We Can Find Some Ice Cream

"Oh."

Sinking under the bar counter it took Delilah a moment to comprehend what she had just learnt.

Arlo understood what she was going through, so he simply sat in silence with her.

After a couple of minutes, Delilah rested her chin on the counter looking up at Arlo.

"How are you?"

Arlo dejectedly tilted his head rolling his eyes.

"You said it the best. I'm gloomy."

"I'm sorry, Arlo." Standing up she reached across the counter pulling Arlo into her bosom as she squeezed him tight. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Don't need to apologise," He mumbled. "Her death was the best thing that could have happened to her."

"Hmm." Holding Arlo's shoulders as she let go, Delilah looked into the boy's eyes. "You aren't going to be around here much longer. Are you?"

Arlo's eyes widened before he knocked Delilah's hands off his shoulder. "You read my mind or something?" He sarcastically asked.

Reaching under the counter, Delilah produced a bottle of water. "It's the look in your eyes, the only thing tying you down was your mother and now…" Pulling the stopper out, Delilah planted the glass in front of Arlo. "Drink."

Delilah's voice may not have made it sound like a command, but Arlo could tell he'd only be in for a hassle if he didn't listen to her.

Picking it up he put the mouth of the bottle near his lips. "You usually keep water under the bar?" He took a sip.

"Not everyone who walks into my tavern wants liquor, I don't only serve drunks you know." Crossing her arms, Delilah watched as Arlo's sip turned into him drinking the entire bottle. "Water is the best source of hydration."

Gasping as he put the bottle down, Arlo looked at it, and then at Delilah.

"I didn't realise I was so thirsty." A faint tone of thanks could be heard in his voice.

"And that's why I keep them under the bar." Removing the glass from the counter, Delilah placed it on a surface behind her. "Those clothes of yours, I assume you don't plan on getting dry."

Arlo lightly scratched his neck. "I need to get my medicine back."

Arlo jumped slightly as Delilah hit the surface with her fist.

"Don't you dare." Her tone shook as her fingers gripped the counter's surface.

Scowling, Arlo huffed. "What would you rather I do, the doctor's closed at this hour. The only way I can get my medicine is by taking it from those thugs…"

"What would I rather you do!" Delilah quickly turned around. "I'd rather you don't risk your life!" In her urgency, Delilah knocked the glass bottle over causing it to shatter as it hit the floor.

The bar fell silent again as its patrons looked over to Delilah.

"What, y'all never seen two people have a conversation before!" Delilah was quick to bark at her patrons through gritted teeth.

Waiting for the conversations to be picked back up, Delilah turned her attention back to Arlo.

Her gaze softened as she looked at the boy sat before her. Picking up his left hand with her own, Delilah smiled her bubbly smile.

"You're the only thing I have left, Arlo. My own family has been dead for… for a long time now. Your mother was like a sister to me and now, you're the only thing I have left."

Arlo couldn't look her in the eye.

"It's ok Arlo, it will all be ok. I'll help you pay off the debts to those Red Sky bozos owe those thugs. Now let me just clean up this glass."

Letting go of his hand, Delilah quickly skipped away leaving Arlo alone.

Looking at his left hand, Arlo curled his fingers.

Returning with a dust pan and brush, Delilah smiled seeing Arlo still there.

"Don't worry Arlo." Crouching down behind the bar, Delilah quickly got to sweeping up the glass shards. "If you get a good nights rest now, tomorrow I'll see to it that your mother's funeral arrangements are properly taken care of, I'll help you bury Melina and Marika. Then we can have a fresh start, you're only what, seventeen? Eighteen? You've got your whole life ahead of you. Haha, maybe we can find some ice cream when this storm lets up." Finished sweeping, Delilah looked up to Arlo. "What do you say?"

The chair sat empty, Delilah looked up just in time to see the door swing shut.

----

Truth be told, the storm which raged overhead, the piercing winds which threatened to knock Arlo over. It was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his soul.

Holding his right arm to his body, Arlo tried in vain to shield his eyes from the rain with his left arm.

'Where were they?'

Arlo's mother had never allowed him to go near it, but he had overheard conversations about it from the people in the tavern. It was an old barn. The townspeople used to use it to store food and as a refuge for travellers.

But since these Red Sky thugs had come into town, many years ago, they had taken it up as their home.

"Those thugs," Arlo muttered through gritted teeth. "Bastards the lot of them, worth less than the pigs bred for slaughter."

This town used to be prosperous, well, as prosperous as any small scattered town could be since the Bastion fell.

For years the people living here had staved off death, worked the farms during the day and hid from the dangers of the night.

Until they came.

Arlo spat on the floor at the thought.

They'd killed the mayor and then killed anyone who opposed them. At the end of the day, all that was left were the men, women and children who didn't stand in their way.

'The Children.' The pain in Arlo's right arm lit up like a thousand wasps were pricking his skin every second. Looking up into the sky, Arlo's hood fell off as the wind whipped past his head.

Seething, Arlo knew he could just turn back. He was wrong before, the last member of his family was back there. Delilah, his godmother.

The urge to cry was so strong, who could tell the difference between the rain and the tears?

----

"Y'know boss." Propping his legs up on a box, the bald thug held a sandwich between his meaty fingers. He enjoyed the warmth the fire gave as he took a large bite out of his sandwich. "I'm not too sure how much money we'll be getting out of that farmer boy." Bits of the man's sandwich flew out as he spoke, it seemed to be a ham sandwich. "His mother's basically dead and from the looks of it today, he's not too far behind her."

Prodding the fire with his sword, the other man looked up in disgust. "I keep telling you, if you fucking talk with your mouth open I'll gut you like the pig you are." He calmly stated.

Swallowing the sandwich with a gulp the thug moved his feet off the box. Timidly he bowed his head. "Sorry Baion, won't happen again."

Unconvinced, Baion pulled his sword out of the fire. Looking at the hot metal, he looked at his associate. "We'll get what's owed to us. We protect them from the monsters, they provide us with our payment and if they can't… Well, then someone else will take up their role. It's not like they are going to try and stand against us. Not after what happened the day our group arrived here..."

Having taken a bite out of his sandwich, bits of food fell out of the man's mouth as he laughed.

"That's so true boss, it's a pity you weren't here when we first got here. Those fuckin idiots were so happy to welcome us in they never saw it comin-" The bald thug's sentence was cut short as Baion thrust his sword through the bald man's foot and into the dirt floor.

"What did I just say, what did I just fucking say!" Standing up, Baion knocked his chair over as he pulled his sword from the thug's foot. Kicking him square in the chest, the angered Baion sent his associate clattering to the floor. "It was a simple instruction, don't talk with your mouth full and what do you do!"

Other men in their group rushed over to see what all the commotion was about.

One of them put their hands up trying to defuse the situation. "B-boss…"

Looking at them Baion shouted. "What!" Turning back to the snivelling mess on the floor before him, disgust was evident in Baion's eyes. Pointing the still-hot tip of his sword at the man on the floor, he gave them an order.

"Bandage his foot, I happened to have already cauterized the wound. So if it gets infected it'll be your heads."

Watching as they picked the whining man up, Baion huffed.

Rubbing his face with one hand, Baion huffed again.

'How I wish I could just strike that man down. God knows the world would be a better place...' Looking up into the rafters, he chuckled as droplets of water worked their way through the old roof. 'It's a pity my older sis would kill me.'

Flipping his chair back up, Baion was about to prod the fire again when he saw a small bag on the floor.

'That pig must have dropped it.'

Snatching the bag from the floor, Baion opened it. It was mostly empty except for the coins within.

'Must be from the payments today.'

About to drop the bag, Baion saw one more thing. Reaching in he pulled out a small glass bottle, a handful of dull yellow crystals jangled within it as he held it up to the fire.

"Medicine? Why would he have this…" Baion pondered for a moment before remembering the sick farm boy and his even worse-off mother. Pulling the cork stopper off, Baion tapped the bottle against his palm. A single crystal fell into his palm, no larger than your average marble. Putting the stopper back on, he gently placed the bottle by his chair. "Stealing medicine from those who need it… I truly am scum."

Placing the crystal in his mouth, Baion crushed it between his teeth. The crystal shattered, with a few more chews until the crystal had been fully broken down. Swallowing, he felt a slight pain in his body diminish.

"This medicine is shit, this would only work for a First Stage infection and barely for a Second Stage infection…" Baion tongued his cheek.

Sheathing his sword, Baion grabbed the bag of coins. Pulling the hood of his cloak up as he reached the door, Baion yelled over his shoulder as he pulled the door open.

"I'm going out! Be back soon!"

Stepping into the storm, Baion headed into town.