“Ready?” Mav said. 

Maren leaned forward, fork at the ready. 

“Set,” Mav said, voice rising in pitch. 

Come on already! Maren’s stomach growled, a light breeze directing the scent of bacon and eggs directly into her nostrils. 

“Go!” 

They both dug in, Maren scraping her fork against the plate to shovel as much of the protein-filled breakfast as humanly possible, Mav plucking rice and fish with his chopsticks. Mav wouldn’t beat her this time. Over the last week of competitively eating breakfast, Maren had perfected her craft of wolfing as much food as possible in as short a time– 

Mav downed his bowl of soup. “Done!” 

Curse it! Maren grumbled as she poked at her eggs with her fork. Two or three more bites and she’d have had it! How does he eat so fast with those little sticks?

“I can make more if you want,” Mav said. 

“Fanks,” Maren said, barely raising her chin, from which a chunk of egg dropped back onto her plate. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Oh, what Jeremy – her old guild master at Radiant Dawn – would say if he saw her now. “I mean, please?” 

Mav laughed as he started on their second helping. The morning sunlight sparkled along the grass-enveloping dew, silence save for the crackling fires between Maren and Mav’s tents lulling Maren into a comfortable stupor. 

Maren leaned back on her size-changing chair, stretching. Her sore muscles sang for joy, still aching from their morning routine. Though, Maren had to be honest, after a full week of working out with Mav, her body was getting used to the exercise and – Heaven forbid – waking up early. 

What would Phoenix say to that? 

Shut up, brain! I’m happy right now.

Mav handed Maren her second plate, then paused. “Does something not look right? Did I cook the bacon too long?” 

Maren jolted. “Wha– no. It’s fine. Just thinking.” 

She ate with a smile. It wouldn’t be good for him to think she was judging his cooking. The last week after they’d helped bring peace to Eonok had been terrific, almost exactly what Maren had imagined when she’d made the guild, even though she’d changed her sleep schedule. But that was a sacrifice she was happy to make if it meant she could actually enjoy Mav’s company. 

And his food. 

Maren deposited the newly empty plate onto the ground, leaned back, placed a hand on her food baby, and sighed. “Alright, ready to talk business?” 

“Are you?” Mav said with a smirk. 

“No. But we gotta do it.” 

“Alright, go.” 

“Our funds are good,” Maren began. “We haven’t spent much, even after getting more food and that extra campfire stove in Cir.” 

“It’s nice that Malcolm was so generous,” Mav said. 

Maren nodded. “It was, but after helping him serve those people in his inn and fixing his leaking roof, it makes sense he wanted to repay us well. We saved him thousands of credits. Anyway, we’re well off. If we pull another big job or two, we’ll have enough to take a train to Colway and spend a week or two there comfortably.” 

“Colway?” Mav asked, brows furrowed. “I thought we were going to Yoularnon, to check on the church and mine stuff.”

Yoularnon was the city where Bishops Jada and Diego, who’d been sent to investigate the CC Corp Titan issue at Mount Ergil last week, were originally from. The bishops had given Maren a message a few days ago, thanking her and Mav for their service and informing them that they were being relocated to Yoularnon for better medical attention, and that they were always welcome for a visit. Mav had wanted to check in on them, since the bishops had been unconscious when they’d left. It seemed like a good idea; Yoularnon wasn't too far west of Mount Ergil, so it wasn't exactly a detour, and they’d get to see how the investigation at CC Corp’s mine was going. 

“That’s still the plan,” Maren said. “But I’ve never been to Colway, so I thought we could take the train there afterwards. Unless you don’t want to go.” 

“No, that sounds great.” Mav smiled, his eyes almost closing. “I’ve never been there, either. It’ll be fun!” 

It could also be crucially beneficial for them. Smaller towns and villages like Cir were nice to get quick work and credits or goods. But larger cities like Yoularnon and Colway had greater populations, which meant a higher likelihood that a Wielder lived there. One who might wish to join their nameless traveling guild. 

Not to mention that a certain, anonymous message had found its way in her nylon bag while they stayed in Cir, leading her in that direction. She had her suspicions of where it came from, but she kept her mouth shut, to be on the safe side. 

It was already the fifteenth of Treber. If they didn’t find a third member by the month’s end – the thirty-third – the government would disband their guild. 

That wouldn’t be the end of the world for Maren. Radiant Dawn would welcome her back with open arms, even if she did return to them like a runaway cat who scampered home upon its first endeavor with rain. But that meant her dream would die before it began. And Mav... 

Maybe they’d accept a Peace-Keeper Deserter, but she couldn’t see Jeremy possibly tarnishing Talam’s oldest guild’s good name. Mav had, in essence, given his livelihood for this guild. She couldn’t let that sacrifice go to waste. 

And now that she wasn’t sleep-deprived, her earlier behavior toward him made guilt squirm through her gut. 

“Everything alright?” Mav asked. 

She must’ve made a face. She sat up and attempted to smooth her frizzy hair. “Yeah, just thinking about all the stuff we’ve done in the last two weeks.” 

“You think we’re gonna have an epic quest in Yoularnon?” 

Maren almost chuckled. Had he a tail, it’d surely be wagging. 

“I hope not,” Maren said. “I could go for a week without a near death experience. But....” 

“Yeah?” Mav scooted forward, eyes wide. 

“The news says there’s been trouble in Yoularnon. Truck explosions, road demolitions, and the like.” 

Mav’s mouth widened. 

“But Peace Keepers are already working on it. And unless absolutely necessary, we shouldn’t get involved. The Peace Keepers wouldn’t appreciate us working even more in their turf, alright?” 

Mav’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” 

“So let’s pack up and get out of here,” Maren said, standing. “Yoularnon is still a three-hour walk away!”