Peter was back in the ‘bar’ area, sitting across from Broseff, with Glenawyn sitting next to him — she did promise they’d chat after all of this, after all.All three had drinks. “Of all the people…” Broseff muttered.Peter shrugged, taking a long draught of his drink, and swallowing with a heavy, audible gulp.

  After the Guildmaster had called for healers to check out the three of them Peter, and Glenawyn, were excused — though Peter was asked not to leave the Guild’s grounds until this investigation was over.Glenawyn volunteered to watch him, just in case. And, with the Guildmaster acquiescing to that, dismissed them.They’d found Broseff waiting, confused and wondering what had happened since he had been waiting with Shepherd Vaunn before Glenawyn came running for help.

  That was half an hour ago.Peter sighed, And with the time difference on Aetyros, it’s very much longer than what I’m used to. He took another long draught of his drink, finishing it off.Glenawyn cleared her throat, “If it helps, Guildmaster Britebde is a logical, and fair, leader.” “It’s the ‘logical’ part that bothers me.” Peter frowned, swirling his cup around, eying the st swallow of his cider, “From my experience, mind you, ‘logical’ people tend to work by their own logic as well as being ‘to the letter’ on things.” He sighed, shrugging, “Considering I ‘attacked’ someone with a surname and one who is apparently well known like Havengard, it’s only ‘logical’ that I not be admitted to the Guild, lest the Guild be targeted by the Havengard family.”

  “You really think that’d happen?”

  Peter shrugged, “Honestly I dunno.” He sighed, sipping lightly at the st of his cider, “Depends, I guess, on how much that…” He shrugged, “… pnt… thing… recorded of the supposed match.” He sipped again, “I mean, where I come from anyone with enough money and connections basically got to do whatever they wanted because they could make their crimes and accusers disappear… in a couple different definitions of the word.”

  “Sadly, that can be reted to here as well.”

  Nodding Peter sighed, raising his cup to ‘salute’ Broseff, “I’m just sorry you wasted a third of your monthly dividend on me. I tried, Broseff. I did my best in that combat assessment.”

  “So what do you think will happen?”

  He shrugged, tipping back his drink, “I honestly dunno. I’d just consider myself lucky to not be arrested for ‘causing a scene’ or assaulting a … what is Havengard? Not royalty… major noble? Minor?” He looked to Broseff and then to his side from Glenawyn, looking for answers.

  “Minor nobility.” Was his answer but he now saw that it was from neither of his table mates.

  “Ahh…” He tilted his head back to finally notice the feline beastkin standing behind him, arm at her side, resting on one of her dagger sheaths, while the other was crossed under her bust. “Mister Kharl… if you could come with me, please?” She said evenly; her tone was measured. Gentle, perhaps even tender, but held a professional edge to it — an edge that, honestly, told Peter that her request was anything but.

  “… Um… Certainly, Guildmaster.”

  ==========

  The Guildmaster’s office was a fairly simple affair — a single door, heavy, with an inscribed pcard next to the door-well to inform those passing by who was behind it; decorated pinly, few things adorned her walls and there was but a single bookcase, though that was floor to ceiling and, in fact, stuffed to the brim with books of varying sizes and thicknesses.There was a desk, of course, set against a wall, with a fairly sizable window to its right with curtains drawn halfway over it to let in the day’s light. Peter, however, did not sit at a chair that looked across the desk at the Guildmaster.Peter was sitting across from the Guildmaster… but in a wide, plush low-backed seat that was set across from its twin, with a table between them.The Guildmaster sat, of course, in that other low-backed, plush chair and was currently pouring a dark liquid into two pin, short cups. “Rhammi.” She said, breaking the silence, offering Peter a cup with a smile — despite being a cat it was not a ‘cat that ate the canary’ sort of thing — and nodded, “Go on, it’s fine.” She took the other one and sat back, sipping at her cup as she crossed one leg over the other, “My favorite brand, in fact.” She licked her lips, and a triangur-shaped ear atop her head twitched.Peter nodded, taking a sip — it was dark, and rich, a hint of something smoky and, oddly, citrus. He coughed, putting the cup down and standing quickly.

  ?Easy Peter, Easy kiddo…? Na’at was almost instantly in his ‘ear’, her voice gentle and trying to keep Peter from panicking.As it was he could already feel his heart start to thud in his chest faster and harder as certain memories started to flood back. ?I won’t let that happen again, I promise you? She whispered, and Peter could feel her energy bnket him in an embrace.

  “Something the matter?” She asked, eyes wide in surprise as Peter suddenly stood, “I admit it’s a little ‘heavy’ but I rather like the tart aftertaste of citrime…” “C-Citrime?” “You… seem rather bothered by the drink. I apologize if drinking alcohol is against any sort of rules or traditions…” She eyed him, shifting, clearly watching his reactions and gauging her safety. “N-No it’s not… it’s not that.” Peter expined, trying to calm down, looking at the cup, “It’s just… a, a drink? You didn’t put bumynt into this?” “No?” She said, confused, taking another sip, “No — This is just citrime-infused rhammi. Bumynt-infused rhammi might be interesting but I’m not sure.” She swirled her gss, thinking over it.As she did, Peter saw her eyes contract and an eyebrow rise in realization, “Oh.” She whispered, looking up at him, “You were given a chewy candy, yes? It had an acrid sort of after-taste?”Peter nodded, “It wasn’t… exact… but it tasted sort of like the, um, citrime…” “Ah.” She nodded, motioning him to sit down, “I just seem to not be winning you over.” She sighed, leaning forward, pressing her knees together and resting her arms on her p, cup in her hands, “I had thought a drink to break the ice, as it were, would be a welcome distraction of sorts, to the serious nature of our conversation.” She rolled a wrist, “And a conversation it is, I can assure you.” “Admittedly I’m a little confused on that as well, I’m afraid.” Peter admitted as he sat back down, picking the cup back up. “You don’t have to…” She started.Shaking his head Peter took a sip, “I don’t wish to be rude, or waste your favorite drink.” “Well, I do appreciate that sentiment.” She gave a concerned, polite smile.He smiled back, “For what it’s worth I do like the taste of citrime. It’s actually my first time having some. Or, rather, experiencing the fvor.” “Let me start with a question — Why are you confused about this conversation?” She asked, sitting back.Peter, flushed, exhaled heavily through his nose, “I’m going to assume you heard a fair bit of my conversation with the others at the table.” He nodded towards her cat ears. “Fair.” She said, reaching up to gently touch one, grinning, “You’d be right on that, too. I dare say that your assessment of my being ‘logical’ does sting a little… though having experienced such individuals in my own past, I can’t exactly fault you.” “It was still harsh of me to judge you before meeting you.” Peter apologized.She shrugged, offering a hand, “Then, let’s begin. Guildmaster Hennawyth Britebde. Used to be a ‘the’ in there but I’ve since retired, kept the name though.” “Hennawyth the Britebde.” Peter nodded, “Sounds fairly famous, or infamous, either way, impressive.” “You as well. Kharl is an old word from our next-door neighbor, nation-wise, that roughly means Leader, King, or Chief.” She expined. “Couple that with surnames being fairly uncommon, as I understand…” Peter sighed. “Aye.” She nodded, taking a sip of her drink, “You should know that Vaunn is an old friend of mine.” She expined, “We go quite the ways back.” She held the cup in her hand, staring past it into some long-held memory as she turned the cup this way and that in her grip before sipping again, “So, before we go further, know that he has expined your situation to me.” She paused, “All of it.” “Oh.” Peter frowned, thinking about how that bit of knowledge would color the coming discussion. “Aye.” She nodded, “I do not envy the position you find yourself in, Champion.”Peter winced. “Ah, right. He did mention an aversion to the title.” “It’s not one I earned.” Peter nodded, “I didn’t do anything to be worthy of the title ‘Champion’.” “Well. Let’s move on then.” She offered, sipping her rhammi again, “Your… altercation… with Sojourner Havengard.” “A polite way to put it.” Peter sipped at his drink, “So how much of my application test was recorded?” “Amazingly, the entirety.” She admitted, “And that is not something we normally do. Though after reviewing yours… perhaps we should.” She sighed, shaking her head and pinning her ears back, “I wonder just how long this sort of thing has been going on.” “Having met his cousin…” Peter muttered.The Guildmaster nodded, “So Vaunn has informed me. When he heard that your combat assessment proctor was Havengard he sent his pixie after you immediately.” “I see.” Peter said pinly, biting and chewing on his lip as he thought.She nodded, “And as he attacked you after you made it explicitly clear you were not interested in his honor duel… which, I am sad to say is a thing that is still practiced. Though society has thankfully moved on from weighing them heavily against or for a person… some nobles still like to make use of them. Regardless, to anyone not in someone else’s coin purse you were clearly defending yourself.” “So, like, a w that was never taken off the books but is never really enforced and fell out of use … except when it provides use to, well, jerks.”

  The Guildmaster said nothing, sipping her drink, but said that nothing rather loudly.

  “Let me ask a question, then.” Peter led, getting a nod from the Guildmaster he continued warily, “What did your investigation find?” “Mh, not a fan of the tone but, again, can’t fault you.” She finished off her drink and set her cup down, “Well. It recorded the entire assessment; from your introduction to when we burst in.” She said, “There was little ambiguity to it all, too.” She pointed out, “Sojourner Havengard was abusing his position of power in his threats, as well as clearly being in the wrong for tearing up your application.” She said, standing and bowing at the waist, hand to her heart, “On behalf of the Adventurer’s Guild as a whole, I deeply apologize for his actions as they reflect poorly on the whole of us.”

  Peter looked at her, feeling his cheeks flush, he whispered, “Please, sit, Guildmaster…” He sighed, “And thank you for your apology.” “Quite literally the least I can do.” Hennawyth sighed, pouring herself another cup, “And, being the least I can do, let me reveal what else I will be doing.” She sipped at her refilled cup, “First, and foremost, we will be recording further application assessments via Eye-rez from now on. As I said before I don’t know how long this has been going on, but it stops now.” She frowned seriously, “To that end, I will be putting together a team to investigate every combat assessment he’s conducted. He’s not the only proctor, you see.” She frowned, “That being said, I feel I must investigate them now too. To make sure what was done to you is not more widespread than stemming from just one person.” Peter nodded, finishing his cup and setting it down. He nodded when Britebde offered him a refill himself silently.Pouring the otherworlder a second cup of her favorite brand rhammi the Guildmaster continued, “Going over every combat assessment he both denied and approved means auditing our personnel.” She expined, “Finding out just why he denied or approved who he did.” “I do not envy you the next few weeks… if not months.” Peter offered quietly.She snorted, bemused, and lifted her gss in toast/salute, “Now. All of that was mere preamble to what I’m going to do with you.”

  That nearly sent what was probably a very expensive brand of alcohol shooting up Peter’s nose, which in turn sent him coughing and sputtering. Again, he could swear he heard several ughing voices in the back of his mind — as if certain deities were biting their lips, covering their mouths, or both, to keep their peals of ughter from being too loud or obvious. But Peter couldn’t be certain.

  “Having personally viewed, and thusly reviewed, your combat assessment, as well as interviewing your sparring partner, I have concluded that you have a fairly decent combat potential. It’s good enough that, if I see improvement in, say, a month’s time from now, I have no qualms approving your application to the Guild today.” She looked him up and down, “This means that as an Apprentice-level Novice-ranked Adventurer, you will be able to take amber-ranked Tasks.” “I see.” He nodded.Looking at him over the rim of her cup, she half-grinned at him, “Would it help to say that there’s paperwork you can look at and reference? Your contract, as well as documents expining expectations of you as a member as well as expining the word sad I just tossed at you?” “Gods yes.” Peter muttered. “Simply put, you’re the newest of the new and can take only our simplest and easiest tasks.” She expined, “We have an eight-tier ‘hardness’ level for Tasks, you see. Amber being the ‘softest’ and Diamond being the ‘hardest’. Just like the hardness test for gems in the schorly circles.” He nodded.She sipped at her drink, “Now. I want to see that improvement, Mister Kharl.” “I’m actually taking lessons at the Pilr Temple in, um…” He started to expin, but stopped, his face starting to look worried as well as simultaneously ‘bnk’.Hennawyth held up a hand, “Vaunn expined everything to me, remember. I realize you’re still new to our world, to say nothing of the city. He informed me about your ‘move’ to the Pilr Temple in question.”Peter defted in relief, nodding. “Either way, good to hear.” She gave him a genuine smile, “As it stands we are currently getting you a Guild tag for you to wear that identifies you as a Guild Member with your name, our address here as this would be considered your ‘home base’, as well as your level and rank.”Peter nodded again. “This is, of course, predicated on whether or not you wish to be in the Guild after your experience.” She pointed out.Peter frowned, “I don’t like the idea of having to possibly deal with him again, but I’ll be honest… having the ability to take on Tasks, and have a fairly steady income so I can take care of not just myself, but others…” He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Understandable. Though, I am sure Midman Broseff and Vaunn have impressed upon you that being an Adventurer is not easy.” “Or safe.” He nodded, “Depending on the mission. Yes. I still want to be an Adventurer.” “Very well then.” She smiled, standing up and holding out her hand, “Let me be the first to welcome you to the Adventurer’s Guild.” “Thank you, Guildmaster” Peter smiled.

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