Chapter 5: Sleepy time tea.

  Augusta was already sweating, She had been at work for the better part of an hour and Sam was no where to be seen. Augusta had long brown hair that curled slightly as it flowed down her sweat beaded head. It bobbed about as she moved the boxes ready for delivery to the back door, sorting by order number. She was checking off another order number as she heard the service bell. She picked up the next box in line, this one full of creeper claws, and shouted back, “one minute!” This box was heavier than the rest. Unfortunately she had to set this one closest to the door on the far side, which meant she had to walk around the rest of the boxes already laid out to reach the other side. She had to pause her trek to slowly kick a cylinder to the side that was blocking her path… It was an empty bottle of wine. “Damn it Sam!”

  A while later she sat at the swivel chair in the back, checking off the last of the boxes. She hummed to herself as she bit on the end of the pen overlooking her work. ‘what’s next?’ she thought to herself. She checked the pickup schedule on the next page. She still had some time before the first carriage would arrive. ‘Let’s see if we have any mail’ she thought as she got up and placed the booklet down. She walked to the front of the office. There was a mail slot next to the door that had a box the mail would drop into. She flung the door open with practiced ease as she made her way around the counter tops, Ducking under the opening to the side, she rounded the desk. She came to a complete stop. There was a man sleeping on the couch. His skin seem to pulsate a golden light. Only now did she remember the bell going off a while ago. ‘How long has he been here?’ She wondered.

  Augusta cast identify on him. “???” was the only thing she could see floating over his head. ‘He must be new to town.’ Augusta wasn’t very high in level as adventurers go. In fact of the guild she was the lowest level member in town, which is how she got regulated to desk work, which she had to admit she was only passable at. But here she was holding down the fort while her brother, Sam, boozed it up missing his sweet Penelope while her group went out monster hunting. He didn’t usually get like this, but things had changed yesterday. He worried she had been eaten by a creeper or stepped into a pit of hissing fangs, or any other crazy mishap he could come up with. Sam was the best at running the place normally… But not today. Penelope had promised to be back by dinner last night. When that didn’t happen he freaked. Augusta lamented her brothers plight as she watched this stranger sleep.

  The mail either hadn’t come or they didn’t have any today, the box was empty. She looked back at the sleeping man and sighed, “I guess I will go put on some tea.”

  ---

  On her way back from the tea shop Augusta saw Sam stumbling his way towards the guild. “Here, grab my shoulder. I got some tea. Also, we have a guest, someone new to the city.” Augusta leaned in, close to Sam. He grabbed on to her shoulder just in time to prevent a stumble from turning into a fall. “I couldn’t get a read on him, so he might be pretty strong. Maybe we should sign him up, what do you think?” Augusta tilted her head to get a read on her brother. Sam walked with his eyes closed in an attempt to force the dizzy away. He somehow managed a nod. “Lets try to be quiet when we walk in, the poor guy was tired and passed out on the couch. When he wakes we will make a proper introduction. Do you think you can be ready for that? Put on that old Guild masters charm?”

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  Sam shook his head no, but otherwise seem to ignore her.

  She put the tea set on the desk with a skilled ease. Then plopped her brother on the opposite couch from the stranger. She poured herself a cup and added a cube of sugar before turning around to watch the two sleep. ‘This is my life now, is it?’ She thought. She leaned back on the desk shaking her head.

  ---

  Cam was sitting on a rock overlooking the bass pond next to his uncles farm. Watching his uncle toss breadcrumbs to the ducks. Cam knew this memory. He was eight, his mother had dropped him off a few days before. Cam hadn’t really liked the farm. He had only been there for a Christmas or thanksgiving before, and never liked walking around outside. His cousin didn’t even have a Nintendo. Cam was angry, he didn’t even know why he was still there, it wasn’t even a holiday.

  “Listen Cam.” his uncle said. He kept talking but he never turned around, he just kept feeding the ducks. “There will be times when life will toss all it’s trash your way. It will seem like the whole world is out to get you. I know what that feels like. It seems you do too… You have been here for a few days and you don’t know why, I get it. You didn’t ask to be here. Hell, we didn’t ask to have you, but here you are. I think, if you can believe me, this is a good thing. Maybe we will finally get to know each other. I remember the first time I had a chance to go into the city and see you, you were already walking by then. As soon as I came through the door you hid behind your mothers leg. That cautious look you threw my way stuck with me. Every time I have seen you since you still hold a level of uneasiness around me. But I guess that’s on me for being too busy to spend time with you beforehand.”Cam’s uncle sighed

  Cam held his arms tight, “That’s not it.” little Cam said. “To me, you looked very strange. Like a monster. I mean, there you were, a man with the face of my mother. It almost felt like a nightmare. It still does. I want my mom but every time I look up I see you, standing there with my moms face. Why?” Little Cam glared at his uncles back, anger squeezing out with every word.

  Cam heard his uncle laughing at him. “That’s called genetics, kid. We have the same parents. If you had a brother or sister they would look like you too.”

  Little Cam stood up and stomped his foot down, “That’s not true! My friend Armin and his sister look nothing alike. Neither does his brother. They all look different.”

  Cam could hear his uncle laugh harder. “Listen Cam, Armin’s parents adopted him and his siblings, they aren’t related by blood. We are. Even though they are being raised by the same parents they were not born from the same parents, there is a difference. How about this Cam. When we get back into the house, I will show you all the pictures of me and your mom when we were kids. How does that sound?”

  Cam perked up, “You have pictures of mamma when she was a kid?”

  “I sure do. And a few of your dad from high school. How about it Cam, do you want to see them?

  Cam sighed, “Ok…”

  “Then, how about you help me feed these ducks so we can head back in?” He said while passing back a basket full of breadcrumbs.