Chapter 4: You said you are no fool

Filarion was in the bushes outside of Johnny's house. Most times, the tank came to the Elathana estate to rest, his house being neglected. Now, the lights inside were on, and smoke was rising from the chimney.

Filarion bit his lower lip. He loved Johnny. He knew that with a bitter certainty. Yet, Johnny had broken his heart. Still, Filarion was going to forgive him, if the tank simply saw sense.

When night fell, Filarion took out the tuna can from his bottomless bag, and neared Fluffs. The cat purred as she saw him. Filarion grinned at the girl, and placed the can down on the grass, so she could take some of the fish.

Fluffs speared a piece of fish on her claws, and ate it. Filarion smiled, and reached out to pet the oversized cat. Then, the door opened, and Johnny appeared in the doorway.

"Who is there?" The tank asked, and Filarion wanted to curse.

"Your little leaf," Filarion said, after a minute of tense silence.

"Filarion, back away from Fluffs," Johnny growled. The cat looked between her master and the man she remembered giving her fish on more than one occasion. She headbutted Filarion's hand, so he could resume petting her.

"I just missed Fluffs," Filarion said, his voice sad. It was even partially the truth. He had missed everything about Johnny, even the fluff ball that liked to meow at him until he gave her fish.

Johnny was by his side in a flash. He had Filarion in a chock hold, and wrestled him away from the cat. Not that the elf resisted it. Any closeness to Johnny was a welcomed one.

"Fluffs, he is not welcomed around you anymore," Johnny said, breaking Filarion's heart to even smaller pieces. The haze of anger set in the elf again, and he got out of the tank's hold.

Lightning fast, there were twin daggers pressed to Johnny's throat. Fluffs growled, but didn't charge. Recognizing that this could turn ugly at any moment.

"You said you are no fool, that you are no chump," Filarion's breath ghosted on Johnny's lips. The only thing the elf needed now was to lean in, and he could steal a kiss.

"Are you going to kill me?" Johnny sounded hurt. Filarion blinked at him.

"No, Johnny. I would never," Filarion pulled away the daggers. Johnny backed away from him, and stared at him for a long while. As if seeing him for the first time.

"Tomorrow, this house will be warded," Johnny told him, crushing Filarion's hopes. "And we will never see each other again."

"Wait, Johnny, I can explain," Filarion reached out, and took a hold of Johnny's tunic's sleeve. "The family business is not so bad. We just supply adventurer's guild drop-outs with weapons and potions."

Johnny's expression turned stormy.

"Do you have any idea how many of those turn into bandits?" Johnny growled. Filarion winced at that. It was a common truth that a drop-out from the adventurer's guild was a future bandit. Most of those that settled near the Elathana family properties were swiftly dealt with. The rest, however...

"We just provide a service," Filarion tried to sugar coat it. Johnny was having none of that.

"Half of the quests I take have to deal with bandit capture," Johnny yelled, and then rolled up his tunic, showing off a deep scar on his torso. "Was this made with the weapons your family supplied to the bandits, I wonder? Did my parents die because you Elathana elves didn't know how else to make money?"

Filarion's eyes widened. He didn't know that Johnny's parents died because of bandits. He had seen the scar, but thought it was there because of a quest gone wrong.

The truth was, the Elathana family supplied the weapons and potions to all the illegal combatants in the Roarin Empire. Filarion's hands went to his mouth.

"I take that as a yes," Johnny snarled, looking at Filarion with hatred in his eyes. "Enjoy your bloody money for now because you won't get the chance for long. Fluffs, to me."

The giant cat bounced after Johnny, and then the tank placed a barrier stone around the property. It won't do much, if Filarion really wanted it down, but it was a statement.

They were not just over, this was war. Johnny wouldn't rest until he brought down the family that was responsible for the death of his parents, albeit indirectly.

"I will always love you," Filarion yelled into the darkness, and he saw how a curtain closed. That one was followed by another, until the light streaming from the house was dimmed.

Defeated, Filarion dragged his feet to his horse, and rode back home. Collapsing into the bed, he reached out towards the pillow Johnny favored. His lover's scent was gone from it. Someone must have changed the pillow case.

With a yell, Filarion threw the pillow at the door. Curling onto himself, he sniffled. That grew into a sob, and soon he was crying like a babe.

Morning found him empty and tired. Still, he had work to do. Not only was he not going to give up on Johnny, he was going to make amends. Surely, if Filarion found the scum that had killed the tank's parents, and delivered their heads to Johnny, then he would be forgiven.

He showered quickly, put on some new clothes, and combed his long chestnut hair. Looking tired, but presentable, Filarion made his way to the meeting room. He had orders to give, jobs to arrange, new partners to greet.

His sisters were already inside, and so was Filion.

"You should give up on Johnny, or just kill him, before he causes trouble," Filion told him, instead of a greeting.

"Not you too. Filion, you are my baby brother, and I will forgive your harsh words. Don't speak them again," Filarion commanded, and he sat on the throne. The first party that hadn't made the list in the adventurer's guild stepped forward, and his day began.