"Has the body been recovered?" A man wearing fancy clothes with a signet on his jacket asked as he looked at Lyle from across the desk. Lyle shook his head as he looked at the ground. "And Rune?" The man asked.
"He's been missing since the day after..." Lyle responded with a grim tone.
"And I take it Minerva is still trying to come to terms, yes?" He asked. Lyle nodded. "I see. I need you to be here tomorrow, the troops are demoralized, we can't let them lose hope." The man said as he adjusted his sitting position a bit.
"But... I can barely..." Lyle said with a shaky voice.
"I'm aware, but hearing the guardian from the hero's party say something inspiring... It would raise the spirits of many of our men." The man said with a gentle tone.
"I just... Don't know if I can..." He said as his eyes began to water. "First... Rowan died, then Minerva... She just shut down... And now, what? Rune's missing? How could I deliver a speech of hope, when I don't have any?" Lyle asked as he tried to choke the tears, to no avail. The man sighed.
"Lyle, I understand what it's like to lose people in that way. That's why I'm telling you, the best way to deal with it is to move forward and try to maintain what they left behind." The man said.
"I just need some time... Okay?" He asked as tears began to fall from his face.
"Okay. I still need you here tomorrow, though. Even if I afford you time, the world doesn't." The man responded with an understanding tone. Lyle nodded slightly, then stood up and exited the room.
"Miss... Please, open your mouth, at least..." A maid said as she held a spoon of broth next to Minerva's mouth as Minerva looked at a wall blankly, unblinking and unmoving with an empty look in her eyes. "You haven't eaten for days... Please..." The maid begged. After a few moments, a single tear rolled down Minerva's cheek as she slowly looked at the maid.
"Please..." She said hoarsely. "Leave." She finished with a pained expression, then went back to her original position and expression. The maid placed the spoon down, then took a step back as she shook a little.
"Okay..." She said with teary eyes. "I'll... I'll leave..." She said as she stopped herself from shaking, then turned around and slowly exited the room.
A man dragged down Rune's hood, then laughed a bit. "Fancy seeing you here, the masked friend of the hero, the man that betrayed his home, his family, and this fine establishment." A man said as he made grand motions towards his surroundings. Rune ignored the man and took a drink from his glass.
"So, you just gonna ignore Hawk?" Another man asked as he walked up to Rune, getting into his personal space. Rune put his hand in his pocket, making the eyes of the man that approached him follow the path his hand took. He then grabbed out some silver coins and placed them on the counter, chugged his drink, and exhaled loudly.
"I need information. If you get it, you'll get more than what's on the counter." Rune said crudely.
"That so?" The first man, Hawk asked. "And what makes you so believable?" He continued.
"If you'd rather not take my... Kind offer, then I'll take my leave." Rune said as he stood up. Hawk put his hand on rune's shoulder pushing him back into his seat slowly.
"Hey now, I didn't say I was uninterested. Why don't you go ahead and tell me how much you had in mind?" Hawk said. Rune glared at him.
"I'm not some street rat you can beat into submission." Rune said.
"Really? Because that seems to be how I remember you." Hawk said with a laugh as he looked around the bar, a few others laughed a bit. "Now, tell us, how much did you have in mind?" He said with an intimidating tone. Rune sighed.
"More than you'd make from your usual job." He said tersely.
"That so? And, uh, you gonna pay upfront?" He asked.
"Only if you can guarantee you have what I'm looking for." Rune responded with a gruff voice.
"And tell me, what are you looking for?" Hawk asked.
"Hawk, you sure about this?" The man that approached Rune asked.
"He may be a dirty traitor, but he's still a customer." He said. "Isn't that right, Deadeye?" He asked Rune as he got in his face a bit.
"A customer is always treated, so long as they have the coin, right?" Rune asked through his teeth. Hawk laughed.
"Yeah, that is the case." Hawk said. "So, what is it you're looking for?" He asked as he sat on the stool next to Rune's.
"I'm looking for a ruin. Supposed to be some kind of ancient temple to some unknown gods." Rune said.
"And how much you paying up?" Hawk asked. Rune grabbed a small pouch from his waist and placed it on the counter. Hawk took a look inside the bag, then smiled. "Charger, fetch someone that knows something about it." He said to the man on the other side of Rune.
"Right..." He said hesitantly, then walked away.
"And while we wait, why don't we get reacquainted, Deadeye?" Hawk said as he turned his focus to the black-haired man that is Rune.
"We can start with names. Call me Rune." Rune said. Hawk laughed.
"That so? They get you to turn on us, then change your name, huh?" He asked as he laughed some more. "Alright, Rune, you can keep calling me Hawk." Hawk said with a broad smile as he stifled a laugh.