The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Joseph’s stomach gave an angry gurgle and woke him up. Looking back, the idea of skipping hunting had been a bad idea, especially since he might have been able to catch something considerably bigger than the rodent creatures that skittered around the rocks. He had attempted to catch them, but unfortunately, they were too small and too fast for him to catch as a dragon. So, he simply turned back human, dressed, and made his way to Kovis.

When he passed through the city gates, the guards barely acknowledged him and instead simply seemed sleepy. As he continued further into the city, he quickly discovered that the city had already woken up…And he wasn’t sure if it’d even gone to sleep. Around him, merchants called out their wares, insisting they had better prices than some other merchant in a different part of the city. Countless smells assaulted his senses, some of which he’d never smelled before. Not to mention, the number of people who’d already appeared to do their morning shopping.

All and all, he felt overwhelmed. A part of him wanted to flee back to the wilds, but the rest of him stubbornly demanded that he push on and explore. Joseph clutched the strap to the satchel, the quiver strap, and his bow tightly as he moved through the crowd. Beyond a few glances, he went largely ignored. Eventually, he found a tavern with lodgings and hesitantly went inside. The owner barely glanced at him while he worked on restocking the bar.

“How much does a room cost per day?”

The owner shifted his attention fully to the younger man. “200.”

“…Ah.” Well, there went that idea and it immediately made Joseph wonder if there were any cheaper taverns in the city. He very well couldn’t spend nearly all his money on a single day’s lodging! “Thank you…”

“If you think my prices are too high, you won’t find much luck. I’m the cheapest in the city.”

Joseph sighed, unsure of if he should trust the man’s words or not. “Well, that’s nearly all I have and I can’t spend it all on a place to stay when I still need supplies.”

“If you followed the road from the south, I’m surprised you didn’t get supplies from the villages. Would have been cheaper.” He turned and resumed stocking the bar.

“Got tired of rocks being thrown at me.” Sighing, Joseph sat down on the stool and tried to figure out where to go. Suddenly, the owner had leaned over the bar to peer at him with vividly blue eyes, prompting him to rear back in surprise.

“Oh. Ya. The eyes. I got’cha.” He grinned suddenly at the other man’s confused expression and lifted the side of the cloth he’d wrapped around his head to show somewhat pointed ears amidst dirty blond hair. “Momma had a raunchy fling with an elf. I was born here in the city, but I know how those villagers down south can be. Get plenty of stares when they come up here to do trading.”

Joseph nodded slightly. “Grew up near a small town. They…Weren’t too welcoming.”

“Which one?”

After a moment of hesitation, he finally answered. “Merval.”

The name caused the tavern owner to wince while he readjusted the cloth that covered his hair and ears. “Ah…You’ve been on the road for awhile it looks like. Did…You hear about the attack?”

“I saw it after the fact.” Joseph sighed and looked down. It was a bit of a lie, but he didn’t think it’d be smart to say he’d been there when it happened and survived. “My father left in the morning about a week ago to get supplies. He didn’t return. So, I went looking for him the next day and found the town. I…Don’t know what happened but the town was destroyed and I didn’t find any bodies.”

He grimaced. “I don’t know much ‘bout magic. That’s more my daddy’s thing, but I can sure as shit tell you that it’s nothing good…So…Then what? You headed north to Kovis?”

“Pretty much. Don’t have any other family.”

Finally, the half-elf sighed. “Alright. Look. Normally I don’t do this sorta thing, but you’re kinda looking like a kicked puppy right now and I kinda like puppies so…Tell you what. I’ll let you have a room and keep you fed if you help around the tavern. Most people won’t give a shit about whatever you are. I don’t really tolerate the people who would…For obvious reasons. Soooo…If they start causing trouble, you get to kick them out.”

Joseph blinked a few times in surprised but then side eyed the other man. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” He held up his hands. “Swear on my momma’s grave. How about I get you some food to show I’m serious?”

After a moment longer, he nodded. “I didn’t get to have dinner last night…Or breakfast this morning.”

“Then you’re in luck. Today’s special is eggs, a big ass slice of ham, and a bowl of porridge.” He headed towards the kitchen but paused at the door. “Before I forget. I’m Xavier. What’s your name?”

“Joseph…And…Thank you.”

Xavier suddenly looked solemn. “I’ve never experienced the level of loss you have, and I’m sure the people at Merval were probably shitty towards you, but they were also probably all you knew, am I right?” At the nod he was given, he continued. “Now I don’t know if you are one or not, so I don’t mean to offend, but I do know how shitty people can be to halfbreds, or hell. Anyone different than them. So…As much of an asshole as I can be sometimes, I’m not going to be one to someone down on his luck like you are. Anyway. Give me ten or fifteen minutes and I’ll get some food out to you.”

Joseph tilted his head slightly, “Thank you.” Then he sighed and rubbed his face as he tried to tune out the sound of quiet conversation in the kitchen. A short time later, he looked up when a gaunt, almost sickly-looking older man stepped out of the kitchen with food. Immediately, he wrinkled his nose a bit at the sudden smell of something old and musty…Mildew, almost.

“Xavier went down to the cellar to get more spirits for the bar.” He set the food down, and ignored the blatant stare he received as he leaned down to grab a bottle off the bottom shelf.

Immediately, he’d picked up that the other man wasn’t human, but he couldn’t tell what. Joseph knew that staring was rude, but it was out of sheer curiosity. When they locked eyes, he couldn’t help but feel even more confused. Did the man even have pupils? Rather than be insulted or offended, the older man simply seemed amused.

Finally, Joseph couldn’t help but blurt out, “You smell weird.”

This netted him a sharp glare from Xavier who’d returned from the cellar. Immediately, the half-elf opened his mouth to let out something snarky, but he was quickly interrupted by the older man who put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Xavier. I don’t think he meant it that way.”

Shifting his attention back to the young man at the bar. “So, you have a good sense of smell, hm? What do I smell like then?”

“…Something old and musty. Reminds me of winter clothes that’s been in storage all year.”

“Charlie, you’re a lot more patient than I am.” Xavier grumped and crouched down to continue stocking shelves. Then he vaguely gestured at the bar behind him. “That’s Joseph, by the way.”

“I’m also many years your senior.” Charlie noted before looking back to Joseph. “You’ll excuse him. He can be rash at times. Well, Joseph, you wouldn’t be wrong. I’m guessing you have no idea what I am, then?”

“No, I don’t.” Slowly, he pulled his food towards him.

“Simply put, I’m a vampire. I work here as a cook and live down in the cellar.” Charlie pushed the mug over to Joseph.

“Ain’t that funny? Guy can’t taste a damn thing, but he’s the best damn cook I’ve ever met.” One of the bottles clinked loudly, causing Xavier to mutter a curse.

“So, is that why you look half dead…Because you are dead?”

“Pretty much. You don’t have to worry about me wanting to drink your blood. The only thing I’m dangerous to is rats. Never had an interest in drinking human blood. Unfortunately, I can’t go out during the day because of that.” He poured himself a mug and gave Joseph an amused smile at the look of confusion. “Ask your questions, I don’t mind.”

Joseph considered his questions as he shoved the fried eggs into his mouth. “I thought vampires couldn’t go into the sun.”

“Yes and no. That tends to be an issue younger vampires have. Vampires get stronger as they age, and as long as they feed on human blood, they can move around during the day. Here’s one for you. Many, many decades ago, I was the cook on a pirate ship ran exclusively by vampires. In fact, the captain shared your first name. Captain Joseph Finnly. Bit of a bastard at times, but he knew how to keep his ship running. I think he captained The Red Leviathan for damn near three hundred years till she was finally sunk. Not sure what happened to him.” Finally, Charlie waved his hand dismissively. “But you don’t want to listen to an old man reminisce about the past.”

This caused Joseph to crack a slight smile. “I might, actually. It sounds interesting.”

“Oh, gods. Charlie here will talk your ear off.” Xavier stood up and made a noise of protest when he was swatted with a hand towel.

“Maybe if you’d actually listen to me, you’d be running the place instead of me. As it stands, you’re just the pretty face that mans the bar so he can drag people to his room for a qui---”

“Hey! Hey! Low blow!” Xavier interrupted Charlie.

“…I thought that’s what you do when you get on your knees.” This time, Charlie had to duck the hand towel. Then he just laughed as Xavier ‘chased’ him back into the kitchen.

Joseph could only watch, bemusely, as he ate. Still, he finished quite quickly and as soon as his fork was put down, Xavier dragged him upstairs to his assigned room. Things were quickly pointed out to him and then he was dragged back downstairs, then shooed into the small back yard to chop wood for the fireplaces. While monotonous, he found it fairly easy. He’d done it for years ever since he’d grown big enough to pick up the axe.

With the backyard area being in the sun, he quickly shed his shirt and kept working. Every now and then, he’d pause to stack when he’d chopped before resuming his work. A sharp whistle caught his attention and he looked up at Xavier who wandered over to offer him a mug of water.

“You know. I didn’t say you had to chop all the wood.” He eyed the significantly smaller pile of logs.

“I don’t really have anything better to do.” Joseph replied before taking a drink. When he lowered the mug, he frowned at the half-elf whose attention had shifted to him.

Xavier didn’t bother to hide his staring. “So, I’m guessing…Farmer’s son?”

“No. My father was a hunter. Once he got too old to hunt, I took over.” He finished off the water and handed the mug back.

“Ah. I’m guessing you’re good with your hands, then?”

“I suppose. Cutting yourself while butchering a deer really isn’t the greatest thing.” Joseph was absolutely oblivious to the blatant flirting. “Once I finish chopping the wood, what do you want me to do next?”

Xavier glanced down at the empty mug, then eyed the younger man again before making an exasperated noise. “Gods! You really are a lost puppy. Uh, look. Just head back to your room, get cleaned up, and rest. You’ve just about chopped a weeks’ worth of wood in two hours.”

Joseph simply watched the half-elf head back into the tavern before shaking his head and continuing to chop the wood. After he finished chopping the logs, he carefully stacked the wood and gave his work a pleased look. Sure, he felt sore, but in a way, it felt good. For the time being, he had a roof over his head and the promise of food. It’d give him a way to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

As he made his way into the tavern, he gave a cursory glance to the few patrons and the barmaid serving them. He couldn’t scent anything unusual about her and assumed she was the only human that worked at the tavern. Joseph didn’t dwell on the thought for long and instead went upstairs to his room after snagging a bowl of stew that Xavier wordlessly handed him.

On his bed, he found a handful of coins and a note that told him to get some new clothes. He agreed with the idea and decided to do so after a bath and a nap. The hot water felt good when he sunk down into it and he couldn’t help but make a quiet rumble of contentment. He sat there in the tub for a few minutes and fought the idea of napping right then and there. As tempting as it was to nap in the hot water, the idea of waking up in cold water didn’t sound appealing.

Finally, he coerced himself to get cleaned up. Before draining the water, he dunked his clothes in the water to try and freshen them up a bit. Then, he wrung them and hung them up to dry before wrapping the towel around his waist. When he stepped out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, he sent Xavier an unimpressed look.

Xavier merely returned the stare with a cheeky grin. “I talked things over with Charlie and he didn’t think I’d left enough money. So…” He held up a small bag of coins and set them on the table. “Finding everything alright?”

Rather than replying, Joseph just tilted his head towards the door. While he wasn’t ashamed of his body in any shape or form, he didn’t like the idea of people just walking into his room. It annoyed him that despite him locking the door, Xavier obviously had a key. After the half-elf had left, he relocked the door and shoved a chair under the handle as an afterthought. He really, really didn’t want someone wandering in and poking at him while he slept.

While the bed wasn’t as soft as his former one, it sure as hell beat sleeping on the ground. Lazily, he stretched out and wiggled around a bit to get himself comfortable, then stared at the wall till he finally dozed off. His sleep was dreamless, and when he woke, he felt a great deal more rested…But absolutely reluctant to get up out of bed. Still, he needed new clothes and probably some new boots.

After a bit of flopping around in the bed, he got up, dressed, grabbed the money, and left the tavern. Even if he didn’t find what he was looking for, he figured that it’d be good to explore the city. The crowds hadn’t thinned any and he often found himself squeezing past people as they haggled with the merchants. Overall, he didn’t exactly mind it. Sure, it was different but he also enjoyed the notion of no one caring about his appearance. To them, he was just another face in the crowd.

Joseph eventually found the tailor and browsed the pre-made clothes. Surprisingly, he found a few affordable shirts and pants that’d fit him. After paying for his things, he politely requested directions to whoever would sell him a pair of boots. Then, he set off to the shoemaker, who happened to be an implike creature.

Upon entering the shop, Krin as the sign had identified him as, stared up at Joseph with wide eyes. “Well, aren’t you a massive cuss. If you’re looking for shoes, I can already tell you that they’ll need to be custom made.”

Joseph winced as he sat down and pulled his boot off to hand it over to Krin. “Yes, I’m used to that.”

“Hmn. Any spots that rub, pinch, or otherwise cause discomfort?” The headshake caused Krin to give a curt nod while he took measurements and wrote the numbers down in illegible handwriting. “It’ll take me a few days. 300 coins. Half upfront, rest due at pickup. My shoes are quality and are guaranteed to hold up to even the most adventurous traveler.”

After looking down at the worn boot still on his foot, Joseph nodded and dug out the coins to slide them over to the shoemaker. The coins were quickly examined before being pocketed. Then, he was handed a slip of paper and a pen.

“Sign at the bottom.” When the paper was handed bad, Krin tore a segment off and handed it back. “If my assistant is here at the front, just present that to her when you come back to pick up.”

Joseph nodded. “Thank you.”

He was only given a grunt in reply. After putting his boot back on, he wandered out of the shop and continued his wanderings. Eventually, he stumbled across a butcher and went inside in hopes of discovering more of the jerky he enjoyed in Merval.

“I’m not sure if you can help me, since it might have been a family recipe, but I’m wondering if you carry a certain flavor of jerky.”

“Well, if you can describe the flavor.” The butcher leaned against the counter and gestured at the selection of jerky on display. “I have a number of different flavors, along with several imports.”

Joseph glanced towards where she’d gestured for a moment before looking back. “It tasted sweet and salty, with spices.”

“Mm. ‘Sweet’ helps narrow it down.” She pushed away from the counter and went to the jerkies where she began pulling out several bins. “The good thing with jerky is it tends to be distinctive with the smells. Even if it was a family recipe, I might have something similar.”

One by one, he smelled of what she offered before finally finding one that smelled nearly exactly like what Aubin used to make. “That one. That one right there is almost exactly it.”

“Ah, that’s a good one. The sweetness comes from the ungodly amount of honey used.” She returned the other bins to the shelves. “Goes good with just amount any meat. Beef, deer, elk, moose, even some of the more exotic meats. Hmn. Are you new to the city? I’m familiar with all the usuals, but I’ve never seen you here.”

Joseph nodded. “I got here this morning. I got myself a job working at Xavier’s.”

“Xavier’s…Oh! You mean Charlies’. Xavier just likes to claim he owns the place. Charlie actually does, but he’s too nice to say otherwise.” She gave a slight smile. “He’s been a longtime customer. Been coming here since before my dad was even born. Nice man. You couldn’t have a better boss to work under. Now. My dad would probably kill me if I did this, but he’s out of town. So…Usual rate for this jerky is 75 a pound, but this batch was made with moose and I have about 50 pounds of the stuff marinating in the back. Meaning, I’ll cut you a deal of 50 per pound.”

He grinned. “I’ll take three then. I appreciate the deal.”

“Don’t worry about it. Charlie has an eye for people.” She quickly weighed and bagged the jerky. “By the way, I’m Adrine. If you see a grumpy old man, that’s my dad, Jivan.”

“I’m Joseph.” He pushed the coins over the Adrine and took the back of jerky happily.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Joseph, and I hope you’ll come back to Jandhu’s.”

Still grinning like a fool, he gave a nod and left the shop to return back to the tavern. There, the place was a great deal more crowded and before he had a chance to go to his room, Xavier dragged him into the kitchen. Charlie worked on cooking something while the woman from earlier grabbed empty mugs off the counter.

She took one look at Joseph and rolled her eyes. “Charlie! We don’t need you adopting anymore strays!”

“Joseph, this is Senara.” Charlie looked to Senara. “You keep complaining about a few of the drunks hassling you and we all know they don’t take Xavier seriously. So…”

Senara looked up at Joseph who’d clearly be the tallest person out in the main part of the tavern. “I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of the fuckers fly out the door. Alright, fine. Tell you what. Put your things up and come back down here. There’s a guy at the bar with a green shirt. He keeps grabbing my ass. Either throw him out or get him to leave me alone. I don’t care what you do.”

He considered it for a moment and gave a sharp smile. “I can handle that.”

She watched him leave and then looked back to Charlie. “You know. That was the scariest damn smile I’ve ever seen someone pull and you know I dated a lycan for awhile who had a terrifying smile…”

After putting his things up, Joseph returned to the common area of the tavern and sat down next to the man that Senara had pointed out. “Heard you’ve been grabbing Senara’s ass.”

“Heh. Yeah. She’s got a nice one.” The man slurred out with a laugh.

“Maybe, but you’re going to leave her alone.”

“What do you care?” This time, his voice had a belligerent tone to it.

Joseph reached out and turned the man to face him, then leaned down so that their faces were only inches apart. He spoke in a low tone with an edge of a growl to his voice. “Because if you don’t…Well, your face looks pretty fucking tasty and I’m getting kinda hungry. Know what I mean?”

The drunk flinched when he heard the sound of the other man snapping his jaws shut, like some sort of predator. While alcohol could result in a great deal of idiotic bravado, a really solid look the the man in front of him caused any notion of starting a fight to wither away. “Okay, yeah. I’ll stop. Promise.”

“I don’t want to talk to you a second time.” He got up from the bar and wandered back towards the back, giving Senara a slight nod as he passed her. Once in the kitchen, he frowned a bit at Charlie. “Is it normal for people to be bothering Senara?”

“Not usually, but there’s a couple ships up at the port and the crew are on leave. Most times, they stay around the bars up there, but sometimes they’ll wander down here after they’ve been kicked out.” He handed Joseph a bowl of fried bread drizzled with cheese. “Just hang back here for now. I told Senara that you’d be here and to come get you if anyone bothers her. She can handle herself just fine, but I don’t want to have to bail her out of jail if she stabs someone. Again.”

Curiously, he took the food and began quietly eating as he listened to Charlie. “That sounds like an interesting story.”

“It was just a mess. I’ll tell you some other time.”

The rest of the evening ended up being fairly boring. Apparently, word had quickly gotten around about a ‘big ass guy who said he was going to eat Mathi’s face’. While Charlie didn’t exactly approve, he agreed that it’d been quite effective. In the end, it netted Joseph a bit of money and a mug of ale, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

When he finally retired to his room, he found himself surprised to see his father waiting for him. Stefan offered a twisted expression that was his form of a smile. Then, he spoke softly. “You’re doing well, Joseph. While I don’t exactly approve of some of the things you’ve done, I also know there’s little I can do to stop you.”

“Well, I’m not exactly in Murval, anymore.”

“I know.” Stefan sighed quietly and looked down at his hands. “Just…Do what you feel is right with your life. That’s the last bit of advice I can offer you.”

“What do you mean?” Concerned, Joseph looked up from where he sat on the bed.

“The order that you consume us in is random.” Finally, he held up his hands which were slowly fading. “I wanted to say good-bye.”

Joseph went wide eyed. “I…No. You can’t. Please no.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.” Stefan dropped his hands and looked down at the floor. “I’ve accepted it. You’ll need to as well, in time. I think the people you’ve found at this tavern will take care of you.”

“Father…” His words cut short as the ghost in front of him abruptly wisped away, leaving him alone in the room.