Last Customer

*Section Written by Hunter*

            The rest of the day proceeded just like any recent day except for one large difference. Sitting in the corner of the room sat Silver, mug of freshly poured honey mead, and her gaze lost to the beautiful summer’s day that set just outside the window. As I worked through the day, tending customers, pouring drinks, cleaning the bar, I took numerous glances over towards her just to make sure that she was really there. I had to rub my eyes multiple times to make sure it was no longer a phantom image sitting at the table that I found that still warm beverage those many spans ago. I found myself crack a smile every time I glance over at her. There were even multiple times where the customer I was tending to at the time asked what it was that returned such a smile to my face. Feeling rather embarrassed to tell truth, I played it off to the cheerful weather that we were blessed with.

            The same routine continued throughout the day. Pour a drink, glance over at Silver. Clean the bar, glance over at Silver. Cook a meal, glance over at Silver. There were multiple times that I saw she had some company at her table and some guys tried to strike up a conversation with her. She would smile and listen but I saw that her emerald eyes were very distant. Truly not indulging in any one of their conversations but instead lost in her own deep thoughts. I almost found my smiles a bit wider knowing this little fact. But it also gave me butterflies.

What was it that she was thinking? Where had she been? What am I gonna say to her when I get to talk to her again? Multiple questions danced around my own head, interrupted only by the constant flow of customers that come into the store. Well at least I knew one thing was for sure, I was going to give her what I’ve wanted to since the day she left.

            The day proceeded on almost somewhat slowly, but eventually it came to closing time. The last inebriated customer was lead out the door with his companions. I quickly finished up my closing time tasks and found Silver still sitting at the same table, watching the early summer bright beetles. I decided to leave the front door unlocked and the fire still burning as I made two cups of herbal teas. With both mugs in hand I finally made my way through the empty tavern to where Silver sat at her table. “Those bright beetles sure are pretty, aren’t they?” I said as I softly placed one of the mugs in front of Silver. I saw a small smile of agreement escape the corner of her mouth as I sat down in the chair across from her.

An uneasy quiet settled between us as we sat at the table. Only the crackling sound of the burning hearth and the muffled night time sounds of outside were there to fill the void of words. I told Silver that was needed to talk, and that was the truth. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted to say, but now that were here and I sat across from her that my throat refuse to open. Word that were flying around my head not able to find their way out of my mouth.

“I have something for you” the sound of my voice seeming to break Silver’s trance outside. She looked over at me and with a soft expression, “oh?” I nodded and reached into my shirt pocket and dangled a chain in front of Silver for her to see. It was a small chain necklace with links so expertly woven together, when you run your fingers along the length of it, it felt as if it were a single strand of malleable metal. Hanging from the apex of the necklace was a pendant. It was a small piece of iron molded into the shape of an ingot. On the front face of the ingot was inscribed a bent spiral surrounded by a ring of miniscule runes. “Hold out your hand” She held out her hand and I gently laid the necklace into Silvers palm. To her surprise, the iron ingot was surprisingly warm and under closer inspection, the spiral and runes glowed a pretty light blue. Silver stared at the glow, it strangely leaving a sense of comfort and peace inside her just from the sight of it. “I am far from being a master Arcanist,” I started, breaking Silver’s trance from the pendant, “but I managed to inscribe that pendant with a Homeward enchantment. If you leave, all that you need to do is to face the direction of the Iron Hearth and it will glow with color and a soothing warmth. It’s your own personal Hearth Stone”

Silver smiled as she looked back down at the handmade necklace. It was then that she realized that the pendant was the same exact symbol as the one on the sign that hung out in front of the tavern. Almost being able to see the realization on her face I continued, “That is your own personal piece of the Iron Hearth…” I paused and looked down at my hands wrapped around my mug of now luk warm tea, “… of your home.” Silver gently curled her fingers around the necklace and looked up at me sitting across from her. “Hunter… I… I don’t know what to say.” 

I shook my head with a smile. "Don't say anything. Just take it as a token of apology and in understanding that you are welcome for as long as I live and breathe"

Author's Note

WARNING: Neither this chapter nor any of the future ones have been or will be edited as they are purely made for fun and are made with no stops or rereading or forethought. Thus we are aware there are spelling and grammar errors.