The party was in Heligsgrad recently- we'd decided to stop by the city once more, since our adventure has somewhat slowed down as of te, and we'd decided to visit Abbadiese again.

  Of course, that meant that we'd be staying at the Doroscwenciye Monastery again. It was practically all of our second homes at this rate.

  Each day was pretty uneventful. Unlike the first time we came to Heligsgrad, this time, there was no festival of any sort going on, nor holiday, or anything else really.

  So most of our time we spent lounging about the monastery grounds, taking walks around the city, occasionally going to restaurants or taverns in the area. But that was pretty much it.

  I didn't mind it though. As someone who used to work every day, with practically no days off whatsoever- it was a nice breath of fresh air, one that I didn't mind.

  One particur day, we were all feeling extremely bored.

  It was cold, and snowing outside, we were sitting huddled around the firepce, like usual.

  Yuri speaks up.

  "Heya, don't ya' think this is kinda, y'know, boring?"

  "Whatever do you mean?"

  "I mean, come on, Agniezska. Terrible weather outside, it's too damn cold outside to actually go anywhere, this sucks!!"

  Agniezska looks at Yuri, and rolls her eyes. Not to sound like some stickler for the rules type of a parent but, this was the first time I've ever seen such behavior from her.

  "Yuri, with all due respect, boy, you are a Dalician, are you not? You should've been well-accustomed to the natural climates of our native nds by now…"

  "Furthermore, compining shall do you no good whatsoever."

  "Ugh.."

  A momentary silence engulfs the room.

  *Klik*

  We hear the door open, and through it came Abbadiese. Instead of her usual priestess garb, she's wearing a thick hooded fur coat.

  "Hello everyone, how is everything?"

  Everybody shrugs, or stays silent.

  Anastasia is just completely knocked out cold.

  Kravinskyy offers an awkward ugh.

  "Hahaha… I see, so that's how it is… ehrm- anyhow! I've went out to stock up on groceries. Water, milk, some assorted fruit juices, bread, some beef and pork, and several other things."

  "You know, the usual stuff."

  She snaps her fingers at us.

  "Olenev! Borysenko! Come on, up n' at em, I can't hold all this myself much longer."

  I sigh, but get up reluctantly, and head over to her to lift a bag from her arms, lightening the load.

  Yuri is still sitting near the fire, where it was safe and comfortable.

  I motion towards him.

  "What on earth are you still doing over there? Get off your ass and come help us out a bit. Sheesh.."

  I hear a reluctant grumble of protest from Yuri- although his refusal doesn't seem to st much longer, as he throws off the thick bnkets he armored himself in not too long ago, and came over to pick up the other bag from Abbadiese's arms, leaving her with only one. She stretches her other arm, and exhales in relief.

  "Ah, thank goodness.. My arm felt like it was literally going to fall off…"

  "Hey, Abbadiese, where do you want this?"

  "Take it back to the kitchen. Put it on the table, I'll move it all to the pantry ter."

  "It seems like you do everything around here, huh?"

  Wiping off a mass of sweat off her forehead, she lets out a big exasperated sigh, but said nothing. From that alone, I was already able to get the whole picture.

  "I've overheard."

  "What did you overhear?"

  "You and Yuri seem bored. Can't really bme you- there's only 4 more days left until this year ends.."

  "Most people are taking these days off, no big festivals or anything are pnned, either. Not that I've heard of, anyhow."

  The both of us (Yuri and I), groan in unison.

  "Are you kidding me!??" We simultaneously yelled. That earned us a stern scolding from Agniezska.

  "Silence, you fools! You shall wake Anastasia with your careless shouting!"

  "Sorry.."

  Abbadiese leans in towards me and whispers in my ear-

  "Let's take this to the kitchen, we'll be able to speak louder there."

  I nod in agreement, and follow her out the room, with Yuri following in tow.

  We set down the bags on the kitchen table, which was already somewhat littered with ptes and forks.

  "Ugh.. those damn kids didn't clean up after themselves, even when they said they would.. I'm gonna have to teach them a lesson…"

  I along with Yuri, silently listen to her venting in the background.

  Thank goodness to Lady Cristell I'm not on the receiving end of that..

  Anyhow, after settling her emotions, she turns back towards us.

  "Right! As I intended to say before.."

  "Irina and Regiesse over at the Pilgrim's Stop restaurant are getting kinda busy. What with the White Winter coming up and all."

  The White Winter was a holiday and natural phenomenon observed every year during the st few days of the year in the Kingdom of Dalis. During the White Winter, the entire nation would be enveloped in such a thick blizzard, that fire and luminous-based magics would be used to find one's way about town. Also, travel outside of the cities during the White Winter is completely forbidden due to how dangerous it is to go around outside during this time.

  The festive aspect focuses mostly on indoor gatherings, around firepces or sources of fire, eating food, pying games, or simply rexing- either with oneself or with friends and family.

  Yuri chimes in- breaking my chain of thought.

  "Oh, riiight… I quite frankly forgot about that.. the White Winter."

  "Because back then, in Pom, we'd always be focused on the more miniscule, day-to-day things, like getting to work on time, huh?"

  "Well Mikhail, that's quite frankly everybody's attitude in that city, innit?"

  I resign myself in agreement. He WAS right after all.

  "You're not wrong there."

  Realizing we're derailing from the original conversation by a mile, I decide to reel it back in.

  "Oh, uh, hey Abbadiese, you were saying something about the Pilgrim's Stop, weren't you?"

  "Yes, yes, I was. The Pilgrim's Stop is hosting a massive dining event for the White Winter, like they do every year. Only problem is, they're understaffed…

  Huh? That was a little confusing. As far as I heard, it was always Regiesse and Irina (who would be out sometimes, including the first time we visited, so Regiesse would be left to fend for herself.)

  "Wait, they had OTHER employees?"

  "Mhmm.. but they were mostly teenagers, and they treated the pce as a part time job. Most of them had finished school, so now they've gone out to chase their aspirations and dreams- wherever they may be."

  "W-what..? Are you serious? Doesn't that mean they basically ain't got any employees, 'sides that little Imperial girl?"

  Abbadiese nods.

  "Yep, that's right. But there's something you have to understand- the owner, Irina Begolovic is a Dragon. The Dragon race enjoys an extremely long lifespan, so their perception of time is different from that of a normal individual's."

  "Of course, that means they only think about the present, or the immediate future. Since they have so much time ahead of them. Naturally, this means they don't take into account other peoples' perspectives or sense of time, or obligations or other."

  "So.. she didn't hire employees.. Interesting."

  "WOAH! A DRAGON?"

  "Eugh… get away from me, knife-ears. Ever hear of 'personal space'? Jeez.."

  "Sorry, Kravinksyy…"

  She rolls her eyes, and then readjusts her gsses.

  "...But, yeah, a Dragon. They're pretty rare here, in the Kingdom of Dalis. Didja know, there's only 30 of them! In the ENTIRE country!"

  The eyes of Yuri and I both go wide.

  "Holy shit.."

  We both say in almost perfect unison.

  "So, Abbadiese- what're you suggesting, exactly? We go out for dinner or something? We could just do that here.."

  "No, obviously not. They've got no staff, so maybe go help em' out on one of their busiest days? Lady Cristell derives joy from seeing her children do good deeds, you know."

  "So we're out here doin' charity work are we? I ain't down for alt!"

  "Excuse me…? You're the one who said they were bored, were you not, Yuri?"

  "H-huh… the Priestess actually used my name for once..?"

  She backs up, clearly shocked. Kravinskyy had made a miscalcution- she and Yuri had always been butting heads to some degree, so her pse of judgement per se caused her to call him by name.. First name.. no less…

  Well when I actually thought about it- Yuri got into fights or conflicts with pretty much everyone except me…

  And when I think about it even further, Agniezska too. Then again, she was always the mature, composed type of individual, who doesn't care for trivial infighting amongst our party.

  "Well Mikhail, what do YOU say about all this?"

  "Huh? About… what?"

  They both facepalm, in a state of disbelief, shock, and awe.

  "Dude, are ya' serious? We're talkin' about whether or not it'd be a waste of time to go help out at Irina's restaurant.."

  "Exactly. So, we're looking for you to put your two cents into this matter."

  I back up, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden ultimatum.

  "W-woah, guys.. I'm not really one to take sides, y'know?"

  "We're not asking you to take sides, we just want your opinion, that's all it really is."

  Yeah right. I know sure as hell that the moment I take either one of you guys' side, the other is going to explode on me immediately.

  You think I'm that stupid to fall for something like THAT!!??

  ….

  Okay, calm down, me.. there must be a way out of this. A way to appease both sides..

  But,

  What, exactly…?

  What would that be…

  Aha I got it!

  I clear my throat.

  "Ahem.. well you two, I've a solution."

  "Really?" - they both say in unison as they lean inwards towards me.

  "Y-yeah.. here's how it'll go:

  Author's note: make up something random that sounds sensible enough to fill this gap in in the story. I mean, it just looks awkward.

  "Wait.. that's actually a pretty good idea. I agree. We should definitely go along with it."

  "Ugh, fine… I guess I'll go along with it."

  At that point, it was pretty much decided- the three of us (Yuri, Abbadiese, and myself, of course, would head on over to the Pilgrim's Stop in order to help out.

  Yuri heads on over to the front door and is about to open it, but all of a sudden-

  "Wait!"

  He stops dead in his tracks, and turns his head over to Abbadiese who joust voiced her protest with a confused look.

  "....What? What's the issue now?"

  Abbadiese stands there, in shock for a good minute, before she finally regains her composure.

  "What do you mean 'what's the issue?' Do you wanna freeze to death out there? In case you've forgotten… we're in the White Winter right now."

  "Before we leave, take these."

  She hands us both a metallic bracelet, with an orange gemstone inid in it.

  "What is this?" I ask.

  "They're 'Radiance Bands'."

  "When worn by the user, it provides warmth to the entire body. You just gotta tap the stone to activate it."

  I follow her instructions, and the moment I do, my body is overflown with a feeling of warmth. It was a refreshing feeling.

  "W-wow.. That's… something else. "

  "Alright everyone. Are we ready to head out?"

  "Yeah!"

  Even as we step outside, our bodies are still warm. I should've expected this, seeing as I was wearing a heat-magic based device after all, but I still could not help but feel shocked.

  It seems the same was with Yuri.

  "What the hell…!?"

  "H-how is it so… warm!?"

  "By all things holy, knife-ears.. I expined it just a moment ago inside! How could've you forgotten? It seems all logic is lost on you."

  "Anyhow- I think it's time we go already."

  After this trivial and meaningless argument, we finally stop standing around, and hit the road.

  Although the temperature was no issue at all- we could barely see anything at all. It was a constant assault on the eyes.

  "Holy shit, Abbadiese do you have any sort of spell that protects the eyes from constant sn-n-nowfall??"

  She gasps at me.

  "RUDE! I'd expect such a comment from Yuri, but you!? You're usually so kind and polite… what happened..?"

  Yuri, upon hearing this is about to protest, but seems to zip back up and stay quiet. He probably realized that this conversation wasn't going anywhere.

  Poor, poor guy…

  45 MINUTES LATER, LEZHENOV DISTRICT OF HELIGSGRAD, LAIKA STREET

  After about 45 minutes of walking, we finally make it. It's the same cozy little loft that we first visited on our first day in Heligsgrad- the same painted sign came into sight, which read

  "The Pilgrim's Stop"

  The lights are bright and warm, and shadows of people inside are moving about, the noise of their chatter could be heard, even from here.

  I go to knock on the door, but before I do, it swings wide open, extremely fast.

  "WAAH!"

  That nearly gave me a heart attack… goodness gracious..

  Standing in front of me, is a tall woman. She has light, no- pale skin, yellow slit shaped eyes, bck, short shaggy bob, and a light, delicate looking face, that also looked like it could kill you at the same time.

  She had a well-developed, womanly body as well. She wore a white chef's tunic with brass trims, and white gloves. Her trousers were also white, with light grey diamond patterns. Her boots were bck and white, and also had brass trims. The leather straps were yellow.

  A huge, draconic tail wiggled around from behind her.

  Wait! This is her… the well-known/famed Irina Begelovic! I can't believe it… we didn't see her st time but..

  "...."

  "What is it, boy?

  "Oh! U-uh.. Ms. Irina! We uh, came to help out here!"

  "Hm? Did you now? Really? I do not recall hiring help… how did you come to know my establishment? Who told you of this pce? Do you have ulterior motives? What do you want?"

  "Irinaaaaaa!!!.."

  When she hears the voice call out from behind her, she turns around to see who it is.

  Well now. There's a familiar face. It's the same little Imperial girl I first saw when we arrived to Heligsgrad.

  What was her name…?

  Regina?

  Nah, that didn't sound right..

  Reginneia?

  Uhmm… I don't think so..

  Irina's facial expression softens at the sight of the blonde little Imperial girl.

  "Regiesse…"

  Oh! That's right… Regiesse… can't believe I actually forgot her name. Well, can't lie… but I did only see her st 9 months ago.

  She looks directly towards me.

  "And uhm, thank you for the tip back then.. I uh, bought this with it.."

  She presents her hand- on her middle finger is a ring made from pure silver, and adorned with a floral design.

  It is encrusted with an Amethyst- a very, very, very valuable gemstone, especially here, in Dalis where there aren't any. You can only find them far off in the nation of the Violettan Kingdom.

  Being an imported gem/material from such a far away country, here, this ring should've costed at least 100 Gold Coins.

  Something you might see Princess Alya of the Royal Family wear.

  "Regiesse, how'd you get this, for only 2 silver coins?"

  "I-I.. well when I went to the store.."

  "The storekeeper said my eyes were beautiful, that he'd never seen eyes like mine. So he lowered the price, for me."

  "Huh. I guess beauty really does buy all."

  Regiesse averts her eyes, but manages a slight gnce at Irina once more-

  "Should I not have..? I'm sorry.."

  Irina shakes her head.

  "No, no, not at all. There's nothing wrong with rewarding yourself every now and then. Aside from that, you earned the tip, did you not? Unless it's unreasonable or dangerous, I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't do with your own money."

  "Aside from that, learning the value and importance of money builds character in a person. It brings you closer to adulthood, so I have no objections whatsoever."

  "Uhmm, thank you, Iri-"

  "HEEEY! WE NEED SOME MORE VODKA OVER HERE!"

  Irina's face goes bnk, but she's clearly a little annoyed that she got cut off mid sentence.

  "Again..? I re-filled their drinks just ten minutes ago.. They sure can drink fast.."

  Abbadiese chimes in.

  "They do seem to be merchants traveling from the city of Urozhay. The culture around alcoholic beverages over there is quite strong, I hear."

  "That.. certainly expins it."

  Irina stretches a little, and cracks her knuckles.

  "Weeell…. I'd say it's time to get to work again."

  She looks at us again.

  "Now… if I remember correctly, you said you were here to help, right? If that's the case, get to it. We're quite busy tonight. Regiesse sweetheart, take them to the back and make sure everything goes as pnned."

  "O-okay!"

  We go behind the counter and through a door with a pque beside it saying ''Staff-Only Area''.

  The kitchen is moderately sized- not too big, not too small either. On the north side, there's a shelf with cabinets, neatly tucked with all sorts of big and small containers, beled by ingredient or material.

  The bottom cabinet was probably fitted with ptes, mugs, forks, etc.

  What the top one was stacked with? I had no idea.

  The south side- where we were emerging from was where the stove and countertop was.

  A knife block sat upon the counter, along with a recipe book, and several other ingredients and ptter strewn across the counter.

  "W-wow… sure looks… chaotic."

  The brick walls gleamed a bright orange, from the fire-based magelight ntern that hung from the roof on a chain.

  Regiesse interrupts my thoughts.

  "Well, yeah, we're in rush hour right now…"

  *TZZKK* *TZZK*

  A mechanical noise interrupts our conversation. When I look towards the direction of the sound, I see a small rectangur machine, about the size of a brick. It's pted with Argenum (an artificially produced alloy, used exclusively for magitech.), and has a light blue luminous dispy.

  Below the dispy is a little slot, of which a paper card was spat out.

  I see Regiesse yank it out and read it thoroughly.

  Her face darkens.

  "Oh good lord… why now of all times?"

  Yuri goes up to her and puts a hand on her shoulder, looking over

  it.

  "Why? What's wrong?"

  She looks up at him. Her face is red, and looks like she's about to break out in tears.

  "The first order is a super hard dish… Northwestern Fish Roast!"

  "The steps are really, really precise! If you mess up even one thing, you must start all over again! It's certainly nothing for a beginner."

  I scratch my head, I can feel the sweat amalgamating in my hair.

  Oh dear. What'd we get ourselves into? Is it too te to back out? Probably… it most likely is.

  "Well?" I say.

  "What are we working with?"

  Regiesse scratches her head, clearly deep in thought. Then she snaps out of it, as if the idea she had been searching for had, at st, come to light.

  "Alright everyone, we're gonna have to split responsibilities! Mikhail, I need you to gather ingredients from the pantry- it's down stairs. As for you all, I'm going to need your help here, please."

  Okay then. It's time to go-

  I pick up the small paper with the required ingredients jotted down.

  Let's see here….

  A Norwater Trout…

  Five bundles of Coastal Mountain Roots…

  Onions…

  Spud….

  And a few other things as well. Okay! That should be great.

  I bundle up everything together in a sack, and take it up stairs.

  As I get closer to the surface, I can hear an argument ensue-

  It seems to be between Tinel and Yuri.

  "For the st time…"

  "You're supposed to SCRUB THE POT DOWN before you apply the oil!"

  "Oh come on! How was I supposed to know that??"

  "It's literally right here! In the book!!"

  "I knew you were stupid… but not, like this…"

  I didn't know how to enter this situation, so I stood there awkwardly until the ''fire'' died down.

  If this wasn't the most awkward thing to watch, well then, I sure don't know what was.

  "Look- just follow the instructions,, and everything will be fine. It should not be that hard, knife-ears!"

  "When are ya' goin' to stop callin' me names??"

  "When you stop acting like a fool."

  I knock on the door frame which connected the kitchen to the pantry.

  The heads of Yuri and Tinel- who were arguing up until now.

  "Oh.. Mikhail, there you are. You get those ingredients yet..?"

  "Y-yeah, here."

  I awkwardly transfer all the 'goods' from my arms to hers. She sets them down on the counter, and counts them over.

  "Let's see here…"

  …

  "Yep, it's all here then."

  "Everyone! How is things?"

  I don't see who it is, but based on their voice and speech, I know who it is right away. It's Regiesse.

  She's panting, and seems exhausted.

  "What were you doing girl?"

  Said Tinel- seemingly out of worry and concern to some degree.

  "Y-yeah, I'm fine, no big deal. Just had to take some orders for customers.."

  "Huh?"

  "What's the big deal with that though? Doesn't seem to be too hard.."

  I didn't mean to rag on my best friend, but..

  Yuri had to be dense, no? I swear, this guy really didn't use the brain Lady Cristell had given him..

  "Well, Yuri- she's a kid. And, children are not typically accustomed to working customer service, especially up-front like this, when it's taking orders from customers.."

  "Tsk. Yeah, I guess I didn't really think that through."

  Regiesse interjects, once more.

  "Guys, guys! We've got work to do..! Come on!"

  "Also, how far are we?"

  Tinel steps forward.

  "Well, so far we've made preparations with our.. tools, and utensils."

  "I've gathered up the ingredients."

  Regiesse mutters to herself-

  "Okay.. a bit slower than I'd have hoped for, but not a completely lost cause…"

  "Mr. Mikhail!"

  "Y-yeah..? What's up, Regiesse?"

  "If you and Yuri could head on over to the counter and get started on the cooking process with Ms.. Eriksen, was it? Anyways! You guys focus on that, please."

  "What about you, though?"

  "I need to circle back with Ms. Irina about some things… so! Please get to work, if you don't mind. Thank you."

  With that, Regiesse runs off into the distance of the tavern once more.

  It's like when that girl is in business mode- she does a complete 180 in terms of personality.

  I guess in moments like these, the adrenaline rush gets to you, and helps you focus. An interesting thing, the mortal body and soul is, huh?

  "Hey dude, come on! We oughtta get to work.."

  Yuri interrupted my thoughts .

  Okay, so first step- split the Norwater trout in half.

  "Yuri, ehhrmm… what kinda knife would be right for splitting a Norwater Trout..?"

  When I ask him that question, he looks at me perplexed. Confused. Confuzzled, even.

  "Why… are you asking, me…?"

  Jeez. That's right. I have no damn idea. He is kind of an idiot…

  "That one right there- the Longinus."

  "Woah!? Tinel? How'd you-?"

  "What, get here? I was always there, goofball."

  "No, no, no… not that…"

  "Oh yeah? Then, what?"

  "You knew that that 'Longinus' knife is good for splitting fish.. How'd you know?"

  When I say that- it's as if a light goes on in her mind.

  "Riiighttt…. well, see, my dad was friends with a fisherman from Al-Adzsif… name was, Sayid-Al-Makhaf, or something along those lines. Apparently, he was a world-traveling fisherman, as well as merchant."

  "His family, the Makhaf family owns a very prestigious fishing guild within the nation's capital- Bethel."

  "Interesting."

  "He got this knife from his trip to Hromvík. Made by a master knifesmith."

  "Hromvík?"

  "You know, the Empire."

  "But how'd it get here in the Pilgrim's Stop?"

  "Well, uh, it was originally gifted to the monastery that Abbadiese is staying at, and well, things happened, so eventually it wound up here. Knowing Abbadiese, she probably gifted it out of generosity."

  "Okay, okay I see. Uh… hey, we're getting off topic here."

  With that said- I take the Longinus off the magnetic knife rack, which was mounted on the stone brick wall.

  It was an ornate, beautiful knife. The handle was made out of dark polished cherrywood, trimmed with gold.

  Curling, twirling, and somewhat… floral? Designs adorned the handle. The bde itself, clearly showed that the bde was of superior craft- it was a polished, shimmering silver.

  On it, was engraved an inscription in Hromvíkese lettering. I couldn't read it or make out what it was supposed to say. If I had to guess, it was probably the smith's signature.

  "This is some knife…"

  "Get to cutting!! We only have 10 minutes to prepare all this!"

  WHAT? TEN MINUTES!!??

  THAT MAKES NO SENSE!

  I clearly had no time to lose.

  I hold the fish down, and gently, slowly, yet somewhat fast-paced. The silver bde slices through smoothly.

  "Hey, Tinel, how's it going over there?"

  "Fine, so far. I've prepared the tomato and pepper sauce.."

  "Wow, really? Already? You're pretty good! The steps seemed pretty complex.."

  "Well, I've done a lot of cooking at the monastery- so you know how it is."

  I nodded in agreement, then went back to my work. Next would be to marinate it. Since we were running out of time, I decided to bite the bullet and use the Sunwood Oil.

  A special cooking oil, used for only the highest form of cookery. I uncorked the medium sized gss bottle, and mixed it with a tangy sweet marinade I'd prepared earlier.

  I was sure to de-bone the fish earlier, ahead of time. As a Pomnian- I was more than familiar with ocean cuisine- we had a big fishing industry at my home city, after all.

  After that, I let it sit in the mixture for a bit, having it marinate a bit.

  "Yuri, how's it looking over there?"

  "Not too bad…! I've gotten the stove ready, all the other supplies are ready too. Hit me with it!"

  " 'Hit you with it'?"

  "It means to bring the fish over, basically!"

  "Yuri, How does that… how are those two things even connected..?"

  He pauses.

  "Well-"

  "..."

  "..."

  "..."

  "Never mind.. forget I even said anything."

  I sigh as I start moving forward.

  That one proverb my mom told me a while back- "once an idiot, always an idiot".

  It was starting to make a lot of sense quite honestly.

  He must've noticed I was deep in thought, because he shakes me by the shoulder.

  "Hey. What's wrong with you, man?"

  With a look of concern for my friend, I just go on over.

  "Okay… so we need to start breading this."

  He looks at me, eyebrow raised.

  "Bread it? I don't think that was in the instructions though.."

  What?

  "Uh, yes, it is. Actually."

  He retorts back.

  "No, it isn't! Look!"

  He opens the book to page 123.

  "Wait a minute, what are you doing on page 123? That's the wrong one. You're supposed to be on page 130…"

  I flip to page 130.

  "See?"

  "Oh my-"

  "Yep, you're right."

  "We're running out of time for this, come on get your act together!"

  "Yuri, go help Tinel, please..? I need you to just not be.. Here, for now."

  He grumbles something in disappointment, but ultimately

  agrees as he walks off, with a slouched posture.

  That cannot be good for your back, can it? Especially at such an age… imagine getting back issues as a young adult..

  Yikes.

  I shake myself awake once more, and get to the task at hand once again-

  I batter the fish with a special spread that allowed for the bread crumbs to stick better.

  That way it wouldn't just crumble everywhere constantly.

  I salt it next, and sprinkle bck pepper over it. A common condiment mixture here in the Kingdom of Dalis, one might find.

  Lastly, I let it simmer in the sweet tomato/ paprika sauce, absorbing the juices.

  I do some st minute ''decorations'' with diced tomatoes, herbal garnish, and that was pretty much it.

  "TINEEEEELLL!!"

  I hear her walking forwards, getting closer and closer to the door.

  Eventually, she emerges into the room.

  She's panting and exhausted- clearly she ran here, or at least sprinted halfway.

  "Y-yeah, what's going on?"

  "You look worse for wear…"

  She gives a look of exhaustion. One that you'd see only on the face of someone who clearly went through nothing short of absolute hell….

  And never wanted to go through it again.

  "Well? Don't keep me in suspense… what happened?

  She groans in frustration.

  "Don't even get me started… while you guys were horsing around in there, I, amongst Irina, and Regiesse had to deal with an onload of other orders…"

  Jeez.

  Did we really mess up that bad? Now I kind of feel sorry.

  "Uh… my bad. Anything I could do to uh, you know.. Make it up, perhaps?"

  "You can take my coat, ushanka, gloves, spare tunics to the undromat. I haven't had the opportunity to get those cleaned for some time now."

  "But Tinel… the nearest one is Gorev Cleaning Service…"

  She looks in my direction.

  "So?"

  "They're over priced as hell! They charge 12 silver pieces per round!"

  She crosses her arms and puffs her chest.

  "Hmph. Should've considered that before you decided to take your sweet time, you know."

  For the love of all things holy…

  This is a bit much, isn't it? I mean, bankrupting a fellow party member, that's-

  Oh wait. I and everyone else have been pretty much freeloading off of the monastery the entire time we were here, huh?

  Maybe I do owe this to her after all.

  "I'll--"

  "I'll reimburse you if that helps, alright?"

  "Okay, fine."

  "Where is all that stuff, anyway?"

  "It's in my room, back at the monastery. I left the door unlocked, so getting in shouldn't be an issue."

  "Sure thing, got it. Oh by the way, we're done with this pte, so you can pass it on over. I think it was table… 5?"

  It looks like a massive weight has been lifted off her shoulders, because she lets out a breath of relief, and slumps her shoulders down.

  "Oh, it's the drunks then. They'll hardly notice anything in that case."

  Confused, I ask her what she means.

  "You don't remember? When we came in, those Urozhayan merchants who were pestering Irina constantly for refills on vodka? Yep, it's those guys."

  What.

  How.

  No way!?

  You're telling me, those guys were here zing about all day drinking themselves to death!?

  That can't be good on the liver….

  "Mikhail? What's wrong? You seem perturbed…"

  "Oh, no, nothing's wrong… just.. peachy… hahah.."

  Honestly, I was so perplexed I didn't know what to say. Didn't the church outw excessive consumption of alcohol?

  Committing a Sin of the Body, directly in their home turf too, no less… if the Holy Order, or even the City Guard were around… these people would be going to jail straight away..

  The fact that it's the end of the year though means they're getting off easy tonight as the whole city administration tends to be a little more x, this time of year..

  Or so I've heard, from Agniezska, and Abbadiese.

  Then again, if you ever hear something from Agniezska, chances are it's true.

  "Mikhail!"

  "Grahghah!"

  "Jeez I've been callin' to you thousands of times.. where have you been?"

  "I'm just deep in thought is all.. my bad."

  "It's f ine, don't worry about it. Anyways, I'll get that out to the table."

  "Sure thing, Tinel."

  With that interaction, I sprint out of the kitchen through the back door of the building.

  When I reach the tavern's backyard, I notice a familiar individual. Tall, bck hair tied into a bun, and a tail…

  Oh shit.

  It's Irina.

  If I get caught by her now, she's definitely going to grill me..

  I tip toe by her, doing my best not to make a sound and get her attention.

  I see her ear twitch and perk up.

  "Who goes there?"

  She turns around.

  When she ys her eyes on me, it's the same piercing gaze as before.

  "Ah… Mikhail.."

  "Y-yo.."

  "Successful in there, were we?"

  "Yeah, well we had some issues but, y'know, it comes with the package, right?"

  "I suppose.."

  She stares at me for a good minute, then smiles.

  But it's not the typical friendly smile- it's more of a, "I got you" smile.

  "I wouldn't know about that.."

  "W-what're you talking about?"

  She sighs.

  "Well, see here Mr. Olenev- as dragons, people like me have an innate ability called 'foresight'. It allows us to see and perceive any and all things in pces under our control."

  "In other words… I saw everything."

  "Oh."

  She lets out a small chuckle, and then ruffles my hair.

  "Worry not however, you successfully did everything you were required to do. So I have no qualms."

  "Heh.. thanks…"

  "That said, I'd rather you not help out again for a while."

  I nod in silent agreement.

  "Yeah, that makes sense I guess."

  "Where is Yuri, by the way?"

  "Yuri? Dost thou refer to the blonde Zalief boy? I suspect he's run off by now."

  Hm. Of all the pces he went, he probably just went back to the monastery- our main base of operations.

  I suppose it's time to head back home myself.

  "Well, Ms. Begolovic.. I think I'd better go home for tonight.."

  "Very well. I suppose it's only natural. You've earned it."

  With that, I walk off, thinking about everything that's happened so far today, recounting all the craziness that went down.

  Tomorrow was a new day.