or girlfriend," Ryan said.

"I don't think he had a wife... An ex-girlfriend would be more likely," Leo said.

"He has a ring on a necklace, dumbo. That isn't just a random piece of jewelry," Ryan said.

"You do know that you can make your point without hurling insults, right?" Leo asked.

"Sure, but I have to be nice to all these muscle-for-brains adventurers all day that it's nice to have someone that I can just be me around," Ryan said.

"Ah, that's terrible. Anyway, to the wife issue... maybe. He does seem to prefer to bury himself in work as opposed to finding another," Leo mused.

"True. Well, that's his business anyway. As long as he's happy, everything is good."

"Do you always have to walk this long before getting to the shop?" Leo asked.

"Not really," Ryan said, a mischievous smile playing across his face. "Sometimes my shop comes to me at the inn, other times I magically appear there, and there was even this one time the road shortened itself just for me."

"Ha ha, very funny, Ryan," Leo said with a clipped tone.

Ryan, however, had known Leo for a long time, and even though they'd been separated for a while, Ryan could still tell when the boy—big man now—was holding back a laugh.

This was one of those times, and Ryan couldn't really fault the guy. He himself thought it was a clever joke, but Leo wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.

"You're such a killjoy," Ryan whined.

"Me? Maybe you should take life more seriously... you know, like Carl."

"Pfft, that old bugger that socializes with everyone and anyone who walks into the tavern... no thanks. I'd rather keep business as business," Ryan said with a grimace. "Besides, I believe you failed to make your point, as Carl is a jolly good fellow, unlike a certain Mr. Buckly that I happen to be friends with."

"That wasn't what I meant," Leo said defensively.

"Oh really? It seems to me like you're trying to escape your poor choice of an example," Ryan accused.

"Not true. I meant that you should put yourself more into your work and try to be more friendly... try to build relationships... real ones that extend outside the confines of your shop," Leo said quietly.

Ryan had to admit that the big man had a point, one that he himself had conceded a while back.

He needed friends, real friends. Allies even, and at a time like this, with a storm brewing in their little town's world of commerce, this was as good a time as any.

"Alright, you do have a point. I'm working on it," Ryan said.

"Hey, look at that," Leo said.

"At what?"

"The fact that you've suddenly grown a brain within that thick skull of yours," Leo said as he burst out laughing.

Ryan couldn't help but join in at the well-timed quip.

"What can I say, certain situations need people to adapt."

"True, true. What did you mean when you said that you are working on it?"

"Nothing," Ryan said, receiving a look from Leo before the big man stared ahead at the room in front of them.

"Doesn't sound like nothing, but sure... keep it to yourself," Leo said.

Ryan didn't really want to tell Leo about the adventurers that he'd started hanging out with, mostly because a part of him didn't really think that it'd last.

Maybe he wouldn't grow past being just business partners with Cicero and his squad. Besides, it wasn't as though Leo needed to know about that part of his life, and there was also the fact that he'd agreed—over a gentleman's handshake—not to reveal their agreement to anyone, Leo included.

On the plus side, the big man didn't seem to take offense at Ryan deciding to keep a part of him secret, and Ryan was more than grateful for what he knew was an intentional gesture.

"Thanks, so... you meet anyone interesting at Wergon?"

Leo seemed to suck in a deep breath at the question.

"Sure, I met a lot of interesting people at Wergon. Lots of high-leveled adventurers there that'll make the ones around you seem like children," Leo said. "But I guess that wasn't what you were asking about?"

Wait a minute, adventurers that made the ones that were here seem like children? That was... preposterous, to say the least. He couldn't even imagine the power gap between the two; he was already terrified of dealing with the ones here. How could Leo even manage?

"Um... yeah, that's all good, but I was asking you to know if you'd gotten to meet any women. Maybe found someone special?"

"No."