"Ma'am, what do you want me to do with him?" The man asked Roxanne as he pointed at the kid who was slumped over on the counter passed out. He kept mumbling some nonsense that could hardly be understood.

"Check his pockets and get my money. He still hasn't paid for all the drinks, and he has agreed to pay for Big Oar's share as well. So he owes me a total of sixty copper tales! After toss him out back." Roxanne told the man.

She looked at the kid that was passed out for a moment thinking about how foolish he was. He challenged someone more experienced and lost. Roxanne could only think how the young and foolish would do such a thing.

Age was a factor when making decisions, and the younger you were the dumber you were as well. She was basing this on her own experience. After all, she married young to a promising older man who was nice and had his own tavern. She set herself up for success and an easy life, but appearances should never be relied upon.

That bastard was a horrid drunk that did the harshes things when they were alone.

Lucky for her, that bastard was called to war and died.

Now that she was older, she judged people based on more than their appearance and what they could offer her. But, so far there has yet to be a man that had what she was seeking. Roxanne judged that she would die alone. She was already in her late twenties, and girls were the most fertile and marriageable at age fifteen.

The men looking at her only wanted to bed her, nothing more. She'd have a low chance of bearing them children, and all men wanted to have kids.

"Very well." The man said as he went from the back of the counter to get the kid.

He began digging through the kid's pockets for the coins he had and found a small leather pouch. It was in the kid's inner pocket. Opening it up he found some tales, and after a moment he scratched his cheek. There were some bronze tales inside, but there weren't many. He also had one silver tale in his pouch.

"Ma'am, here." The man said as he placed the silver tale on the counter. It's been years since he's worked here, but his mathematical skills were low. Finding the amount the kid should receive in bronze tales was hard. It was much simpler when the customer handed him five bronze tales for a drink.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Roxanne reached into her dark brown dress and got the pouch that contained her money. She never carried a lot with her, but it was enough to do an exchange such as this. She quickly counted out forty bronze tales and gave it to the man. After she pocketed the silver tale for herself.

"Make sure to close up as well, I am heading home for the day." Roxanne said as she left out of the back.

The man said something to her, but she wasn't paying him any attention. He was a slave she inherited from her dead husband, which was one of the things she was grateful for. It was one of the best gifts he could have given her.

After leaving the tavern she headed down the dirt road. She always walked in the center because if not some sleepy woman or male might toss their piss and shit out the window onto the street. It happened often and this part of the city had a terrible smell, but business was good so it was worth it.

"Excuse me miss, can you tell me where I am?" A young man approached her. His clothes were in tatters, and he had this smell to him that made her want to vomit.

"Evergreen." Roxanne replied to him, but did not stick around for long.

"Evergreen?" The young man asked as he kept up with her. He walked behind her, a fair distance away but she could hear his voice clear as day.

"Where is that? Where is the nearest airport?" He asked her.

Airport? Roxanne has never heard that word before. Was he a foreigner? She took a chance to glance back at him again.

Dark sin, and dark hair. He was Asthian, no doubt about it. But, they were common around this part, as she was one herself. If he was Gorgarian or Burk, then she could chalk it up to a mistranslation on her part. But no, he said airport.

However, what bothered her the most was that he was pretending not to know where he was. Anyone traveling knew that you had to pass through Evergreen to make it to Stormridge or any of the neighboring towns. But she's heard stories of merchants finding a new path that was safer to take.

There have been fewer visitors in the town so the rumors must be true. Still, he should know of Evergreen. It was the town surrounded by monsters.

Roxanne stopped and turned. She glared the young man down.

"What are you? A thief? I don't have anything on me, so scram why don't you!" This was the most vile tone she ever used on a person. She needed to make sure her message got across clear as day.

The young man was silent but he nodded his head and left. Before he departed she heard him mumble something about 'that time of the month' but thought he was just a bit crazy. She was glad that he listened to her and left as the street was pretty empty at the moment, and she was afraid he might get some strange ideas.

It took her a few moments to begin walking again as she watched the young man vanish behind a corner. Once she was sure he was gone she headed home. This time at a much faster pace.

Hopefully, she would not meet him again, and if they did meet she wanted it to be when the sun was out shining. But from the look of the young man she wondered if he would even survive the night.