Before I let myself succumb to dread for what tomorrow brings, I have things to do.

  Again.

  I’m never going to catch a break, am I?

  I heave a mental sigh before organizing my day. First, Scruffy. Maybe shopping, since we’ll be right by the square. Then I can check on the orphanage brats, I guess. It’s been…

  Gods, how long has it been?

  Thanks to Intelligence—and Folly giving me a specific date—I quickly backtrack through my memories. Four days on the surface after gaining the System, ten more in the tunnels, and three lost to my skill. Which makes today my eighteenth day.

  I met the kids on… the 24th of Sarros, if my math is right. Over half a month ago.

  Mm, yeah, checking on the kids sounds good.

  Besides, I’d been meaning to prank Cari with those two twerps for a while now. I could use the distraction, though. She’ll probably try to twist my ears off, but it’ll be worth it.

  I need to somehow find a way to relax before tomorrow. We’ll be in the same side of town as Tails and Temptations so… massages? And baths. I need to check in with them, too.

  I nod to myself. “Right. C’mon Cari, we got shit to do,” I say, grabbing her hand and tugging her out of the chair.

  Guildmaster Folly looks like he’s about to protest, but we’re out the door before he gets a word out. He doesn’t use his magic to reach us despite it, so I figure we’re in the clear.

  Good. He’s given me plenty of headaches already.

  Cari doesn’t require any convincing, either. She just walks alongside me with a cute smile on her face.

  We make a point of ignoring the cheering and booing Guild lobby on our way out, then head straight for the guard station. The two guards at the door let us in without hesitation, and I can’t help but be surprised. Even if it’s the… fourth? Fifth time it’s happened?

  I don’t know. I’m just not used to it.

  Soon enough, we’re stepping into a familiar, albeit much messier, office. Papers are strewn about, the trunk I left behind now beside his desk with more papers overflowing from it.

  Still, the bear of a man is there, making the furniture look small as he peers down at something or other on his desk. He peers at us over the rim of his reading glasses as we enter, looking every bit a soldier play-acting as a librarian.

  “Hey Scruffy,” I wave.

  He stands quickly with a smile, holding his one arm out to the side as if welcoming a hug. “Emilia! Gods, girl, I’d thought you keeled over! Good to see you up and about. And Miss Cari, you as well.”

  She gives him a smile and bows politely. “Thank you.”

  “So, whatcha got for me?” I ask.

  I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. I had a lot I wanted to do today, and the sooner I got the headache out of the way, the better.

  As expected, his expression becomes grim at the shift in topic.

  “Nothing good, I’m afraid. Come in, please, and close the door behind you,” he says, waving us forward.

  We do just that, taking the chairs in front of his desk. He pulls a small stack of papers out of one of his desk drawers before laying them down in front of us.

  “Do you want the long version or the short version?” he asks.

  “Short,” Cari and I say at the same time.

  I catch her smirking at me, but I continue anyways. “I don’t want to get involved in whatever mess you managed to uncover. I just want the fucker who stabbed Cari. You have him?”

  He sighs. “I was hoping you’d be willing to help more, but I get it. Either way, no. I haven’t found him yet.”

  My brow twitches, but I keep the rest of my anger in check. As upset as I was at the news, he didn’t have to help me in the first place.

  “Sorry, Emilia,” he adds. “Whoever they are, they’re thorough. I do have a lead, though. The Etheron Empire’s ‘Ember Veil’. The Rogue you met is likely one of theirs.”

  My scowl slips through this time, and Cari outright recoils for some reason when he mentions the Ember Veil. He holds up his hand to forestall us both.

  I quickly file her reaction away for later, when there’s more time for me to ask her about them. Eventually.

  “Now here’s the good news,” he says, leaning in. “The council is meeting tomorrow, and I plan to expose councilor Morvane’s treacherous dealings with the Ember Veil then. I’ve got proof he’s dirty, thanks to you two.”

  At that, he taps the small sack of papers before us.

  “Bribes, collusion, smuggling, the works. If you and Cari stand with me when I present it, the council’ll have no choice but to act.” He smirks. “If the Rogue’s not there, I’ll eat my damn coat.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Cari pressing a hand to where she was stabbed. That’s all it takes.

  I don a grin to match his own.

  When we step out of the tower, I tug Cari aside, ducking into the shadow of the walls before pulling her into a tight hug. The trembling sigh of relief that escapes her is music to my ears, and I just keep a hold of her for a while.

  Eventually, she pulls away, brushing at her eyes. A few tears managed to sneak their way free, but she isn’t outright crying or breaking down, so that’s a win in my books. She doesn’t have Mental Suppression to help her, so I’m honestly kind of proud.

  I want to know why she reacted that way to the Ember Veil bit, but it’s not so important that I’ll drag it out of her right now. Instead, I’d rather distract her.

  “Shopping?” I ask. “I know a neat place that’s right up your alley. Rune books, enchanted items, all that smart-person stuff you like. There’s even a cute boy who works there.”

  She seems interested until the last bit, but I drag her along despite her protesting. If she really didn’t want the distraction, she’d tell me. Barely a minute later, we’re in front of Glimmer & Glyph.

  Looking back at her, her eyes are already sparkling with interest just from the few items we can see through the windows. A low chime rings out as we enter, and this time the guy I teased is behind the desk instead of tucked in the back. His face lights up the moment he sees me.

  “O-oh! It’s you!” he says.

  As before, he’s incredibly awkward, once again trying to look calm and collected.

  “Yep, it’s me. Hello again.” I give him a little wave before nudging Cari forward. “This is Cari. She’s single—”

  “Emilia Ward!” she hisses.

  I cringe at her use of my full name. Well, it’s not really my full name—nobody knows my last name. So I have the generic one that all unnamed orphans get. Still, she hasn’t called me that in a long time.

  I immediately throw my hands up in surrender.

  “Sorry, sorry, I’m only teasing,” I chuckle.

  She watches me with narrowed eyes for a few moments before turning back to the store clerk.

  “Sorry about her. Hi, my name is Cari,” she says, wearing her receptionist smile.

  Oof. No interest at all, huh? Poor guy.

  “H-hi, yes, of course you ar—I mean, nice to meet you, I’m, uh, Leonard,” he trails off, blinking rapidly behind his glasses before fumbling with the collar of his robe like it’s suddenly trying to strangle him.

  “Welcome to Glimmer & Glyph! That is, uh, where we are. Right now. Which you know. Obviously, haha…”

  Oh, this is pure gold.

  It takes every scrap of my willpower to not go into a giggling fit at his antics. Cari, on the other hand, takes it in stride.

  Her gaze drifts over the shelves with visible curiosity, and she steps closer to the counter.

  “Do you make these?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

  She’s pointing towards a small set of bracelets on display beneath the glass counter. He flushes with pride before diving into a pitch about his work interspersed with stumbles and smooth-as-gravel compliments.

  I leave her to it. As fun as it would be to watch her pick him apart, I actually do have a reason for coming here again. One thing I’d thought about since returning was how much I regretted not talking to Cari beforehand.

  So I start looking around. The organization of the shelves and displays are pretty self explanatory, with a section for “Weather,” another for “Cleaning,”, and so on. I find a tiny little display against the wall labeled “Messaging” and make a beeline to it.

  Four items lay in the display. On one side is a pair of little notepads bound with delicate violet threads. On the other is a pair of fairly standard looking messaging stones. Both have the ‘See Reception’ tag instead of prices.

  Because of course they do.

  Tella’s Twinpages

  Rare, Blood Binding

  Enchantments:

  Lesser Message

  A magical bond links the two notepads, allowing written words to appear on both simultaneously.

  Note: The effect is limited to a single page of writing, once per week.

  Soft Erasure

  Ink slowly fades from the pages over time, returning them to blank and ready for new use.

  ***

  Messaging Stones

  Epic

  Enchantments:

  Greater Message

  The stones share a potent magical connection, transmitting spoken words between them with perfect clarity. With sufficient mana, they can also project an illusion of the speaker to the recipient.

  Note: The effect is limited to once every three days, for up to three minutes per message.

  Fast Recharge

  By channeling additional mana into the stone, the delay between uses can be reduced.

  Self Repair

  This item can repair itself from most damage, so long as the wielder has mana.

  “Ooh,” I murmur.

  “Find something?” Cari says out of nowhere.

  I jump, surprised. “Ah! Dammit, how’d you sneak up on me like that?”

  I hadn’t even seen her come over. Not far behind her is a blushing Leonard, his eyes wandering wildly.

  “Emi,” she says, her voice pitched as if speaking to a kid. “I don’t even know why we’re here.”

  “Oh. Right.” I turn back to the items to hide the warmth in my face. “Uh, I thought of getting us a way to message each other when we’re apart.”

  “T-then you’re in the right spot!” Leonard jumps in, recovering some of his inner salesman. “We got a lot of new items in thanks to the expedition a few days back. These are a couple of those new additions.”

  “How much for each one?” I ask.

  “Ah, yes. The messaging stones are eighty gold, and the—”

  “Eighty?!” I can hardly believe my ears. I knew messaging stones were expensive due to their rarity, but eighty gold?

  I’ve only got twenty-four in the first place, and that’s an equally absurd sum in my mind. Even Cari looks a bit shocked at the price, and she’s been working and saving up for years.

  “That's right! It’s because these ones specifically are especially rare," he says excitedly, seemingly slipping into his element. "Most messaging stones discovered have to be bound first, making them difficult to move around for any serious use. However, these ones can be used by anyone!”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Ah, then… what about the notepads?” I ask, worried.

  “Well, in comparison, the notepads are only 15 gold,” he says.

  I pout at him. I make a show of drooping my ears and tail to seem extra sad, and Cari gives me a scandalized look, as if I’m an awful person.

  “Their enchantments are weaker, and they require binding, but…” he continues, only to trail off when he finally turns away from the display and sees my face.

  His whole body locks up, like his brain stuttered, as his mouth works uselessly. His eyes dart between me and the notepads like he’s rethinking his life choices.

  I see the exact moment his sales instincts abandon him—traded away for a seat in the front row of my pity-performance. The poor man looks like he’s about to apologize for ever putting a price tag on anything.

  Cari continues giving me the stink-eye, but she doesn’t interrupt.

  Not even five minutes later, we’re walking out only eight gold poorer and a pair of notepads.

  “Shameless,” she says once we’re far enough away to not be overheard.

  “Worth it,” I mumble, scratching behind an ear and hiding from her glare.

  “If he comes after you with a ring, I won’t help you.”

  “Wha—hey! That’s not going to happen,” I protest. “Besides, you’d definitely help me! You wouldn’t abandon me like that.”

  She just scoffs.

  After another half hour or so, I’d refilled my Starlight Bangle with supplies and started guiding us towards the orphanage. About halfway there, Cari picks up on where we’re headed and gives me a quizzical look.

  I smirk. “You’ll see.”

  When we reach the orphanage, the sounds of playing children can be heard coming from the back yard. I guide us around the building, quickly coming into view of the makeshift playground.

  The kids are spread out in little groups, some just chatting in the grass, others running around and playing some kind of tag. The Matron notices us first, instantly going stiff as a board the moment she sees me.

  Apparently my last visit left an impression.

  Good.

  Cari notices the moment it happens, and asks in a hushed tone, “What did you do to her?”

  I wave the question away with a ‘later,’ and instead direct her attention to the cute twins I’d met the last time I was here. They’re alone towards the back of the yard, playing in the grass with some stuffed toys and little hand-crafted stick houses.

  Cari barely holds back a squeal, her hands twitching like she wants to hug them both on the spot. She’s always loved kids, but she’s never had the time. Plus she’s never had anything like a long term partner.

  Despite all that, she always becomes the big sister of any kid she meets effortlessly.

  I grin devilishly when I see the stars in her eyes.

  “Want to adopt some kids?” I tease, keeping my voice low enough that nobody can overhear. I wasn’t evil enough to get their hopes up like that.

  She gives me her meanest glare yet, then marches off to meet the two munchkins. I tag along, since they’re the entire reason I’m here. A lot of the kids notice us as we pass, their eyes widening in surprise.

  Especially the ones who recognize us.

  There’s more than a few who grew up with us both while we were in the orphanage, though unlike me, most tended to get adopted rather quickly. Those that didn’t, like Cari, quickly made a life for themselves.

  Still, there’s a few new kids as well. Most of them were easily over ten years old, while the twins seemed to be barely more than toddlers. The attack on the city from the Flaming Hands must have put them in this position. A few of them even still look despondent.

  I feel a pang of sadness at the sight, my heart-strings pulled every which way, and I decide to throw in another donation if I can.

  While I don't like the Matron, I can't deny that she's good at her job. She'll get them the help they need, and they'll be okay. In time. She just needs the tools to make it happen.

  It only takes a few seconds to reach our targets, and they look up in surprise at the sight of us. Recognition crosses their faces at the sight of me, their faces splitting into bright smiles.

  Cari kneels down in front of them with a smile of her own.

  “Hey, you two. I’m Cari. What’s your names?” she asks.

  “Nyra,” “Lyra,” they say together.

  “Oh, such pretty names. What’re you playing? Can I join?”

  “Hang on Cari, I just need to ask them something first,” I interject.

  She looks up at me with that same sweet smile, but I catch the twitching in her brow. Her eyes bore into me, as if they're asking ‘This is what you wanted, so why are you stopping me?’

  “Hey kids. So, did anyone take your coins? Anyone try to bully you?” I ask as gently as I can, kneeling to be more on their level.

  They both shake their heads vigorously.

  “Are you sure?” I ask again, hardening my voice slightly.

  That always seems to work to let kids know you mean business. I think.

  This time they nod.

  “Good. I’m glad. In that case, here.” I pull two more shiny silver coins from my storage and hold them in a closed fist. I make a show of looking around, as if checking to make sure nobody else is looking.

  Of course, most of the kids were watching us, but I pretend to not notice.

  Then I hold my fist out to them and open it. They both gasp in shock, looking just as awe-struck as last time.

  “Take them quick, before anyone sees!” I whisper conspiratorially.

  Cari gives me a wide-eyed look, but the kids don’t hesitate. They quickly snatch up a coin each, stuffing them in their pockets while trying and failing to seem inconspicuous.

  I stand as they do, but before I can leave they crash into my legs with blindingly bright smiles. Their little arms hug me as tightly as they can.

  “Thank you Miss Fox!” they say in unison.

  My heart melts a little. I never got this when I was here, so I know how much this all means to them. Still, it’s almost too much for me to handle.

  Even I'm temped to pick these cuties up.

  After a few moments, I start to feel embarrassed from the adoring look Cari is giving us, so I start swatting them gently with my tail. They giggle happily before letting go to retreat back to their toys.

  “Alright Cari, they’re all yours now. I’m going to speak with the Matron for a bit,” I say before turning away with a wave.

  “So what are we playing?” she asks them as I leave.

  Barely five seconds pass before she’s summoned up a small tentacle to act as a monster, threatening to destroy the stick-village. Nyra and Lyra let out adorable little warcries and use their stuffed toys to battle Cari’s creations off.

  I turn back to my own target with a broad grin. The matron is having a significantly worse time. She visibly shakes in fear, shuffling from side to side and clenching her hands tightly in front of her skirts.

  “Anything bad happen to them?” I ask bluntly.

  “N-no.” She shakes her head nearly as vigorously as they did.

  “Need anything?” I follow up.

  She looks confused for a moment before literally locking up. She doesn’t so much as twitch as she stares at me like I’d just made a joke.

  “Well? Gonna just stare or answer the question? I can’t exactly help if I don’t know what you all need.” I don’t even bother trying to sound polite, my voice coming out rough and commanding.

  “U-uh… donations are always welcome?” She says it like it's a question, as if checking if I’m serious.

  “Sounds good,” I say, pulling two gold coins from my storage and holding them out.

  She openly gapes at the coins, her wide-eyed gaze dancing between them and me with confusion.

  “You swear to use this on the kids and the orphanage only. If I hear that you went and spent it on something stupid…” I trail off, leaving the rest to her imagination.

  She takes the coins warily before hiding them in her dress so the kids can’t squirrel them out. When she looks back at me, her face is filled with a mix of emotions. Confusion is among the most prevalent, but more than even that is a look of guilt.

  She seems to almost literally shrink under the weight of it. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but hesitates. I have a feeling that she's going to try to apologize to me, and I don't want to hear it.

  So I look for a distraction. Thankfully, I spot the other kids in the corner of my eye.

  They’re pouting, giving Nyra and Lyra envious looks. We hadn’t exactly hidden the coins I gave them, even if we acted like we were trying to.

  I sigh, and the Matron's mouth snaps shut at the sound right as she seemed about to start.

  I’m going to be poor again in no time, aren’t I?

  An hour later, we’re walking down the street towards Tails and Temptations. She outright cackles when I tell her about what I did to the matron last time I was there, drawing more than a few eyes towards us.

  When she finally calms down, she gives me an impish smile.

  “That was oddly sweet of you, giving the rest of them a silver as well,” she teases.

  I pretend to not hear that, refusing to rise to her bait. She pouts at me, but only for a moment.

  “Hmph. No fun. Well, seems like you’ve had the whole day planned out so far. What’s next?” she asks.

  “Massages, baths, relaxation, and as much ‘nothing’ as I can manage,” I sigh. “Maybe food.”

  “Oh, that sounds great. I haven’t had a massage in months!” She pumps her fists in the air excitedly.

  She practically speed-walks the entire way, and after a few minutes of walking it comes into view. What we see stops us in our tracks.

  There’s a new sign that reads Tails & Temptations above the door. A larger-than-life foxkin beauty lounges atop the word Temptations, her scantily clad, generously proportioned body draped across the letters like she owns them. A seductive smile graces her lips as she leans into the ‘T’, her fingers teasing its edges.

  For a moment, I just stare.

  “Whoa. Impressive,” Cari says.

  That’s one way to put it. How had they even gotten it done so fast?

  I shake the thoughts off when I feel the slight warmth in my cheeks. I quickly make my way through the open entrance, Cari on my heels, and pause after taking just a few steps into the lobby.

  Even more changes are apparent inside. Just at a glance, the place seems busy. Not many people walk about in the lobby itself, but the enclosed boothes lining the walls throughout the room each have their privacy curtains drawn, signifying that they’re occupied.

  There’s a low hum of conversation, but even with my hearing I can’t understand a word. Looking around, I see a few wisps of mana in the air around each of the private spaces.

  Wait, they’re enchanted? Since whe—

  My thoughts are cut off as none other than Krissy cries out unintelligibly, a mix of joy and relief clear in her voice. She crashes into me with a powerful hug after all but sprinting across the room despite the distractingly snug dress she wears.

  The moment my arms wrap around her, she practically slumps into me, relying on me to hold her up. She starts to shake, and I give her a little squeeze. Our last conversation brought to light her reliance on me being nearby in order to heal, and with me gone for nearly two weeks…

  Well, she clearly didn’t handle it as well as I’d hoped she would. While not entirely unexpected, it’s still a bit worrying.

  She’s more hurt than I thought…

  I just squeeze her tighter, and I hear her struggle to hold back a sob. She succeeds, mostly, and manages to keep herself silent aside from the sound of her rapid, panicked breaths.

  I glance over to Cari only to find her staring at us with wide eyes. Behind her, I catch a glimpse of a head peeking out from the curtains of one of the many booths, no doubt curious about all the commotion.

  Then the room explodes with movement as countless girls shriek with delight the moment they see me.

  “It’s the Mistress!”

  “She’s back!”

  “Mistress!”