3.16 (1/2)

She wished she had an iPod. That’s what Erin thought when she woke up in her small bed on the second floor of Miss Agnes’ inn. It was probably because she’d made the mistake of thinking about home yesterday.

Ryoka had her iPhone. She’d kept it even thought she’d gone to a whole new world. Whereas Erin hadn’t. True, she didn’t usually bring her phone on bathroom breaks, but if she ever got back she’d take one everywhere she went. And she’d bring an emergency backpack of everything—

If she ever went back. Erin slapped her head.

“Stop!”

Nothing good happened when she thought about home. The only thing that ever happened was—well, weeping and moping and crippling desperation. That’s why Erin had stopped thinking about it on purpose, starting all those days ago when she’d cried herself to sleep in a broken inn in the middle of nowhere.

She was here, and she had to survive. Erin got up and dressed herself blearily. She couldn’t smile—she felt weighed down by heavy thoughts. And she felt even more tired when she remembered her new employee.

“What do I do? What did you do, stupid Erin?”

She gently thumped her head against a wall. Someone grunted in the next room and Erin winced.

“Oops.”

There was no going back. She could only do what was right. And what was right was—

Erin came down the stairs with a determined smile on her face. She’d find something Jasi could do. She’d help her succeed as a [Barmaid]—or do something else. Because even if Erin couldn’t help everyone, she would never leave the Drake and her brother alone. If she did, she wouldn’t be Erin Solstice.

And yet—not everyone was like her. That was why Erin’s smiled twisted the instant she walked down into the common room of the inn and saw what was happening.

“Oh, Erin, my dear!”

Miss Agnes looked up from the table where she was sitting with Jasi. Across the room, Erin saw Safry cleaning the tables before the day started and the one or two early guests waiting for breakfast. Erin looked around the room as she descended the steps. Grev was nowhere to be seen.

“Miss Agnes. And Jasi. What’s happening? And where’s Grev?”

Jasi gave Erin a warm, but—uncomfortable smile. She was sitting somewhat tensely in front of Miss Agnes, and Erin could tell the other [Innkeeper] was—

“What’s all this?”

Miss Agnes didn’t seem to notice the edge in Erin’s tone. She smiled at Erin, beamed, rather, like she always did.

“Well, I was just having a chat with Jasi about her future.”

“Her future? What do you mean, Miss Agnes?”

“Oh, I was thinking about it all night. And I had a chat with Cumin—you did a wonderful thing, helping Jasi and Grev. But although I’m sure she’d be a wonderful [Barmaid], I thought we could explore all her options. After all, Jasi’s so young—I wouldn’t want her to level up in a class that didn’t fit her perfectly, would I?”

For two seconds, because she’d had a bad time waking up and because she’d been hanging out with Ryoka too long, Erin thought about punching Miss Agnes in the face. But she suppressed that instinct at once.

“I see. You want to help Jasi find a job. Another job.”

“Well, I was just thinking how nice it would be if she could find a class she really liked. Being a [Barmaid] isn’t for everyone, and if we can find something that suits her better…”

Miss Agnes met Erin’s eyes innocently. But the message was clear. And it was infuriating to Erin.

Jasi hadn’t even been here one whole day, and Miss Agnes had decided that her inn was not for the Drake. And better yet—she’d talked it over with Mister Cumin, her husband, had she? Erin had visited the sick [Innkeeper] and she knew any conversation Agnes had with him was completely one-sided. She probably just chattered on to him as he groaned in bed and coughed up phlegm.

“So you’ve been helping Jasi since you woke up? That was kind of you.”

“Well, I had time. And I was waiting for you to be up so we could start with breakfast—you really have a talent for cooking, my dear!”

“You mean a Skill. Where’s Grev?”

Normally Erin met most things with a good attitude. But this morning she wasn’t in the mood for niceness. Agnes blinked at her.

“Oh. I sent him outside to play. I’m sure he’ll be back when he’s hungry. Young boys always live by their stomachs.”

And how would Miss Agnes know that? She’d never had a kid. Of course, Erin hadn’t ever had one either, but there was just something about the other innkeeper that was rubbing Erin the wrong way today.

It was just that she’d decided to kick Jasi out. The Drake clearly understood what the [Innkeeper]’s intentions were, no matter how much she smiled, and she looked justifiably upset. Erin glanced across the room and saw Safry glance at her and then quickly away. Safry knew what was going on. Did Maran? Had this been agreed on by all three women or just Agnes?

Who knew? Erin could only move forwards, and so she smiled at Agnes and Jasi.

“Well, I’d love to help with that.”

“But breakfast—”

Miss Agnes coughed delicately and Erin frowned.

“It can wait. Or better yet, this can wait.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble my dear. I’m perfectly willing to help young Jasi out while you cook.”

Erin gritted her teeth. There was an…air about Agnes. It was almost written on her face ‘let’s help the children find what they’re good at so I won’t have to deal with them!’ It made her upset, and even angrier that Agnes was deliberately sending Erin into the kitchen to cook.

She wanted to object. Erin opened her mouth, but the problem was—Agnes was right. Erin needed to make breakfast for the hungry masses who’d soon be coming here for her good cooking. And yet—she didn’t want to leave Jasi alone with Agnes.

But was it really a problem? Erin thought about that for a moment. It wasn’t as if Agnes was kicking Jasi out this moment. She was going to work with Jasi—even if it was selfish. Would it be that bad to let her help?

Well…yes and no. Agnes would certainly help because it meant Jasi and Grev would be out of her hair. But she’d probably not look for the best class to suit them—she’d probably compromise instantly and choose whatever they were good at without exploring all the options.

But she would help. It just meant Erin would have to make sure Agnes didn’t rush things along. And it meant that Miss Agnes wasn’t the person Erin had thought she was.

She was just a woman. Good to her friends and family, but no better than that. It wasn’t a crushing realization, but it just made Erin’s heart hurt a bit.

She let none of that show on her face as she smiled at Agnes.

“Good idea. I’ll make breakfast, and then come back and help Jasi. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Oh? Are you planning on making something special today?”

Agnes smiled at Erin. Erin smiled back.

“Mm. I think I’ll make some crepes and French toast. And bacon.”

Miss Agnes hesitated. Erin had chosen one of the most popular breakfasts for today—mainly because it was a new form of cooking. It certainly brought in customers, but it was a very work-intensive meal for the staff to serve, as customers would regularly order second or even third helpings.

“Oh. Well, Maran isn’t here today—”

“No problem! You and Jasi can help if Safry needs it. That’s why she’s here, isn’t it?”

“I—well—”

Erin walked into the kitchen. There she deliberately cooked the best crepes she could and made sure the sizzle and smell of cooking bacon would wake up even the most reluctant sleeper. She derived no small amount of pleasure from making Agnes’ inn the most profitable and busy building in the city that morning, and felt not a bit bad as Agnes, Safry, and Jasi hurried to fill orders.

It was all about food. Food was one of the things that was popular in any world. Erin reflected on that as she flipped a crepe into the air and onto a plate. She put it aside to cool, and then changed her mind and speared a piece of it with a fork and popped it into her mouth, ignoring the heat. Breakfast for Erin was usually in the middle of her cooking process.

“Five more crepes, Miss Erin!”

Safry poked her head into the kitchen, looking distressed. Erin could hear the voices in the common room, lots of them.

“Coming up!”

She poured and flipped, barely paying attention to what she was doing. Crepes. Now, weren’t crepes interesting?

The people of this world knew about pancakes, but crepes were new to them. But why did they pull in huge crowds even a week after Erin had introduced them to Celum? The answer was simple: they were new.

Yes, crepes had all the ingredients of a pancake except for baking powder. But it was what you did with the crepes—folding them and pouring syrup over them, or filling them with whipped cream or other savory and sweet things that made them so special. In that way, an old thing seemed practically brand new, and people flocked to the Frenzied Hare to try this wonderful food Erin made.

By now, Erin knew other inns and restaurants across the city were copying her recipe. It was human nature—and Drake and Gnoll nature as well. In time, she knew crepes would lose their hold over the stomachs of people and they’d just become one more item in a menu. But right now they were hot.

“Literally. Safry! Crepes are done!”

Because they were new. Erin let Safry take the plates as she placed some bacon on a plate next to eggs. People liked new things. Like her hamburgers. When they first came to Liscor, it was like they were the greatest food in the world. Because no one had tried them before. As soon as everyone started copying her recipe, hamburgers became, well, hamburgers. Some people loved them and they were tasty, but no one was lining up for them.

But new food was fun. That was the point. New things were fun. Erin remembered the impromptu concert she’d held outside her inn and smiled. Music from her world was so new and amazing to the citizens of Liscor she’d pulled in the gold coins with a rake.

Because it was new. Because it wasn’t stale and mundane and boring. That was the key. Erin still remembered her despondency from yesterday—in truth, it was still bugging her a bit, although the Jasi and Grev situation had distracted her. Music and food were two things people in this world could appreciate, same as in Erin’s. But—

It wasn’t enough. It still wasn’t enough. Erin could see someone like Agnes listening to the latest hot song of the year being played on the lute—or delighting over some new recipe and selling it at her inn. But was that all she’d ever do? Just stuff her face and listen to a new tune now and then?

No. That was so boring it hurt. There had to be more to life! People weren’t machines—Erin refused to believe that leveling up like machines every day and working without any fun was how this world should be.

That was why when she walked back out of the kitchen and saw that the inn had mostly cleared, Erin was determined to find Jasi a job that wouldn’t crush the Drake’s soul. She’d already accepted that Jasi wouldn’t be a [Barmaid]—at least not at Agnes’ inn. If the woman didn’t want her here, then that was that.

But Erin could always bring Jasi to Liscor. It wasn’t the best option, but Erin kept it as a reserve idea. She walked over to the exhausted Agnes, who’d taken a seat at the table to rest her legs, and smiled brightly.

“Alright! Breakfast’s done. Let’s find Jasi a cool class.”

Agnes only smiled weakly at Erin.

“Oh. Very good, dear.”

—-

How did one find a class? It was such an odd question to Erin—was it like getting a job in her world, or did someone just decide to become a [Thief] and start stealing things?

As it turned out, people in this world decided on classes in a very sensible manner. Once Miss Agnes had recovered, Erin found herself sitting at the table with her and Jasi as the older woman quizzed the Drake on her likes and dislikes.

“Do you sew? I should say—have you tried needlework? What about cooking? I hear your kind has variety of…interesting treats.”

Likes, dislikes, and most importantly natural talent or aptitude went into choosing a class. Which made sense. No one wanted to be stuck with a class they were bad at, or one they hated. Jasi had taken the [Washer] class out of desperation, so Agnes and Erin’s job was to find something she’d like and be good at, and hopefully, earn enough to support herself and Grev with.

The problem was, Jasi didn’t seem to have any outstanding talents.

“I poke my scales more often than the cloth with needles. I would have sewn if I could—mending clothes earns a bit more coin than washing. But I couldn’t do it. The same goes for cooking—I can make a few things, but kneading dough is hard with claws.”

“Ooh. Yeah. That wouldn’t be so easy.”

Miss Agnes frowned slightly in vexation at Jasi, and partly at Erin. She was clearly irritable from having to play [Barmaid] so early.

“Have you ever thought about a combat class, dear? I know that’s a long shot, but…”

“I hate fighting.”

Jasi shook her head immediately, shuddering at the thought. Agnes nodded.

“Well, those classes are out, then.”

The older woman sighed. Jasi looked anxiously at her and Erin.

“I really don’t mind trying to learn to sew or cook. Or—I thought I could even learn a class like [Butcher] or [Receptionist]. I’m not picky. I’d try anything if I had the chance.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Agnes immediately brightened up at Jasi’s words.

“We could try you out in all of those professions. I have friends in various classes—it wouldn’t be too hard to talk them into giving you an apprenticeship. Why, in a day or two you’d probably find something you really shine at.”

Jasi nodded obediently, looking grateful for the opportunity, but Erin frowned.

“Willing doesn’t mean she likes it, Miss Agnes. Jasi should find a job—a class that suits her.”

“Yes, well, we don’t all know what we’ll be good at.”

Agnes smiled blandly at Erin. There was definitely a current of tension running between the two [Innkeepers] now, or so Erin felt. No—she wasn’t imagining it. She was annoyed at Agnes, and the same held true of the other woman. They were clashing over the issue of Jasi, and it was making Erin uncharacteristically upset.

“I think a few days of feeling things out would do young Jasi some good, Erin.”

“Really?”

“It helped me. I didn’t know I’d be an [Innkeeper] when I was young. But when I met Cecil, well, things have a way of working themselves out. We don’t all get to choose what class we level in, now do we? You told me you earned your [Innkeeper] class by accident as well. Maybe Jasi will find her class as she tries things out.”

Erin narrowed her eyes. Being an [Innkeeper] certainly hadn’t been her choice, but she’d been forced into it out of the need to survive, and because she’d liked it.

“I don’t know. I think we should consider more classes. There are tons more than just…those ones you mentioned.”

Miss Agnes lost her smile. She sounded exasperated as she spread her hands out on the table.

“The girl—the Drake—doesn’t have any particular skills, Erin. Why not let her work a few odd jobs? She seemed to be doing well for herself as a [Washer] before you came along.”

Jasi shrunk back in her seat, but Erin didn’t bat an eye at the criticism.

“If you mean she was alive, yeah, she was. But I had to buy a healing potion for her hands. That’s not doing okay, Miss Agnes.”

The woman wavered. She glanced around the mostly empty room and realized their argument had attracted a few casual eyes. Safry immediately turned and started bussing a few more tables. Miss Agnes eyed the new customers and changed the subject.

“We’ve got more customers, I see.”

“So we do.”

Erin folded her arms. Miss Agnes waffled on, glancing meaningfully at Erin.

“Late morning breakfasters, I’ll warrant. There’s always one or two…a good [Innkeeper] prepares for them, but I suppose it was quite a crowd that came in this morning. But here we are, and I know they’re hungry. It would be a shame to turn them away, don’t you think?”

A scowl was the only reply she got. Erin sat in her chair, unwilling to move. She glanced at the customers, and then smiled.

“Why don’t you cook for them?”

“Me?”

Agnes blinked.

“But I—well, I don’t have any Skills in cooking like you do, Erin dear.”

“But this is your inn. And I’m tired. So—you cook. Or you could turn them away. But I think I’m going to help Jasi some more.”

So saying, Erin turned her back on Agnes and looked at Jasi. After a few seconds she heard Agnes walk briskly away.

“Safry! Ask our customers what they’d like to eat.”

Erin smiled at Jasi, who looked somewhat pale.

“I don’t want to be a bother, Miss Erin, I really don’t. I’d be more than happy to apprentice at any job for a while. If I got a few levels—why, I’d probably be able to make do from there.”

The young woman sitting across from her smiled and shook her head slowly.

“That’s true. But I want to find something that you like to do, not something that you have to do. Agnes is wrong. You should try and find something you want to do.”

Jasi paused.

“Thank you, Miss Erin.”

For the first time this morning, Erin gave her a genuine smile.

“Call me Erin. Just Erin. Now, have you ever tried running around? I have a friend who does that all the time, and she says the pay is good…”

—-

An hour later, Erin had to admit that perhaps Jasi didn’t have any particular class that seemed to suit her. At least, not one that could be easily discerned. She and Jasi had gone through a huge list of classes, hindered by Miss Agnes’ occasional comment, but Jasi either hadn’t tried the class before or didn’t feel inclined to try it.

Some jobs the Drake could tell weren’t for her. [Farmer], [Soldier], [Thief]…those were easy. Others might have been likely, but they were impossible to tell, like [Guardswoman]. How would you even tell? Jasi had never lifted a sword before. And she hadn’t had a chance to try out any of the other professions in the city.

She’d been poor all her life. And that, Erin was quickly discovering, was a limiting factor.

Despondently, Erin slumped over at her table, staring at Jasi’s helpless expression. The inn was mostly empty. Agnes’ cooking had a way of driving away even fairly hungry patrons, and besides, it was that time of day when inns didn’t really matter, in between breakfast and lunch. If people wanted a snack they’d find a stall outside. And few people were drinking this early in the day.

Erin could use a drink. She hadn’t known how hard this would be. Well, she had—but knowing wasn’t the same as experiencing it. She felt like she was hitting her head against an invisible brick wall, but she had no idea how to stop running into it.

“I dunno. I guess we could do the internship-apprentice thing, but that’s so slow. Are you sure you don’t want to try being an [Alchemist]? I could go bother Octavia right now if you want.”

“That’s one thing I am sure about, Miss. [Alchemists] are far too strange for me. I don’t want to melt my tail off or—or grow mushrooms out of my eyes.”

Jasi shuddered at the thought. Erin sighed and then cast her eyes around the inn.

“What do you think, Wesle? Would Jasi be a good [Guardswoman]?”

Welse looked up guiltily as he tucked into a crepe Erin had made. He straightened up in his chair, glancing at the door.

“I ah, don’t know, Erin. Guarding isn’t as hard here as it is in a Drake city, it’s true, but we do require all our recruits to be able to use a sword. Plus, there’s always a bit of fighting when we have to quiet drunks. If Miss Jasi was assigned to gatekeeping duty I could see her doing well—but even then, she’d have to help fight whenever a monster attacked.”

Erin nodded gloomily.

“Thought so. How’s the crepe?”

“Oh, wonderful, Miss Erin.”

Wesle blushed a bit.

“I’m very grateful. But ah, I am on duty. I’d better just eat this quickly and go.”

“Mm. Thanks for bringing Grev here.”

Erin turned her head and regarded the nervous young boy sitting at a table with a crepe of his own. Wesle had brought Grev into the Frenzied Hare about an hour after breakfast had ended. Now the [Guardsman] looked over at Grev sternly, giving him a hard look.

“I hardly believed him when he said he lived here, Miss Erin. But he kept insisting that you’d given him and his…sister a place here.”

“Well, he was telling the truth. Which is sorta rare for him, I guess.”

Grev hunched over in his seat. He’d been caught by Wesle for lingering a bit too near a shopkeeper’s outdoor stall. Now he sat with the disapproving eyes of Jasi, Erin, and Wesle on him, clearly wishing he could be anywhere else.

“I’m so sorry about that, sir.”

Jasi was as apologetic as she’d been with Erin, and clearly unable to do anything to stop Grev. She was a big sister, not a mother, and she was even more nervous now that Grev had clearly not learned his lesson from yesterday.

Wesle nodded to her, trying to look dignified and failing to with bits of crepe on his weak mustache.

“I’ll overlook this today, but you should know your brother is on the thinnest of ice, Miss Jasi. If he keeps sneaking off again—”

Safry was passing by Erin with a used plate and utensils. Erin snatched the plate out of her hands and hurled one of the utensils in one motion. The spoon passed by Grev’s nose and bounced off one wall. He shouted in surprise and alarm, freezing as he tried to edge towards the door.

“Sit down.”

Erin’s glare magically sent Grev’s bottom back in the chair. He trembled as she waved the fork at him.

“You’ve caused enough trouble for your sister. Try and run off and I’ll throw the plate at you next time. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll take this fork and shove it—”

Erin paused. She glanced at Safry and Miss Agnes, both of whom were watching her with gaping mouths.

“What?”

Wesle coughed delicately.

“Was that [Unerring Throw], Miss Erin? It’s rare to see an [Innkeeper] with a combat Skill like that.”

“Oh.”

Erin just shrugged. She had a lot of odd Skills, or so she’d gathered. Probably because she’d actually had to fight for her life. They weren’t that useful in day-to-day life, but they were certainly handy when she wanted to terrorize young boys.

“Where were we? Oh yeah. Jasi’s class. Um…”

Erin sighed. Then she looked at Grev. He stared at her, white-faced.

“What about him? Can’t Grev get a class instead of running around and stealing things?”

Agnes snorted. She’d kept out of the discussion, but she eyed Grev skeptically now.

“The boy’s at the right age to be apprenticed to someone. But with his past misdeeds—I doubt anyone would want to take a risk on him. I’d advise Miss Jasi to say her goodbyes while she can—if the young thief hasn’t changed his ways after so many warnings, he won’t now.”

Jasi’s scales turned pale and Grev looked palely down at his empty plate. Erin glared at Miss Agnes.

“Don’t you have anything you can do, Miss Agnes?”

“Not at the moment, Miss Erin. I have no customers, as you may have noticed.”

“Then why don’t you leave your inn to me for a while?”

The woman paused.

“What?”

“I said, why don’t you leave? I’m perfectly capable of managing it, and I think you could use a break.”

“But I—this is my inn.”

Erin raised an eyebrow. She was royally annoyed with Miss Agnes’ attitude. How could she be so uncaring? So Erin took a page out of Ryoka’s book of meanness.

“It’s your inn, but I’m a better [Innkeeper]. You can take a break and leave things to me. You and Safry, for that matter.”

Both women gaped at Erin. But the young woman just flapped her hands at them.

“Shoo, shoo.”

Miss Agnes was staring hard at Erin, but she was the lower-level [Innkeeper], and Erin had stared down far more frightening things than a middle-aged woman with empathy issues. In the end, Miss Agnes haughtily adjusted her dress, not meeting Erin’s stare.

“I—suppose I could use some time to relax. Very well. Safry, you have the day off.”

“Yes, Miss Agnes.”

“I believe I’ll…go shopping. I’m sure Cumin would love a new decoration. Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you, Miss Erin.”

She walked out of the inn. Safry hesitated, and then followed her as Erin stared at her.

“Mnn.”

Erin stuck out her tongue after Miss Agnes and Safry had left. She felt bad but not-bad at the same time. It was the first time she’d ever been so mean to them, but—they’d been real jerks!

She turned and saw Wesle staring at her with a piece of crepe dangling from a fork. Jasi and Grev were also giving her fish-eyes.

“What? They were being rude.”

Jasi gulped. She looked at the door Miss Agnes hadn’t even bothered to fully close and shook her head, her scales pale around her face. She looked at Erin, mystified and gratified and upset.

“You’re being so kind to us, Mis—Erin. Too kind. I don’t know why you’re going so far for people like Grev and me.”

“It’s because I can.”

The smile Erin gave her was just that . A smile. But it made the Drake cry, and prompted Wesle to offer her a handkerchief. Grev sat in his chair, looking upset and confused, but soon enough Erin had another crepe in front of everyone, and a slightly alcoholic drink for the adults and milk for Grev. She sat down and took a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s try again. Properly this time. Jasi needs a new job. Not necessarily a class. Grev needs to stop stealing, and Wesle probably need to get back to work, but he’s helping us. How can we make things right?”

—-

The best idea they’d had was for Erin to sponsor Jasi as an apprentice at a bunch of different jobs. Erin put her head in her hands and groaned.

“I wish Ryoka were here.”

“Why?”

“She’d know what to do. She’s got lots of ideas.”

Wesle looked confused. He was sitting at the table with Erin and Jasi while Grev practiced the art of trying not to puke. Erin’s solution to his restlessness had been to feed him to the point of bursting. Now he was sitting at his table, unable to even finish his last bite of hash browns drizzled with cheese.

Jasi was staring at the half-empty mug in her hands. She’d been growing more and more quietly depressed throughout the discussion. Now she looked up, confused.

“Who’s Ryoka?”

“A City Runner. She’s my friend.”

“And how could she help? I’ve seen Miss Ryoka come into the city quite often, but I don’t see how she’d help here. She seemed rather—quiet every time I tried to talk to her.”

Erin shook her head at Wesle.

“I know she’s a jerk sometimes. But she’s smart. And she studied a lot of weird stuff in school. Did you know she told me that we could probably build a greenhouse right next to my inn? She said we don’t even need any glass to make it, which is really weird, right? I was going to ask Klbkch about it, but then I ended up here.”

Almost none of what Erin had said made sense to either Wesle or Jasi. They just blinked at her, confused. She sighed.

“Never mind. Are there any classes we haven’t considered?”

“None, Miss.”

Jasi looked gloomy.

“I really do appreciate you helping, I do. But I don’t think I have any special talents. I’d be happy with a steady job, I really would.”

“Yeah, but that’s so…”

The [Innkeeper]’s voice trailed off helplessly in the face of Jasi’s resignation. They’d tossed out every class they could think of, but none had seemed right for Jasi. But there were plenty of ‘possible’ options and ‘okay’ options. But nothing felt right.

In truth, it was Erin who was truly dissatisfied with Jasi and Grev’s opportunities. [Seamstress]? [Barber]? [Cook]? [Blacksmith]? All these jobs sounded…boring. Erin knew they were all important jobs that someone had to do, but if she had a choice, those would be far from her first ones.

At least [Runner] sounded marginally interesting. But—hadn’t Ryoka told Erin how much it sucked to be a Street Runner? And Erin was sure the other girl had complained at length about running countless miles to deliver some useless item for only a few silver coins. Unless you were a Courier, being a Runner sounded sort of boring too.

There it was again. Boring. Erin kept thinking the word. She sighed loudly again.

“I just don’t—I know we could find you a decent job, Jasi. But that’s not what you should want, y’know?”

Jasi exchanged a glance with Wesle.

“I don’t know, Miss Erin. What do you mean?”

Erin didn’t really know herself. She tried to explain as she slumped lower in her seat.

“It’s just…we’re talking about your future here. And you’re happy to get an okay job, I get that. But—don’t you want to be rich or famous? Don’t you have anything you want to do, anything special?”

She looked hopefully at Jasi, but just got a confused shake of the head in return.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to keep myself fed and clothed, Miss Erin. That’s all.”

The Drake had no idea how depressed that made Erin. How could she not want to do something special? But Jasi had been poor. Her dreams were real and urgent.

“You never wanted to be famous? Or live an exciting life?”

When she’d been younger, Erin had dreamed of being a astronaut. Then, when she’d been slightly older she’d wanted to be a legendary chess player, someone who could beat even a computer in chess. And then…she’d wanted to be a chess commentator, someone with a huge following or even a Youtube channel. Her dreams weren’t huge, true—most people didn’t even know chess commentary was an actual job. But they were big to Erin.

Jasi didn’t even have her own hopes and dreams. Erin looked at Grev.

“Don’t you want to be someone special?”

“Me?”

The young boy looked confused and slightly scared as Erin pointed at him. She nodded.

“Yeah, you. If you could have any class—do anything—what would you do?”

“I’d—I’d be a famous adventurer! A Gold-rank—no, a Named Adventurer! And I’d have a flaming sword and slay Dragons.”

Grev’s face immediately lit up, but Jasi only shook her head, looking upset.

“Please, Miss Erin. Don’t encourage Grev.”

“Why not?”

Erin glared at Jasi, making the Drake shrink back.

“Dreams are good! Important! If you could do anything, what would you do, Jasi?”

The Drake hesitated, and bit at her lip. Reluctantly, she replied.

“I suppose if I could I’d like to learn a craft and start a small business for myself—but even that’s a far-off dream, Miss Erin.”

She didn’t quite deserve the dead gaze Erin gave her. Jasi just shrugged helplessly.

“It’s all I can think of. If I could have anything—I guess I’d wish to be rich? Rich enough that I never have to work?”

“Really? That’s boring too!”

Erin threw her hands up helplessly. Why were Jasi’s ambitions so small? Why was she so upset? But it was just—

Boring. The same word again.

“Wesle!”

The man jumped.

“Yes, Erin?”

“What’s your dream?”

He hesitated and turned slightly red. But the look in Erin’s eyes didn’t give him any wiggle room. Clearing his throat several times, Wesle blushingly replied.

“I wanted to be an adventurer too. But—”

His hand fell back on his sword hilt helplessly. Wesle squeezed his eyes for a second.

“—But I’m afraid I can’t be one. I’m not a born fighter like they are, Miss Erin. I can handle myself, but I’m not brave enough to go searching for evil to fight.”

Wesle closed his eyes. He stared past Erin, at something in the distance. His voice softened, and his hand clenched around the mug on this table.

“If I could, I should have liked to have been a [Knight]. I would have loved to fight monsters and defend people by slaying creatures. And—yes, wielding a flaming sword. Or one that can cut through steel, at least.”

His eyes refocused, and he coughed, turning beet-red. He looked afraid, as if he was sure the others in the room would laugh at him. But no one did.

Instead, his words made Jasi take a breath. She stared out the window, hesitating, and then spoke.

“If I could? If I had nothing to worry about? Maybe, maybe I’d travel to Liscor. To other cities. I’d like to know what Drakes—my people are like. I’d like to see what lies beyond Celum’s walls.”

She’d never left the city? But there were people like that too. Even back home, Erin remembered people, old people, who’d never even left their home state. They’d never flown on a plane or bothered to drive more than a hundred miles from where they were born and would die. She’d never understood that, but then, Erin had travelled to other continents to play chess in tournaments when she was young.

Some days, it felt like Erin really was in a different world. Only, she was walking among aliens that wore human faces. She met people with small dreams, who were as small as insects. Sometimes. But then Erin looked deep into their souls and saw something familiar. Something she’d seen in a mirror when she was young.

Hope. Dreams.

Passion.

The man and Drake sitting at her table were very different, but they had the same look in their eyes. It wasn’t what Erin saw in Agnes’ pitying gaze, or Safry’s shrug. There was still something in Wesle’s expression, and Jasi’s eyes when she stared at the window. They had a spark there, of something real and alive. But it was fading, and Erin saw it flickering in Jasi’s resigned smile and the way Wesle shook his head when he talked about his past dreams.

They had hopes. They had ambitions. But it was buried so deep that they’d nearly forgotten about them. Erin touched her aching chest. And yet, what could you do? Octavia’s words echoed in her mind. If you weren’t willing to risk everything, what could you do?

Being an adventurer was a calling for the few, the insane and the brave and the desperate. But what else could people do if they didn’t want to work their entire lives? Octavia was right. There was no other way to live. Either you took a risk and died or became famous or—you worked hard and kept your head down.

“It’s not right.”

That was all Erin said. She sat at the table and clenched her hands. This wasn’t right. This was how the world was—how this world was. And she knew it was probably how the world had been, back in her world for thousands of years. But—

It wasn’t right. There was more to life. She knew that. She lived, she had lived in a world where anyone could be anything. That was what she’d been taught as a child. And maybe it wasn’t totally true, but it was that idea which people associated with her home country, with being an American. It was about equality, but it was also about hope.

Hope, and the faith that you could realize your dreams.

“Miss Erin?”

Erin looked up. Jasi and Wesle were looking at her. So was Grev.

“What?”

“You’ve been very quiet. Are you alright?”

“I am. It’s just—your world—your city—sort of sucks, guys.”

To Erin’s surprise, both Jasi and Wesle immediately frowned at her comment.

“I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Yeah. Celum isn’t perfect but—it’s just as good as Liscor.”

“Respectfully, Miss Erin, Celum is quite a good city to live in.”

Erin blinked at the force of their replies. Even Jasi was defending Celum. Why? Wesle’s normally amiable face looked quite upset as he stared challengingly at Erin.

“What makes you feel your home is that much better than Celum?”

“Where I come from—in the place where I used to be, people didn’t have so—so few options.”

Erin tried to explain to the indignant guardsman and Drake.

“We have plenty of options!”

“Indeed. Anyone can make something of themselves in Celum.”

“No—no, you guys don’t get it! Here you can only have boring jobs. Or—or be an adventurer and maybe die. But back home, people could be someone. They could be stars, celebrities!”