7 VI

"She demanded how much?"

"Three hundred. And it all has to be legitimate. There's not any possible way that I can renumerate this debt without being contracted."

"Wait. She threatened to..."

"She did. I have to pay her back before the beginning of the next moon cycle."

"That's in five days! You'd have to make 60 a day just to barely meet her demands!"

"I told you. She's not at all a person that believes in fair trade."

Greyson placed a hand of Calef's shoulder. "Don't worry about Gertrude. She won't be an issue."

"How can you even say that? Are you daft?"

"No, just not at all what I seem." Greyson stood up, a gentle smile playing across his features as his eyes held a peculiar light that Calef hadn't seen before. He couldn't quite decipher the meaning behind it either. Was the look one of pity, or... endearment.

"You've got to be a looney."

"Do you trust me?" Greyson asked, taking on a more modest aura.

"I hardly know you, and your current behaviour is diminishing my trust in you."

"Fair enough. I do apologise for the trouble my company has caused you. I will be sure to set it all right, and you won't have to worry, I swear it."

"How do you plan on doing that? You said it yourself. I'd have to make an impossible amount of money each day to pay this off. How are you going to do it?"

"All in one go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a debt to repay." Greyson was beginning to saddle up the horse before Calef stomped out and once again engaged him.

"Who in the gods' names said this was your debt?"

"I did. It was me Gertrude was looking over."

"In my home. I was responsible for your well-being while being checked out."

Greyson sighed. So, this was how it was going to be. Very well. He would play this game. "Alright. You win. The weight of this burden will be yours. However, there are still outstanding debts that I must repay. I'll be going home and retrieving such payments."

"See you around, then?"

"See you around."

Calef watched Greyson ride out of sight. He had no idea why, but he felt something deep in his throat. Was it... welling up? It was. His throat was giving him a physical reaction to a strong sense of emotion. It wasn't fear, it wasn't sadness, and it wasn't joy. Calef wondered what this foreign feeling was that now poured from him to form a fountain spring.

Greyson strolled back through town, leading Tarrok gently as he passed the healer's dwelling. A wave of indignant rage took hold of him at the thought of Gertrude. How dare she overcharge her customers? How dare she ensnare his friend? His. Friend.

The aggressive nature of the thoughts crossing his mind began to startle him. Where had this sudden possessiveness come from? Why was he getting so protective? He thought back to when the merchants went after Calef to punish him for his theiving. He'd gotten pretty aggressive then, as well. For some reason, this didn't settle very well within him. He felt queasy just thinking about it.

Greyson decided it best to pass by the healer's home without causing a ruckus. Besides, she'd be dealt with soon enough.

"Where have you been, and where in the gods'names did you get that weapon?" Helena Fallheart squawked as she caught sight of her son.

"I had things to do today. It just so happened that I needed this blade today. Is there a problem?" Greyson was shorter with his mother than usual. His innate irritation seemed to be exacerbated quite a bit.

"What happened to you? You aren't usually this curt with us."

"It's been a long day, and I still have an errand to run. It's possible that I'll be back late in the night, so I won't be here for dinner. If you insist that I need to eat something when I get home, I'll ask Cadeceus to fix something quick. I know how you like to have him breathing down my neck." Greyson didn't wait for his mother to acknowledge him. He never did. Quite frankly, it never bothered him whether or not she listened to anything he said. Even if she did, it was often convoluted and harshly taken out of context.

After a quick bath, a trip to the treasury and then the stables once more, Greyson set out to fulfil his last task of the night.

It was pitch dark when he arrived. Greyson was certain that he wouldn't be immediately recognized, even in the light of his oil lantern.

He stepped up to the door, and knocked. It wasn't but a few seconds before the door swung open to reveal emerald eyes and Golden hair.

"Greyson. What are you doing here?"

"One last thing I need to take care of. May I come in?"

Calef stepped aside and Greyson graciously passed over the threshold. The fireplace was lit ablaze, a cooking pot placed in the flames to sear an unknown meat to perfection as the house filled with the smoky aroma. Warmth flooded over Greyson as the front door was shut and the cooler air of the outdoors became a separate entity altogether once more. "What is it that you need to take care of?"

"How about we just have a friendly talk. We can speak of my errand a little later. You have meat on the cooker, anyway."

"Oh! Thanks for helping me remember." Calef quickly returned to the sizzling chunks of flesh in the pot, stirring them about and inspecting them. "Would you like some, then? It would be nice to have some company."

Greyson could tell that last bit was a little forced. Perhaps it was just Calef trying to figure out how to best handle being around somebody like Greyson. He knew it was never easy, nor was it predictable. Greyson simply made mental notes on it and moved on. "Sure. I don't really have anywhere else to be. Home really isn't all that appealing, if I'm being honest."

"And where is that, if you don't mind my asking."

"If I told you, you'd think me a liar." Greyson chuckled, truly amused.

"Try me."

"It's really something I don't like mentioning."

"Is it really that embarrassing? I mean... It isn't like you can get much worse than in the slums."

Greyson remained silent, unsure of how to respond. It wasn't that he didn't trust Calef. It was that he didn't want to be treated any differently, just because of who gave him the gift of life.

"It's.... complicated. It's not that I'm embarrassed of where I came from, I'm just... not exactly proud of what my family has done with what they've been given. They squander away their chances at being more than just - You know what? Let's just drop the conversation. I don't want to step out of line on this. Not here."

"Greyson... What's going on? You're acting sort of like you're hiding something. Is there something you don't want me to know?"

"I..." Greyson froze up. He couldn't come up with a response suitable enough. Conceding his defeat, Greyson did the only thing he knew to do. "I wasn't being totally honest with you before about my name."

"You're name isn't Greyson, then?"

"No, it is. That's just not my entire name. My full name is Greyson Lykaios Aurelian Fallheart.

"Wait. Hold up. You're... Eurubus' son? You're the heir of the Fallheart Estate?"

"I think this was too soon to tell you, but yes. I am." Greyson looked down at his feet. His frown deepened and his jaw clenched down.

Calef took note of how Greyson's body reacted to the mention of his heritage. "You really hate it that much?"

Greyson spoke without faltering or hesitation. "With every last piece of my very being."

"Wow. I always thought the life of the wealthy was easy."

"No. It comes with it's own list of problems. They just don't make it to the eyes of the people. Gotta keep up the appearance of a perfect family living the perfect life. The way it should be. What a bunch of bullshit."

Calef was wholly speechless. Perhaps there wasn't such a thing as an "easy" kind of life.