Night had fallen over the city by the time Mimi acquired the payment for a cleaning job well done - or not so well done. It was lucky indeed that Ambika had managed to secure their payment, even though their cleaning efforts had been partially undone by that rampaging horse. Luckily the owner of the horse had been very apologetic and happy to cover the expense for all the damage his “Jacinth” had done.

The Solars tinkled in Mimi’s pocket and added a comforting weight. At least today’s efforts hadn’t been in vain. As she walked, her mind wandered to all the things she could afford with today’s pay. She had used up some of her potions and would need to buy ingredients to brew a few more. Sol City sadly wasn’t a place where she’d be able to gather the needed herbs herself, but she wasn’t ready to depart the city quite yet. Maybe an apothecary would also have the knowledge on how to make her concoctions more palpable. Yes, new potion ingredients were top of the list. And maybe she had enough coin to afford a room at one of the cheaper inns for a couple of nights. It would be a huge relief to not sleep on the streets for a bit, especially now that the weather was getting colder by the day. Maybe she could even give her clothes a wash if she got a room! They certainly needed it by now... Oh! Or maybe she could get a warm cloak to help her through the colder months instead. That might be more useful than sleeping inside for a few nights.

With her thoughts thus occupied she aimlessly wandered the city streets. She liked this place at night. It was still busy, but in a much different way to the bustling of the day time, the hustling workers replaced by groups of drunk youth’s visiting every tavern they could find. Even with the summer festival gone the night time crowd of the city felt cheerful.

Mimi’s attention was drawn by the most delicious smell she had ever encountered. Her belly rumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since the snack Baird had offered her many hours ago. But... she had food waiting for her in her little hidey-hole. She mustn’t get drawn in by this incredibly yummy, mouth-watering scent... The coin she had earned was precious and she shouldn’t waste it on anything unnecessary. But it was a long way back and hadn’t she worked very hard today? Surely a small snack couldn’t set her back too much. What was the harm on buying a little something for the road?

Being convinced by the desires of her tummy, Mimi set off to follow the smell of yummy food to its source.

    Underneath an arch, within a recess, at the corner of an alley. Truly a crack-in-the-wall location. Yet the open doorway exuded pleasant warmth so dreamy it'd make a revenant stop in for a break! From a fair distance did the sounds of song and chatter pour into the street. A dragonkin stood outside, soaking in the night with puffs on his long pipe. Once he caught a glimpse of the brightly colored gremling, his smile matched the aura of the entrance. He nodded then stepped inside as she approached. Atop the opening was a wooden carving of a prancing lamb embedded into a sign: Jewel of Renewal. A sandwich board stood like devout soldier outside with its own message:

Chef's Special
-Lilicors Gumbo-
XX Solars
~~~
Rooms available!

    Upon getting close enough to read the fine print, the price became clear. It wasn't a surprising amount, but it'd still take a chunk out of the workday's pay. At least it was likely not the only thing on offer.

    Finally, once beyond the narrow threshold, the room could be mistaken as a whole different world than the cold stones outside. On the right was a flutist on a raised cutout, sending soothing waves into the dozen or so jovial patrons. The walls were adorned with aged, yet well maintained armor and weapons of many varieties. To the left was a large semi-circular countertop; behind that was a broad hearth that bathed the room in glow, helped by the candle sconces spread all over.

    An unmistakable silhouette cast a large, faint shadow across the room. From atop a crackling fire was a cauldron. From that cauldron was a ladle drawn. Into a bowl did a hearty helping of stew go. Onto the counter did that bowl get gently placed. Opposite an empty stool, with that mouth-wateringly fragrant bowl positioned, was Baird. He beamed when his eyes took in his fellow cleaner. A moment, then he turned to clean up after a satisfied customer who stepped away. In the corner leaned the dragonkin who studied the room like a foreman.

She took in all the details in the room with wide eyes, noticing the worn but lovingly maintained furniture, the homey décor and most of all the huge cauldron that exuded the delicious smell which had drawn her here. Even so, the cauldron was dwarfed by the huge furry creature working next to it. A wide grin stole over Mimi’s face. There was no mistaking Baird for anyone else. What were the chances for them to run into each other again so soon?

She swiftly darted across the room, clambered onto the stool that had just been vacated and beamed up to Baird, excitement radiating from every pore of her body.

“Baird! I’m so glad to run into you again so soon! I feel awful for not saying goodbye to you properly earlier. My head was still all fuzzy and I only made out about half of what you said and... I’d been rather sad if I’d never seen you again. You are so nice after all!” Although they couldn’t be much more different from each other physically, Baird felt like kin and she was delighted to have met him.

Her tummy rumbled, reminding her what had drawn her to the Jewel of Renewal in the first place.
“Soooo... uh- do you work here? If your cooking is anything like those snacks you offered me earlier, then this place is truly lucky to have you as a cook! But that’s quite a long day for you, isn’t it? You’ve been cleaning with us the whole day and now you are stuck here? For how long? You must be soooo tired!”

At the thought of how exhausted Baird must be, her own tiredness became apparent to her and she led out a hearty yawn, that turned to chuckles towards the end. “I certainly am about ready to doze off right here. Ah, but I came for a little late night snack! Something to give me the energy for the way back... home” Her voice quivered at the last word and she mentally beat herself up for it. She’d been on the road for a while, why would it suddenly get to her that there was no home to return to? Maybe it was the warmth of this place that made her feel sentimental.

Clearing her throat, she forced the smile to return to her face. “Anyway, that special of yours is just a little on the pricey side. Do you offer anything for smaller pockets? Oh and maybe if you have any bug problems Zeke can take care of that for you and it’ll sort out a snack for him at the same time!”

    Baird nodded sagely as he grabs the bowl he poured and places it in front of his friend, insistent. He held up his right hand, "I owe ya, remember?" He listens to her with a dimpled face, moving between joy and naked concern. Looking back, he gave a thumbs-up to the dragonkin, then moved around the counter to sit by Mimi. The dapper fellow catches the sign and takes over the position. "That's Dirk, he owns the place. I don't really work here, but I made an arrangement while I stay. Most of the pay goes to the cook whose shift I am covering. I supply the food, he gives me what would've been the special in return. I take his dish to the next place I go, workers get a paid vacation, business can charge a little extra for the exotic imported dish; winning all around!" Baird flashes an open grin, his horribly mismatched teeth juxtapose the soothing atmosphere.

    The big boar slumps into his arms, his long face taking up almost the whole width of the counter across. With eyes closed and a weary smile, "You're right, though. I'm good for a hard knockout. Sadly I do need to have a day-job to supply my passion." His visible chestnut eye opens as he continued, rolling to meet Mimi, "But somethings gotta give, if you're chasing a dream. Not everyone can travel the world and learn about what it is like to live somewhere unlike anywhere they've been. That's what I'm for." Slowly the eye closes again. Given a moment, it would seem he had fallen asleep right there.

    Quickly, Baird sucks in a deep breath through his more deeply scarred snout, raising himself back up. He pats his cleaning-comrade on the back, "Enough about my silly ways! I'm really glad to see you again too. You came up to a wailing monster and helped without question, you're pretty heroic." His brow soon accented the jovial look with a tinge of worry, "So you've earned my respect fast. If you got a sec, I'd like to hear more about my hero."

At first Mimi wanted to reject the offer, not used to being given anything for free, but her growling stomach swiftly convinced her otherwise. The food was delicious. No, that was too weak a word. It was absolutely heavenly. The meat so tender it just melted in her mouth, the blend of spices both exotic and homely at once, the broth warming her entire being; heart and soul.

“Baird,” Mimi sighed contentedly. “You are a cooking genius. This is incredible. Thank you for feeding me once again! I think they’re short charging you. You should be cooking for kings with how good this stuff is. But, I guess if it works for everyone involved, then it isn’t a bad arrangement.”

She reached up to pat his back, as he slumped over the counter. Her hand looked almost comically small against his huge frame.

“But I understand what you mean... I’m wandering, too, and have to make do with whatever comes my way to get by. I think it’s worth it. Do you? Are you happy with getting to live your dream, even when it’s hard?”, she tilted her head at him curiously. Surprised once again at how similar to each other they are. Though, Baird seems a good bit more successful with his hunt for the fulfilment of his dreams than she had been so far. Ah, but she was still making progress, even if it was slow. That’s all that really mattered.

A deep blush spread across her face and down to the tips of her floppy ears at Baird’s compliment. “Uhh.. n-no way I’m no hero,” she mumbled, embarrassed. “I just want to help people!” Her eyes turned up to him, determined and fierce. “And you are no monster! I don’t care what anyone else says. Sure, you might look a little different, but you have a really kind heart. And that’s all that matters to me. People that judge anyone for their looks, or what they are, are fools.” Her voice grew softer again, after that sudden outburst and she began fidgeting with the spoon in her hand. “And uhm... that’s pretty much all there is to say about me. I want to help people. That’s it... what else do you want to know?”

Mimi's speech is fit to bring Baird to tears. If it weren't for his inner compulsion to be tough, he likely would have. He tried to play it off with a cough and rubbing his tired eyes. "That's, uh.. why it doesn't feel too hard to keep pushing. Thanks for being no fool." 
    
    Resetting the air with a long sniff, he released a hot huff from his spacious nostrils, "Fools. Kings, nobles, aristocrats; they can get on their ships and come to my village if they want this stew." Baird's eyes narrowed into the middle-distance, "The world seems so small to people so big, they lose sight of the little things. Those that appreciate my work the most are those that don't have the chance to see what's out there." His face breaks into a wide smirk as he looks to his guest. It feels incredible for him to explain what matters to him, "If you do to others what you've done for me, you deserve good meals."

    With a hand cupped under his chin, the curious chimera chimed, "I want to know about what inspires you. I was a lucky kid with a community that set me straight. Is it somebody in particular for you or just the world itself drawing you to care?"

“I uh...” Mimi was taken aback by Baird’s question. No one had ever asked so pointedly. Could she tell him about her past? Would he reject her for the things she’d done? She looked up into his eyes questioningly, searching for those answers. He was such a nice person, how could he ever understand the bad things she’d done. But he was also no fool and clearly well travelled enough to know the worse corners of the world. 

Making the decision to trust him she began telling her tale:

“My people call the endless sandy dunes of the desert their home. It’s a harsh life in an unhospitable place. Food and water are scarce and those that control its sources charge exorbitant prices. Yet, those settlements that carved out a habitable space now thrive on trade, exporting spices and old treasures while importing exotic foods and luxuries.” 

Mimi voice was low now, her eyes downcast and her fingers tracing the wooden grain of the bar. “All this to say that it is a great place for a clan of bandits to waylay trade caravans to rob them blind. And we were pretty damn good at it, too... It was brutal business with plenty of bloodshed on both sides, but our raids were successful more often than not. There was no refusing this way of life, though. The only ones who didn’t have to fight were the old and the littles ones. I...” She stared at her hands, the memory of them being coated in blood still seared in her mind, her vision getting blurry. Swallowing hard, she tried to put more lightness into her voice as she continued.

“Anyway, I ended up running at some point. Just couldn’t take it anymore. I always wanted to help, not harm, but that sorta attitude only earned me a beating back then. So I’m trying to become a healer of sorts. Got a good hand for doctoring and my potions are getting better, so I can help those that need it. Though I know I can never make up for the stuff I’ve done...
“And that’s me.” Her attempt at a smile resulted in more of a grimace, as she glanced up at Baird, fearing the disgust she would see in his eyes.

    The man listened patiently. Throughout the tale, his face would turn from worry to pity, to pained. It was like needles were pricking at his heart to hear this revelation. A story of repentance. It was clear to Baird that Mimi was suffering her past, still.
    
    With a quiet voice, so low that it was hard to hear, "I've- seen that look before. My parents had it whenever I asked what their life was like before the Marsh, before me." He made sure not to look away for too long. Wanting to ensure the sincerity was felt, "The fight for survival in the civilized world could take you to savagery deeper than the jungle, mom would tell me. Dad would talk about falling into the 'easy life' got harder to avoid as every other door closed the further he followed. Yet they figured it out." 
    
    Unintentionally mirroring Mimi's attempts at lightening the mood, "Without them trying to change, I wouldn't be here! I can't weigh out and judge pasts and decide if there is a net positive or negative for each of us. Way I see it, whoever you were isn't around to hurt anyone anymore. The Mimi I see here in front of me? Just the kind of person the world needs. That's redemption. That's what matters for the future, justice will only care about the past."

    Believing he put a good point forward, Baird nods with a raised fist propped up on the bar. But before he could get confirmation, a look of surprise bursts onto his face, "Oh! Speaking of your healing!" He (carefully) hurries from his seat back toward the cauldron behind the bar. He makes a guilty smile as he does a quick wave to Dirk for intruding back behind the counter. The dragonkin responds with an exasperated curl of his brow, but he simply returns to cleaning tankards with a shake of his head. Grabbing a few bottles and a couple spice shakers, Baird begins mixing together a culinary compound. After walking over and tapping Dirk on the Shoulder, the cook mutters something to which the owner simply huffs sarcastically with a raise of his hand as if to shoo the intruder away from the workspace. Baird returns to his seat with a smile fit for an artisan's pride.

    "You'd be surprised how easy it is to resolve your taste-troubles. That flavor in your potions, reminded me a lot of butyrellite, bog butter! It is a thing we have at home. To help the young acquire the really funky taste, we use this to give it body. Worst case, I bargained for this little pot of honey, then only the aftertaste will wrench at ya." Finally finished with all his performance, he simply waits to hear what Mimi thinks. About what he said or his potion solution, likely both.

Mimi looked up at Baird with wet eyes. He really was a kind soul. “Well I for one am glad your parents decided to change. Meeting you has been a true blessing”, she wiped away a tear, a small, genuine smile now stretching her lips. “Thank you for not hating me after learning all this, that really means a lot to me. And also thank you for letting me share. I... I’ve never been able to tell that story to anyone. If I’d try to tell my tribe that I didn’t like what we were doing, they’d just laugh at me, or beat me up, or both...” She swallowed hard at the unpleasant memories, tears threatening to spill once again. “But you’re right! There is no point wallowing in the past and every reason to look towards the future. I’m very happy my potions are turning out to be effective and that I could help someone today!
“I just sometimes wish I could be, I dunnno... and elf or something, instead of a stupid magicless gremlin. Could you imagine how amazing it would be to have actual healing magic?! Still, at least potions do have have similar results.”

Realising she’d been rambling, she looked up at Baird to find a surprised look on his face just before he exclaimed about her healing and hurried back behind the bar. Mimi watched him curiously, as he grabbed several items and mixed them together furiously, before returning back to her side. 

When he explained what he made excitement rushed through her at the prospect of improving the horrid taste of her potions. “Do you really think that could work? Oh, what I’m saying, you’re a culinary genius, of course it’ll work.”

She rummaged in her bag furiously, trying to locate the last of her potions between the various bits and bobs, most of it junk, crammed into the small space. Finding what she was looking for, she triumphantly lifted the little bottle filled with amber liquid to the sky before placing it down on the counter top next to Baird’s compound. “How do I use it? Just mix some of it into the finished potion?”

She carefully followed her friend’s instruction on how to add the flavour and started stirring the liquid with a thin spoon from her bag^[1]. At first the potion turned a muddy brown, before suddenly changing to clear and deep red. “Woah! That’s alchemy for you”, Mimi exclaimed, eying the sudden change with surprise. “I... don’t think this should be harmful even if there aren’t any injuries to be healed so... here goes nothing.” She swigged the whole potion with one big gulp, a look of delight soon spreading across her face. “Oh it’s amazing! I actually want to drink it now. Right, you have to tell me exactly how you mix that up, so I can replicate it in the future. If uh... it isn’t a family secret or something”

---

[1] Alchemy Kit

    Family secret. A phrase like a runaway cart considering what Baird had to do to bargain for free passage in and out of the village. Baird's face, still smiling, made a flash of -doubt? -worry? -fear? Something to that effect. He mentally stumbled a tad, but pulled together a response, "Oh! No, no secret recipe. Here, I have you." He took a small inkwell out of a pouch at his side, reached over to take a sheet of papyrus from a shelf, and pulled a lizard's spine out from his ridgeback to use as a pen. Putting that together, he wrote a small note with all the ingredients with relative amounts and application. Taking a small length of butcher's twine, he tied the note to the bottle with care that it doesn't get loose on its own, placing them back before Mimi.

    Baird rested his head on raised knuckles at his cheek. Made good use of the quiet reprieve from the adventurer's burden. His own eyes had begun to gleam in the firelight, tears gently spilling and being lost amongst his forest of fur. Thoughts of bullied innocence and confronting the tragedies that plague the world had this power over the would-be-hardened wanderer. Where the rest of him would ripen into an unflinching battering ram, a spot like mold on an apple would remain a blemishing tenderness. Indifference or cruelty towards those who can't, or won't, defend themselves. However much of this would be conveyed with his reserved words, that is up to the listener to interpret, "You're more my hero for saving yourself. There's relief knowing that some can get away, even when anyone else -when I- am not there to help."

Running a finger down the spine of the bottle gingerly, a wide, happy smile spread across Mimi’s face.

“Thank you Baird. This is amazing. I will treasure it!”

At the sound of his sombre voice and sorrowful words she looked up. The moment she spotted the tears in his eyes her smile fell away to be replaced with a frown of concern.

“H-hey what’s going on?” She reached out with one hand and placed it on his arm reassuringly. “You can tell me, if you want. It helps sometimes to just tell someone... but it’s okay if you don’t want to, too. It’s okay to cry, just let it all out. I’m here for you.”

She offers Baird a warm hug and a shoulder to cry on if he so desires.

    The whole room felt unreal. Like Baird was sitting in a reality adjacent to the one he was working in just some minutes prior. Dirk had started to hear the way the conversation was turning and decided to usher some space and privacy for the two. A malaise crept through Baird like the cold sweat running down his face. The tears cracked his memories out of a rigid frost. Eyes looking into the phantasmal distance, his mind would go far back to dredge up things he'd consciously bottle away for a long time.

    The uncomfortable instant was given life through Baird's words, "It's.. I-um.. I guess to start.. I am truly more animal than man, not a beastman." A statement that might have made as much sense as 'the sky is red.' After a shaky deep breath, he continued, "As a babe, I mean. I was not born looking like this. This-this feral pig that encases me. It is a part of me, but it isn't me. Agh, how can this make sense?" A heavy sigh and both hands wiping 'his' face, "My real self, my old self, was a fluke. Frail, soft, and mismatched. Lucky to live at all. I was a runty, unsightly boy; a bad-job by nature to reconcile a lizardman and a grem, my parents." This outburst was awkwardly paused as shame was reflected off of his face the same as when Mimi told her own story. Though he wasn't afraid of admitting what he was, but who it made him become. 

    The world slowly reappears around him. A readiness took over, the resolve to confess, "The boar was from the fight-pits in Lilicors. Was the only thing my parents could manage without any money.. or, um, using a person. With it, I was able to survive, even became big and strong, as you can see. The elders of my village grant me passage in and out, so long as I help them master sculpting, as I am the best clay they have ever had." This must be the secret that has been eating at him. Yet it is only a part of the answer. There was one last aspect of all this that haunts him every day. He finishes with an expression of pain, "The thing that really eats at me: I know as the boar knows. I'm still in here, as before the rituals, but I can see the life this one lived just as clear as my own. Whoever owned me--this poor thing.. they were not good people. They even sometimes put good people in the pit with him, but only the boar came back out." A hard gulp of air and nerves, "I cook.. in hopes to create a fake dragon to match the one I have never even chased myself." 

    After that explosion of repressed information, the relief swept through in a way that brought a tinge of guilt. It felt like the end of a marathon for Baird, who was left breathing heavily. As it all sunk in of what happened, he suddenly felt compelled to hide his face from the little woman that so graciously offered her ear, only to hear of such inhumanity.

A deep, sorrowful crease appeared between Mimi’s brows as she listened to Baird’s tale. Tears built and fell freely down her cheeks as she witnessed the deep pain within her friend. How deeply he must have buried all this within him, for it to come exploding out like this. She opens her mouth, but no words come out of her throat. What could she even say to this? No words could ever be enough to make this better.

As he hid his face in his hands a small sob escaped her throat. She lurched out of her seat and embraced Baird, pressing her face into his broad, furry chest, her short arms not even reaching half way across his middle.

“I’m so sorry this all happened to you”, she chokes out between sobs, now fully gripped by sorrow. “I can’t even begin to imagine how awful all this must have been for you. And my heart’s breaking for you. I am so, so sorry that the world as a whole has just utterly failed you and then left you to deal with the consequences.
“And while I know what it feels like to be an outcast, I’d be lying if I said I understand what it feels like for you.” Sure, gremlings weren’t the most loved race in Charon and even among her own people she had never quite fit in, but Baird’s situation was entirely different. She pulled back a little and blinked up at him through her tears, trying to see him not as her lovable friend, but in the way the world might see him, so she could get a better idea of the hardships he must have faced. What did people say when they saw him? Did they call him an animal? A monster? Did they pull back in fear at the mere sight of his unusual appearance? By the sound of it he was unique even among his own people. Had he been ostracized so much that he had begun to wonder these things about himself? Been called a monster and an abomination enough times that he’d begun to think those things of himself?

New tears welled in her eyes at all the implications and she smushed her wet face into his fur once again, shaking her head in denial. This all wasn’t fair.

There were so many things she wanted to say. So many things she wanted to tell him, to reassure him, to make him feel better. But she just couldn’t find the right words. Nothing seemed adequate. Eventually, the words began just tumbling out of her, her face still pressed against his chest. It was all a bit disordered and all over the place and at points she’d mumble so much it would be hard to understand what she was saying at all. But it would have to do.

“Even with everything that happened to you... that happened to both of you... It sounds like you had plenty of opportunities and excuses to go down a pretty bad path. And yet here you are, filled with kindness and bringing joy to people through something you’re really passionate about instead. And all that even, though those people probably treat you awfully when they first meet you. Their fear of the unknown getting the better of them until they get to know you. Doing that, when there is a literal part of you that is pushed to rage and violence from the pain and hardship it suffered... That must take such incredible strength. Even if it isn’t always perfect, even if there are times where you struggle or stumble. You’re still you Baird. You are proving that you are. Right here in this moment. And I am so damn proud of you.”

    What could Baird do but return her embrace with a broad hand over her shoulders? Few had the curiosity or courage to connect to the wishful giant. Even as Mimi was so small, her hold felt like Solaria's forgiveness warming his whole frame. This is a moment that would stand like a pillar of immaculate marble burdened with Baird's flaws. If Mimi believes in him, then how could he let himself fall apart? No better proof out there that doing better means something. Reason enough to always choose to be a man over a monster.

    This unique legacy of the Sickleclaw bloodline wept like a donkey, as if the words spoken to him pressed the catharsis from his heart. Why does the world have so many miserable? Through both fate and action do more arise each day. But one saving grace: nothing has to stay the same. Healing is just as real as hurt. Here, luck ensured two could confront themselves and discover empathy where they thought none could be. 

    A time long enough to let everything out came and passed, as moments do. The once bright flame under the cauldron had dimmed. Baird wondered at how so much feeling could emerge and flow like it did. It was as though the world had but one purpose: to harbor the expression of their grief. The thought came from disbelief, not selfishness. Yet that purpose melted away as a resolute zen replaced the seemingly endless font of tears. The only thing left was the march of minutes as the fast-friends sat alone in such a large space.

    Baird turned his wayward, pensive gaze down to the small one, "Thank you, Mimi.. I think I really needed this. You are so much more than you give yourself credit. More than anything right now, I hope we see each other again someday, even if our journeys take us so far and through a great deal. Really, there are no more words I can think to say." He'd sniffle and wipe his face with a dinner cloth. There is an unspoken power, just as incredible as the finest magics, in how living things can build unwavering bridges in such a short time. Even if they knew each other only a day, Baird considered Mimi closer than many he knew back home.

    Deep night had drenched the outside in sable. The combination of the emotional aftermath, the long day, and the comfort he felt sitting beside someone he trusted had taken all the energy he had left in every way. His body, mind, and soul implored rest. So much so that he'd doze off sitting upright once they finished this last exchange. Slowly his unconsciousness would drift towards a comfortable position atop the counter.

    Whether Mimi wakes Baird or not, Dirk would return at the lack of noise and offer booths and blankets each for the hard working pair. Without much vacancy, it is the most he could give. It is likely better than the cold cobblestones outside at least. Baird would graciously accept and fall fast asleep along a few rows pushed together into a makeshift bed big enough for him. He'd pause at any point should Mimi have more she wanted to discuss or open up, the call of the Sandman simply not strong enough to beat Baird's respect for the gremling.