Chapter 45: Sentinel's Farewell.

Alaric and the visiting Sentinels had been at Green Arbor for five days. Alaric was genuinely impressed by Green Arbor—a once isolated community that had been vulnerable to raids, bandits, and other dangers. Now, its trade routes were thriving, it had its own defense force, and it stood as a shining beacon of resilience in a changed world.

Keith had spent the past few days working closely with Lucas, helping him upgrade some of his systems. One of Keith’s latest projects was a mobile presence device with limited range, which would allow Echo to move around parts of Green Arbor outside the school. Lucas, protective of Echo, had even started sleeping at the school, not trusting Keith to fiddle with Echo unsupervised. Talon would pop his head in now and then to make sure Keith was being respectful.

Meanwhile, over at the Sentinel post, Ava was sitting on a desk while Talon carefully took her stitches out. Miko watched with a mix of irritation and amusement. "Do you have to do that here? There’s a perfectly good medical center across the way."

"Nope. Every time we go in there, your wife puts us to work," Talon commented, pulling out another stitch.

"Well, do you have to do it on the desk?" Miko persisted.

"It’s better light up here,” Talon replied, concentrating on his work. "Not many left now."

Ava winced slightly, a teasing tone in her voice. "Calm down, Miko. You’re starting to sound like an old woman. Nobody ever really comes in here, do they?"

As if on cue, Alaric walked in, chuckling at the scene. Miko’s eyes widened. "I’m so sorry, sir. The twins—I mean, the two Sentinels here—" he stammered.

Alaric, still smiling, waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, don’t worry about it. We train them to handle things like this wherever they can. Honestly, I’m just surprised they aren’t doing it in the tavern, making a game out of it."

Miko thought back to when Ava had taken stitches out of Talon in the tavern, making him take a shot every time he flinched. "Please, sir," Miko sighed, "don’t give them ideas."

Alaric chuckled. "We’ll be heading back to base soon, but I wanted to invite you all to the tavern tonight for drinks before we go. Talon, I hear you play a good game of cards?"

"I play a little, sir," Talon answered with a grin.

"Good. I look forward to it," Alaric replied. Turning to Ava, he added, "And Ava, you can tell me about these stitches Talon’s taking out."

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you, sir, but it’s a boring story,” she said with a shrug.

Alaric laughed. "I’ve read your reports. Nothing you Sentinels do out here is boring," he said before heading out.

The moment he left, Ava and Talon burst out laughing at Miko, who was still red-faced. "Yes, sir, I've told them, sir," they mocked him in unison.

"Just hurry up and get out," Miko said, beginning to laugh with them. Talon glanced over at Ava, grinning. "Cards with Alaric tonight? Easy money.”

---

Later that evening, the tavern was packed with Sentinels, ADF members, and villagers, all mingling and celebrating Green Arbor’s success. The atmosphere buzzed with laughter and the clinking of glasses. Alaric sat at a table with Ava, Talon, Callie, and a few other Sentinels, a deck of cards in his hands.

Before the game began, Alaric looked over at Callie, who was sitting nearby, taking in the lively scene. “So, Cadet Callie,” he said with a warm smile, “I hear you’ve been learning a lot from Ronin Ava.”

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Callie beamed, looking over at Ava before replying. “Yes, sir, I have. She’s taught me so much.”

Alaric’s smile grew, and he winked. “Well, you listen to her—she’s one of our best. But don’t listen to *everything,* you know what I mean?” He cast a playful glance at Ava, who rolled her eyes, and everyone chuckled.

Callie grinned. “I won’t, sir,” she said with a laugh, glancing at Ava, who shook her head, feigning exasperation.

Ava leaned back with a smirk. “Careful, Callie. He’s trying to make trouble.”

“Oh, am I?” Alaric said, chuckling. “Well, let me give you some perspective. You see, I wasn’t always a council member. Back when I was just a scrappy Sentinel out there, it was a different world. I remember one time…” He paused for effect, watching their faces grow curious.

“I was out in the wasteland with a small team, tracking a convoy of supplies we desperately needed. Raiders were on our heels, and we ended up in a sandstorm—a three-way standoff in the middle of that chaos. We managed to drive the raiders off, but half of my group didn’t make it.” Alaric’s gaze drifted as he recalled the memory. “It was one of the toughest fights I’d ever been in, but it taught me about resilience—and it reminded me that you’re only as strong as the people you fight beside.”

“That sounds intense,” Talon said, shaking his head in amazement. “I can’t imagine being out there without the support we have now.”

Alaric nodded. “It was rough. But seeing places like Green Arbor thriving? It makes every hardship worth it.”

They raised their glasses, toasting to Green Arbor. “To Green Arbor,” everyone echoed, clinking glasses.

The poker game began, with Alaric dealing the first hand. Ava leaned over to peek at Talon’s cards, which he shielded quickly, nudging her with his elbow. “Hey, no cheating, Blondie,” he teased, drawing laughter from the table.

As the first hand unfolded, Alaric raised confidently, eyes gleaming. “I’ll see if you young ones can keep up,” he said, sliding a stack of chips forward.

Talon grinned, calling his raise. “Alright, old man, let’s see what you’ve got.”

They played a few more rounds, with each hand becoming a little more intense, and the banter flowing just as easily as the cards. At one point, Talon pulled off a sneaky bluff, prompting Callie to nudge him. “Where did you learn that?”

“Oh, I picked up a thing or two,” Talon said casually. Then, turning to Alaric, he grinned. “But since Callie’s here, maybe it’s time for a story about Ava.”

Ava groaned, seeing where this was going. “Talon, no…”

“Sorry, Blondie, but this is for Callie’s own good,” he replied with a mischievous grin. “Back when Ava was a cadet, she had a little, uh, misadventure in the field.”

Callie’s eyes lit up, eager to hear more. Alaric leaned in, clearly amused. “Go on, Talon. We’re all ears.”

Talon chuckled, glancing at Ava as she buried her face in her hands. “Well, let’s just say that Ava once decided to ‘commandeer’ a training ATV to save some time during an exercise. She was supposed to do a long hike with her unit, but nope—Ava thought she’d take a shortcut. Thing is, she didn’t know the terrain, and she ended up stuck halfway up a hill, the ATV tipped at an angle, with her hanging on for dear life, yelling for backup.”

The whole table burst into laughter, and even Alaric struggled to keep a straight face. “Did she really? I better talk to the trainers about that shortcut.” he asked, grinning.

“Oh, she did,” Talon said, nodding, as Ava’s face went red. “That’s why Alaric’s telling you not to listen to everything. Ava’s got some great instincts, but let’s just say she’s had her fair share of *creative* ideas.”

Callie laughed, looking at Ava with admiration. “I didn’t know that. I thought you were flawless!”

Ava rolled her eyes, laughing along with them. “Trust me, Callie, I’ve had my fair share of mishaps.”

They returned to the game, the lighthearted atmosphere bringing everyone even closer together. Alaric shared another story, this one about a standoff in the mountains, and Talon teased Ava, recalling the time she insisted on sparring with a Sentinel twice her size—and won, of course, but not without a few bruises.

As the final hand of the night was dealt, Talon found himself holding an incredible hand. He watched the others carefully, waiting for the right moment, then went all in. Alaric’s eyes twinkled as he matched the bet, pausing before revealing his cards—a straight flush. Talon groaned, and the room burst into laughter.

“Well played, Alaric,” Talon said, shaking his hand, clearly enjoying the loss.

Alaric chuckled. “You’re a good player, Talon. But sometimes, experience just wins out.”

As the evening wound down, Alaric looked around the table with a fond expression. “This place is truly special,” he said. “Thank you all for your hospitality. This visit has been truly inspiring. Keep up the good work, and know that myself and the whole Sentinel council are proud of what you’ve accomplished here. And Ava, it's nice to see you putting down some roots for once.”

Ava smiled lightly, knowing what he meant, " I'm still a Ronin sir, I still feel the need to hit the road from time to time."

"As is your job, Ronin." Alaric replied to her, a warm fond look on his face. " it's still nice to know, you have somewhere to lay your sword."

With that, the Sentinels and villagers began to make their way back, leaving the tavern with echoes of laughter, stories, and the bond of shared memories.