A Broken Drunkard

A few days had passed since then, and our hard work of harvesting wheat was paying off.

The doughy scent filled the air as my hands attempted to knead the bread dough with all my strength. She had only shown me briefly how it worked before leaving me alone in the kitchen while she went outside to check on the laundry.

"You put in the yeast, right?" she called out from the back door while I kneaded away, absent-minded.

"You mean the fermented grapes? That's yeast?"

"Oh... yeah. I guess you're not really a chef, huh?" she giggled as I stopped kneading to take a look at what I had created so far: a lump of dough that was as sticky as glue. "You need more flour to work with this stuff."

"I see."

"Oh! And remember not to let it sit too long or it'll become too dry. You need to cover it up with something." She leaned into the doorway, wiping away a stray lock of hair that fell on her forehead. "After a while, we can bake them."

I nodded silently and resumed kneading away at the dough. It was hard work; I had to keep my fingers moving constantly to prevent them from sticking to each other, but eventually, I managed to shape it into a smooth ball.

"Strange," I muttered.

It used to be a rough mess of wet and sticky stuff, but now it was almost too soft not to stroke. Could I ever change as it did? What a strange thought.

Agnes came back in with an armload of laundry as I finished kneading and preparing the dough. She set it aside in a bowl before beginning to wash it with her soapy hands, humming a quiet tune as she scrubbed away.

"Agnes, there is someone I need to speak to?" I asked, leaning back against a table and gazing out the window at the scenery outside.

She paused her washing and turned around to glance at me before nodding lightly in response. "What's up?"

"I need to speak to the man who saved me from the village."

"Oh, you want to thank him? Of course you do," she chuckled.

I looked back at Agnes for a moment, then back outside. "No. I was thinking about going with him."

"With him?" she asked, her voice sounding surprised.

I nodded.

"Why? Do you know him?"

"Not really. But he saved me, and if I follow him, I might get to save other people," I answered quietly as my fingers curled around the edge of the table, gripping it tightly.

"I suppose it'd be better than staying simply staying here. It's great that you found your purpose, Aleratha—especially after everything that happened."

"Then I'd better get going. It's getting dark, and I need to find him first."

She gave me a gentle nod and turned to the kitchen where the dough rested.

***

It was just past the twilight hour when I stepped into the tavern, arms swinging easily by my sides as my eyes wandered over every corner of the room. There were a few patrons scattered throughout, some sitting at tables drinking their drinks while others leaned over the counter and talked in hushed tones. Some even played cards while a band was playing a rousing tune in the corner.

"Hey! Who are you?" a gruff-looking man dressed in leather asked with suspicion as he raised his hand in warning. "You aren't old enough to be here, are you?"

"I'm looking for someone. A man named Joacim. I need to speak with him," I replied.

The barmaid behind the counter glanced over her shoulder to look at him curiously before turning her attention back to wiping down the counter. "Joacim? He is over here, but his taking a nap from drinking so much booze. I don't know what you need him for, but he definitely won't be thinking straight."

"Hey, kid, make it quick," the man sighed. "If they find out some underage kid is here, they'll take away my license to serve drinks."

I nodded silently and walked up to the bar, passing the barkeep on my way, and saw Joacim lying asleep on a nearby chair. He snored lightly as I perched myself on the side of his head with my legs dangling off the chair, toes just barely touching the floor.

"Excuse me?" I called out softly, tugging on his ear gently. "Could you wake up? It's me. You saved me back then."

He coughed slightly as his eyes fluttered open. His irises were golden like mine, and they rolled around in confusion as he gave me a suspicious stare. "Oh, you... You-you're the girl from the hospital," he hiccuped. "Sorry you have to s-see me like this... Why'd you come?"

"I need to speak with you," I responded quietly. "It's about being an adventurer."

"Oh really, then you..." he trailed off for a moment, blinking rapidly as he gazed at the half-empty glass sitting on the table. "Then you've co-come to the right place."

"I want to be an adventurer like you. To save people, as you did to me," I explained, shoving him roughly to try and get him to sit up.

"Ahhh, how heroic," he mumbled, immediately falling back to a lying posture. "That's what I wish... I could say, but the only reason I became one was that I had nothing left in this world. Nothing at all."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I... Didn't I tell you I had a daughter your age?" he tried to sit up again, looking down at the bar. "Well, not anymore. Both she an-and my wife died a year ago. Somethings I like to think that they are watching me, fr-from heaven... but they probably hate me. I was... I was so mean to them," he collapsed into a fit of sobs, his shoulders shaking with each one. "I was never meant to be a father."

I took a moment to let his words sink in before I spoke. "Sorry."

But by then, he had already fallen back into his stupor again.