Once again Kazimir made his way to the Horizon apartments. It had an aroma that was a curious blend of cat pee and freshly baked cookies. “Well, the cookies do taste good,” he said holding his head away from the smell and swatting away the scent from his nose. He moved through the hallway following the cookies and blocking out the pee as best he could.

Soon he arrived at an apartment with an open doorway. He stopped, placing his hand slowly on the wooden door without making a sound. He pushed it ever so lightly open. A small creak left the hinges. It swung open to reveal an old familiar woman sitting in a chair.

“Come in, come in, Kazimir,” Rynah said. The tension left Kazimir’s shoulders and he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside.
“Good to see you again Rynah,” he looked around the house, “Is there a cat here somewhere?” He asked, wanting to take care of the unpleasant smell. However, that was ignored as She instead went on to the task at hand.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Before Kaz could respond, the woman was already up and pouring him a cup.

The wind mage graciously took it and sat across from her. “Alright so what is it that you need me for?” He was as abrupt as ever but not in a harsh way.

“We used to be so close. Me and my son Mitya. You know I raised him, and it was a handful sometimes.” She began to go on about all the old stories that they shared together. About him growing up and going to school.

The more she talked the more her eyes began to swell with tears. Kazimir gently grabbed a tissue and handed it to her. She wiped the tears away and talked through it, “We were so, so close. I don’t know what happened.” She suddenly began to sob into her hands. The tears running between her wrinkled palms.

Kazimir inhaled through his nose and relaxed his shoulders. He moved closer to place a hand on her shoulder. Without any words he just waited for her to finish. A few seconds past before she brushed away the tears from her cheeks and spoke again. Her shaky hands reached out for a pen and paper, that were on the table in front of her.

“Will you help me. Help me write him a letter. I want to ask him not to send me to the retirement home,” her voice was wobbly, and she held back more tears from coming.

Kazimir pulled his chair beside hers and sat. He took the pen and paper in his hands. Looking at her, he waited with the pen and paper in his hands. No one could have guessed the surprising and emotional turn of events this had taken. His own thoughts raced in his mind as he jotted down all the anecdotes she spoke to him until the page was completely full.

WC 506

The elderly woman clasped her hands in her lap as she finished reciting all the love and pain in her heart. “All I need now is for you to take it to him…if you would?” She had a longing in her eye that no person could say no to.

“Of course, I will. I know where the bar is. I’ll take it now,” he said, standing up from his seat and sealing the letter in an envelope. For some reason he didn’t feel right to him to walk around with such a heart felt plea unsealed. Placing the envelope in his robe he opened the door and ventured toward the bar.

The streets were unusual still. The outside seating for the bar was empty. Only old beer rings tarnished the wooden tables as a reminder of the earlier crowd. Inside, Mitya was running a wet cloth over counter tops and picking up stray pieces of peanuts and snacks scattered about by the patrons. It was a dead hour between the early crowd leaving and before the setting sun brought out the nightlife partiers.

Kazimir crossed the bar and extended the letter to Mitya. “This is from your mother. She is very concerned.

“What!” Mitya replied and hastily opened the letter. He read it while standing in front of the wind mage. Every line brought a new swelling of tears to his eyes, until the dam burst and the streamed down his face. He pushed past the knight and dashed off toward the apartment without a single utterance. Kazimir’s job wasn’t done yet and he followed after him.

Back at the apartment, Mitay rushed in to meet his mother. Both were teary eyed and weeping. Mitya was the first to speak out, “Mom, I don’t want you to go but it’s a better place to live.”

Rynah replied by pleading her love for her son and her desire to stay closer to him and have this place that she called home. The place that she grew up in. The two held each other’s hands as they tried to convince the other. Kazimir watched their touching display of emotions and wondered if he would ever find something like that as well. Or for that matter find whatever happened with his parents. It was something he had never thought about until this moment.

He was lost in his own thoughts despite the situation happening around him, until Mitya called out to him. “Thank you for making this discussion possible. I can handle it from here man,” he pulled out a bag of reward money and handed it over. “For your trouble.”
Kazimir graciously accepted it and along with it Rynah brought another batch of her special cookies. “Take these too.”

The wind mage smiled and accepted both gifts. “Thank you two and I hope things work out for both of you.” He turned to leave. His hand held the door open and with one final look back he closed it. With the shutting of the door he tried to shut away the thoughts of his own parents but that would prove more difficult.
WC 520
Total WC 1026