Knock knock knock!!

Caesar jolted awake, his breath ragged and uneven as his mind scrambled to untangle itself from his dream. The growl of thunder that had filled his mind moments ago slowly ebbed away, replaced by the gentle light of dawn filtering through the worn shutters of his cabin. Golden rays spilled across the walls, chasing away the lingering darkness in the room.

He slowly sat up, rubbing his hand over the tangled mess of his hair. His mouth was dry, and his legs trembled beneath the thin blankets. Taking a moment to draw a deep, steadying breath, he pushed himself to a standing position, his fingers finding the familiar, worn wooden mug on his bedside table as he reached for the water pitcher.

The knocking sound grew more persistent, but Caesar ignored it for the moment. He tipped the wooden mug to his lips, the cool water sliding over his parched throat. It tasted faintly of the cedar cask it had been stored in, which eased his mind and relaxed his rapid heartbeat in a way that was calming. Pausing halfway through, he let the water rest against his tongue before swallowing slowly, savoring the cooling sensation that it brought.

With a sigh, he placed the mug back on the bedside table, its weight settling with a muted thud against the wooden furniture. The knocking came again, louder this time, and he ran a hand over his face before heading toward the door.

"Damn, quit slamming on my door! I'm coming," he called out, his voice gravelly from disuse, as he reached for the latch.

Opening the door, Caesar blinked in surprise as his gaze fell on a face he hadn't expected to see. "Orniest?" he asked.

Unless his memory had deceived him, he had made pretty sure to pay his taxes before they were due, so the sudden visit from the tax collector kind of surprised him.

"Shalom, Caesar," Orniest said, shifting uncomfortably on the cabin's small porch. His usual smug demeanor was gone, replaced by a strange sense of unease. He adjusted the leather satchel slung across his shoulder, his fingers drumming nervously against its surface.

Caesar could only blink, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Shalom, Caesar," Orniest repeated again, his voice quieter this time, which was odd for the man, but he ignored it for the moment. "This isn't about taxes, not today at least.”

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Caesar's hand tightened on the door, already starting to push it shut. "If it's not taxes, then I'm not sure what business we have here.”

Before the door could close entirely, Orniest thrust his hand outward, his palm flat against the wood, as he said, "Wait! Just... wait a moment, Caesar. Please.”

He paused. Orniest wasn't the kind of man to plead. Like many people, he could barely tolerate the man because of how insufferably arrogant he was. But now? This was...different.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally relented, opening the door just enough to make it clear he wasn’t about to slam it shut in his face. Orniest let out a small sigh of relief, seizing the moment to quip, “Thank you. It’s rude to keep a guest waiting, you know. The Goddess of Farewells might curse you if you leave me standing out here any longer.”

Caesar raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm a Zarfan, Orniest, and I don't believe in any gods, so say what you have to say or leave.”

Orniest managed a weak chuckle, though his discomfort was palpable. "I promise I will make it worth your while.”

“Trying to seduce me?”

Orniest grimaced, his face contorting as if Caesar had just suggested he take a bite out of a rotten lemon. "Absolutely not!”

"Then spit it out,"

Orniest drew himself up, attempting to reclaim some of his usual composure, but his fingers continued their nervous dance against his leather satchel. "Me and your sister… have pretty close," he continued, his voice faltering slightly. "We've been like that for a while, and umm, we wanted to get married at some point... I mean, it wasn't something we rushed into, but... yeah, it's something we both wanted for a while."

Caesar's expression froze, his mind struggling to process the words that had just spilled from Orniest's mouth. His sister? Married to him? He blinked a few times, his stomach twisting in a sudden knot of confusion.

"You... and my sister?" Caesar repeated, unable to believe what he himself had just said.

Orniest shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting away for a moment before returning to Caesar's. "Yeah, Caesar. I... I know this might come as a surprise, but we thought it best to tell you now, before things go any further.”

"You thought it best to tell me now?" Caesar finally said, his voice a lot sharper than he intended. "How long has this been going on?"

Orniest winced, his discomfort evident. "A while," he admitted. "But it wasn’t something we kept from you out of malice, I swear. It’s just... your sister wanted to wait until the time was right."

"When the time was right?" Caesar echoed, his voice tinged with incredulity. "And when exactly was that supposed to be? After the wedding? After your first child?"

"Caesar, please," Orniest said, his tone pleading now. "This isn’t easy for me either. I care about her deeply, and I respect you—"

"Respect me?" Caesar interrupted, his voice rising. "You respect me so much that you decided to sneak around behind my back with my sister? And now you show up here, uninvited, to drop this on me like it's some casual announcement?"

Orniest flinched at the words but stood his ground, though his shoulders slumped slightly under Caesar's glare. "I know I handled this poorly. We handled this poorly. But I'm here now, trying to do the right thing. I—”

“Leave”

"Caesar—" he started, his voice almost a whisper.

"I said leave."

Orniest hesitated, his mouth opening as if to protest, but he seemed to think better of it. His shoulders sagged, and he stepped back off the porch, his boots crunching softly against the gravelly ground. Before leaving, he cast one last look at Caesar, his lips pressed into a tight line before turning and ultimately walking away.

Caesar just stood in the doorway, watching him go before closing the door of his cabin.

End of act 1.