Chương 36: Fleeing the Scene of the Crime

To my surprise, Lady Talia didn't take me to jail. I'd just killed a man in the street, and instead of laying down the law, she just shook her head sadly. What came was the exact opposite of what I'd expected. After picking up her sword and cleaning it off on her thigh, she hugged me. One-armed, but not half-hearted. It was over almost as fast as it began. She looked me right in the eye.

"You did what you had to do." I'd responded, "Did I, though?" And she said, "Yes. He attacked me with intent to kill. One of the two of us was going to die. If it had been me, he would have gone for you next. You saved my life. And in so doing, you saved your own." Wynnie watched the whole thing, mouth agape. She looked horrified. Horrified and impressed. I was worried she'd see me differently for the rest of her life. Also, in a way, I hoped she would.

Despite the raging emotional turmoil I was feeling, I also felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. In a way, the satisfaction concerned me even more than the turmoil. I'd never killed anyone before. Sure, my wizard character had zero qualms with it, but he was a pompous murderhobo. I was just a well-meaning bartender. I didn't even enjoy yelling at my cat to discipline him. Lady Talia had turned to me once more. She clapped my arm, fixing me with her usually stern gaze.

"Get some rest tonight. Sleep this off. Come see me in the morning. There will be much to discuss." And she left it at that. She about-faced like a military captain and marched back toward wherever she came from, dragging the corpse of Strider behind her by his limp wrist. Slowly, the crowd dispersed. Many people murmured quietly amongst themselves, no doubt every bit as horrified as I was by the outcome of the situation.

A few people gave me silent nods of gratitude, thankful that I'd dispatched one of the town's longtime bullies. A few more gave me dirty looks of disappointment. No doubt, they didn't look forward to the repercussions they knew would come. As far as they knew, I'd just signed them up for retaliation by the feared Black Ship Raiders. But I could barely think about any of that. The only thought on my mind was of Wynderriel, the beautiful elf innkeeper I'd grown so close to over the past several weeks.

My biggest fear was that this would fundamentally change something in our relationship. That she might see me as a murderer. That I'd lose her as a result. I couldn't lose her. I loved her. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend the rest of my life here in this new world, taking care of Wynnie and building a life together. How did she feel about everything that had just happened?

"Wynnie, I'm sorry about this. If you'd prefer that I stay somewhere else tonight, I'd understand." She shook her head.

"Nonsense." She took a step closer to me and reached out for an embrace. I took her hand and pulled her in close. My arms wrapped around her in a bear hug, squeezing the air from her lungs. I hugged her so hard that she squeaked like a dog toy.

"Be careful with me. I'm more delicate than a pirate."

"Sorry. I'm just so relieved. I thought you would think I was a monster." She shook her head in my neck, still unwilling to let go. It felt almost as though she was nuzzling deeper, burrowing into me.

"Are you kidding me? You're like… like a knight from one of those adventure books! Jumping into danger like that? Holy mackerel, Drew, you saved Lady Talia's life!" Her enthusiasm should have made me feel better. It didn't. My hands were shaking against her back.

"I just wish I'd found another way to do it."

"You're a good man, Drew. You may not have wanted things to go that way, but now I know you'll always keep me safe."

"I will. I promise." For as many people who left the scene, just as many stayed. Yet aside from the crashing of waves in distant shores, everything was silent. The sky darkened overhead, letting the first stars shine through. I wasn't much of an astronomer, but I couldn't recognize a single constellation. Although even if I did, it wouldn't have helped. I'd still feel lost. Wynnie tugged my arm and quirked her head back toward the Breakwater.

"Want to head in? Close it down for the night, eat dinner by the fire?" I felt numb and frozen, like I couldn't answer. Finally, I forced a shrug.

"Are you okay, Drew?"

"I just thought here, I'd be better." It wasn't about drinking or taking care of myself. Nor was it about building a life I could be proud of. In fact, I didn't really know what it meant. Just that, even knowing that some Reborn went on to be heroes, I never expected to kill anyone. All I wanted to do was lie down in the street and forget everything. But I still had too much to do. We'd prepped raw fish, and it needed to go on ice. I'd opened a new bottle of ginger beer, and that needed refrigeration, too.

Whatever we didn't put away would spoil. Now that I helped run the place and managed its finances, I couldn't be so careless. Especially not if we took a reputational hit from… well. You know. The murder thing. Wynnie tugged again, this time softer.

"Come on. Let's get some food in you to start. I still have those greasy sausage rolls you wanted." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I was pretty sure they'd taste like the hollow void of nothingness in my heart, but it was worth a shot. We hastily scrawled a sign and posted it on the front door. We'd be closed for the night. That was just one more thing for me to feel bad about.

Not only had I just literally killed a guy, but now the big debut of our menu was put on hold. The recipes we'd developed, the food we'd prepped, the effort we'd put into turning the place around—it was all on hold. The two of us heated up a bit of stew and sausage rolls and sat together by the fire. When we were done, Wynnie held me close, shoving her wooden chair against mine. Countless minutes passed as my inebriation changed from wired and energetic to sad and sleepy.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled again.

"You have to stop saying that."

"I'm sorry."

"You did it again!" I slapped my forehead.

"Dammit, sorry. Sorry." Wynnie grasped my hand and held it tight. She made me look deep in her eyes. The world stopped spinning, literally and figuratively. In that moment, she grounded me. Even with her cool hands, tinged with the remnants of magic, I felt a comforting glow come from within.

"It's not your fault, you know."

"I know. Logically, I understand. But in my heart, I also know that I just killed somebody for the first time. I'm far from home. I'm already dead, in fact. And in my second shot at life, one of the first things I did was kill a guy. It's hard not to feel... I don't know. Bad. It's heavy."

"That's not the first thing you did at all. The first thing you did was promise me you'd do right by me. And you have."

"I might've put a target on the back of the inn."

"Yeah, but the inn wouldn't exist a year from now anyway. It was collapsing. You brought it back to life." I didn't know why I couldn't just let things go. In my RPG, I could handle it. Conceptually, I could handle it. It seemed as though Wynnie and Lady Talia could handle it.

"I just feel unclean, I guess."

"Do you want to take a bath?"

"Yes." Then, remembering what the baths at the Breakwater Inn were like, "No." She flashed a rueful smile.

"I have an idea. Why don't we spend the night at The Good Inn? Their baths are luxurious, and their rooms are much nicer than ours." After a beat, she tried another angle.

"You might just need to get away from where it all went down. Help you process what just happened."

"Flee the scene of the crime. Yeah." I sighed. Wynnie was right.

"A little distance might help with perspective." The walk up the hill to The Good Inn felt longer than usual. Wynnie held my hand the entire way, occasionally squeezing when she caught me staring at nothing. We passed an older woman sweeping her stoop. She gawped at me, then quickly looked away. I couldn't tell if it was from gratitude or fear.

"Don't worry about the people here," Wynnie said softly.

"They'll come around."

"And if they don't?"

"Then screw 'em. You got me, at least." The host of The Good Inn barely blinked when we arrived. Either word hadn't traveled this far up the hill, or our coin spoke loud enough to drown out the news. All we needed was a room and a bath, anyway. Fire magic was a hell of a thing. I had no doubt that Wynnie's powers could run deep. Probably deeper than she knew. With creative application, she would be every bit as useful or as terrifying as a fire mage. But she couldn't do a bath like they could.

No wonder they made such great hotel owners. I laid my head back and slipped further into the water. The heat wrapped around me like a perfect hug. Across from me, Wynnie's legs intertwined with mine. The water was milky with fine bubbles that hid her nude body from view. Steam rose from the surface, overflowing from the side of the tub, almost like the effect of dry ice. Already, the sensation of being existentially unclean was washing off me into the bath. I sank in lower, moving my hands through the water.

For a second, the warm liquid swishing my fingers felt like blood, and I inhaled sharply.

"How are you feeling?" I looked into the milky pool. In the dim light and opaque water, I couldn't see my reflection. I was glad for that. I'm not sure I would have liked what I saw.

"Better, I think. Still working through it."

"Want me to take your mind off it?" I arched a brow.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Maybe it would help to talk about the future. What to do this week. What you'd like to do a month from now. Anything to help you remember that the present will pass soon, and the future's wide open" Smart as always. It was like my mom's favorite saying: "This too shall pass." Whatever I was going through now, it would be different soon. It wouldn't hurt as much. I knew that.

"This week? I'd like to throw our doors open and fill the house." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, sure. Throw yourself into work, then. But I meant, what would you like to do for fun?" The first thing that came to my head was, "You." Fortunately, I wasn't dead drunk anymore. Instead, I looked at the steaming, comfortable room we were in. I could do this again for sure.

"How much does a bath like this cost, anyway?"

"Three copper."

"Ugh. Time to start a slush fund, then. I'm going to need at least one of these per week. Preferably two. Minimum."

"That's a lot to spend on baths. I'm sure we could put our money to better use somewhere else." I shook my head.

"Wynnie, do you know how much we made in the last week? If we get our money from what the pirates owe us, we're talking several gold." Her eyes widened larger than several gold pieces.

"What?!" I nodded.

"Our cocktails, the new look of the inn, the slightly improved décor. It attracts more people and keeps them in longer. They spend more while they're there, too."

"I had no idea," she whispered.

"And just wait until you see how much we're going to make off the new menu."

"You mean the raw fish?" I grinned.

"Yes, but let's not call it that. I think it might be a hard sell if it sounds similar. We can use terms from Earth. Poke. Sashimi. Ceviche." She cocked her head slightly, and a slow smile spread across her lips.

"What?" I asked.

"There's a little life back in your voice." I thought about it. Just talking about the inn and our future had made me feel less awful. My mind was no longer repeatedly replaying the events from the night, and I was sobering up enough not to dwell too heavily. In fact, I could even see all the silver linings. And there were many. I was in a bath with a beautiful, naked woman. I'd saved the day, though I wasn't sure as to the consequences.

Not only that, but I'd suddenly become a person whom the local law enforcement no longer begrudgingly tolerated but might actually begrudgingly respect. Even now, I could no longer picture Strider's face as clearly as before. The look of surprise in his eyes and the weight of the sword in my hand were like dreams fading from memory after waking.

"Yeah, you've helped. Thanks."

"You're in a different world now, Drew. It might take some time to adjust, and I think some things would be difficult no matter what. Just know that I'll be here to help you the entire way. No matter what you think you did tonight, I can see what kind of person you really are." Her lips twisted into a thoughtful pout.

"I think a few people can see that. Even Lady Talia." The crowd hadn't turned on me. At least there was that. And Lady Talia had even hugged me. So there was that, too. Perhaps other people saw me differently than I saw myself. I splashed a bit of water on my face and slicked my hair back. I felt as though I was washing away the old me and embracing someone new.

"And who am I? What kind of person am I underneath?"

"You're a friendly, passionate man from another world. You're the type to own your own failures but share in your successes. Without asking for anything in return, you helped me build my inn back up from shambles." I chuckled.

"I should really have negotiated a wage, huh?"

"A wage? You could have part ownership if you want!"

"You really want to tie yourself to me for the indefinite future?"

"Yes! I mean, yes, if you'll have it. If you'll have me." She looked at me hopefully, the brightness of the flickering candles around us reflecting in her beautiful brown eyes.

"I don't want to do this alone, Drew. I never did. Especially not since I met you." My breath caught in my throat.

"I'll stick with you, Wynnie. I'd love to." With that, she pushed herself toward me, floating through the water in the large tub. She came to rest by my side, nuzzling in. I wrapped one arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. Her chin tilted up as she faced me. Her warm skin felt like velvet against mine. Everything around us faded. There was only us in that moment, plus a whole future ahead of us. I couldn't wait for it to start. I kissed her, and she melted. When we finally pulled apart, she was smiling.

It wasn't her usual bashful smile, but something deeper and more confident. I realized that I was smiling, too. Somewhere, probably, a purple orc was smiling, too. I might've been Reborn as an NPC, but I was on the adventure of a lifetime. And I wasn't doing it alone.