Something You Needed
Word count: 596
Synopsis:
Chilchuck decides to pay his wife a visit. He can only hope that things will go as smoothly as he hopes.
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It was simple. Chilchuck would walk into the tavern, strike up a conversation with his wife and leave before any harsh feelings were brought up. In hindsight, this seemed like a bad idea. He didn’t want the past to be brought up, nor did he want Julipmei to shrug him off. He just wanted a fresh start. He blamed Marcille for the idea, knowing that she had expressed her desire (multiple times in fact) to meet his family. As much as he enjoyed keeping both his work and personal life separate, he knew that his family would be delighted by the people he surrounded himself with.
He had changed for the better or, well, he hoped so.
He took a seat at the bar, the warmth of the candle resting atop the oak bar top illuminating his face ever so slightly. His fingers tapped against his forearm, a hint of nervousness filling his mind as he eyed up the barmaid he was searching for.
She hadn’t aged a day, at least…that’s how he saw her. Her soft eyes diligently watching each tankard she poured, lips curled into an oh so gentle smile. The sway of her dress when she walked, the laughter that escaped her throat. It was all too familiar to him. He finally felt like he was home. A feeling he hadn’t felt in god knows how long.
“Juls,” He spoke, the words feeling like bile. He didn’t deserve to call her by that name, not now. “I mean, Julipmei?” He was quick to correct himself, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. He wanted to start from scratch, to not pick open any old wounds. “What can I get you, hun?” The realisation that he was treating her like any old customer hit. He took a sharp breath, thinking of a way to play along. To plead for her attention in any way possible without disturbing her work. After all, he didn’t want to be a burden upon her. Especially not now. “Stout,” He paused between sentences, his eyes fixated on her doe eyed stare. Unscathed by the horrors that the world around them hid. “Can we talk?” He placed a few coins on the counter. Not expecting a solid response. “We could,” Her voice was akin to a songbird. One who had never stopped singing, even after her world had come to a halt. Her tone was everything he remembered, her curls hiding splotches of grey underneath her dark locks. She was beautiful, she was everything he had missed. Everything he was missing. “Unless, this is just a one off visit.”
“What makes you think that?” “There’s always another job, Chil. Always another dungeon. It never ends, doesn’t it? It never will end.”
Chilchuck swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. She was right, there was always one more job that needed to be done. One more chest that needed to be picked. One more dispute that needed to be resolved. He took a rather sharp breath, avoiding any forms of eye contact with her.
“I’ve decided to retire, Juls. I figured you’d be the first to know about this.”
The look on Julipmei’s face was one of pure surprise. She didn’t expect to be hit with something like this, especially while she poured a large tankard of stout for him. She clicked her tongue, trying to process just what she had heard. A part of her was glad, thankful that he had decided to value his own life rather than the coin he brought in.
“Could we start over?”
