Another day, another morning of cooking.

Garret sat up from his bed and yawned loudly. He turned around to see his wife grumbling loudly at his early bird nature.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.” He said.

“I know, bring me back some…” She said sleepily.

“I’ll try.”

He sat up from bed and changed into his clothes, and passed by his little dog who was stretched out on his chair. Once upon a time he would get mad about this but it happened so often he just gave up after a while.

Out the front door he looked up at the sky, the sun was just barely poking out through the overcast sky. Giving the whole world a misty morning feeling he loved. Almost no one was awake at this hour beside himself, so he could take his time talking to Cain’s hall.

He didn’t think himself philosophical, but he every morning he couldn’t help but think that it was a shame that most people didn’t see this side of the town. Peaceful and calm.

He sure didn’t think about it before he started this deal with Cain. Before this he thought this town was a hellish, backstabbing cesspit that he wanted to leave as soon as possible. It was still that and more. He wasn’t stupid enough to discount that, but to see that even if only for a moment there was peace in this town, that was enough.

He continued his walk and passed from the Residential district to the Guild one. All it took was him rounding a corner and it seemed the town woke up. The streets had large groups of adventurers traveling every which way.

Some days when he was making great time he would take a moment to just observe what everyone did, and sometimes that would yield interesting results. But when those “Interesting Results” were coming from people who, on average, could take on 10 men at once in a fight and win, it sometimes became dangerous.

Today he was in a hurry though, because he already had a premonition of what he was going to see when he got to work.

The door was locked when he arrived, so he took the spare key he was given and opened the hall. A turned sign, a flick of a spark in the stove, and away he went.

It didn’t take long before people from the street outside saw that they had opened and started pouring in.

Everyday was similar, but with a few surprises at the same time.

He could get many orders for breakfast, but he knew who was actually going to make good on their tab and who wasn’t, so he could afford to cook slower to get the food just right.

He would also occasionally get people asking about working in the guild, the answer to which was that it was a long and complicated process. 9 times out of 10 this got them to leave him alone. In that other cases all it took was him directing them to Cain. Then they would summarily be refused.

The morning would continue like this for an hour or so before Cain woke up.

In his entire life, Garret never understood what adventurers were talking about when they talked the “Presence” of something. He had heard it explained a thousands different ways over the years but it never really rang clear to him.

He got examples like feeling fear for something without seeing, hearing, or even knowing of its existence, or being surrounded by lukewarm water and unable to breath. He could imagine these things, but had no idea how they would actually feel.

That was, until, he walked into this place two years ago.

He was drunk, his girlfriend had just left him and his regular bar threw him out because he wouldn’t stop whinging. One thing lead to another and he got into a fight with someone he would later come to know as Oren. The fight escalated until he found himself possessed of strength only a black out drunk could have, and threw Oren through the window.

This is when he learned about Presence.

In his stupor he saw an elderly man with dark skin and white hair. He thought that the combination was hilarious and laughed until his lungs hurt. If only he had known the rest of the room had grown deathly silent.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

While he was doubled over in his own little world of abject comedy, he felt a hand reach his shoulder.

Then, that exact moment when their eyes met. That is when he understood. All life had escaped his body, all strength left him. He could feel his very soul shuddering and everything he had ever believed was destroyed instantly.

The man was not angry, nor was he even intending for violence. But he simply put off a feeling that Garret had made the worst mistake of his life.

This is what Cain could be like sometimes, he had seen it from the outside only twice since he began working here. Both times it ignited that same trauma Garret had felt before.

However, he was not a harsh man either, this was as instinctual to anybody who met him as his presence was. An ally to Cain was somebody who would never see harm come to them.

While finishing a platter of eggs for one of the regulars, he noticed that a young boy walked through the door. He looked scared and unnerved, and very hungry.

The boy walked up to the counter and waved for his attention.

“Is this Cain’s Hall?” The boy asked.

“It is little man, are you looking for someone?” Garret asked.

“A lady with red hair told me I could eat here?” He said.

“Did she now? What was her name?” Garret asked. He knew full well that the kid was talking about Andromeda, but he was making sure this kid wasn’t trying to pull a fast one on him. Kids would see people come and go and say they owed them a favor.

“S-She didn’t tell me.” The boy said. So it was, regardless he wouldn’t let the kid go hungry, he’d probably have Cain sort him out.

“Alright kid, I’ll get you some food, once your done go talk to that guy over there.” Garret said, pointing toward Cain sitting on a stool folding cards for a small group.

“Okay.” The boy said.

Garret prepared a small plate for the kid and set it down in front of him.

While the kid ate, Garret got curious.

“So kid, what’s your name?” he asked.

“Miquo.” The boy said.

“Why are you seeking out a guildhouse? Ain't you got a family?” Garret asked.

“No.” Miquo said. Alarms started going off in Garret’s mind.

“That’s unfortunate. You aren’t the first I’ve heard. You’re from Fading, aren’t you.” Garret said.

“How did you know?” Miquo asked.

“A kid your age wouldn’t be on his own if he weren’t.” Garret said.

“Oh…”

“Don’t take it personally. Let’s just say I feel you on that.” Garret said.

Miquo went back to his food, slower now, and in poor spirits. He probably expected this whole situation to go a bit differently.

“Is the red haired lady here?” He asked.

“Hmm? Oh, no, she went out on a mission, she’ll be gone for a while.” Garret said.

That seemed to only make the situation even worse, he went from sad to depressed. This might not be him trying to ring out a free meal.

“How did you met this woman you’re talking about? Garret asked.

“She helped me after I tried to steal some apples, and she gave me these.” Miquo said, then he pulled two golden coins from his pocket.

Garret looked around the room for a moment then lowered his face very close to Miquo’s.

“I will give you one chance, only one, tell me right now if you stole these.” Garret said.

“No! I didn’t I swear!” Miquo said.

Miquo put the coins back in his pocket, scared that they would be taken.

“You need to finish your food and talk with Cain.” Garret said.

-----

Miquo sat down at the end of the table, the old man sitting across from him sat quietly. The two golden coins sitting in front of him.

“You got these from a red haired woman, who directed you here to eat if you were hungry?” Cain said.

“Yes sir.” Miquo said.

Cain looked over the coins, they were indeed authentic gold standard coins, they weren’t even tarnished or faded like the coins he had seen. They were as near to pristine as a coin could be. This boy said that A red haired woman, who could only be Andromeda, had a bag of these coins, and she even gave another person an entire golden coin.

When she spoke to him she claimed to be from far away and lived on a boat most of her life, so she never learned much about the world. That much was already fishy, but having this much coin and just giving it away like nothing was too much to believe.

There were only two options, she either didn’t know what they are worth or she was lying about having nothing. An entire bag of gold could buy an entire street worth of land in the city limits.

Though he didn’t know what the true answer was, he chose to have faith in her. The tears she cried that night, the feeling of complete loneliness she put off, that wasn’t faked. In either case, the reason she would have such a quantity of gold was something he would need to find out.

“So, Miquo? I believe?” Cain said. “What do you plan to do now?”

“What do you mean?” Miquo asked.

“You are homeless correct? You are also much too young to buy anything with the coin you have, no one would believe you came into it honestly. What is your action from here?” Cain asked.

“I don’t know.” He said.

Cain could not see the boy in front of him, but there was a certain sense, a presence, that he could feel. It wasn’t worth as much as what he eyes would be able to tell him but lacking them it was something. The boy wasn’t lying. He really didn’t know what to do.

“You shouldn’t take what I am about to say lightly. You are young, much younger than anything I would consider working in my establishment, but if you need a home, I can offer one for a time.” Cain said.

“There’s a catch, isn’t there?” Miquo said.

“If you call earning your keep a catch. Then yes, help around the place when we need and we’ll give you room and board.” Cain said.

-----