Dystopia Pt. 05

In a flash, Faile's demeanor changed. "Oh? Willing is she? Already talked her way into your bed and wrapped you around her little finger eh?" A loud laugh at his obvious blush and shuffling feet echoed around the brick walls of the smithy. "Fair enough young Jackson. Be careful though, some women are not as innocent as they seem. You may find you've bit off more than you can chew, and find yourself on the other end of the whip. Just treat her well, and keep yourself respectable, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Of course I will," Emil said a little defensively. "Thank Perrin again for the excellent work, and enjoy the mutton. I'm off to the Pony for a nice warm drink."

Faile waved at him and turned back to the anvil and cursed, as the ingot she had been working on was now cold and needed to be refired.

He started out for the Pony, but remembered he had a few things he needed to grab since he was here in town. A quick visit to farmer Wayne's, grabbed him several kegs of various fruits and several bags of seeds for next season's garden. With all the work tending flock last year, he didn't have the time to put into gardening like his mother had and it had died off after a hard frost. He hoped that with Isla and Markem helping out, next year he could revive the garden and be a little more self sufficient.

Wayne was kind enough to let him pay for the goods now, but pick them up later since the truck was on the other side of town. It really was a decent community, with only a couple of black sheep among them. He could tell that the life of the big city had taken its toll on Markem, with his reserved and professional conduct. He wasn't sure exactly what they were like, but he'd been told enough by travelers that cities were full of angry, desperate people, and those that took advantage of them. That didn't seem like it was a worthwhile place to be, and wondered again why anyone wanted to live in such a place.

He was passing by the brothel on the east end of town, when he heard a thump and his head exploded in pain. Screaming in agony, he reeled and fell over into the street dazed. He clutched at his head, and turned to see his attacker only to be hit again. Blackness descended upon him, and his last thought before he passed out was, "why?!"