“sir…sir…sir…sir.”

“Ahga,” I sputtered, awakening from my drunken slumber. I sluggishly rubbed my eyes, letting off a loud groan as I positioned my head upright. My senses were slowly coming back to me. A twanging in my ear followed, accompanied by a blistering headache. Strangely enough, it was similar to the one I had this morning.

I glanced around. It was clear that I knocked out in a bar, but one that I wasn’t familiar with…

Ah that’s right! I was in this shitty dump.

To my surprise, none of the patrons were present. In fact, it appeared that I was the only one here. Or so I thought.

“Sir, are you okay?” a voice asked.

“Huh?!” I exclaimed, slightly caught off guard.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah…yeah I’m fine,” I answered. So I’m not alone.

“I’m glad,” the voice responded, quite cheerfully. Judging by the sound of things, the person in question had to be female.

I was still slightly out of it, but I needed to process my thoughts; firstly organizing the turn of events that transpired before blacking out.

Pay was docked…I was sad…I entered the bar…bar was trashy…I ordered sucky drinks…they actually tasted pretty decent…got sadder…had a…talk? Wait, did I actually have a talk? With who…ah!

“Oi, are you the waitress?” I asked, immediately setting my view onto the person.

“Huh? I beg your pardon sir?” the individual responded, a look of surprise on her face. Speaking of her face, she appeared quite young. Short silver hair, slender chin and nose. And finally, the one thing that stood out above all: purple eyes. I swear that was the last thing I saw according to my memory.

“Were you the waitress that talked to me?”

“N-No sir! I did no such thing!”

She was potentially lying. After all, that last conversation proved to be the case.

“What were you doing before I passed out?”

“I-I don’t know when exactly you passed out.”

“Are you sure? Because if I find out that you do know…” I gave her my most menacing glare. If you wanted someone to confess, intimidation was the best option. Although I wasn’t too sure how effective my methods would be, given that I wasn’t much of the scary type.

“Y-yes sir! I was behind the counter making drinks all night!” she cried, backing away and cowering in fright.

I was shocked by the reaction. Were my methods really that effective?

“Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. My fault,” I said, forcing a wide grin while rubbing the back of neck.

Indeed, she was not the waitress. Her tone of voice was far from monotonous, and she was a decent enough person to hold a conversation with. That last one was insufferable and unempathetic. Why couldn’t she have talked to me instead?

“I-It’s quite alright sir!” she said, standing straight up once again. “But if I did have to guess…” She held the bottom of her chin with a focused complexion, pondering upon something, before finally affirming, “…I think it was Anna you were conversing with.”

So that’s her name, huh?

“Was she always so cold and blunt?”

“I wouldn’t go that far sir,” she said, shaking her head.

“I beg to differ.” After all, she treated my issues as if they were nothing. How cruel of her.

“N-no, she’s just…a bit different.”

“And what does different have to do with her mannerisms?”

“I’m sorry sir! I didn’t mean it! Forgive my behavior!” she exclaimed, bowing her head.

I slid towards the back of my chair, startled by her reaction.

Hold on. What’s with her? Wait…am I seriously scaring her? Is there something on my face?

I felt around my face. One nose, one mouth, and two eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then what was it?

“Excuse me, but why are you being so jumpy?”

“I must not disrespect you sir! A lowly being such as myself must know her place!” she cried, her whole body frantically shaking.

“W-what?” I was unable to comprehend the situation. Her actions were over the place. I had to calm her down.

“Listen, I’m not going to hurt you. I apologize if I scared you back there. Really, I’m not a bad guy. Now please lift your head up…it’s making me kind of uncomfortable.”

I started getting flashbacks to my conversation with Henderson. Those two could really get along.

“…yes sir” she said, complying to my demands.

I sighed with relief. I ran my hand against my hair, trying to process whatever the hell just happened.

This person might be nice, but holding a normal conversation with her was near impossible. Was I the cause for this girl’s troubles? If so, perhaps it’s time that I get going.

I didn’t want to stay here any longer than I had to.

“Listen, thanks for waking me up. But you know, it’s getting kind of late, so I think I’ll be on my-”

“Yes sir, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here!” she exclaimed, almost shouting.

I tensed up in my chair. “O-okay…thanks.”

Seriously, what kind of people am I meeting today?

I uncomfortably got on my feet and skittered towards the bar entrance. I almost tripped over a few times thanks to the uneven boards protruding from the floor.

I was unsure if I would ever come back here. First off, the atmosphere was horrendous, and all of the workers were bizarre. The place was a mess; nothing was normal. The only reason I came was because of that stupid pay dock. Even then, if I controlled myself and saved up a bit, I should be able to go back to my usual spot. This had to be a one-time sort of deal.

However, I felt kind of guilty. As much as I hated to admit it, there was one good thing I got out of this place. Putting aside her frantic behavior, the bar worker did try to help me. It took some time, but I was able to get the name of the previous waitress. Because of that, maybe I should give her the same courtesy.

Before opening the door that led outside, I turned over and asked, “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Huh? My name?”

“That’s what I asked, yes.” This also felt strangely familiar, save for the lack of threats and verbal abuse.

“…Are you sure?”

What the hell am I supposed to be sure of? I nodded my head.

A moment of silence ensued. The bar worker was slightly hesitant, unsure of whether she’d answer or not. I stood at the door, staring at her, waiting for some sort of progression. More time passed and everything remained the same. The atmosphere grew awkward. Eventually, I gave up.

“Forget it, you don’t need to-”

“Maryn,” the girl finally uttered. “It’s… Maryn.”

I was taken aback. Despite my initial speculation, this timid, overly defensive girl who’d break down at the slightest “offense” finally held firm and gave me an answer. I somehow felt proud. This sort of development wasn’t so bad.

“Name’s Galvin. A pleasure,” I said, waving as I opened the door.

“Y-yes, indeed!” Maryn rejoiced, waving back at me with a wide smile on her face. Her purple eyes sparkled as I made my exit.

-----

The headache continued to pester, never ceasing to trouble me. For the most part, I was at least sober. It allowed for me to ponder on how screwed I was.

All of my money was gone, including rent. To top it off, old lady was expecting payment by tomorrow. I tried rationalizing the situation.

What’s the worst she can do? It’s not like she’ll kick me out or anything…hopefully…Oh god…there are worse things she could do.

I ruffled my hair, imagining the number of tortures she could instill.

I could always beg for forgiveness. Perhaps some groveling would help.

However, it would be futile. When it came to old lady, mercy was never an option. Haha…I guess I really am screwed…

Exhaling, I dragged my feet across the dirt path leading back to the cityscape. It wasn’t far off, given that the bar was near the outskirts of the slums. This meant less walking thankfully. I’ve already walked far too much for one day.

To distract myself from my ever-impending doom, I turned upwards to get a glance at the night sky. The moonlight pierced the darkness, shimmering its full white glow. Its positioning near the west meant that there were only a few hours of night left.

By staring at the moon, I was able to come to my peace: If I was going to face punishment, might as well do something nice beforehand.

I had options. Did I want to read? Maybe continue my slumber instead? I chuckled to myself. What was saying? I already knew my answer.

Read first, then fall asleep. Perfect. Of course, the back pain was an issue, but my deepest temptations were far stronger. Tomorrow’s problems are for future me to deal with. I felt better knowing this.

I finally approached the intersection that led back to the cityscape. All I needed to do was pass the remaining alleyway, and then take a right onto the cobblestone path. From there, I’d be home free. However, as I passed the alleyway…

“…bitch.”

“Huh?” I turned my head around. What was that?

“You think you’re so brave, huh?” Another voice resounded.

I faced left towards the dark alleyway. I think it’s coming from in there.

I couldn’t make out anything, but somebody was definitely there. Were they talking to me?

“Listen, I’m just walki-”

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Did I do something wrong? “Look, I don’t want any-”

“Filthy demi-human.”

I went completely silent. A what now?

“You’re pretty far out here. Don’t you know the rules for your kind?”

I felt a sharp spike in my heart. Those voices sound…familiar.

“Such wretched talk.”

“You think your pathetic attempts of abiding would do you any good?”

By the looks of it, the situation was troublesome. I concluded that the alleyway people were not referring to me. Perhaps I walked upon something that was none of my business. With that, I should be on my way. I turned away and continued my walking until…

“Say…why don’t you go ahead and tell us your name?”

My eyes widened as a foul chord was struck, playing a tune I was all too familiar with. A newfound impulse emerged. I wanted to confirm something.

I turned left and slowly crept into the dark alleyway. The rough material scraped against my shoulder as I hugged the wall to avoid detection. Finally, as I approached closer, I found a wooden crate off to the side. I went and crouched behind it. Leaning carefully over the edge, I got a better view of the situation.

There they were. Two shadowy figures, crowding around something on the other side of the alleyway.

“This one also doesn’t have a last name.”

“What’d you expect from demi-human? They’re unfit to even have one.” They broke into laughter. But it wasn’t any ordinary laughter. It was that same…excruciating laughter that I just so happened to recognize.

So it was them…those bastards. I tightened my fists.

The two guards finally settled down before continuing their berating.

“It seems you need to be taught a lesson. After all, what are rules without their punishments?” That familiar voice. It belonged to none other than the blond guard.

“You can say that again,” the shorter guard responded. “Say, you think you’re up for a little walkin’?” It was more of a demand than a question.

“As you wish, sirs,” another voice spoke.

This was the first time hearing the third person speak. I’ve already figured another person was present, given that the guards needed a victim to chastise. However, the mysterious person was rather quiet. Yet was also oddly…familiar.

“Obedient like a fuckin’ dog. Maybe we should have her walk on all fours.”

“Another time. It’ll only slow us down. I want to blow off some steam as soon as possible.”

“Buzzkill,” the blond guard mumbled. “Alright, get off your ass. We’re takin’ a little trip down your neighborhood.”

He went over and sharply pulled the third figure by the forearm. Pushing her forward, the blond guard urged her to start walking. The mysterious person, without an ounce of defiance, did as she was told. Soon enough, their figures receded into darkness.

A wave of anger struck me. So I’ve encountered them once again.

They had no idea the sort of shit I had to go through because of their shenanigans. Forget everything else. Right then, all I wanted to do was hurt them. I wanted them to experience the same I pain I had to go through.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. A sinister grin crept on my face at the thought of it.

I’ll follow them and see what they’re up to. They’ll probably pull something that’s against their “warrior code”. Then, once I get the evidence I’m looking for, I’ll report it to Henderson. He’ll give them what they deserve.

"You're fucked."

Thus my new objective sprang forth: revenge. A rush of anticipation surged throughout my body as I pursued the guards.