Ethan took a deep breath and sighed as he pushed on the door to his guild hall. The three day journey had been calm, but he was glad to be off his horse. No griefing guilds harassed him, no bandits had ambushed him on the road, he’d spent the nights in roadside taverns. He was glad to be home.

David was sitting in his usual spot on the couch, pouring over something unseen in his own menus when Ethan walked in. Dishes were piled on the small table and the kitchen counters.

“So, just like in college?” He said as he walked over to his friend.

“Hey, man, I didn’t hear you come in.” David jumped to his feet, stammering out a greeting as a form of apology when he realized how disorganized the room had become.

“Yeah.” Ethan sucked air through his teeth as he scanned the cluttered living space. It was more than just half eaten off dirty dishes. Blankets and pillows were piled on the couches, the garbage was spilling out of the trash can, two very large Librams and a staff laid on the dining table. The only things missing were pizza boxes and beer cans and it could have been their shared apartment in the real world.

“Sorry about the mess, Miguel and I have been kind of slacking recently.” David said as he watched Ethan appraise the guild hall.

“Well, I’m glad you’re at least bonding finally.” He said and then nodded in the direction of Leah and Tae-Won’s room. “They not back yet?”

“Leah got back this yesterday, she’s in their room.” David sat down back on the couch and began a token effort of organizing the dishes on the small table. “Sam and Tae-Won are still out.”

“Where’s Daniel?”

“No clue.” David responded with a shrug as he continued to clean. “He hasn’t been here since we got back.”

“Weird.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “You think he got pissed and bailed?”

“Nah,” David answered, shaking his head. “His stuff is still in his room. I kind of think he’s on his own class quest.”

“That would be great.” Ethan said, smiling as he started walking towards the stairs. “I’m going to go change and then grab a late lunch.”

“You going to the Greenbriar?” David called back at him, having taken the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

“Yeah, can’t really eat here.” Ethan said, one foot on the first step.

"Cool.” David turned on the water to the sink. “Had a really promising applicant while you were gone. You mind if I message her to meet you there?”

“Man, I just got back in town.” Ethan dropped his head to his chest in frustration. He’d forgotten about needing to recruit someone to replace Daniel. I’m already missing Skaro…

“I know, but trust me. She’s worth it.”

“Ugh. Fine. Just let me get changed first.”

“Awesome.” Ethan heard small splashes as David began dropping the mountain of dirty dishes into the sink water.

An hour later he was sitting at a small table sipping a beer at the Greenbriar Inn. David had still been cleaning when he left, it hadn’t looked like he’d made much progress while Ethan was in the shower.

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Tara, the owner, had rushed around the bar to great him as soon as he approached the ornate bar top.

“Miguel just left, he got back into town a couple of days ago.” She’d said as she brought him his drink and meal. “Have you seen him yet?”

“Not yet, he wasn’t home when I got there.” Ethan said, taking a bite of the roast turkey.

“Oh.” Tara said softly, pursing her lips. “He said he has something he wanted to talk to you about, so I thought he might have caught you on the way.”

“Nope. Sorry.” Ethan said, quickly swallowing the roast turkey. “Hey, someone is supposed to meet me here, David said her name was Hadley.”

“If anyone asks for you, I’ll send them over.” Tara happily replied, looking slightly distracted even though she was smiling.

Ethan finished his meal in silence, watching everyone who entered to see if any of them approached Tara. After almost half an hour, he was beginning to get annoyed. I guess she’s a no show. Shit.

As he stood to leave, a white hooded figure knocked into him the way to the bar.

“Excuse me, don’t let me get in your way.” He said annoyed. The person turned back to look at him, under the white hood was a black mask with a Cheshire grin and no discernible eye holes.

“Asshole.” He muttered to himself, turning to the door as the rude person talked to Tara.

“Ethan!” He heard Tara call back to him.

He turned back around to see the person in the mask walking back towards him.

“Ethan? I’m Hadley.” Her voice was deep and muffled behind the heavy mask as she introduced herself. The white and blue color scheme of her leather armor reminded him of what Arianna had worn when she visited him in Grassmere weeks before. But where his sister’s armor had been loose and flowing, Hadley’s was thick and tight. The sleeves of her tunic were attached with heavy cord to provide plenty of room for movement while still providing protection.

“Wonderful.” He said grimly, returning to his seat.

Hadley took the chair across from him, placing two ornate katars on the table next to her and draping her arms over the backs of the chairs.

“So.” Ethan placed hands on the table “David says you wanted to join Disorder.”

“I guess so.” She turned her head to both sides, scanning the room. Ethan couldn’t see her face, but her demeanor suggested she wasn’t all that interested in the conversation. “I mean, I don’t have anything better to do at the moment.”

Did David set this up as a joke? She doesn’t seem at all like she actually wants to be here.

“Tell me a little about yourself.” He said, trying to remain professional.

“I’m an Arcane Thief, level 21. I’ve kind of bounced around through guilds here and there since we all got stuck here, but none have really been a good fit.” Hadley shrugged her shoulders and began examining her fingernails, the only part of her not covered in leather armor.

I wonder why…

“And why do you think Disorder would be a ‘good fit’?”

“Dunno. David seemed uptight, and if nothing else it would be fun to mess with him.” Her disinterest was apparent even through the muffling of her mask.

Ethan was growing more annoyed with every word she said. So far, she’d been rude, insulting or dismissive with every single answer. He had made up his mind.

“Well, I’ll be honest. I think he made a mistake recommending you to me.” Ethan said, standing up. “This has been a waste of both of our times. Best of luck in the future.”

“Wait,” she said slamming her hand on the table. “So that’s it? Interview over? You’re not even going to buy me a drink?”

“And why the hell would I do that?” Ethan scoffed at her, he could feel the pull of Reás as his anger rose.

“Bmhnhh you don’t selen” Her voice was so obstructed by her face covering, Ethan couldn’t understand her words.

“What?” He said, confused.

“Well,” Hadley stood up and removed her mask and hood. Blonde hair pulled tightly back and green eyes met his. “I told you the last time I saw you, if you didn’t smell like a pigs arsehole, I’d let you buy me a drink.”

Ethan collapsed into his chair. Alera, the barmaid from Ye Olde Dog and Pony Inn in Grassmere stood before him. Grinning wider than the smile on the mask in her hands.