an unexpected guest.

When Alex opened the door he was surprised to find the brothel madam in the hall with a veiled woman standing beside her. "May we come inside?" the madam asked coolly.

"Of course, "Alex opened the door with a gesture.

Both ladies entered and took a seat on the bed. Alex softly closed the door, but didn't leave the frame, instead leaning his back against the study slats. "Not to seem rude, Madam, but even though it's been years since I was last in this sort of establishment I don't think I've ever had the master of the house visit my room before."

"I'm here to talk for my own curiosity, Lionheart, you almost seem like a different man. I wanted to hear about why the change."

"Please, just call me Alex. I left the title Lionheart behind years ago when I got my party killed, and I haven't used it since."

"Does that have anything to do with your eyes?"

"Yes. Part of a demon curse I'm afraid, unless I can find a way to stop the corruption process I'll become a demonic being myself. The price of that glow of glory that used to blind me."

"So your whole party died except for you, but you got a demon curse?"

"Something like that."

"And what's that have to do with my son?"

"He's a guide through the deserts. I need him to lead me to my next destination."

"If you leave in the morning the only place you might go is south."

"Jenida? Yes I'm heading there."

"You need a chaos priest to lead you through...damn, my stupid boy."

"You didn't know that about him?"

"I suspected. He was different when he came back from the desert. He really doesn't belong to this city anymore. Every time he comes back he seems further away than before. I think after I die he'll stop coming to Tut 'Tel all together."

"Maybe, maybe not. We were talking about possibly making some waves in the city over dinner. With a little help he might spend more time here to protect his investments."

"What sort of investments are you talking about with him?"

"The closest thing I have left to family runs a trade guild in Grumen 'Kal. The guild masters both grew up as street urchins and they have a special place in their business for taking in children abandoned to the streets. If I can convince them to expand operations to Tutmanu 'Taliku they might be able to give the slums some much needed hope and opportunity to improve their living conditions."

"And what would be in it for them? Merchants don't move without motivation."

Alex smiled, "They might be a trade guild, but they're not what I would call merchants. They specialize in acquisitions, so merchants come to them for business dealings, rare finds, and their information network. Being a trade guild is more of a technicality than a business model. As for what they would get out of expanding business I don't know, but if I can get them to send a delegation to look would you be willing to meet them?"

"I suppose I can. That'll cost me nothing. But I'm not going to promise anything more than that."

"Fair enough. Was there anything else you wanted to ask me about?"

"No, my curiosity has been satisfied. By the way, this is my assistant Beul, she'll be staying here tonight. She's my assistant, not a whore, so don't treat her like one."

Alex bowed again as he opened the door, "I promised you I'd be a gentleman, I intend to keep that promise."

The madam bowed respectfully as she left, and Alex closed the door softly behind her.

"Beul was it? Mind telling me a little about yourself?"

"I doubt there's any part of my life that would hold interest for a man of your experience."

Alex crossed the room to sit next to her on the bed, "We won't know that until after I hear some of it."

She shifted slightly, neither moving closer nor further with the action, "Well, where would like me to start?"

"How about the beginning?"

She shifted again, "My mother was a whore, she died in child birth with my younger brother, and my brother died too. The Madam took care of me after that, and I've never met my father and I don't know anything about him either."

Alex waited patiently for her to continue, when she didn't he spoke softly, "Well, little known history of mine. My father was a very unimportant noble, my mother was a serf. My father never acknowledged me, or spoke my name in my presence. My half-siblings treated me like like trash and my mother never showed me any kindness even if she also never directly abused me."

Beul furrowed her brows, "That seems a little far fetched doesn't it?"

Alex shrugged, "Maybe, but it's still the truth. I left my father's estate as soon as I was old enough to take care of myself, I've only been back once, partly to snub my older brother with the difference in our station. The estate seemed so small in perspective after becoming famous that I more or less lost all my residual bitterness. I haven't been back, and I have no idea what they're doing now. The family of my birth have no part in my life, so I don't really acknowledge them, I'm sure it's much the same for your father, he's out there but not really someone you think about. Am I right?"

"It's a normal sentiment for the children of whores in this city. I'm sure Raven has mentioned it at least once."

"He did. He claims that his mother knows who his father is but has always refused to name him."

"That sounds like the madam. She's a very proud woman."

"Yet I've never heard Raven speak any ill of her, so I imagine there is much to admire her for as well."

"Indeed. She's not a great woman, but she is admirable all the same."

"I know the type, and I always have room among my acquaintances for more men and women like her."

"Will you tell me about some of these people you know? My list of acquaintances is very small by comparison."

Alex chuckled, "That's part and parcel with growing old and traveling a lot. But those two things can also make it hard to have a family too."

"Do you not have a family of your own?"

"No, I used to talk about it with one of my old traveling companions, but we never did it, we always thought we had plenty of time to settle down and raise a family, but if you wait too long you learn how quickly you can loose the opportunity for a family."

"And there's been no one since that has inspired you to make a home?"

"Well..." Alex's thoughts drifted back to the street, "there is a girl...but it's a little complicated at the moment."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, only issue is that I cannot make her any promises right now. If I can at some point in the future then I might, but she's safer where she's at right now than she would be with me."

"Sounds like quite a woman," Beul got comfortable on the bed, "Tell me about her, please?"

Alex spoke for a while, telling her about the people waiting for him in Grumen 'Kal. As he talked he watched Beul fade into dreamland. Without stopping his storytelling he covered her with a blanket and laid down beside her atop the blankets and drifted off himself.