Vorgath watched the man for a few seconds. He wanted to be sure the man was actually looking at the hotel.
"Could it just be a coincidence?" he wondered.
The curtain was already mostly closed, so he was peering through a small gap. As a precaution, Vorgath decided to turn off the room's light. After turning off the lights, he returned to his post and stared at the man in the alley.
This time, the man wasn't looking at the hotel. It was even worse. He was staring directly at Vorgath's window. The staring match lasted only a few seconds. The mysterious man left, disappearing into the dark alley and the darkness of the night.
Vorgath's mind was racing, trying to process what had just happened. It could all be a coincidence, of course, but that man was definitely very strange. Vorgath decided to be more aware of his surroundings. He had been careless. At that moment, he was just a weak man with no future. Nobody paid attention to him. And that was exactly why this situation was so strange.
"Maybe the man was looking at another guest staying at the hotel..."
With his head full of thoughts and his body tired, Vorgath decided to take advantage of the dark room and collapse onto the bed. His body had very low Endurance, and he was still sore from the beating he'd taken in the alley. He didn't have enough energy to stay awake.
*
The night was great. The hotel was quiet. Vorgath woke up and had the breakfast offered by the hotel before leaving. He walked to the spot where he always met Mia. He couldn't afford to spend money on a driver. When he arrived, Mia was already waiting for him. Her face looked visibly worried.
"What's wrong?" Vorgath asked, sitting down next to her. "Problems with your parents?"
Mia shook her head. "I wish it were that. I might be crazy, but I felt like someone was watching me last night as I biked away. I don't know, it was just weird."
The first thing that came to Vorgath's mind was the man who had been watching his window. He didn't share this with Mia, though. It would only frighten her more.
"Maybe you're just imagining things," he said.
"Yeah, maybe."
The cafeteria was a little ways from the city center. Mia took Vorgath there on her bicycle. It was a more residential neighborhood, with much less foot traffic than the center. Mia's friend from the university worked there.
"Her dad owns the place," Mia said.
There were large glass windows at the front of the cafeteria, with tables scattered throughout. A few people were inside, drinking coffee. Some were at the corner tables, doing something on their laptops or pretending to be busy. Mia led the way, pushing the wooden door open.
"Welcome in," said a woman in an apron, turning toward them. "Ahh, Mia!"
That was Jenny, Mia's friend. The two of them hugged, that typical gushy reunion between friends. Vorgath stood there, quiet and still.
Jenny turned her gaze to him. "Is this your friend? The one in the tough spot?" she asked.
"Yep, that's him," Mia replied. She glanced at Vorgath's clothes for a moment but bit her tongue.
"You can go into that room right there," Jenny pointed. "Talk to my dad. It's his office."
Vorgath nodded and went alone. He knocked on the door a couple of times until a voice told him to come in. Inside was a small, older man with gray hair slicked back. He was stylish and, surprisingly, had a full head of hair for his age.
"How can I help you?" the man asked.
"I'm Alex. Your daughter mentioned you might have a job opening."
"Yes, yes—please, have a seat."
The man set aside his work to talk with Vorgath.
"So, Jenny told me your story. A rather tragic one, I'd say."
Vorgath had no idea what kind of story Mia had spun for her friend, but he kept his mouth shut.
"I have a part-time opening for a general helper. You can even sleep here at the cafeteria if you'd like. There's a room on the second floor; I used to stay there when I was younger to keep an eye on the place."
The position was perfect. They agreed on a salary—it wasn't much, but it would be enough for Vorgath to get by. And since he had found a place to live, his cost of living was now next to nothing.
Vorgath wasn't expecting to land a job so easily, let alone get a place to sleep. No more sleeping on the streets. It was incredible to him.
Vince was the name of the shop owner. He handed Vorgath the cafeteria uniform. After changing, it was time to start serving customers and begin his training.
Mia was happy to see he got the job. She had to say goodbye since she had some university things to take care of. Jenny, her friend, was put in charge of teaching Vorgath the basics. She was a friendly person, always smiling. Maybe she wanted to show off her perfectly white, well-cared-for teeth.
The strange part was the way she looked at Vorgath. It was different. He didn't know why yet. Maybe it was just his imagination. She taught him how he should treat customers and how to make the most basic types of coffee.
"Since you're just starting, just make the basic coffees. Leave the more complicated ones for the rest of the staff."
The staff consisted of Jenny, a very beautiful woman with blonde hair similar to Vorgath's. There were also two other women and a guy. The women weren't there at that moment; they were on different shifts.
It was easy for Vorgath to get the hang of working there. He just found it a bit annoying to have to treat these humans with so much respect; it wasn't something he did back in his prime, at least not often.
But he endured it, always with a smile on his face, doing his best at work. Vince was so kind that he gave him an advance payment on his very first day.
"Use it to buy some clothes, and a phone too," Vince said, handing Vorgath about eight hundred dollars.
Everything was going well that day, until...
A group of three Dungeon Delvers entered the cafeteria. It was easy to tell who they were because they were carrying swords, axes, and a magical staff. They were the same Dungeon Delvers who had beaten up the former Alex in that alley.
"Son of a bitch..." Vorgath thought.