Grim watched in some concern as four plates were placed before Maven. Two muffins, a plate of salted fries, a thick sandwich of beef and melted cheese, and chicken shredded over a bed of what looked like spinach, with a creamy sauce drizzled over top. The amount of food alarmed him, but Maven only looked at it with an expression of excitement. “Oh! Thank you so much Ed!”
? The man who’d brought their plates out set a coffee and a muffin in front of Grim, then followed it by the same sandwich Maven had been served–albeit thinner–and winked at the two of them. “Good thing you let us know ahead of time. Poor Brent was nearly panicking the last time you came by. You know he’s still in training, and we don’t want to lose him to burnout.”
? Maven laughed and leaned forward to pick up her sandwich. “Maybe I should come by more often, then. Give him some proper training.”
? Ed laughed as he retreated back into the cafe building, and Maven immediately dug into her meal, taking a large bite of the sandwich. “Mm! Just as good as last time. Brent’s really getting the hang of this.”
? ?Grim, not knowing Brent and not sure if it was safe to comment on the amount of food Maven had ordered, simply took a bite out of his own sandwich. The spices of the beef distracted him immediately, and the melted cheese was sharp, complementing it perfectly. “Oh, damn. That is good.”
? The rest of their meal passed in a companionable sort of atmosphere. Grim thoroughly enjoyed the rest of his sandwich. The muffins were wonderful as well–still warm from the oven, the tartness of the blueberries a perfect accent. He was well and truly stuffed by the time he’d finished both, and simply sat there sipping at his coffee and watching in fascination as Maven devoured each plate of food that had been brought out. He’d never had such an appetite, nor the funds to order such an abundance of food. Now, though, he could afford that sort of thing. Not having to pay for his living space each week was making his life much cheaper.
? As Maven cleared the last mouthful of fries from her plate and drank the rest of her coffee, Grim waved Ed the server down, who came over with an expectant smile. “How was the meal?”
? “Perfect,” Maven said, with Grim’s head nodding in agreement. “Tell Brent he’s getting really good. I look forward to coming again.”
? Ed’s grin grew wider, and he chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear it. Well, at least the first part.”
? He extended the arm that held his bracelet, and Maven stuck hers out as well. Grim leaned forward. “Hang on! I can pay, it’s alright.”
? “What?” Maven asked, her eyes incredulous as her hand froze mere inches away. “With all the food that I ordered? That’s hardly fair!”
? “It’s no big deal, really,” Grim said. It had been one of his dreams to be able to do this, at least once. “I’ve got more than enough.”
? “Don’t be ridiculous,” Maven snorted. “I ordered nearly four times as much as you. I’ll cover my own share. I planned to from the start.”
? And before Grim could argue again, Maven tapped her bracelet against Ed’s, then glanced at it as she pulled it away. “Damn, Ed. Only a gold? You guys could charge twice as much and I wouldn’t even blink.”
? Ed waved off her comment. “We make just enough to keep the kitchen running and for Brent to feed his family. Any more would just be greedy.”
? “If you say so.” Ed turned to face Grim next and smiled. “Just four silvers for your share.”
? Grim easily paid his part. It felt strange that the transfer of coin could be so silent and simple as tapping two bracelets against each other, he thought. Why didn’t they do this in Beastwick? Maybe they had, and he’d simply been too poor to get one. As he thought about it, he vaguely remembered some of the more wealthy members of the city sporting a similar bracelet. Though in a city where wealth dictated your standing, the sight of actual coin was of more importance than a convenient way to carry one’s coin.
? “Sorry your date didn’t go exactly to plan,” Ed said quietly, flashing Grim a grin. “Better luck next time, eh?”
? Though he said it quietly enough, Maven’s head jerked up, and her eyes widened. “Huh?”
? “Have a great day, you two,” Ed said, brushing right past her confusion and surprise. “Come by the Reed Cafe again whenever you like. Next month, we’ll be adding blended fruit drinks to our lunch menus, so make sure to try them!”
? And then he was gone. Grim, feeling a little awkward, cleared his throat. “Right. On to Marshguard’s Guild Hall, then?”
? “S-Sure,” Maven said, sounding just a little flustered. But as they rose together and began down the street, her face was as calm as ever. He couldn’t help but notice how little they talked as they made their way further east, however.
? He half-expected–and hoped–that Maven might let the awkward moment slip behind them and forget about it, but barely ten minutes into the silence, she said, “I’m so sorry, Grim. I misunderstood what you had in mind when you asked me to show you around the city.”
? Ten painful seconds of silence passed before Grim shrugged, putting on an affable expression. He thought it was actually pretty convincing. “It’s no big deal. You’ve been performing your role of tour guide perfectly so far. I’m just happy to not be doing this alone.”
? And yet, she wouldn’t let the matter drop. “No, I’m serious, Grim. I’m usually… I’m better at spotting that kind of thing in people, you know? But when you asked me the other night, I didn’t think it would be for a date.”
? Would you have said yes if that had been clearer? Grim kept that question to himself. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. So instead, he said, “Ehh, it’s alright. Like I said, you’re a perfect tour guide. I’m happy with just that. Still, I would have liked to cover your meal at least, to pay for your time.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
? They lapsed into silence again then, though he swore he caught her stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye. She looked as if she wanted to ask what his actual intentions were, to clear up the matter. But before she could, they were passing through the gate to The Halls, the administrative quarter of the city. It was the home of both Marshguard’s base and the Council of Guilds offices.
? “This way,” Maven said quietly, pointing to the left, where a stone building loomed above all the nearby structures. Grim followed her, content to let her lead the way. Until…
? “Grim?”
? He looked around for the source of the voice, and saw a tall, olive-skinned man with thick leather armor and hair tied back in a straight ponytail. It took him a few seconds to recognize the man, because all his gear had changed completely since the last time they’d seen each other.
? “Lucan?”
? “I knew that was you! Can’t miss that silver hair for anything.” Lucan Blaze strode forward with his usual smooth, confident gait and grasped Grim’s hand, squeezing it a bit more firmly than was comfortable. “Never thought I’d see you again, especially after leaving Beastwick!”
? “Likewise,” Grim said. Then, noticing Maven returning to him after noticing his halt, indicated her with one hand. “This is my guildmate, Maven.”
? “Oh shit, sorry,” Lucan said, grinning. He released Grim’s hand to greet Maven in the same way, albeit with a much lighter grip. “Pleased to meet ya. Lucan Blaze, of the Ironwatch Guild.”
? “Pleasure’s all mine,” Maven said politely. “Maven Thorne. Ironmarsh Cartographers.”
? Lucan’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, you’re that Maven? My Guildmaster’s daughter?”
? “Last time I checked,” Maven confirmed, her teeth clenched. It was remarkable how she could make that expression seem more like a grin than what it was. “How long have you been in Ironmarsh, then?”
? “Haha, you could tell I wasn’t a local, could you? Don’t worry, I’ll get my battle scars before long. Just got here about a week ago now. None of the guilds in Beastwick seemed all that interesting, so I took a job guarding a trade caravan here. I knew a lot went on in this city, but I had no clue.”?
? He pulled back away a step or two, then looked Grim up and down. “You got a new weapon, eh? I don’t know anything about bows, but that one looks a little old.”
? “It’s not just old,” Grim retorted, unable to keep the smirk off his face. Thirty seconds in, and he already felt the urge to boast to his old guildmate. “It’s a boon. Bet you ain’t got one of those.”
? Incredibly, Lucan’s grin only broadened further as he put a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Well, you’re losing that bet, mate. This sword’s a boon too.”
? Grim ogled the blade, incredulous. What were the odds that they’d both get such a rare weapon in such a short time frame? “What? Which dungeon did you get that from?”
? “The Warrior’s Den,” Lucan announced proudly. “It’s level two, so it’s a bit weak right now, but I can get it leveled up in no time here. I heard this city’s just teeming with dungeons, and slots are easy to get. Someone in my guild told me that all level 5 dungeons and under are free.”
? Grim glanced at Maven for confirmation of that fact, and she nodded. “It’s important for everyone to get to level six as quickly as possible, so the Council of Guilds fronts the cost of keeping the dungeons well-fed. More delvers means more loot, which helps the economy.”
? “You’re a smart gal,” Lucan pointed out. “Anyway, you two coming to register for delve slots as well?”
? “I am,” Grim replied. Just then, he’d remembered how much of a lady’s man Lucan had been in their last two years in the Starter Guild, and took half a step to almost stand between him and Maven. “We won’t hang about for long, though. I’ve got some materials I have to sell at the market.”
? “Oh, cool,” Lucan replied. “I’ll join you for both, then. I’ve got to pick up a potion or two. It’s hard to get a healer at our level, so I’m just going to let alchemy do the trick until then.”
? Grim couldn’t think of a way to avoid spending the rest of the day–or at least a few hours–with Lucan, though he didn’t try all that hard. He merely glanced at Maven to get her opinion, and she offered an indifferent shrug. “Sounds good.”
? As they waited in line, Lucan told Grim a little more about what had happened in the month since they’d parted ways. As expected, he’d been sought after by nearly all of the major guilds–save for the Compass Rose, as he showed neither interest nor talent in being an expeditioner. But all the offers had been beneath him. “They wanted me to be an apprentice to the apprentices. It was humiliating! But that’s when I heard about what life in Ironmarsh was really like from this lady in the markets. I decided to come here and try my luck.”
? “Ironwatch accepted you just like that?” Grim asked, raising an eyebrow. “They’re the largest delving guild in the city.”
? Lucan let out a bellow of laughter. “Not a chance! I had to delve a level three dungeon all on my own to prove I was worth their time! Then I beat one of their level fours to make sure I started as a full member. I’ve been going through party drills all week. They only just let me out to register this morning after breakfast.”
? “Sounds just like the kind of challenge you were looking for,” Grim commented dryly. Lucan nodded his whole-hearted agreement.
? “Oh, yeah. It didn’t hurt that I had a boon, though. That makes only the second one in the guild, so they were impressed. I heard the Ironmarsh Cartographers were in the western half of the city. Is that true?”
? “Yep.” Grim took a perverse sort of pleasure in the wide-eyed look of shock that came over Lucan’s face at his confirmation. “I don’t know how you do that. I heard monster raids happen a lot, at least once a month.”
? “They do,” Maven confirmed, jumping back into the conversation. “But the guards on the wall are quite good at repelling them. And it takes a lucky monster to get over the wall and past the guards. Then they have to contend with the crazy bastards that call The Dungeons home.”
? She finished her answer with a quiet cackle, alarming both Grim and Lucan. As the outsiders to this city, the idea of living with constant monster raids wasn’t exactly… comforting. Luckily, Lucan was entirely focused on Maven’s explanation of the monster raids, so he was able to assume a nonchalant, knowing expression by the time he was brought back into it.
? “I’ll have to stop by your guild hall for a visit when I come back from guard duties, then,” Lucan said. “I’ll be on the wall one night out of a week starting next month. Hey, maybe we could delve together too! They say it’s important to have a reliable party, and we’re already familiar with each other’s skills.”
? Grim pondered that for a moment, surprised at how tempting it sounded. Having someone else to delve with could make the dungeons go faster. Even with a split in profits, the extra speed would allow him to progress faster. On an impulse, he decided to agree. “Sure. But we’ll have to find a healer and tank. I don’t want to sink too much money into prep.”
