"Be sure to hold it steady."

Melissa hefted the rifle slightly, shifting her stance just a bit. "Like this?"

"Not quite," Mitchell informed, moving the stock of the weapon to press against her shoulder. "If you hold it like that, the recoil will kick ya right in the chest. Rest the butt against your shoulder like this and it'll be much easier on you."

"Ah, okay," Melissa answered, already feeling less awkward as she held the pose Mitchell indicated. "I've seen people holding crossbows like this before. It feels a bit awkward, but it's less unwieldy than I was expecting."

The hunter nodded. "You'll get used to it once you do it enough, trust me." Standing beside the woman, he pointed towards the empty bottle sitting on a box some distance away. "Now, take aim an' keep the sights on the bottle."

When the librarian did as instructed, Mitchell continued, nostalgically recalling all the lessons he'd been taught at home and in the military. "Good. Once you have your sights on target, place your finger on the trigger." When Melissa tentatively placed her finger on the trigger, he spoke. "You may fire when ready."

Melissa exhaled, expelling the slight nervousness she felt as she gazed at the bottle in front of her. Then she gently squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened as a soft click was heard.

"And there you have it," Mitchell declared. He gave the woman a thumbs up. "That's really all there is to it. What do ya think?"

The librarian lowered the weapon with a thoughtful hum. "It's simple enough. Nothing like what I was expecting, that's for sure."

"Right?" Mitchell concurred easily. Before he could continue, he noticed that she seemed oddly disconcerted. "What's wrong?"

Melissa looked over at Mitchell with a slight frown. "I don't like how…easy it feels. All I have to do is pull a trigger and someone dies…" She looked down at the weapon in her hands. "Is it really so easy to take a life?"

Mitchell frowned. Images of all the mamono he'd killed flashed in his mind. Once again, he remembered the sensation of recoil as he took every shot. But before he could push away those recollections, Melissa received an answer.

"It is."

They both turned to see Arriet watching the proceedings with a serious gaze. Zullie sat beside her, leisurely smoking from her Kiseru pipe. Arriet leaned forward resting her arms on her crossed legs. "I have held a sword for a majority of my life, and I have seen many weapons at work as well."

Arriet met the librarian's gaze. "That weapon you have is as potent as it is dangerous, Melissa. Take great care when you use it."

"Of course," Melissa responded firmly. She slung the rifle behind her shoulder carefully. "I don't really plan on using it unless I absolutely must. But I do not intend on being totally helpless either."

"That's good," Mitchell approved, resting his hands in his pockets. "It's how you use the weapon that matters."

"Right," Arriet concurred. She glanced at Mitchell curiously though. "But I must say, while I've seen similar weapons before, this is the first time I've seen ones with such sophistication."

"Wait," Mitchell blurted without thinking, turning to Arriet in surprise. "Y'all have firearms here too?"

Arriet nodded, gazing at Mitchell's holstered revolver in particular. "I will admit that I don't know much about them, but I have seen a couple of my former associates in the Order of the Ice Flower use them. They called them 'Lockwood Loaders'."

Mitchell's mind spun. 'Oh shit. I wasn't expecting them to have their own firearm technology here. That has to mean they have much more industry then. Maybe they aren't as medieval as I thought.'

Arriet observed the hunter's reaction. "You seem surprised."

"I mean, yeah, kinda," Mitchell admitted, shrugging sheepishly. "I hadn't seen anythin' to indicate that y'all had your own, so I just sort of assumed."

"I certainly don't blame him for thinking that's the case," Melissa chimed in, placing her hands on her hips. "I hadn't even known these weapons were a thing here until you mentioned it." Recalling something, she turned to Zullie. "I remember you saying something about this the other day too. Did you also know about this, Zullie? Don't tell me I'm the only one here who hasn't."

Zullie, who had been content to watch up until this point, lowered her pipe and breathed a small cloud of faint pink smoke. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Melissa…but it seems so. I've heard about them…as well."

Melissa huffed as she looked away with a faint shade of red in her cheeks. "Well. Now I'm embarrassed."

"It's understandable," Arriet assured, though her amusement was obvious. "As far as I know, only my former Order colleagues in the Ice Flower use them. It is my understanding that these weapons are a fairly new development."

"Well, this is good information to know, at least," Mitchell stated. He patted his holster. "For simplicity's sake, y'all can call them 'firearms'. It's the technically correct term for 'em."

"I see," Arriet mused, mulling the term over in her mind. "I'll take your word for it. It does sound more refined that way."

"Indeed…" Zullie added, exhaling another small puff of pink smoke.

Melissa shrugged. "Well, regardless, I think I know what to do with this now." She gestured to her rifle in emphasis. "Thanks for taking the time to do this for me, Mitchell."

"Shoot, Melissa, it's no problem at all," Mitchell assured, shaking his head. "I'm glad I can help."

"Now then," Melissa began, "I think I should get back to everyone. I really should help prepare the food from the deer you brought back this morning." She looked at everyone in curiosity. "Do you have anything planned for today?"

"I have…a few things…I want to work on…in my teapot," Zullie replied, putting away her pipe. Grabbing her staff, she stood to her feet. "I'd like to…get them done…before tonight."

Arriet stood as well, dusting herself off before grabbing her blade. "I don't have much going on sadly. I suppose I'll find something to do."

Mitchell gave Melissa a shrug. "Well, I did offer to help the carpenter with his work. He needs help buildin' those hand carts, so might as well."

As the group began making its way back, Melissa looked at Mitchell in surprise. "You managed to get Andrei to accept help with something? I'm surprised. He's usually stubborn as an ox."

"I'm not surprised," Mitchell replied, rolling his eyes. "He was more willin' to let me help once I told him I know a bit about woodworking."

"You do…?" Zullie inquired curiously.

"Yep," Mitchell drawled with an easy-going nod. "My dad did wood carving an' carpentry as a hobby, so I learned it from him."

Arriet looked over at him with a good-natured smirk. "Well, well. You seem to be a man with many talents, Mitchell."

Mitchell gave them a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "Eh, I wouldn't call it a 'talent' by any means. I know how to do it, sure, but I'm no master. It was just something that grew on me 'cause I like makin' things with my hands."

"And that is…something to take…pride in," Zullie attested. She gave the hunter a soft smile. "It feels good to…create something by…your own merit…doesn't it?"

"That it does," Mitchell drawled, returning the smile with one of his own. "I think all of us here can agree with that."

"Mhm," Arriet hummed in affirmation. "There is nothing more satisfying for me than making music."

Melissa nodded firmly, her gaze focused on the camp ahead. "You're not wrong. Let's hope we can get back to doing what we love soon."

"Yeah," Mitchell muttered as they made their way into camp.

"Where do you need these set?" Mitchell asked, holding a number of thick metal bolts. He eyed a wooden axle before him with an evaluating gaze as the carpenter, Andrei, knelt beside him.

"Right here," the carpenter answered, pointing at the center of an overturned, half-built hand cart. "I need you to hold the axle steady while I drive these bolts in."

Mitchell nodded, understanding the assignment as he handed the bolts to the man. "Aight then."

The camp around them bustled with activity. A number of people could be seen making themselves useful as they went to and fro. The tailor, Christine, could be seen sewing–a small stack of fabrics sitting beside her as she made usable clothes for everyone. A pile of clothes she'd repaired of damage lay on a chair nearby. A few feet away, Melissa and Sasha were busy washing and scrubbing clothes and other fabrics in tubs of water. Sasha's presence had surprised many, but she also had children's clothes she needed to wash, so she offered to help as well. No one was willing to turn down a helping hand, so she was welcomed gratefully.

Nearby, Arriet and Claire could be seen setting various articles of clothing out to dry over makeshift laundry lines tied off between the closely confined buildings. A large fire pit sat in the middle of the camp–a flame steadily burning as the butcher, whose name Mitchell found out was Terrence, was working on drying and salting the meat Mitchell and the others managed to bring back. The butcher's wife was at his side, cutting up the meat and setting them into containers. Children could be found playing throughout the camp, both from Toulouse and Sasha's orphanage, a couple of them even trying to help the adults how they could. Other people could be seen milling around the camp doing various busywork. The entire scene gave off such a sense of community and togetherness that Mitchell had rarely seen.

As Andrei started his work on the cart, Mitchell decided some small talk was in order. "So. How long do ya reckon we're stayin' here?"

Andrei grunted, shaking his head. "Not much longer, that's for certain. There's a reason some folks like us choose to live out in the frontier."

Picking up on the man's unsaid implications, Mitchell put two and two together. "Because of the Order?"

"Yeah," the carpenter answered. His lips were set into a frown. "While I can't speak for everyone here, there's usually no love lost between the Order and folks that live out on the fringe."

"Why's that, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

Andrei paused, turning to look at the hunter with a raised brow. "I'm assuming you're not from any Order territories."

"No," Mitchell stated flatly, handing another bolt to the man. "I was zapped here from my home country across the Great Sea due to a magic mishap."

"Aaliyah's divine tits, you're far from home, aren't you?" Andrei remarked dryly, hammering the last bolt in. He stood from his kneeling position, gesturing to the other side of the cart. "Now the other side."

Mitchell rolled his eyes, but followed the man's instructions. He was about to ask who Aaliyah was before the carpenter resumed speaking. "Well, wherever you're from, I'm sure it has to be better off, because most people can hardly get by thanks to those ridiculous taxes the Order demands from us."

Holding the axle in place once more, Mitchell automatically grimaced at the man's words "Ah. Yeah, we have our own taxation problem back home, so I know that feelin'. I take it y'all have it particularly bad?"

"Boy, you don't even know the half of it," Andrei grumbled, hammering away. "Frankly, I'm surprised they even let us stay here without demanding we give what little we have left."

"While I agree, I'd advise you to keep your voice down if you want to complain, Andrei."

Mitchell and Andrei turned to see Brett arriving with a new pile of cut lumber. He gave the carpenter a knowing look. "They'd believe we all share the same views by association."

Ignoring the carpenter's noncommittal grunt, Brett set the lumber down before eyeing the cart. "Do you need any help?"

"I won't turn down an extra set of hands," Andrei sighed as he stood. "The axle's in place on this one, so all that's left is to attach the pulling handles."

His attention focused on Mitchell and was about to ask something before he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he looked past the hunter. Mitchell turned to see two women approaching the camp.

The leading woman appeared to be around Arriet's height, with short, pale blonde hair that shone in the midday sun. An elegant long-sleeved silver-white blouse with gold trim exposed her unblemished, fit midriff. A dark blue ankle-length skirt that hugged her wide hips split down the sides, with thigh-highs of the same color adorning her long legs. Brown women's boots and a sword sheathed behind her completed the woman's elaborate attire.

The second woman wore a strap of green cloth over her right eye and was taller by comparison, with silver-gray hair messily tied up behind her head. However, In contrast to her intimidating appearance, she was wearing something that Mitchell felt could only have been seen in a medieval-themed 80's porno. A dark green long-sleeved military-style jacket was pulled loosely over padded breast armor the size of a sports bra. Brown short shorts hugged her hips tightly, with pieces of armor clasped over both sides of her waist. Her athletic legs were exposed to the open air, allowing one to see the faint scars that marked her thick thighs. Black thigh-highs adorned her legs up to her knees, with armored greaves over thick combat boots, her only articles of clothing from the waist down. In her hand was a halberd.

The camp quieted as they noticed the arrivals. The silver-haired woman's green eyes moved over the camp, studying the scene and taking in the inhabitants. The blonde-haired woman's blue eyes were narrowed at Arriet.

'Are these women from the Order?' Mitchell wondered, eyeing them warily. 'They sure look important.' He took a glance at Arriet to see her frowning, looking between the two as if she were expecting trouble.

"Good afternoon," the silver-haired woman addressed the camp's inhabitants. "I'm Captain Mersé Dascaros, and this is knight Luciana Sausare."

When her companion finally tore her narrow-eyed glare off of Arriet, she finally deigned to address the crowd, her demeanor lightening as she did a curtsy. "Good day, everyone."

The captain, Mersé, rested the butt of her halberd on the street as she continued, "We're here on official business. Now, I'm sure you're wondering what we're here for, so I'll cut to the chase."

She looked over everyone with a discerning eye. "There have been rumors going around that someone from your group managed to kill the Tenth Born herself. Is this rumor true?"

Mitchell was suddenly very thankful Zullie wasn't here for this. He could already feel several of the townsfolk automatically turning their gazes onto him. When he saw both Luciana and Mersé follow their gazes, he felt his stomach drop. 'Fuck.'

"You there," Mersé called out, her lone eye looking him up and down. "What's your name?"

"Mitchell, ma'am," he drawled, doing his best to appear casual.

The woman gave an unladylike snort. "I'm no 'ma'am'. Call me by name or by 'Captain', makes no difference to me. Are you the person the rumors are referring to?"

"Pardon my interruption," Arriet interjected as she stepped forward, addressing the two with a searching gaze. "But what have these rumors been saying exactly?"

"She was not asking you," Luciana retorted, her demeanor having turned cold the moment she heard Arriet speak. "You already have a lot of nerve showing up here again."

"Regardless," Arriet responded, meeting the woman's glare with a level stare of her own, "these rumors involve all of us, so we deserve to know what's being said."

Luciana went to retort but Mersé raised a hand, forestalling what was likely to be a scathing reply. The captain gave her companion a warning look before returning her attention to the rest. "You're right. Sorry about that."

She leaned her weight against her halberd as she continued. "They mainly speak of a man who struck the Tenth Born down in two thunderous blows." She shrugged as she glanced at Mitchell. "It all sounded unbelievable to me, but maybe you can clear that up for us."

Mitchell caught Arriet's eyes as she turned to him. Seeing the hidden concern in her gaze, the hunter knew he had to lie his ass off. Summoning forth his finest bullshitting skills, he scrunched his brows in confused disbelief. "What? They're saying I killed her?"

"They sure are," Mersé replied, making note of his reaction. "Judging from what you said, I take it that's wrong?"

"Uh, yes, this is the first I've heard a' this," Mitchell affirmed flatly, putting on his most Oscar-worthy performance. He turned to the present townsfolk in half-genuine irritation. "Aight, 'fess up. Who went around tellin' people I killed a lilim?"

For a brief moment, silence reigned in the camp as people looked between each other, expecting someone else to speak up. Mitchell prayed that someone saw what he was doing and played along with the charade. His prayers were answered when Melissa spoke, looking around the group in disapproval. "That's right. Who said something so blatantly untrue? Even a child wouldn't have believed that story."

As Mitchell felt hope rising in him, he saw Kurt raise his arm to point at Melissa in offense from where he'd been cutting wood. "Hey! I said none of that! It's not my fault what I said was taken out of context."

"Hold on for a minute," Mersé cut in, waving them down before things could get too confusing. She looked between the speakers before settling on Kurt. "So you spread these rumors?"

Kurt threw up his hands in exasperation. "Yes, I guess I did! If you want to know that badly, someone from here asked me what had happened when we first got here and I told them that he and she," he pointed to Mitchell and Arriet respectively, "fought the Tenth Born off while we made our escape! I said nothing about them killing anyone!"

"And what about the point of her being felled in two blows?" Luciana questioned, her hands on her hips as she stared at Kurt.

"And you believed that?" The man snarked. Mitchell had to hand it to the man, he knew how to act. Or maybe he was just an effortless smartass. He waved his hand in dismissal. "That's just the product of an overactive mind trying to play up what I said to be more dramatic."

"Mn," Luciana hummed, frowning. She looked over at her companion. "What do you think?"

For a moment, the captain seemed to be mulling over what she'd heard. She looked between Mitchell and Arriet. "Is that what really happened?"

"It was," Arriet nodded firmly. "Mitchell assisted me in fighting her off while the others could escape. She managed to get off a spell that struck the crystal we were using."

"Then the crystal blew apart an' we found ourselves here," Mitchell finished, nonchalantly resting his hands in his pockets.

"I see…" Mersé remarked, fixing one of her gloves. She looked over at Luciana. "Well, it seems it was a bunch of nonsense after all."

Luciana sighed as she shook her head. "I expected this to be the case, but it's a shame nonetheless. We all could use a bit of good news in these trying times."

Mersé grunted, pulling her halberd off the ground. "Thank you for your cooperation. Sorry for taking up your time." With that, she turned to leave. Luciana did another curtsy to everyone before following after the captain.

Once the two women were gone, Mitchell released the tension in his body he didn't know he had. He turned to see Arriet giving him a relieved smile. "Well done."

Mitchell returned the sentiment gladly. "Same to you." He turned to Melissa and Kurt. "Thanks."

Melissa merely smiled as Kurt waved him away, turning to the others. "Now I don't want to hear any of you say I don't do anything for anyone."

At that, a number of people snorted or rolled their eyes as the camp went back to what they were doing, relieved that nothing happened. As Mitchell turned back to start helping Andrei, he noticed Zullie entering camp.

Upon noticing the hunter, Zullie gave him a warm smile. "Hello there. What did I…miss?"

The timing was so immaculate, Mitchell couldn't help but laugh.

The sun beamed down brightly upon the densely packed city square as people went about their business, completely unaware of the new arrivals in their midst. Mitchell and Zullie made their way down the busy street.

The hunter eyed the scene in wonder. 'It's been a while since I've seen this many people in one place.' Shaking off the brief moment of amazement, he turned to address his companion.

The dark mage had forgone her usual attire, wearing a white blouse and a form-fitting black silk skirt that came down below her knees, showcasing cozy black tights over her legs. The fashionable black dress shoes she wore clicked softly over the cobblestone street, completing her outfit. Every single time Mitchell found himself gazing at her–and there had been many–it had been a struggle for him to look away. 'I know I've said this already, but hot damn she looks good.'

Zullie gave him a coy smile, seemingly fully aware of his staring. The teasing glint in her eyes certainly added to the alluring picture she made. "Would you like to…stay here…while I…get what I need?"

"I thing–" He grunted as he suddenly got tongue-tied. "I think that's fine. I'll take a look around here." He looked around the many stalls around the square. "I'm curious about what they got here."

The dark mage's lips curved upwards in amusement. "Very well…" She brushed some of her purple hair behind her ear. "I'll try to…not take long."

"Aight then." Mitchell gave her one of his two-finger waves. "See ya in a bit."

Zullie hummed, a smirk forming on her lips as she turned to leave. "Don't get into trouble…okay?"

Mitchell rolled his eyes at that. "Uh-huh. I should be sayin' that to you." As the dark mage sauntered away with a giggle, his eyes were instantly drawn to her lovely hips and plump rear, which were all showcased wonderfully by her form-fitting skirt. Her slow, leisurely gait gave his eyes quite the treat–he could even see the faint outline of her panties, for crying out loud–before the surrounding people blocked his view.

The hunter looked away, taking a deep breath. 'Not fair, Zullie. Not fair at all.'

Aiming to take his mind off his arousal, Mitchell strode towards the nearby stalls with purpose. As he came across the first stall, he saw that it sold a number of fresh vegetables–potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and other things like bread. Next was a stall selling various clothing, and another was selling various weapons–daggers, short swords, crossbows, and axes. He had just squeezed his way past a woman dragging her partner towards a stand selling women's beauty products when he noticed the next stall showing off various odd and ends.

When Mitchell stepped over to peruse the wares, he saw quite an assortment of things. Various utensils were displayed, but one set of things quickly caught the hunter's attention when he looked at the back of the stall.

The stall owner looked up from where he was sliding a box out of the way. He was surprisingly tall, with attentive brown eyes and a well-kept beard. "Good afternoon, sir! How may I help you?" He gestured to the many products neatly displayed in front of him. "Could I interest you in some of my wares?"

"Absolutely," Mitchell affirmed, nodding towards a particular set of tools. "What can ya tell me about those wood carvin' tools you got there in the back?"

The street vendor turned to the indicated tools. "Ah yes, those!" He picked up the case carrying said tools and placed it on the front counter, opening it for Mitchell to scrutinize. "You have an interest in carpentry?"

"I sure do," Mitchell drawled, eyeing the tools appreciatively. They were well made with clean wooden handles and finely-honed edges indicative of solid craftsmanship. He instantly knew these were built to last. "You got a quality set here."

"Right?" The merchant attested, rubbing his beard with a knowing smile. His eyes gleamed with the prospect of a sale. "You have a discerning eye. These were made from an associate of mine, a fine craftsman from the kingdom of Ronét. I have one of my own set of tools from him for my personal use, as a matter of fact."

He patted the case of tools on the counter in emphasis. "I can fully attest to their quality and effectiveness."

Mitchell nodded, humming thoughtfully. "I see. How much are you willin' to sell 'em for?"

"I'd be willing to part with them for five silver," the merchant answered affably. "You don't find products like this everywhere, after all."

"I'll bet," Mitchell remarked offhand as he weighed his options. He still had the bag of money that Melissa had given him days ago–thankfully he'd thought to leave it in his pack with all of his belongings. He mentally recalled how much he had left, calculating that he had just enough to justify buying this. But only just–he couldn't afford to use it on anything else than essentials after this, he was already taking a risk spending it on another one of his hobbies when his funds were limited. 'Well, I could always hunt for my own food at the very least,' he internally mused. 'Besides, it's at least this way I'll have a way to keep myself busy and potentially make some money in the future with this.'

His 'wallet' already starting to feel lighter, Mitchell fished out his bag of money. "Y'know what? I'll take it."

"A fine choice, sir," the merchant stated, nodding with a smile. "Trust me when I say you'll get good use out of them."

With his newly bought set of belongings, Mitchell waved farewell to the man as he went on his way, confident in his choice. Since Zullie had yet to return, he decided to spend his time waiting by seeing what else the marketplace had to offer. As he made his way between the crowd and multiple vendors, his eyes caught a glimpse of some familiar light green hair. The hunter saw Sasha standing before a street vendor with a hand cart packed with food and other necessities. With nothing better to do, he made his way over.

"Hello, Miss Fullmoon."

The woman turned to Mitchell in surprise. "Oh! Hello." She gave him a friendly smile. "How are you, Mitchell? May I call you that?"

"Sure thing. I don't mind," Mitchell responded, shrugging casually. "But yeah, things have been alright so far. I'm lucky I'm doin' so well given my situation. I just wanted to thank ya for the help you've given everyone in the camp."

"It's no issue for me," Sasha assured, setting a container into her cart. "I enjoy helping others. And the little ones certainly enjoy having other children to play with."

She perked up as she turned back to Mitchell with a look of inquiry. "That reminds me. I've already asked Arriet to look after them tomorrow while I take care of other business. I wanted to ask if you were willing to help her out a bit."

"Uh, sure. If you want me to," Mitchell replied, surprised. "Does she need the help? She seemed to be doin' fine last time from what I saw."

Sasha chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, she's done a wonderful job. The children actually wanted to know if you'd be visiting again. They really enjoyed your stories, you see." Oddly, Sasha's expression seemed to shift into something slightly more teasing, as if amused at something. "Arriet intended to ask if you wanted to join her as well, but seeing as you're here now, I thought I'd go ahead and let you know."

Mitchell felt a bit embarrassed at that, but couldn't deny how good it felt to hear. "Oh dang. I guess if that's the case I have to go now, huh? That sounds good to me. I'll be there, Miss Sasha."

Sasha clapped her hands together with a relieved smile. "Excellent. I know they'll be quite excited to hear that." Her lips curved up into a faint smirk. "Arriet especially."

Mitchell couldn't help but wonder at that. He knew Sasha had been friends with Arriet for a while, so he was curious. "Hey, uh, feel free to refuse, but how long have you been friends with Arriet?"

"Ah." Sasha's smile turned sheepish, reaching up and cupping her cheek as she reminisced. "We've known each other for years. I was just coming into my own as a priestess when she arrived here from Ronét. We worked with each other on our travels throughout Lescatie fairly often."

'So Arriet's from the kingdom of Ronét. That's nice to know. Maybe I can ask her more about it when I get some time,' Mitchell wondered. He hummed as he recalled Arriet's story. "Y'know, she actually told me some about her time as a 'hero'."

Sasha nodded slowly, her gaze turning thoughtful. "Oh really? I see." She looked away for a second, and when she met Mitchell's gaze, her expression became somewhat somber. "I know Arriet well. She must trust you if she feels comfortable with sharing her time in Order service with you."

Mitchell rubbed his neck, frowning. "Yeah, what she told me didn't sound great, not gonna lie." He pursed his lips as he recalled Luciana's cold hostility towards Arriet earlier.

"Mhm," Sasha acknowledged, adjusting her hat. "It's a time neither of us like speaking about, so that's why I know she trusts you." She met the hunter's gaze with a sigh, but gave him a small smile. "Please be good to her, Mitchell. She had few friends during her tenure as a hero, so I'm glad she's found a friend in you."

Mitchell nodded without hesitation, his eyes hardening in resolve. "She's a friend to me too. I'm grateful she took a chance with me when I was down on my luck, so I'll be there if she needs it as well."

"Good." Sasha's eyes softened in relief. But strangely, she seemed guilty for some reason. But before Mitchell could think about it further, she turned to her hand cart. "Well then. I should be getting back. It was nice talking with you, Mitchell."

"Same to you," Mitchell agreed, giving her a two finger wave. "Take care, Miss Sasha."

"You too," Sasha smiled as she left, pulling the cart behind her through the crowd.

The hunter watched her go, her words playing out in his mind. He sighed through his nose as he turned his gaze to look over the crowd for Zullie. To his surprise, he found her standing some distance away, looking around for him. Wasting no time, he made his way over. "Hey there. Did ya get what you needed?"

Zullie turned to see him, her expression immediately softening with a smile. She patted the bag at her waist. "Yes…I have. Did you find…anything nice here?"

"Indeed I did," Mitchell drawled. He gestured to the case of tools he carried. "I got some nice woodworking tools here. What did ya get?

"I bought some…ingredients…for making my…meals better," Zullie revealed, brushing hair behind her ear. "Seasoning and…whatnot. Would you like to…try some later?"

Mitchell's eyes widened at the prospect of a properly cooked meal. "Are ya kiddin'? Hell yeah I would!"

Zullie smiled, her expression easily brightening Mitchell's mood further. "I'm glad to…hear it. Please look…forward to it."

"Heh, a home cooked meal? You bet I will," Mitchell grinned. He gestured to the street. "You ready to head out then? I'm sure you have a lot to prepare for."

The dark mage nodded, her mood clearly happy. "I'm ready…when you are."

With that, they left the bustling city square behind.

Mitchell sat content in his seat as he observed the bonfire, witnessing the goings-on. The meal Zullie had shared with him had been more fulfilling than he'd imagined. He'd felt bad that there hadn't been enough for others to enjoy–he'd have liked it if at least Arriet and Melissa could have experienced such good food. But alas, there wasn't, so he'd decided to not worry over it.

Instead he focused on enjoying the bonfire gathering everyone had planned that night–a way for the townsfolk to relax and take their minds off their situation. The atmosphere was light and relaxed, idle chatter floating across the camp as people sat or stood around the fire pit. Roasted meat and bread had been passed around between everyone, a result of everyone's preparations earlier in the day. Sasha could be seen sitting across from them speaking with Claire and Christine. The children from the orphanage sat amongst the children of Toulouse, having become fast friends as they chatted animatedly.

"Are you sure you should be doing that, Zullie?" Melissa inquired, concern etched in her expression as she regarded the dark mage sitting beside her. "My grandfather smoked a good deal as well, and I know that's not healthy…"

Looking away from the gathering, Mitchell remained silent, but his expression conveyed the same concern as he eyed the wisps of faint pink smoke trailing from Zullie's pipe. The dark mage smiled reassuringly at the both of them as she lowered her pipe from her lips. "I understand…don't worry. There are…special herbs I use…that aren't harmful…and are proven to…be beneficial to the…user."

"Oh?" Arriet looked over curiously, leaning forward from where she sat beside Mitchell. "How so, if I may ask?"

"With the help of an…associate of mine…I discovered an herbal…remedy," Zullie informed, holding up an index finger. "The first part of...the mixture being...a small measure of…Pale Lavender," she held up a second finger, "and the second part...being a dash of...crushed Mint Rime Leaf."

She sat back in seat, slowly and deftly twirling her pipe in that leisurely way of hers. For some reason it reminded Mitchell of how someone could roll a coin between their fingers. "It soothes and…relaxes the mind…and can even…improve mental clarity."

"Oh wow," Mitchell marveled, raising his eyebrows at her in surprise. "That actually sounds really useful. No wonder I see ya with it a lot."

Melissa released a calm breath. "That's a relief to hear. I lost my grandfather to illness and I always felt that his tendency for smoking was a cause for that." She patted Zullie on the arm. "I don't want to see you fall into those same vices."

"Your concern is…appreciated," Zullie thanked, smiling gratefully. "But it truly…isn't harmful…I promise." She suddenly perked up as something occurred to her. She turned to Mitchell and Arriet. "I just remembered…do you want me to…bring your instruments…out for you? I'm surprised…neither of you…have mentioned it."

"She's right," Melissa agreed, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "I thought you two would be all over that already."

Mitchell's eyes widened. 'Dang, I completely forgot!' He turned to see Arriet looking similarly sheepish. "Huh. Well, you heard 'er, Ettie. There's no better time to play than now, right?"

"Right you are," Arriet affirmed with a nod. Her embarrassment quickly faded as an excited smile took hold. "I'll gladly play alongside you."

Hearing Arriet's agreement elicited a wave of anticipation and excitement in Mitchell as he turned to Zullie. "Looks like it's happenin' then. Could you go get 'em for us, Zee?"

Zullie put away her pipe as she reached into her bag. "Of course." She pulled out her teapot as she stood. "I'll be…right back."

Mitchell watched as she walked into the nearby alley. 'She must not want to take any chances being seen using it.' Turning his attention back to Arriet, he gave her a faint smirk. "Well. It's finally time, huh?"

Arriet returned his smirk as she twirled a lock of her red hair. "Indeed. I've been looking forward to this."

"Same here," Mitchell concurred, already feeling pre-performance jitters starting to rise in his gut. "Just lettin' ya know now, but the only time I've played in a long time was that one instance you saw the other day. So don't be surprised if I play rusty."

Arriet shook her head reassuringly as she waved away his concerns. "You don't have to worry about that, Mitch. Just play to your heart's content. I promise I won't think worse of you."

A warm feeling spread through Mitchell at that as he smiled. "Aight then. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Arriet hummed, brushing the lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled. Perhaps it was due to the light from the fire pit, but Mitchell swore he might've seen a hint of pink on her cheeks.

The moment was interrupted by Zullie's return, the dark mage carrying both instruments. "Here you…go."

"Thanks," Mitchell replied, taking the guitar into his lap. He began thumbing the strings as Zullie handed Arriet her lyre. "So what are you thinkin' we should do, Ettie?"

Arriet placed a finger on her lip in a thoughtful expression. "Hm. Well, you were worried about how you'd play, so why not play what you're comfortable with, and I'll do the same." She looked over at Mitchell encouragingly. "What do you say?"

Mitchell grinned, a bit of that earlier excitement returning as he now held his guitar in his arms. "Sounds good. Let's have fun with this, shall we?"

"Yes," Arriet answered confidently, strumming her fingers across the strings of her lyre. Zullie gave a faint smile at Mitchell's enthusiasm, leaning back in her seat as she watched, content to listen.

Soon after, the deep, uplifting notes of a guitar and gentle, soothing thrums of a lyre filled the air in the gathering. At times they alternated playing, and at times they joined together, but regardless of the whimsical nature of said music, it raised the spirits of all who listened. Seeing everything and everyone come together like this, Mitchell couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. 'Maybe things are looking up after all.'

But unbeknownst to him, he missed Sasha's guilt-ridden gaze as she stared across from them.