That morning, Ryan paced back and forth.
It was so annoying that Eragon paused his game.
"You need to calm down, dude."
These words made Ryan freeze in place.
"How can I be calm? What if she hurts Isabelle?"
Eragon sighed.
"She won't, not with all of us here. Vivian vouches for her, so there is that."
Ryan frowned.
"Since when have you been in contact with her?"
Eragon turned to Ryan.
"Since she got here, she needed someone to talk to while she adjusted."
Ryan took a deep breath.
"I am going to see if she truly wants a fresh start."
Eragon got up.
"Let's go."
Ryan nodded as he led the way to the tavern.
Each step he took made him want to turn around.
He did slow down at the entrance, but Eragon never rushed him.
After a few deep breaths, he entered the bustling tavern.
He saw a familiar face.
Angelica.
This time her hair was styled loosely, and she had a genuine smile on her face.
As he stared at her, they locked eyes.
She froze and dropped a plate.
To Ryan's surprise, there was fear in her eyes.
For a moment, he was angry.
Angry that she was there.
Angry that she was working at Eena's tavern.
Angry that she could be afraid of his presence.
He started walking.
He wanted to speak to her.
Maybe say something mean, like how he knew she would fail.
As he got closer, his nerve left him, and he passed her silently.
He sat down at the bar next to Eragon and saw Vivian pass him to go to Angelica.
Eena approached him.
"Good morning, boys. Would you like some breakfast?"
Ryan nodded, and Eragon spoke in an exaggerated tone.
"Please, I am literally starving."
Eena looked down at Ryan.
"How are you holding up?"
Ryan was quiet at her words, but did perk up when Bell came out of the kitchen.
"Good morning, Isabelle."
She smiled, but it wavered as her eyes darted between Ryan and Angelica.
"Good morning, here is your breakfast."
She placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.
Eragon was given a massive plate with a mountain of meat.
They both dug in, and Bell sat across from Ryan and whispered to him.
"Ryan, I'm confused. Angelica was part of them, how come you never met?"
Ryan didn't want to lie, but Aleksandar did ask him to keep their past a secret.
"We would work in teams of two. One senior and one junior, when the junior graduates, they get their junior."
Bell scratched her chin.
"I do want to ask her about her time there, but she seems like it was really hard."
Ryan had to stop himself from protesting.
"She knows I was part of the Silver Tongues, and that alone was enough for her to freeze."
She nodded, and Eragon gave him the equivalent of a raised eyebrow.
Eragon had a thought.
What was this new girl like?
She did try to kill Ryan, but Alex vouches for her.
With a smile, he got up and walked to the end of the bar.
"What's up, Viv?"
Vivian, whose attention was fixed on Angelica, turned to him.
"Oh? Good morning. Do you mind if we talk later?"
He looked down at Angelica.
She was smaller than he remembered.
He leaned over the bar.
"Hey, newbie. How's it going?"
He did feel a slight bit of glee when a silent Angelica moved behind Vivian.
That glee was replaced with shame when Vivian spoke to Angelica.
"Eragon is a great, um… Guy? I was badly hurt, and he healed me; he then helped me get a job here."
He locked eyes with Angelica.
He was surprised that the unhinged woman wasn't in there.
Vivian then continued.
"If you need help with anything."
She looked back at Eragon with a stern look.
"I am sure he will be happy to oblige."
He realised he had walked into that.
He nodded at Angelica.
"Do you like video games?"
In a quiet voice, Angelica replied for the first time.
"I have never played."
That answer brought him back to his meeting with Ryan.
Grizzly suspected the young man and asked Eragon to arrive unannounced to rile him up.
That same suspicious man became his best friend.
He pretended to be outraged by her words.
"What? Fun is what a growing girl needs! After your shift, I'll teach you."
She gulped and asked.
"Why?"
Eragon shrugged.
"Why not?"
She seemed satisfied by his words and gave him a small smile.
He gave her a thumbs-up and took his place next to Ryan and Bell.
He continued eating and, after a few bites, spoke.
"She seems nice."
Ryan looked at him with a look of betrayal, and Bell looked at him with a look of admiration.
"How do you do that?"
He looked at Bell and answered.
"Do what? Be the most charismatic lizard? It's a gift."
She rolled her eyes.
Ryan wanted to be angry, but this was how they treated him.
Even though he wanted to stab Grizzly in his first meeting.
He looked at Bell, and she did look concerned while she looked over at Angelica.
He swallowed.
"If you are concerned, go talk with her."
Every instinct screamed that he shouldn't let her go, but what if Angelica could change?
She smiled and grabbed his arm.
"I'll need some support."
Before he could protest, she pulled him along.
At that moment, he was standing face-to-face with his tormentor.
Bell spoke with her as she went back to the bar for some more drinks.
"Hi, how are you holding up?"
Angelica froze again, but found the courage to speak.
"I don't know."
Angelica turned her attention to Ryan.
"I don't know if I will be thrown away."
Ryan was angry again, but he shoved the emotion to the side.
"Just like me, if you want to stay, you have a place here."
He felt sick at those words.
How was it so easy for the others to accept him?
Angelica had a confused look on her face.
"Is there really a place for me here? After everything I did?"
Ryan swallowed hard and nodded.
"I did bad things too, but I am doing my best to build something good. I suggest you do the same."
Her response filled him with rage.
"Thank you, I will try my best."
She had the gall to smile at him.
As she left, Bell looked at him with a smile and gave him a quick kiss.
"What was that for?"
She gave him another kiss.
"The first one was for being a good boyfriend, the second was for being a good person. I could tell she really needed that."
Ryan was stunned.
"Boyfriend?"
She started laughing.
Ryan started feeling bad for his anger at Angelica.
If she really wanted to change, what would he gain by standing in her way?
To thank Bell for her help, he put his arm around her.
He gave her a tight squeeze and kissed her on the forehead.
"What was that for?"
He smiled at her.
"I just felt like it."