Chapter 190 A Dwarf
A stout, rugged man stumbled through the door, looking hungover. From Tristan and Rey's earlier reactions, it seemed that it was not unusual to see him drunk or to witness the consequences of his drinking during the day.
Aleshia leaned in to whisper to Em, the person she knew best, in search of answers. "Is this guy safe to be around? He isn't going to try anything with us?" Concern laced her voice.
Em shrugged and said plainly, "The guy is safe enough. He definitely won't try anything with us; he mainly slams the door open to keep out anyone he doesn't know or doesn't want around. If he did do anything to us, we can go to Daniel. It is also why we typically go outside in groups of four to six, ensuring we always have one or two runners capable of carrying back any vulnerable members of the group.
"Ah," Aleshia nodded in slight understanding. Lucia also nodded, though her gestures went unnoticed.
With a slight grimace, Rey asked, "What can we do for you?"
Surprisingly, contrary to Aleshia's expectations, the man sounded rather cheerful despite appearing as if he had drunk too much. "Eh, I think all you need to do is clean up the kitchen and the liquor room," he said. Quietly, he added, "If you can handle some of the open bottles, I'll let you have a few sips." Then, the man laughed heartily.
When Tristan received what looked like part of the payment, he waved Aleshia and the group over. As Aleshia ascended the uneven, cracked stone stairs to the house, she passed the man and noticed that he had an astounding beard. He was also much shorter than she had expected from seeing him from below. As she stared at the man, he began to fidget. "You haven't seen a dwarf before, have you?"
"A dwarf?" Aleshia responded, her voice questioning as she tried to recall the meaning of the term from her scattered memories.
"Heh, I guess young buggers haven't seen many other—" He paused mid-sentence to check Aleshia over. "You don't look like one of those kids from Daniel's little sanctuary." Then, as if it were intentional, he belched long and loudly right at her.
Aleshia was surprised and could smell the alcohol coming from him. Despite her bewilderment, she tried to understand the reasons behind his behavior. Concluding, she stood her ground, recognizing this as a challenge. She endured the situation without shifting from her spot.