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(Y/n) had his hands shoved in his pockets as he made his way to the tavern, trying his very best to ignore the whispers he heard around him.

The town had been pretty vocal ever since his impromptu return... though, the things they had to say weren't too nice.

All he ever heard anymore was "Arthur" this and "homewrecker" that, almost as if he was the one to string the bastard along... it was getting on his damn nerves! Unfortunately, Arthur's charisma outmatched his own. No one would believe a word he said to the contrary.

Arthur wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. He thought that forcing (Y/n) into this hopeless situation would get him both a housewife and a side piece.

Well, (Y/n) was over it. He may be living under Arthur's roof, but they were no item. Never again.

The tavern was practically empty when he entered, the stage dark and barren. The few tavern goers present stared at him as he sat down at the bar.

"Back again? I thought you wanted to get out of this town for good."

The publican, a grouchy old man who used to berate (Y/n)'s father for drinking the sorrow away instead of searching for his missing wife, was glaring at him.

"Oh right, I forgot that you're here to ruin a perfectly good marriage. Your mother would be ashamed, just rolling in her grave at how you turned out."

"Give me the strongest drink you've got..."

(Y/n) ignored his harsh words. He wasn't in the mood to argue with a literal fossil, especially not one that would dare insult him using his dead mother.

(E/c) pools locked onto the overflowing bulletin board absolutely covered in missing persons papers. (Y/n) distantly wondered if his mother's was still on there, buried under layers upon layers of new ones.

His mother, the late (M/n) (L/n), was said to be the bravest woman to ever live in Ensborg. She lived and breathed danger, yet always came out on top...

(Y/n) wished he had gotten to meet her. He longed to be just like her, but he didn't have guts like hers... he couldn't even face the man who had lied and taken advantage of him.

When she first disappeared, everyone assumed the old daredevil had simply wondered off on yet another one of her crazy adventures. His father wasn't too pleased with being left alone to care for a newborn, but (M/n) was a free spirit to the end.

Her body was found in the lake a few months later. (F/n) lost his mind after that, doing everything in his power to get the hell out of there.

(Y/n) barely flinched as the publican practically threw a tankard of alcohol at him. It burned on the way down, but he could slowly feel his worries melting away with each sip.

The bell above the door rang, signaling a new arrival, but (Y/n) couldn't care enough to look up from his glass... not even as the newcomer made their way up to the empty stage.