SCARS

Virtuous Vermin

The Last Drop was quiet, bathed in the soft light of early morning. Powder, Mylo, and Claggor were already seated around a rickety table in the bar area, half-eating, half-bickering over the meager breakfast that had been thrown together.

Mylo, as usual, was less than thrilled with the morning meal. "I swear, this stuff could be used to patch up the walls," he grumbled, poking at his plate with a fork. "What even is this?"

Claggor, who was wolfing his down without complaint, shrugged. "You eat what you can get, man. Food is food."

Powder giggled from her side of the table, swirling a spoon through her own plate. "You're so picky, Mylo."

Mylo scowled at her. "I'm not picky. I'm just... discerning."

Just then, the heavy wooden door creaked open, and Vander stepped into the room, his large frame casting a shadow as he walked in, wiping his hands on a rag. He surveyed the scene with a casual air, but there was something about the way his eyes flicked around the room—searching for something, or rather, two certain someones.

"Mornin," Vander greeted, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the head of the table. He grabbed a slice of bread from the table, not really eating it, just fiddling with it between his fingers. He cleared his throat. "Anyone seen Vi or Calypso this morning?"

Powder perked up immediately, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Oh! They were up late last night. I think they're still sleeping."

Mylo, who was not unused to Vander's early morning prodding, groaned loudly, dropping his fork with a clatter. "Ugh, really? We're doing this now? Can we just... not?"

Claggor grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, come on, Mylo. You were all ears last night, gossiping like an old granny when they showed up late."

Vander leaned back in his chair, his broad arms crossing over his chest as he studied them all carefully. His expression was casual, but there was a tension lurking behind his eyes, something that told them this wasn't just small talk. He cleared his throat again, looking directly at Claggor.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't just 'late,'" Vander said, his voice dropping lower, more serious. "I caught them coming in at around 3am last night. Didn't get much out of 'em about where they'd been." He let the sentence hang in the air, his eyes flicking between Powder, Mylo, and Claggor, watching for any sign that they might know more.

Vander shook his head when no one spoke up, his brow furrowing just slightly. "Not a damn word of explanation. Just went straight to their room. Didn't seem eager to talk about it."

Claggor frowned, leaning forward a bit. "You think something happened?"

Vander shrugged, his tone casual but his gaze sharp. "Don't know. But I'm telling you kids now—whatever they were up to, I don't want to catch the rest of you sneaking out late like that. Understood?"

Vander's gaze remained steady as he gave his warning, and without missing a beat, the three of them responded in unison, voices overlapping in a hurried, slightly nervous chorus.

"Understood,"

"Yeah, we know,"

"Of course!"

Powder, Claggor, and Mylo all shared a quick glance, realizing they'd spoken at the same time, before falling into an awkward silence. Vander raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed but amused at their eagerness to reassure him.

Vander rose from the table then, looking them over with a mixture of fondness and exasperation. Then, with a sigh, he ruffled Mylo's hair as he passed by. "Just keep yourselves out of trouble, alright? And when you see Vi, tell her to come see me. We need to have a chat."