“So, why exactly did you not correct her?” Broseff asked curiously as the two walked dowreet, headed for, as far as Peter could recollect, the temple of the Church Luminous. “Her who?” Peter asked; looking up from the scroll that, in his inability to keep his curiosity under s, he had pulled out and began reading — at least a cursory skimming over with the i of going bad reading it with a fioothed b. I wonder if ‘Aunt Di’si’ will help me poke at this tract ter. Couldn’t hurt to ask, I suppose…While true, Peter still didn’t want to be annoying to the Goddess or abuse any goodwill he might have with her. He still wasn’t sure what his standing was after ‘the i’ with anyone save his mother.Peter paused, blinking, The fact I so easily think of her as my mother, even after just a week… probably more ‘telling’ than I’d like to admit. Which… is exactly what I’m doing even thinking about it…He put a hand over his eyes, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger, giving a mildly annoyed sigh. “Who do you think?” Broseff asked. “Huh? Oh!” He shook his head, “No, no, I know who you mean, I was just…” He rustled the traphasis and crification, putting it away again to focus on his traveling panion, “… And then that jumped into ahought, with kinda kept rolling…” He scratched at his cheek, embarrassed. “That happens a lot, hm?” He grinned. “More than I’d like to admit…” Peter, obviously, admitted.The guard ughed, patting the shoulder, “Nothing wrong with getting lost in thought. Though maybe save it for when you aren’t walking through a city you don’t know the yout of?” “That is more than fair enough.” Peter chuckled a little mely, rubbing the back of his neck, “Still. Sometimes I ’t help getting lost in thought.”Never mind the fact ‘getting lost in thought’ has bee a go-to euphemism for talking to various deities… “I really should maybe buy some sort of notepad and something to write with… so I keep a list of things I o keep track of.” Peter mused as they walked, “Example: Jensa wao see me at her ic today, I had just-about fotten that because I was focused on my training and other things I’ve been w about.” “That is something to take care of, certainly.” Broseff agreed, “Making sure you have a solid base medical file in case anything happens.” “Maybe after the Adventurer’s Guild?” Peter mused, moving a hand to shift the bag of s more towards the front to keep better track of it — the st thing he wanted was for a cut-purse tet him — “Do you know, or recall, how much the application fee is?” “I do.” He smiled, “For what it’s worth, I’m registered as well.” He pulled out a neck which a small medallion hung, engraved with information iyrosan script, “I’m a midman. I haven’t been able to accept many Tasks tely, or take the advaest to be a Senior Novice.” “Huh.” He cast a g the medallion, “Alright then.” “Now, as for the price for the Applicatiohat’s going to be thirty benni.” Broseff expined as they walked.

  Peter nodded, keeping in step with the guard as they walked, “Right. Thirty…” He paused, “Thirty what-now?”Broseff stopped, “Benni.” He held up his hand, finger, and thumb apart by some length that Peter parsed out to being the size of the iion. “…Broseff…” “ht!” The guard coughed, “So dausch is the lowest; your everyday like we said at the game st night. Above them are the nickel scale.”Peter nodded. “ would be the copper bit, then the silver benni.” He expined, “And, of course, there’s the gold shield above that but that’s not really important for this.” “Iron, nickel, copper, silver, gold.” Peter repeated, “Alright. Fair enough.” He met Broseff’s gaze, “Now…” “Oh, don’t worry about it.” He said, “I was going to cover the application fee.” “…Broseff…” “Remember, I said you’d have enough to cover the paperwork processing fee…” “Broseff.”The guard stopped and turned, holding up his hands in pcation, “It’s not a big deal, alright?” He expined, pstering a smile across his face as he tried to vier. “How much is thirty benni?” He kept his tone even, but was unamused, crossing his arms. Never mind the fact that he’s spending ‘thirty silver’ on me… ?That is kind of amusing, isn’t it?? …Hi~rious…He kept his gaze at Broseff who started to shift as Peter was, unblinkingly, distracted within his mind with the brief versation with Na’at, “Okay so… It’s not that big of a deal…” “Please do not use my ck of knowledge against me, Broseff. Even if you’re trying to be nice… I don’t want to put a.” He paused, “Never mind the fact you don’t know me from…” He paused, sighing, “Never mind. That phrase probably wouldn’t work here. My point is that you don’t know me at all.” “I know you care about Enna and want to protect her.” He tered, “You care about her enough that she willingly stood up against three people twice her size and probably three times her weight in order to protect you when you got knocked out during training.” He poked at Peter’s chest, “That tells me all I o know, I think.” “Well, fine.” He sighed, lightly batting the hand away, “But that still doesn’t ahe question.” He returhe chest poke. “…”Peter frowned, “That much, huh?” he shook his head, holding his hands up in surrender, “Then we fo it. We’ll hit up the bcksmith for a sheath, then go to Jensa’s id then back to the Pilrs’ temple.” “Peytr, you haven’t even—”Crossing his arms in an ‘x’ over his chest, Peter shook his head, “Nope. Not gonna hear it. If you’re avoiding telling me how much ‘thirty benni’ is worth then it’s ‘too much’.” He sighed, dropping his arms, “I never liked mixing friends and money, I sure as hell don’t want to mix …” He gave a wince, “I don’t mean to insult you, Broseff, but since we barely know each other—” “No, I uand. But I wouldn’t be if I felt you weren’t worth it.” Broseff expined.Peter grimaced, “How much, Broseff.” “You have eighty dausch from winning, if I recall.” Broseff nodded, keeping his voice down and motioning obliquely to the pouch at Peter’s front. “Right.” Peter nodded. “And st night we showed you a dausch, and a scale, yeah?”Again, a nod. “Eighty dausch works out to two copper bits.” He expined, “See, four dausch make a single scale.” “The nickel .” “Right.” He agreed, From there… ten scales make a copper bit. Thirty copper make a silver benni, and ninty of those make a golden shield.” “y silver for a single gold.” Peter nodded, “And you said the application fee is thirty. So… a third of a gold.” “Right.” He nodded.Peter exhaled through his hat… doesn’t sound terrible. It still feels like a lot though.” “Well. For your frame of refere would be, admittedly.” Broseff rubbed the back of his nebsp; “And?” “…housand dausch to a shield…”Peter felt himself go cross-eyed, “¤” “… What kind of noise was that?” “So you’re telling me you’re dropping thirty-thousand dause.” “Well, when you put it like that it sounds like I’m scraping my life savings, taking out a loan, and going to some crook to make up the difference.” “…” “…” Broseff took a moment, “Obviously I’m not doing that!”Peter wheezed, squeezing his eyes tight, “Hnnn…” How is this gonna math out — because holy shit how am I gonna make that much dausd holy shit I do not want to owe Broseff that much cash! ?Easy, Peter… Yetting head-up about numbers… remember that you’re in a different world — that means different values for things.? Right, right. But still — thirty-K?

  Broseff shifted, “Look, Peytr…” “No.” He shook his head, again raising his arms into an ‘x’ across his chest, “Even if it’s more for Ennalyssa than it is me… I am not putting you into debt.” “It’s not debt… nothing that bad.” Broseff said, “I’d been saving up some money off to the side from jobs at the Guild itself, winnings from Rounders…” “How ‘bad’ is it, then?” Peter said, “Because I am not moving until I kly what I’m getting into and how badly it might mess you up.”Broseff gave a tired exhale through his nose as he covered his face, muffling a grumble, “Alright. Alright. A shield is what is generally accepted as a living wage in Freiholm.” “So… that’s your… monthly…?” Peter ventured. “Yes. A shield is supposed to be a single person’s ce for a month. Food, rent, so-on, and so-on.” “And you’d be spending a third of your monthly earnings fettio the Adventurer’s Guild.” Peter hissed in frustration and disbelief. “Well… It’s an application fee. Not a registration fee.” “Broseff.”Again his hands went up, “Look. It makes sense for something like an Adventurer’s Guild to require that potential members are up to a certain standard, doesn’t it? Skilled and fit and all that.” “Sounds like we should go to Jensa’s before the Guild then.” Peter muttered. “Actually, I know she said e to her ic as soon as possible, but I know she’s w there today.” “Ahuh.” Peter, arms half-crossed, as one hand was rubbing at his temples again, grumbled, “So an application fee and, obviously, an applicatio. A test which I could possibly fail since I still don’t know how to fight, not really.” “Ah, right.” “What do you mean ‘Ah, right’?!” Peter hissed his sternation, squinting a Look of his own at Broseff. “Well, you kinda took on three people and, from my end at least, looked like you knew what you were doing…” “I most certainly did not. I assure you.” Peter scoffed. “And then the whole… you know…” He motioned around above his head, “The whole… thing…” “Ah, yeah.” “What do you mean ‘Ah, yeah’?” Broseff returhe sternation, mimig Peter’s dull delivery, “How you have ion to calling down dek gods?!” “How is that relevant to, what I only assume, is a bat test? This is an Adventurer’s Guild.” “In a world that has magic everywhere.” Broseff pointed out, “Including bat magid healing from bat-inflicted wounds.” He poked at Peter again, “You have an ihyr reserve since you survived that.” “That is a fair point.” Peter sighed, rubbing his face with both hands, “Broseff, I’m sorry… I just ’t let you spend that much.” “I told you before—” Broseff said, “I’ve been saving money anyway, so you aren’t putti of anything or into debt. You’re right, we don’t know each other well, or at all, really… but Enna trusts you, and that’s enough for me. I know you don’t like it but d’Zaier summoned you here, and I don’t know why he summoned you, but from what I’ve seen you’ve dohing but try your best to learn, ahere for Enna.” He sighed, meetier’s eyes and staring into them “If helping you helps her, then any price is worth it.” “You really care for her.” Peter whispered.Broseff nodded, speakily, “We’re both orphans, Peytr. Amazingly, from the same Home. We ected closely on that… I tried, Peytr, so hard, to do my best to make sure she was okay… but I couldn’t. Between d’Zaier, Havengard, and some people looking down on orphans…” “People look down on orphans?” Peter cocked his head, fused. “It’s a long story, I don’t know how much se would make to you.”Peter nodded, “I am… still not fortable because of how much money is involved… but… you’re right. For helping Ennalyssa.”

  “Thank you, Peytr.” Broseff sighed, “I uand, I really do, that what I’m asking, and , is a lot.”Peter nodded, “Ennalyssa obviously means a lot to you, and others… more than just being the Divinely Chosen Heroine, and I imagihat had a lot to do with it too.” He put his hands on Broseff’s shoulders, “I promise you, I will do all I to protect her. I promised her, and I’m promising you.” “Thank you, Peytr.” Broseff sighed, flushed with more than a little embarrassment at his pleadier sighed, “Let’s get going then. Looks like we have a long day ahead of us, and it’s your day off.” “Eh, it’s worth it.” Broseff smiled, pattier’s shoulder iurn.

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