Bayan was awakened late the next morning by a timid tapping on his door.

He was so deeply asleep that at first, he didn't know what it was. In the dream he was having, it was the dripping of water in a leaky roof where he was sheltering. But slowly the dream faded, and he surfaced into reality. Someone was knocking at his door.

Grumbling, Bayan pulled on his trousers, then draped his traveling cloak around his shoulders. His neck and left arm had stiffened in the night, and he could barely turn his head or lift his arm. Wondering if Charles was up to more healing, he opened his door. "All right, all right, what's the rush-"

Koharu gazed up at him with wide golden eyes.

Bayan didn't quite gasp, but he caught his breath. Heat rushed to his face, turning his ash-white skin a rosy color. "Uh-uh-Koharu! Uh-"

Her gaze dropped to his bare chest and the patterns of black scales that flowed down his sternum. Her anxious expression turned wondering. She looked up at him again, still nervous, hands clasped, but with a trace of a smile. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Bayan nodded, since he seemed to have forgotten how to speak. Koharu wore a slim blue dress that set off her figure. It rose to a modest height around her neck and fell below her knees, but as far as he was concerned, it might as well have been a slip. Her polished horns gleamed like ivory, and her golden hair curled around her face and horns a sort of unstyled grace. Bayan was suddenly aware that he smelled as if he'd been riding a chocobo in the sun all day, and his bare chest was still smeared with dried blood.

"I was so worried," Koharu admitted, bowing her head. "I had to see if you were all right."

"I'm … all right," he said. Why wouldn't his stupid brain form words? He lifted his good hand to his sore shoulder. "I was shot, though, like you said."

She looked up again, eyes wide, and stared at the smears of rusty red. "Oh no, my vision came true! Are you still hurt?"

"Charles healed me," Bayan said. "But I'm terribly stiff." He cleared his throat. "Ah … I should clean up and dress."

"Do you need help?" she asked.

He almost said no. But the whole time he'd been standing there, his knees kept threatening to give way. Now one of them did, and he caught himself against the doorframe.

Koharu darted forward and took his good arm. "Back to the bed before you hit the floor."

He was so much bigger than her, he tried not to lean his full weight on her. But for a few steps, he had to, and to his surprise, she held him up. Strong little thing. He reached the bed and sat down with relief. "I don't understand," he said. "It was only my shoulder that was harmed. Why am I so weak?"

Koharu bustled to the bureau, where a carafe of water stood beside a bowl and several towels. "One part of the body suffers, it all suffers," she replied. "Show me how you were wounded. What happened at the mine?"

Bayan told her the story. As he talked, she poured water into the bowl, soaked a towel in it, and helped him wash himself. She was a strong, no-nonsense nurse, and he rather enjoyed being pampered. His chest was smeared with dried blood, but his back had rivulets all the way to his waist that he hadn't noticed. Koharu scrubbed it away without flinching.

When he reached the part about taking an arrow for Charles, Koharu gasped and stared at him, a grimy towel in her hands. "He shot at the healer! It differed from my vision that much?"

"I changed the circumstances, remember," said Bayan. "It appears that fate must have its way, no matter how we try to alter it."

"You both lived, though," said Koharu with satisfaction. "Fate allowed that much change. I wonder if it's because of me?"

"You're one reason I was determined to live," he said softly, meeting her gaze.

She smiled prettily and put away the bowl and towel. "You're the reason I sneaked down here to the Quicksand. Mother went out for the day and left a pile of chores to keep me busy, but you were more important. My Azim."

"And yet we hardly know one another," said Bayan, his gaze resting on her white horns. "I suppose I should tell you my darkest secrets now, so you know what you're getting into."

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," she said with a musical laugh.

He picked up his tunic and pondered how to put it on with only one hand. "I draw upon black magic as part of my fighting technique." He braced himself and checked her face for signs of horror and rejection.

"Yes, the abyss," said Koharu without blinking. "I saw you receive it from other knights in a snowy place. Coerthas?"

Bayan gaped. "You-how do you know?"

Koharu tapped her temple. "My visions. When I first looked into your eyes, I glimpsed your whole life. That included your dark magic. But I've had visions of you for months, now. Each of them showed you fighting a foe and using black magic. I thought of you as my dark warrior. That's how I knew you were coming for me."

Bayan thought about this as he clumsily pulled his tunic over his head. He managed to slide his good arm through the sleeve, but his sore arm simply refused to lift high enough. He gave up and sat there with his shirt half-on. "And you don't … fear me?"

Koharu laughed and laughed. "There you sit, unable to even don a tunic, and you ask if I fear you!" She unlaced his tunic and helped him slide his arm into the sleeve properly. Then, when he couldn't tie the laces, she did it for him.

"This is somewhat humiliating," he confided. "I dreamed for years of finding my Nhaama and sweeping her away with my romantic gestures. Instead, I sit here, weak as a newly hatched chocobo, as my goddess is forced to help me dress."

"And I never thought that my dark warrior would be a young, dashing Xaela," she said, peering sideways at him through her eyelashes. "I expected more … strong and silent."

"Strong, yes," said Bayan. "Silent … well, I hope you are not disappointed."

"Not at all," she said, standing back to look at him. She reached out and tucked a strand of his hair back, out of his eyes. "I've wanted to do that since the first vision."

He smiled, that warm joy creeping through him again at her presence. "What is your dark secret, my Nhaama?"

She sighed and sat beside him on the bed. "Alas, you already know about my visions. They're my blessing and my curse. I can't control them, and they come unexpectedly, always accompanied by a headache. You will have to be content with a wife who swoons at random."

"Do you have visions of me now?" he asked.

She gazed at him thoughtfully. "Not since we met. Before that, I had daily visions of you. Nightmarish things, always of you killing. Lilira's cards said that your coming meant death."

"Whose death, I wonder," Bayan muttered.

Koharu continued gazing at him for a long moment, with such intensity, that he grew embarrassed again. "I take it that you like what you see."

"Very much," she said. "Will you sleep more, or will you get up and eat?"

"Eat," he said emphatically. "My last meal was dried meat and fruit from a saddlebag."

She fetched his boots, and he put them on with effort. Then she assisted him downstairs, taking it slowly and carefully.

There was no sign of Charles in the busy common room. Bayan had slept so late that the lunch rush had begun, and every table was filled. Bayan and Koharu went outdoors to the extra dining area adjoining the inn, a long avenue shaded by awnings. A fountain played there, its chatter adding to the murmur of patrons' voices. They found a small unoccupied table and sat down, Bayan trembling with effort.

"Now," Koharu said in a low voice. "Tell me everything about this job and what you know about who wants to kill you."

Bayan told her about Fyrgeiss having difficulties with an investor, Asturmaux. He added that their escort to the mine, Rhon, had acted strange when Bayan didn't throw himself on the blades of the Amaljaa, and then vanished once they did.

When Bayan finished, Koharu sat with her hands pressed together, gazing into the distance for a long while. A serving girl brought them soup and sandwiches. Bayan paid for the food, and Koharu didn't notice. She just sat and stared into space. He began to wonder if she was having a vision.

"No, no, that won't do," she muttered, and sighed. "I have to see Fyrgeiss face to face in order to trigger a vision. And this Asturmaux, too. Is there any way you could arrange to meet with them? To discuss the job, perhaps?" Her elbow bumped a plate, and she looked at the food in surprise.

Bayan was halfway through his soup and first sandwich. "I might be able to request a meeting. Also, this soup is superb. I believe it's a chicken broth base with tomato, garlic, and beans as a thickener. The spice is quite exciting. Some type of native pepper, perhaps."

Koharu blinked at him. "You analyze food?"

"I'm a culinarian in my spare time," Bayan said. "If one must slay monsters, one might as well see that the meat doesn't go to waste."

Koharu beamed. "My visions showed nothing of this! What other hidden depths do you conceal, my Azim?"

"I'm not sure," he said, pleased. "What of you? Do you cook?"

"I sew," she replied, plucking the sleeve of her dress. "I made this myself."

"You are a seamstress worthy of the gods themselves," said Bayan fervently.

They ate and talked, and the rest of the noisy world seemed to vanish. All that existed was their little table, floating among the clouds in a ray of sunlight. Bayan found himself worshiping everything about Koharu, and the better he knew her, the more he adored her. She was so tiny and delicate, yet so tough and courageous. He wanted to protect her, care for her, make her endlessly happy.

The bubble didn't burst until Charles sat down at their table, nursing a cup of black tea the size of a bucket. "Good morning," he yawned. "Or afternoon or whatever."

Bayan looked up with a start from contemplating the depths of Koharu's eyes. "Charles? Oh, yes, Charles, this is Koharu. Koharu, Charles Whitmore, my White Mage."

"We've met, sort of," said Charles, sipping his tea. His dark hair was tossed all over his head like a stormy sea, and two days worth of whiskers darkened his chin. He wore his clothes from the day before, pulled on anyhow, with none of the buttons fastened. He looked quite a mess.

"Hello," said Koharu, once more unsure of herself in the presence of a stranger. She gazed at her plate for a moment, then held out an uneaten sandwich. "Could I interest you in roast boar?"

"Don't see why not," said Charles, accepting it. He took a bite, chewed, swallowed, and seemed to wake up a little. "Wait, am I interrupting a date?"

"Yes," said Bayan, without rancor. "But it's all right. Koharu deserves to know the company I keep."

"I had a vision all about you, too," said Koharu. "You're a kind man, Charles Whitmore. I'm glad Bayan has you for a healer."

Charles blushed. "Oh, uh, thank you. I'll leave you two alone as soon as I finish this. I was only looking for Bayan." He scrutinized Koharu. "Do you actually like him?"

"Yes," said Koharu. "Don't you?"

Charles gestured to the towering Xaela. "Yes, but I'm not fated to marry him, or however this works. He's been looking for you for ages. Were you looking for him?"

"Yes, but not the same way," said Koharu. "I saw him in visions, and I feared he was coming to kill me. Fortunately, visions can be misinterpreted." She turned to Bayan and held out a hand. He took it, and they held hands across the table, smiling at each other.

"Well, I'm glad you two have hit it off," said Charles. "Bayan, are we headed back to that mine?"

"Not today," said Bayan. "I need to speak to Fyrgeiss about this job. Koharu wants to look at him and see if she can trigger a vision about his motives."

"Asturmaux, too," Koharu added. "Once we know why you're set to take a fall, we'll know how to proceed."

"We?" said Charles. "I'm sorry, but I thought you had a job being exploited as a fortune teller."

Koharu blushed crimson. "I-I-I'm off today."

"Soon to be every day," said Bayan, his voice taking on a hard edge. "But I can't afford a tempting dowry until we finish this job."

"Well, I'll get dressed and see what I can do," said Charles. He drained the last of his tea and rose to his feet. "Thanks for the sandwich, too. I was famished after the long march yesterday."

He returned to the inn, leaving Koharu and Bayan alone. She smiled at him. "A dowry?"

"Yes," said Bayan. He explained about not wanting to leave her mother destitute.

Koharu thought about this, her chin on her hand. "I'll ask Mother about it and see if she can give me an amount. She is very savvy with finances. I've seen some men trade cattle for wives, or volunteer service for certain amounts of time. When gil is lacking, there are other means of payment."

"Yes, find out what sort of dowry she expects," said Bayan. "In the meantime, I must send messages to the Chief Foreman and arrange a meeting."

Bayan kept Koharu close to him all through the afternoon, as he traded messages with the Mining Concern. Runners carried notes to and fro, finally arriving with an agreement to meet the following day at nine o'clock.

Bayan escorted Koharu home that evening. They held hands as they walked, but Bayan was silent, his mind filled with uncertainties and conjecture. Koharu, already growing used to him, said little and simply walked beside him, humming happily.

When they reached her house, Lilira was haunting the doorstep, watching for customers. Her eyes widened as she saw her daughter approaching with a tall, dark Auri warrior at her side.

"Good evening, ma'am," said Bayan, bowing to Lilira. "I would like to speak to you about a private matter, if you please."

The old woman glared up at him, then at Koharu. But she was also aware that the whole neighborhood was probably watching them and speculating what might happen next. So she smiled and curtseyed. "Come in, sir. It's too hot to talk in the street."

Lilira led them into the small house and offered Bayan a cushion on the floor, which they used in place of chairs. Bayan seated himself with grace. Koharu dithered a little, then sat beside her mother, as was proper.

"I should like to marry your daughter," said Bayan without preamble. "I have come to discuss the matter of a dowry."

At the mention of marriage, Lilira scowled as if she was considering laying a curse on him. But at the word dowry, the scowl vanished into an intent smile. "Really now," she said, tucking her tiny feet under her. "Well, Koharu is my only daughter, you see. Without her, my business would fall to pieces, leaving me without support."

"I am aware," said Bayan. "I am prepared to pay eight thousand gil for her."

"Only eight?" Lilira said, patting Koharu's knee. "This girl is worth ten, at least."

"Mother, eight would give you a comfortable income on bank interest," said Koharu.

"Shush," said Lilira.

She and Bayan fell to haggling like merchants in the marketplace. Koharu sat in silence and listened, her fingers doubling and knotting the hem of her dress. When Lilira finally agreed to nine thousand gil, she added that she wanted Bayan's service as a sellsword for three years. Bayan balked, and they were back at it.

Koharu listened in simultaneous awe and horror as her mother kept increasing her demands, and how Bayan kept adding and removing things from the bargaining table. He pointed out that working three years as her personal sellsword meant that he would have no income and no way to support Koharu. However, he offered his services as a culinarian. Lilira's gil-making radar went off, and soon she was trying to get him to agree to cooking in a restaurant that she operated.

It was quite late that night by the time negotiations reached their close. The agreed-upon dowry was eight thousand gil and a year of culinarian service, and regular exercise of all chocobos. Koharu was horrified.

As Koharu escorted him to the door, she whispered, "How could you agree to all that?"

"You're worth it," he said, smiling tenderly and stroking her hair. "And a year of service as a culinarian is better than winning a championship as a gladiator. That was on the table for a while."

Koharu made a face.

Bayan bent and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest, my Nhaama. I'll be here to pick you up at eight o'clock tomorrow. We must attend this meeting with Fyrgeiss together."

"I'll be ready," Koharu promised. She stood in the doorway and watched her dark warrior stride away into the night, her hands clasped over her heart. How could he place so much value on her that he offered to spend a year of his life working for free? It boggled her mind. She scarcely knew him, and already he was proving himself steadfast husband material.

"Let me be worthy of him, too," she prayed in a whisper. "Let me return his faith sevenfold, and enrich his life so that he's well paid for this expensive dowry."

"Well well, to what do I owe the pleasure?" said Fyrgeiss.

Charles, Bayan, and Koharu had just been shown into the Roegadyn's personal office. It was a spacious room high up in one of Ul'Dah's many towers. All the furniture was custom made for a giant's huge size, with enormous chairs, tables, and cabinets. Everywhere was gold and crystal, uncut chunks of each on display. A map the size of a carpet occupied a table in the corner, with a lot of flags on it, like a general planning a battle. When Charles squinted at it, he realized that it marked mines and the traffic to each.

All three visitors bowed. "I am Bayan Avagnar," said the Au Ra. He had attended this meeting in his dark gray armor, his hair freshly combed between his horns. His wild blue eyes were cool and calculating. "I was recently hired to liberate the Cradle Mine. This is my healer, Charles Whitmore, and this is Koharu."

"Charmed, I'm sure," said Fyrgeiss, reclining in a huge chair behind another table littered with parchments. He was a huge Roegadyn with swarthy skin. His pale blond hair and beard defined his face in striking lines. Standing up, he was probably an inch or two taller than Bayan.

Bayan faced him and said, "We've come to speak to you about difficulties with the Cradle Mine. I'm a sellsword by trade, and this is the strangest job I've ever taken. An army is needed to clear out the Amaljaa, yet whenever I bring this up, I am scoffed at. I took an arrow from an Elezen archer who sided with the Amaljaa-"

"Wait, hold on," said Fyrgeiss. "An Elezen? You're certain?"

"I killed him, so I saw him up close," said Charles. "Also, your man Rhon abandoned us to our fate."

"I have no one in my employ by that name," said Fyrgeiss.

A tense silence fell.

Fyrgeiss motioned to a couple of chairs. "Drag those up and sit down. I see we have much to discuss."

The three of them sat down. Charles studied the room as Bayan launched into the minutiae of the problem. The room was decorated with Coliseum trophies and banners, paintings of landscapes with mining equipment silhouetted against them, portraits of other Roegadyn. Koharu sat on Bayan's other side, hidden beneath her veil. If she was having a vision, she gave no sign.

Once Bayan finished his tale, Fyrgeiss sat in silence for a while, fingering his beard. "It does begin to appear that someone is working directly against me," he said. "Have you no clue as to the identity of this miscreant?"

"Perhaps," said Bayan. "The small chest given to the Amaljaa had the signet of a crescent moon scored by three scratches."

"I know that signet," Fyrgeiss said. He arranged the papers on his desk, as if his hands needed to move. Then he rang a bell.

Tololi entered from a side door and bowed. "Yes, Chief?"

"Fetch Asturmaux," said Fyrgeiss. "I have business that concerns him."

Tololi bowed again and departed.

Fyrgeiss rose to his feet and paced to the table with the map. He studied it for a long moment, then moved a few pieces around. Charles watched him. The man was nervous and upset. Interesting.

The side door opened, and Tololi returned, followed by a tall Elezen in an expensive indigo waistcoat trimmed with embroidered designs. Both of them bowed.

"May I present Lord Stephennot Asturmaux," said Tololi.

"My pleasure," said Asturmaux, his gaze sweeping the room. "I see we have guests, Chief Foreman."

"This is Bayan Avagnar and his team," said Fyrgeiss. "I hired their services to liberate the Cradle Mine."

"Ah, yes," said Asturmaux, pulling up another chair. He seated himself and stretched out his long legs with a touch of lazy insolence. "More of your sellswords, Fyrgeiss. Loyal only so long as the coin holds out." His gaze passed over Charles and Bayan. It settled on Koharu, as if seeking to pierce her veil.

"Show me your signet ring," said Fyrgeiss.

Asturmaux reached into his breast pocket, produced a thick, heavy gold ring, and handed it over. "You called me from my duties for that? All you had to do was check the seals on our correspondence. You see it every day."

"Yes, but our friends, here, do not," said Fyrgeiss. He handed the ring to Bayan. "Examine it."

Bayan held up the ring. Charles and Koharu leaned in for a closer look. Embossed on the ring was a crescent moon with three lines across it.

"That's the symbol," said Bayan, handing it back.

"I thought so," said Fyrgeiss. He sank back in his chair, deep in thought.

"You know my signet?" said Asturmaux with a laugh.

"I saw it somewhere, yes," said Bayan, his gaze turning to the Elezen. "On a small, heavy box given to the Amaljaa."

Asturmaux's eyes flashed, but his easy grin remained in place. "Funny, that. Must have been taken from one of my warehouses. The beast tribes traffic in stolen goods, you know."

"Any robberies recently?" Fyrgeiss said, looking up with something like hope in his eyes.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Asturmaux. "Just four days ago. I was looking over the reports when you called me in. If you'll dismiss me, I'd rather like to get back to it." His gaze turned to Bayan, triumphant and insolent.

"Do you employ a Lalafel named Rhon?" said Bayan, meeting his gaze as if facing a challenger.

"Never heard the name," said Asturmaux, unblinking.

"You may be dismissed, Stephennot," said Fyrgeiss. "You've told us what we need."

The Elezen rose to his feet, twirled a hand, and bowed flamboyantly. "Anything I can do to help, Chief. And now, I bid you all good day." He walked out.

Charles glanced at Koharu, but she still made no sign of whether she had had a vision or not.

Fyrgeiss waited until the door closed behind Asturmaux. Then he called his manservant to his side. "Double check the reports. I need to know if a robbery occurred four days ago. And I need to know if a chest was stolen that matches this description." He scribbled it on a piece of parchment, tore it off, and handed it to Tololi. Tololi bowed and left through a different door.

Fyrgeiss turned to his guests. "You have given me much to think about. Please take this advance payment of your fee and mention this to no one." He opened a drawer, pulled out a money box, and counted three thousand gil. He placed them in a bag and passed it to Bayan.

As Bayan took the bag, Fyrgeiss said, "Please, consider yourself on leave at my expense. Tour the city, visit the Gold Saucer, and enjoy yourselves. I will call upon your services in a few days, once I've gotten to the bottom of this matter." He glanced in the direction that Asturmaux had gone as he spoke.

Bayan rose to his feet, followed by Charles and Koharu. They bowed their thanks to the Roegadyn, and a servant showed them out.

Not until they were back outside in the hot, bright street did Bayan lean close to Koharu. "Any visions?"

"Two," she said, raising a hand to her head. "And a lovely headache I have, too."

"We'll take you home, then," said Bayan with a look at Charles. "Can you do aught for her?"

Charles raised a hand and cast a small Cure spell on Koharu. As a trickle of golden light settled on her veil, she drew a deep breath and lifted her head. "Oh, that's better. Thank you, kind sir."

"Let me know whenever your head hurts," Charles said. "I can relieve headaches in a couple of seconds."

As they set out again, Koharu said, "Fyrgeiss is being pressured to give up his seat on the Syndicate to Asturmaux. He's upset about it. His brothers urge him not to back down."

"What of Asturmaux?" Bayan asked.

Koharu shook her veiled head. "I saw him paying off servants to bribe the Amaljaa. Rhon is someone he hired. That archer at the mine was one of his friends from Limsa Lominsa. He's the one we're after, here. I've known snakes more honest than he is."

"Great," Charles said. "If only we had any proof."

"I'll think about it," said Koharu. She took Bayan's hand and looked up at him through her veil. "Please don't let them harm you."

"I'll be all right," said Bayan, clasping her hand. "You've done enough for now. Let us escort you home."

The three made their way back to Koharu's house, where her mother pretended to be happy to see them and not fuming about losing precious time telling fortunes. Koharu was sent to the reading room at once, where a client was already waiting. Bayan stood in the street, watching the closed door, tilting his head, listening.

"Anything?" Charles asked after a few minutes.

"No beatings," Bayan said under his breath. "Nothing but low voices and the clink of gil." He leaned forward and touched one horn to the door. After a moment, he stepped back, shaking his head. "Business as usual for the fortune teller. Let's go."

Neither man said much on the walk back to the Quicksand Inn. Charles endured the hot weather with a sort of weary fortitude. Bayan was too lost in thought to notice the sweat trickling down his face. It wasn't until they arrived at the inn that Bayan said, "I would not begrudge you a trip to the Gold Saucer. I hear that the Triple Triad tournaments are high stakes."

"You wouldn't come?" Charles said.

Bayan shook his head. "I intend to learn everything I can about Asturmaux. But there will be little combat involved, and I wouldn't want you to come all this way for nothing."

"It's not nothing," said Charles quietly, meeting his friend's eyes. "You found your girl, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I don't have her, yet," said Bayan, gazing down at the Hyur. "Rest. Enjoy yourself, as Fyrgeiss said."

"You rest, too," said Charles, placing a hand on Bayan's semi-healed shoulder. Healing magic flowed from the touch. Bayan closed his eyes for a moment at the unexpected coolness of it.

"You're still recovering," said Charles, even more quietly. "Don't shrug this off, mister dark knight of the abyss. The wound is closed, but the flesh is still half-knit. You can't swing a sword in this condition."

"I know," said Bayan. "I have no plans to swing a sword. Only talk."

"Well then." Charles grinned. "I might just spend the evening at the casino."

Bayan opened the bag of gil that Fyrgeiss had paid them and divided it with Charles. Charles's eyes popped a little. "Fifteen hundred! Are you sure?"

"I would be dead if not for you," said Bayan. "Keep it. I'll earn more."

Looking thoughtful, Charles departed for the casino in the desert outside Ul'Dah. Bayan drifted in the direction of the gladiator's guild in the Coliseum. If Fyrgeiss financed the bloodsport, then the fighters might know the scuttlebutt on his financial woes.