DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Dawn of Revolution

The Rogue, part 2

As soon as Miranda finished changing back into her favorite green dress the next morning and smoothed out a few wrinkles in the fabric, she did up her hair in a simple style (no mirror needed) and made a happy sigh. She had a good feeling about today! So, she happily swung open her room's door, stepped down the hall, and knocked on a certain other door. She waited. One second, two, three...

The simple bolt lock slid, and the door creaked inward. There stood Lafin Coppertree. "G... good morning," he said awkwardly. "I guess."

Miranda beamed. "Good morning to you, too! Sleep well?"

Lafin merely grunted. The poor boy probably needed breakfast, so Miranda offered a hand and led him to the inn's dining room. Miranda saw a pair of moon elf men conversing quietly in a corner table over breakfast, while a musclebound earth genasi fellow chugged a pint of beer at the bar.

"Ah, thank you," Miranda said brightly as the waitress, a wood elf lady with her hair in a braided ponytail, served breakfast for Miranda and Lafin. Miranda made sure to add a hefty tip, and the delighted waitress pocked the gold coins before trotting off.

Lafin took a bite of cheese. "Seriously, do you think you're my mom or something?" he asked. "Well, you know what I mean."

Miranda reached over and patted Lafin's head. "You can think of me as your big sister, Lafin. I meant what I said last night: it's so fun having a little brother."

Lafin scoffed. "Come on. You're not even an elf. For my people, a 22-year-old is barely a child."

"Well, it's what's on the inside that counts," Miranda said, using that hand to touch her heart. She took a long drink of fruit cider, then started on her fruit. "And I still want to get to know you better as I explore town with you."

"Haven't I already explained myself?"

"Somewhat, yes. I must thank you for opening up to me last night. Truly," Miranda said fondly as she tore of a piece of bread with fresh butter to eat. "I'm positive you're a good person who just needs a little nudge in the right direction. But I want to know you as a friend, too. And I can tell you all about myself, too!"

Lafin gave her a half-interested look. "Like, your favorite doll growing up or a favorite pet?"

"Mmmmm. Funny you mention it. I was gonna tell you about a puppy I adopted. I called him Laddie." Miranda took another drink. "I wish I could have kept him, but my father decided it was best to send him to an animal shelter. As for dolls, well, I guess my favorite was my Ewathol doll. The goddess of love and friendship in Verhamaine!"

Lafin grunted again. "Right." He picked at his own bread, then looked up at Miranda again. "Look, you don't have to do all this for me. Thanks for giving me a room last night. And the food. But I can handle myself from here."

"I can't just abandon my cute little brother now! What would my sisters say?"

Lafin made a face. "Ugh, I'm not your brother."

Miranda chuckled. "I still want to help you. Why not spend the day with me, and show me around Varrle Crossing? Or show me the local sights beyond that. I'm sure you've seen some cool stuff."

Lafin shrugged. "I've spent a few months here in the valley. I've found some good hiding spots. And some local ruins, a cave, the like. Places adventurers like to go to."

"Oooooh, how exciting!"

"Kinda."

"If you show me something unique, Lafin, I can write home to my sisters and father about it. They love hearing about my travels. And I'm a bit overdue to send another letter."

"What kinda stuff do people write in letters?" Lafin blurted out.

Miranda smiled. "Never sent one before?"

"Nuh-uh. Nobody to send one to."

Miranda finished her breakfast (Lafin was done, too) and got to her feet. "I'll be right back."

"Huh?"

Miranda skipped off to her room, got some letters from her travel pack, and returned to her and Lafin's table with them. She shuffled through the papers, then lay one on the table. "See?" Miranda said. "My sister Mozzie sent me this about a month ago. I'm so proud; she told me she got a job at a restaurant in Sassanoit's residential district!"

"Restaurant, huh?"

"That's right. Mozzie likes working with people, just like me," Miranda said warmly. "But she's also terribly shy and unassertive, unlike our oldest sister Minerva. It was a major personal accomplishment to get a job on her own. And she even started renting a room! It's the first time any of us have lived away from our father's home."

Lafin shrugged. "People move all the time."

"Well, it was a big deal for Mozzie," Miranda told him. "And can you believe it? Her manager was a real jerk to her! But she stood up for herself and did the right thing. Now she's happier than ever!" Miranda raised her fists in victory.

"Ha. No one screws with a rogue," Lafin said smugly. "When you've got the shadow aura, trouble finds you, but I'm always one step ahead. Let's see some dopey restaurant manager make a fool of me!"

Miranda gave him a knowing look. "Stolen a few dinners?"
Lafin looked like he was about to give a boastful "yes," then glanced down. "I did," he said meekly.

"Well, no more of that. Promise me," Miranda told him firmly.

"I promise."

"Super duper honest promise?"

"Yes!" Lafin snapped.

"I'll hold you to that." Miranda found another letter. "This one's from Murbella, the fifth sister. She's doing clerical work for Queen Lorelai. She's always been good at numbers and stuff. See?" Miranda traced her finger along Murbella's letter. "Murbella's making good friends with the king, and she thinks it's having a positive effect on him. Isn't that so inspiring?"
"Sure."

"But she's still wary of the princess, Theresa," Miranda added. "Theresa totally opposed Lorelai's revolution, and she sees Murbella as an enemy. She'd better not hurt my sister!"

Then Miranda showed Lafin another letter, this one from Maggie, who happily described how well her diplomat work was going, and another from Minerva, who had attended a performance of Nine Lords Errant at a theater. Minerva had been so enraptured by the performance, she had hardly hardly sleep that night, according to the letter. And Farraday was doing well too, especially with Minerva to help him.

"Wow. I've never seen so many letters at once," Lafin commented once Miranda showed him the last one. "You kept all of 'em? Didn't throw 'em away when you were done?"

"Goodness no!" Miranda cried. "They make me feel like my family's with me. And my sisters have such pretty handwriting. Better than mine." She grinned.

Lafin merely shrugged again, but Miranda thought she saw a sentimental look in his punkish eyes. Was Lafin touched? Well, how could someone not be?

Next up was a tour of town!

"You wanted a 'cute' shop, and this is it," Lafin said about 15 minutes later, as he and Miranda wandered Varrle Crossing's busy morning streets. He stopped and pointed at a charming establishment with knickknacks displayed in the window. "Wanna go in?"

"Yes!" Miranda threw open the door. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, missus," an elderly halfling man said from behind the counter. He was balding, with curly white hair and dark eyes. "Didn't think I'd get business so early. Well, I haven't had that much business lately anyhow. Look around, look around."

Miranda was already doing just that, her eyes wide with delight as she pondered the items on the wall-mounted wooden racks. So much stuff! At random, Miranda picked up a three-inch-long dragon fang that rested on a small red cushion, holding it up. "What's this?"

"Set it down on the floor and watch," the halfling shopkeep called over in his slightly shaky voice.

Miranda knelt and set the fang on the floor. At once, it turned itself around to point another way. "Whoa!"

"Always points south," the shopkeep said. "See?"

"Ooooh." Miranda turned the fang around, and marveled as it turned once again to point south. She turned it yet again, and sure enough, south!

"Five silver, and it's yours," the shopkeep piped up.

Miranda stood and tossed the fang up and down in her hand. "Hmmmmm, maybe. What else?"

To Lafin's amusement, Miranda picked through almost everything on that entire wall, such as a silver ring with a tiny amethyst in it, and Miranda felt relaxed, almost sedated, when she put it on. Whew, so sleepy. Then she found a piece of white cloth that floated in place when released in the air, a small marble that kept changing color while making animal noises, and a wooden puzzle box with elemental symbols on its pieces. She also found a whistle made from gold-colored wood. She put it to her lips and blew.

FWEEEEEEEEEE!

"Gah!" Lafin winced and clapped his hands to his pointed ears. "What the hell, Miranda! Too loud!"

Miranda, her ears ringing, made an embarrassed smile and put the whistle back. "Oops. Maybe I blew too hard." She glanced at the shopkeep, who was just picking at his ear.

"Didn't hear nothin'," he said.

Miranda found more goodies, including another silver ring, this one with leaf and dove patterns carved into it. Miranda turned it over in her fingers, then gasped when she saw "Dax and Mariva" carved amateurishly on the inside. "Did this belong to someone?" Miranda asked, holding it up. The shopkeep merely shrugged, so Miranda cautiously slipped the ring on... only for it to slide right off as though coated in grease.

"Whoops!" Miranda grabbed the ring just before it hit the floor, then put it on her right fourth finger more carefully. Once again, it slid off. And again.

Miranda gasped. Did the previous owner enchant this ring so only the two lovers, Dax and Mariva, could wear it? She studied the ring, her heart beating harder as she got a weird feeling. She felt like she was stealing from the dead! "I... can't buy this," Miranda declared. She tucked the ring into a corner, where other patrons probably wouldn't find it and buy it on a whim. That ring was for Dax and Mariva! Wherever they were, Miranda hoped the gods were watching over them.

Finally, Miranda found the real treasure: a large snow globe with a model kobold and his family inside. Miranda shook it, and silver and gold glitter swirled in the globe's thick liquid.

"This is so cute!" Miranda cried. "Lafin, look!"

Lafin barely gave it a glance. "Do you think everything is cute?" Still, there was a tiny grin on his face.

Miranda tossed her hair and marched right up to the counter to make her purchase. "Well, I like it, and I'm sending it to my sisters and father tonight with the fastest courier hawk I can find! They need another souvenir. This is just the one."

"Seven silvers," the shopkeep said, and he blinked with surprise when Miranda slid over two gold coins. Before the shopkeep could say anything else, Miranda stashed the adorable snow globe in her travel bag and left the shop with a bewildered Lafin in tow.

"So, where next?" Miranda asked.

Lafin looked around. "Well..."

The morning sun steadily climbed toward noon as the two friends went this way and that across Varrle Crossing, including a stop by a bakery, where Miranda insisted on buying a blackberry pie and a sunberry pie for double dessert tonight. They also stopped by a clothing shop, where Lafin refused to get new clothes, even with Miranda paying.

"This is the outfit of a true outlaw," Lafin said, gesturing at his getup. "I'm no commoner."

Miranda chuckled. "Oh, fine. As for the ladies' wear, I think Murbella would like this one. Red is her color." She gently tugged on the sleeve of a delightful, wine-red gown with gold trim and pearls woven into its neckline.

"Sure."

From there, Miranda and Lafin went on to visit a music shop, where a dragonborn man with bright green and yellow scales was trying to decide between two different lutes, politely arguing with his friend over which would give him the best tune. Miranda listened attentively, because it sounded like the dragonborn man was an adventurer whose party was counting on him to play good music! Miranda had heard traveling performers and bards having downright magical effects with their songs, but she had never met one. She was half-tempted to ask the dragonborn for a song, but when she floated the idea by Lafin, he shook his head. So, Miranda looked over some well-crafted flutes, a few violins, and a banjo with flame patterns on it before moving on.

To the wild world beyond Varrle Crossing, that is!

"I think it's time," Miranda said dramatically as she and Lafin reached one corner of the town, where there was hardly any traffic aside from a trickle of trader carriages going in and out.

Lafin looked up at her. "Time for...?"

Miranda clapped her hands together, giving Lafin a crafty smile. "Time for the real rogue stuff. Beyond civilization."

Lafin paused, then made a crafty grin to match Miranda's own.

"Oh, now we're getting to the good part," Miranda said brightly as she and Lafin marched right out of Varrle Crossing and into the Varrle Valley's idyllic wilderness. Miranda patted her leather travel bag. "Not to worry. If we run into trouble, I'm ready."

"Got a knife in there?" Lafin asked as they trekked further away from the wide dirt road.

Miranda smiled. "Better."

They walked in silence for about five minutes before Miranda piped up again. "So, have you met many other adventurers during your time as a rogue? Anyone interesting?"

"A few, I guess," Lafin said casually. "I met this cleric, this real snobby guy, who came all the way from Thirmorn to exorcise evil across the Republic."

"What did he do?"

"Get robbed, then spend the night sleeping in a barn," Lafin said with a laugh. "He got jumped by some street kids who took all he had and ran. He even cast one of those mage hand spells to catch 'em, but too late!"

Miranda winced. "Oh, that's awful!"

"Could've been worse. He got help from the local temple of Araduthir and was given enough supplies to return home."

Miranda nodded. "Oh, that's the Illaran god of safe travel and generosity."

"You know about him? For real?"
"My sister Maggie helped me learn about foreign religions," Miranda explained. She and Lafin were now reaching the valley's steep slope, a place of shadows and scattered boulders. "Did you know the Trassians have a god of rusted forks? And a god of kicking down doors!"

"Trassians are weirdos, based on what I hear," Lafin said simply. "Oh, and I met this high elf lady who thought she was all that. I joined her to plunder an old temple near the Khanate border."

"What happened?"

Lafin snorted. "She got stuck waist-deep in a mimic. I had to tug her free. Wow, mimics are actually kinda scary up close. How many eyes do they have?!"

"It's so they can find naughty boys sneaking into their territory," Miranda teased him.

"Very funny."

"What else did you do, dear shadow rogue?"

Lafin shot her a look, then continued, "I ran with a mercenary group called the Black Hawks. Or rather, I tried, but they didn't let me stick around 'cause I was too young. I also won enough coins to eat in gambling halls. Turns out it's kinda easy to sneak cards up your sleeve when you need 'em most! I can't believe how many people fell for that."

"Oh, my."

Lafin entertained Miranda with more tales of his misadventures until they reached the open mouth of a cave. "This looks promising," Lafin said, pointing. "Got any torches?"

Miranda rustled through her travel bag and produced a magic scroll. "It's got a light spell," she explained. "See?" Miranda said the arcane words written on the scroll, and on command, the complex, circular rune glowed bright blue, and a brilliant white light shone from the scroll's slightly raggedy surface.

Lafin nodded. "That's not bad. How much did it cost?"

"Four gold coins."

"Eh, I'd have stolen it. Saves coins for dinner."

Miranda scowled. "No more stealing. Now, how about that cave?"

Lafin rubbed his hands together. "Whatever we find in there is ours for the taking! Trust me, that's how this works. I'm not stealing or anything."

"Let's just be careful, okay?" Miranda said gently.

Lafin scoffed. "You're not my mom. Now, let's dive in. I'll go first." He drew a dagger and cautiously slipped into the cave's mouth, with Miranda right behind him. Miranda's light scroll revealed stalactites and stalagmites, a few loose rocks, and some puddles here and there. She heard water dripping deeper in the cave, the sound echoing. It sounded pretty... and a little foreboding.

"Are we alone in here?" Miranda half-whispered.

"Ain't no telling," Lafin said, dagger held at the ready. "But you gotta assume you're not. Stay close to me."

"Right back at you."

The cave branched into three, and Miranda and Lafin opted to take the left route first. It was so strange being in a place like this, Miranda thought, unable to strare in awe at the natural formations around her. It was nothing like the cramped, maze-like streets of Sassanoit's residential district or even navigating a forest. Miranda felt like she was in the throat of a great beast from legend.

"Oops. Cave-in," Lafin said. Sure enough, a pile of rocks sealed the way further, so he and Miranda doubled back, taking the central route this time.

"Ropers sometimes live in caves," Lafin suddenly piped up a few minutes later.

"Ropers?"

"Yeah." Lafin gestured, giving Miranda a gleeful look. "They're kinda cool. Dangerous, though. They'll pretend to be stalagmites, then grab you with their tentacles. They've got this big eye and a mouth of sharp teeth. Kinda like an octopus, but on land. They're ambush predators. I saw one once. Nasty."

"Oh my goodness." Miranda was suddenly aware of all the stalactites overhead and the stalagmites around her, half-expecting them to open their eyes and glare at her. Then, as Miranda took another step forward, she felt the hem of her dress snag on something.

Miranda couldn't help a terrified scream, adrenaline surging through her. She clapped her free hand to her mouth.

"What the -" Lafin whirled around, eyes wide in alarm. Then he relaxed. "Your dress snagged on that little one, see? It's no roper."

Miranda, her heart racing in terror, gathered the courage to look down and to her right. Lafin was right; Miranda's dress hem had gotten caught on a small stalagmite, a thoroughly not-alive obstacle.

Miranda laughed at herself. "Don't scare me like that, Lafin!"

"Me? I didn't do nothin'!"

"Silly. You put the idea of monsters in my head!"

"But ropers are real. You gotta know what's out there."

Miranda freed her dress hem and smiled again. "I'm just teasing you. Okay, let's keep going -"

She stopped when she heard several voices chittering further down the cave. Lafin clearly heard them too, his pointed elf ears perking up.

"Okay, now we have company," Lafin said tightly. "Let's get outta here!"

Miranda didn't waste a second. She whirled around and sprinted back the way she had come, her high-heeled boots pounding on the cave's floor, kicking up a bit of water as she went. Whew, good thing she was the athletic one among the quintuplets! Mozzie or Murbella would be in huge trouble if they were here. Lafin, meanwhile, easily kept pace, his lean, lithe body moving like a gazelle's.

"Oh, no." Miranda actually felt herself go pale as a small squad of creatures emerged from the right branch, and she heard more of them catching up from the middle branch, where she and Lafin had just returned from.

"Bugbears!" Lafin cried, pointing. "I've met their kind before. And these aren't happy to see us!"

Miranda swallowed as she saw two squads of six bugbears each forming a perimeter around her and Lafin. They were about four feet tall, burly creatures with coarse hair, pointed ears, simple leather armor, and worst of all, spiked clubs. Some of the bugbears chuckled hungrily, motioning with their weapons and chattering in that language of theirs.

"Uh... got a plan, rich girl?" Lafin asked, his voice going higher from fear as he held his dagger with two hands.

Miranda rolled up her light scroll into a tube, held it in her teeth, then reached into her bag to produce a second, much more expensive scroll. "Uh-huh!"

She whipped the new spell scroll through the air, and this one didn't even need a command phrase. Its magic sprang to life the instant the scroll's rune was exposed, and a series of whoosh noises filled the air as white darts of magic streaked through the air. The bugbears yelped in surprise and pain as the magical missiles struck them like blunt arrowheads, knocking four bugbears right off their feet. A fifth got his club knocked out of his hand.

"RUN!" Miranda hollered.

She and Lafin broke into a sprint, pushing their way past the confused bugbears to make a break for the cave's mouth ahead. Come on, come on... no way was Miranda going to die in a place like this! Closer, closer...

"Argh!" Lafin yelped, and Miranda turned to see her new friend sprawled on his stomach. "Slipped on a rock!" he cried. "Go, Miranda!" Behind him, the bugbears were catching up, snarling and yowling with fury, clubs held at the ready.

Miranda knew there wasn't time to get Lafin back up and resume sprinting. She only had seconds to think and act, and sure enough, she already felt her hand moving, frantically digging into her leather travel bag for one last scroll. Miranda seized it and snapped it open, spitting out the light scroll to shout the arcane command.

A shimmering gold shield erupted out of thin air, wide enough to block the bugbears and buy Lafin time to scramble to his feet. "It won't last long," Miranda cried. "Go!" Sure enough, the bugbears were already putting cracks in the shield with repeated club blows.

Miranda and Lafin didn't stop until they emerged back into the open air, and they kept dashing across the grassy, slightly damp land until they took shelter behind a boulder. Panting for breath, her heart fit to explode, Miranda peeked from behind the boulder, and was relieved to see that the bugbears hadn't followed them outside the cave. She heard their voices growing fainter and fainter, until they were finally gone.

"Oh..." Miranda sank to a sitting position, throwing her head back and sighing with relief. "By the gods' grace..."

"You... you saved my life, Miranda," Lafin said, his face pale, his lower lip trembling. "I owe you. I could've died in there."

Miranda wrapped him in a tight hug. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a little bruised," Lafin huffed. "Hey, you can let go."

"Not yet." Miranda kept holding him. "Listen, Lafin. I don't think either of us should do anything like that again."

"What? Come on."

"You saw what happened," Miranda told him. "If you got hurt or worse, I'd never forgive myself! I'm the one who asked for this adventure. And we both almost paid a terrible price for it."

Lafin gently pushed Miranda off of him. "Look, Miranda, I've survived worse," he said, clearly trying to sound tough. "I can handle this."

Miranda shook her head. "No way. Now that I've seen the adventurer life up close, all I can think about is what your family would feel if something happened to you. I know my sisters and father would be devastated if something happened to me."

Lafin looked back at the cave. "What's the fuss? We made it out okay. Your scrolls were awesome."

"Yes, but even so." Miranda took hold of Lafin's shoulders. "We should return to Varrle Crossing right away. And find you a carriage back home to Nasrond."

"What? No!" Lafin cried.

"You're going home. I insist," Miranda said, doing her best to emulate Minerva's stern, big-sisterly ways. "No more arguing, Lafin. Now, get up." She hoisted an unwilling Lafin to his feet, then put her hands on her hips.

"Now you're getting all strict on me?" Lafin said, clearly annoyed.

"Yes, because I'm terrified at the thought of you getting hurt or killed at the hands of bugbears or kobolds or real rogues who take lives like it's nothing. I won't have that happen to you. You're going to see your family." Miranda gave Lafin a firm pat on the back. "Come on, we're going."

She started marching back to Varrle Crossing, and as she half-expected, Lafin just stood there, rooted in place, a conflicted look on his face.

Miranda wanted to scold him again, but she found herself relaxing a bit instead. "Lafin..." she started.

Lafin seemed to be half looking at Miranda, half staring into the distance. "Miranda. You don't have to save me. I mean, not again. I'll be more careful on my next trip. I promise."

"You'll be careful on your way home," Miranda insisted. "Lafin, you owe your parents, brother, and sister an apology for making them worry so much about you! Your family should be whole again. Like mine is."

"This again?" Lafin scoffed. "I keep telling you, there's no way my folks miss me."

Miranda put her fists on her hips. "I don't believe you mean that."

"What if I do?"

"Then I'd pray for your parents and siblings, because little Lafin is hurting them more than he'll ever know. I'd be heartbroken if one of my sisters did this."

Lafin made an exasperated noise. "Seriously, Miranda. I owe you for saving me. And you're actually kinda fun to spend time with. But I had my reasons to run away from home!"

"And you have better reasons to go back."

Lafin bit his lower lip. "Uh..."

Miranda tossed her hair, her Minerva tone back in full force. "Listen to me, Lafin! I'm on an adventure because my family is whole again. We did the hard, painful work necessary to heal our shattered bonds. You ran away from home because you can't face reality. I belong on the open road. You don't."

"It's my destiny," Lafin said weakly. "I've gotta find my purpose in life."

"Not like this," Miranda said, shaking her head. "I'm saving you from yourself, Lafin. Trust me: what you're doing isn't right, and it's time you accepted that. Your rogue days are over. Do you understand?"

Lafin paused again, torment darkening his face. "Miranda," he finally said. "Why are you going so far for me? Like, really why?"

Miranda softened her tone again. "I meant it when I said I'm a people person. I also realized recently that my goal to see the world is too self-centered. I should do something good for another soul."

"What, sending me back to my family is just a mission for you?"

Miranda winced. "Okay, maybe I could have phrased it better. But I believe in you, Lafin! I believe you can find happiness and acceptance back home in Nasrond if you're brave. If you open your mind and communicate healthily with your entire family, it can happen. Words healed my family. They can heal yours, too."

"You're sure?"

"I have faith in you and your family. I truly do."

The words hung in the air, and Miranda knew she had said all she could. The rest was up to the lost, confused wood elf boy in front of her. Then...

Lafin looked down, his shoulders slumping. "I... um... I made a big mistake, didn't I?"

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes," Miranda said promptly. "That's just what it means to be alive. You can forgive yourself for that."

"I wanted so badly for the rogue life to be mine," Lafin confessed, balling his hands into fists. "But deep down, I guess I always knew this was a bad idea. Being a rogue is lonely. And scary. And more dangerous than I ever thought."

"No one wants to be a rogue because it's fun," Miranda told him. "My sisters and I met a few people who told us as much. They were lost until they learned to believe in something bigger than themselves. Lorelai's revolutionary army had a few people like that." Miranda gestured at Lafin. "Think, and ask yourself if you really want more of this. Is it your future?"

"N... no." Lafin clenched his fists tighter and looked up, his eyes harder than before. "No, it's not! Miranda, I'll say it straight: I can't be a rogue anymore. My shadow aura was just an excuse. It was a way to hide from the truth, like a blindfold."

Miranda felt a wide, relieved smile cross her face. "It must have taken some real courage to admit that, Lafin. I'm proud of you."

"You're probably the first person to be proud of me," Lafin said grimly. "My father would hardly say two words to me when he was home."

Miranda strode forth, then knelt and enveloped Lafin in another tight hug. "Believe that you can be someone your parents can be proud of," she told him fondly. "Someone everyone can be proud of, even if it takes years and many mistakes. It's worth it. I promise. Let hope show you the way."

"Ugh, I get it already," Lafin said with a dry laugh.

"Be a little brother your family can be proud to call their own!"

"Fine, I will."

"And in return, they should show you their unconditional love and support. They owe you something too, Lafin. Make it a trade."

"Sure would be nice."

"And it will be nice." Miranda let Lafin go and stood back up. She offered her hand. "Here, let's get back to town together. Less bugbears, more cute shops."

Lafin paused before taking Miranda's hand and setting off to Varrle Crossing with her. "Not everything is cute, y'know."

"The world needs more cuteness. Mozzie thinks so, too."

"I haven't even met your sisters!"

"You oughta. They're wonderful."

"Are they like you?"

Miranda grinned. "We're quintuplets. We may have the same face, but at heart, we can be pretty different."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Minerva is tough but fair, Maggie has a gilded tongue, Mozzie is shy but sweet, and Murbella is such a hard worker."

"Right. And what would they say about you in return?"

"Hmmmmm..." Miranda tilted her head as she pondered it. Then she smiled and held up a finger. "They'd say there's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it!"

"Huh. I guess so. I mean, you can fight, and you have a way with words," Lafin conceded. "You're pretty slick, Miranda."

Miranda's smile widened. "Thank you so much!"

"It was just a little compliment."

"Well, I sure liked it."

"You're so weird."

Back and forth they went, until they were back in Varrle Crossing's cobblestone streets, with horses and mules clip-clopping as they pulled wagons and carts between throngs of chattering foot traffic. Ah, civilization. "This afternoon, you're getting on a carriage to Nasrond," Miranda told her friend as they wandered Varrle Crossing's streets together. "I'll give you enough money for the trip: food, lodgings, carriage fees, all of it. I want you back home safe."

"But what about you?"

"Me?" Miranda blinked, then got Lafin's meaning. "Oh, don't worry. I borrowed enough gold from my father to last me a while. I can spare some for you!"

Lafin snorted and grinned. "Rich girls..."

"Now that's not very nice, young sir."

"Just kidding, just kidding..."

"So, how about a light lunch before your trip?"

"Sure thing. You're paying."

"Oh, Lafin..."

By the time the sun reached its afternoon position and bathed the Varrle Valley in warm, brilliant light, Lafin was climbing aboard a waiting carriage with five other passengers heading east to the Illaran Republic's capital. "Be safe," Miranda said warmly, holding Lafin's hand with both of her own.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," Lafin assured her. "By the way..."

"Yes?"

Lafin suddenly looked bashful, and there were other people around, so he leaned closer and muttered into Miranda's ear. "Your sisters are lucky to have you as part of their family. I'm envious."

Miranda gasped and felt herself blush. "You rascal," she said equally bashfully, giving Lafin's shoulder a gentle shove. "Now, I believe this is goodbye, Lafin Coppertree. I'll miss you."

Lafin tried to look cool as he glanced away with a pout. "Yeah, sure. I guess I'll miss you, too. Whatever."

Coming from an ex-rogue, that was so sweet, Miranda thought. She gave Lafin one more fond look, then stood back as the carriage driver got his horses moving, and the carriage trundled out of Varrle Crossing. Miranda watched it go, hands folded in front of her navel, suddenly feeling wistful. Half of her wanted to call out for Lafin to come back. But that would be silly, of course.

Well! The day was still fresh, Miranda noted to herself, heading back into the marketplace to find some fine wares. Maybe one more souvenir for her sisters and family? Maybe a prank ink and quill set for Murbella? Or a prank hand mirror for Maggie! So many decisions...

This would also be something absolutely wonderful to write home to her family about, Miranda reflected happily as she swung open the door to a jewelry shop to find a new hairpiece for herself. She'd be up late tonight spinning this yarn on the paper! Totally worth it.