The woman stares at me with wide eyes, her mouth agape. After a few seconds, she collects herself enough to formulate a response laced with confusion.

  “You… you don’t know?”

  It’s my turn to look at her dumbly, my head tilted slightly to the side.

  “Um… no? Should I?”

  She laughs a bit at that, shaking her head before responding with an amused tone.

  “Well, yes, you should. He’s the head of this branch of the Mercenary Guild. I’m always supposed to bring extraordinary claims from new recruits to him. Sometimes we get young hopefuls that pad their qualifications, so hopefully you understand.”

  Hmmm… that brings up a new question that I have to ask.

  “So, what happens to the people who lie on their application?”

  She chuckles ominously, her face adopting a smirk as she responds.

  “The guild leader already told you.”

  What the hell is she talking about?

  “Told me? I don’t remember anything like that.”

  Her grin evolves into a mischievous smile as she nonchalantly examines her fingernails. After about thirty seconds of waiting, she turns to me with a gleam in her eye.

  “They get beaten to a pulp and thrown into the alley behind the guild to sleep it off. He does not take kindly to liars.”

  The look on my face must be conveying concern, as she quickly raises her hands, waving them back and forth.

  “Oh! You don’t have to worry about that, you made a great impression today. I’ve never seen him so happy after one of these situations!”

  My open-mouthed shock resonates with the tone of my voice as I respond to her.

  “You call that happy?”

  She nods her head, her response carrying a load of sincerity. This simple act alone sends shivers down my spine.

  “Oh boy, that is definitely a yes. He must really see something in you.”

  Shaking my head with both confusion and a weary acceptance, I decide that it’s just past time to conclude this conversation.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it, though it’s still really hard to believe. Thanks for all of your help today, Shirley.”

  “Not a problem at all! As I said, feel free to come find me if you have any more questions!”

  With that, she leaves me by myself on the lawn of a manor fit for dozens of people.

  …

  As I’m exploring the place, Delilah saunters up to me from wherever she’s been for the last hour. Looking down at her, I stoop to give her some scritches, causing a deep rumble.

  Petting her will never get old.

  “Hey crazy cat, we got a bit of an upgrade, didn’t we?”

  Knowing exactly how she would feel about that name, her next words come as no surprise.

  “Human, I swear on all the Etheri that if you ever call me that again, I’ll remove your tongue for your insolence.”

  Though her reply is scathing, the purring never ceases. My own response begins with a sigh.

  “Thank you for proving my point. Let’s go see what all the mercenaries set up here.”

  I decide that we should start with the training grounds, of which there are three. The dummies in each correspond to standard norms. One set for melee, one for ranged, and the last is set up for spells.

  “You will never use most of this, Human. What on Gaio were you thinking when you signed up for this place? How are you even going to afford it, hm?”

  Her rapidfire questions cause a small flinch with each new utterance.

  “Why are you blaming me?! I didn’t sign up for anything! Well, except for the Guild.”

  My hands are waving frantically before me as I try to diffuse the situation.

  “Then how, pray tell, do you explain this, Human?”

  If looks could kill, I’d be in severe pain right now.

  “They just put me here saying that I’m going to be shipped off to the capital branch! Which is just fine with me.”

  She glares intensely for a moment more, releasing a sigh as she responds.

  “I see. I imagine the person you showed your scroll to must have actually deduced the value of such an ability.”

  Nodding my head as I relax the tension in my shoulders, I breathe my own sigh, though mine is from relief.

  Wait… did she just compliment me? Wow, that’s a rare sight.

  Keeping that thought to myself, I continue with my explanation.

  “Yeah… I’m told he seemed… happy? If not happy, then pleased at the very least. Either way, he supposedly liked the fact that I’m being sent to the capital…”

  Shrugging my shoulders, there is only one thought in my mind.

  I hope Shirley’s right about how he feels…

  The cat, however, takes the words at face value.

  “He most likely has some incentive to send talented people to the main branch. The weak stay weak while the strong get stronger.”

  As she states the obvious, I shake my head.

  “Everybody knows that. That’s just life.”

  Delilah sends a mental nod before her next statement.

  “I hope you’re prepared to break the mold, Human, because you are going to have some high expectations placed on you.”

  At that declaration, I blanch, wringing my hands as sweat beads on my forehead. My response, though quiet, is said with a serious tone, a hint of resignation permeating through it.

  “That is the complete and total opposite of what I want…”

  The cat’s scoff breaks me from my melancholic thoughts as her reply burns with irony.

  “Well, Human, maybe you should have thought about that before blabbing about your capabilities. This ought to be a lesson for future discretion.”

  Shaking my head, I look at the garden that I’ve found my way into. It’s very well manicured, but one thing is bothering me.

  “Why would the Mercenary Guild have a garden?”

  Koa takes this opportunity to finally join the conversation in her own Koa-like way.

  “I think it’s very pretty, Father! I like it!”

  My chuckle is cut short by Delilah’s response to my question.

  “Human, this place is most likely meant for the most important mercenaries who visit this backwater ‘city.’ There are less than 5000 people here, making it barely fit that name, so I don’t imagine the property we’re on gets used all that often. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that it’s being maintained at all.”

  Innocence about, my dagger’s response comes as no surprise.

  “What do you mean, Miss Meowy?”

  “Child, I mean that no self-respecting noble would want to be found dead in this city.”

  Seeing this as an opportunity to get a jab in at the cat, I place my hands on my hips in an exaggerated manner.

  “Hey, cranky cat, I’ve lived here my whole life! It’s an awful place, but I won’t let you badmouth my hometown.”

  Her head shakes in what I can only assume to be exasperation.

  “Firstly, Human, you’re pushing your luck. More to the point, don’t act like you care about this . So I will do what I please, when I please.”

  This brings out a barked laugh as I return the exasperated gesture, though in jest.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I couldn’t care less. But you would do what you please whether or not I care, so don’t act like you’re taking my feelings into account.”

  As I turn to enter the building, Delilah decides she has better things to do.

  “This is a nice patio, the patterned bricks really accentuate the pillars and blue oak door. Human, you may be doing something right after all. I’ll be out here sunbathing, feel free to explore without me.”

  With that, she lies down right where she’s standing. Her feet are tucked beneath her, and her tail is curled around her. She looks like a perfect white and gold loaf of bread.

  “Alright, Koa. Just you and me, now.”

  A flood of joy surges through our bond, nearly knocking me off my feet with its intensity.

  “Yay! I love to spend time with you, Father! I knew you didn’t forget about me! We should talk more, that way I get to spend more time with you!”

  While her response is heartbreaking, I try not to let it show in mine.

  “You? How could I ever forget about you? You are the prettiest, bestest, most unforgettable dagger I have ever seen!”

  I had thought the first wave of emotion was strong, but this one is at another level.

  “Thank you, Father! I love you!”

  Those words give me pause as I hesitate momentarily, a lump forming in my throat. The hesitant anxious anticipation I feel from her helps me to put into words what needs to be said.

  “I— I love you too, Koa. You know, if you want to talk more, all you have to do is say something.”

  Don’t cry. Don’t. Cry. If I cry, I’ll only worry her. I need to stay strong.

  “I know, father, but you always seem so busy, so I don’t want to interrupt.”

  My response is instant, its sincerity not diminished by the speed at which it comes out.

  “I am never too busy to respond to you, Koa. Never.”

  There is a momentary lapse in the conversation as my daughter processes my statement. I can feel her thoughts tumbling through her little consciousness, though I don’t know any specifics.

  “Okay, Father!”

  Relief rids me of my anxiety as I try to refocus the conversation.

  “Now let’s go see the inside of the house. I bet there will be lots and lots of cool things for you to see!”

  I could not have been more wrong. If I have to describe the interior in two words, I would say “spacious” and “austere.” The juxtaposition from the beautiful garden outside is jarring, but the lack of embellishment inside actually fits better into my idea of a place for mercenaries. While fully furnished with well-made furniture that isn’t ostentatious, the place is just… plain.

  “Well… that was anticlimactic.”

  My fears of disappointing her fade with the enthusiastic outburst that follows.

  “Father! This place is so pretty! Everything is so organized and matches perfectly! I LOVE IT!”

  Um… that was unexpected…

  “I’m really glad you like it, Koa. It’s just right for me, as well. Way too big, though. This entry hall is massive. Let’s head upstairs first.”

  “Okay!”

  Going up the mirrored staircase, we find ourselves at a T in a hall with several doors to each side. Opening the first door on the left side of the lefthand hall, I find an indoor privy. It has a toilet and a massive bathtub. Looking into the pisser, I see that there is some sort of runework at the bottom. This catches me by surprise, enough to drag an audible comment out of me.

  “Huh. Fancy.”

  Koa, however, has more to say on the matter.

  “Father, what’s that for?”

  Pausing to formulate my response carefully, I can’t help but to feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  “It’s for… getting rid of the food and drink that us fleshbags have to consume to stay alive. After we eat it, it comes out from a… different place.”

  “Oh.”

  I almost think that I’m in the clear, but she apparently isn’t done.

  “Father, why don’t I have any memories about this from you?”

  Fuck.

  “Well… that’s because I cut them out so that you didn’t see anything that you aren’t… supposed to see.”

  “Oh. Okay!”

  Glad to be done with that conversation, I check the rest of the doors along this branch of the hall. With four doors on each side of both branches of the hall, there are seven bedrooms and two bathrooms total per hallway. Each of the seven rooms on both sides are a different color, going down the rainbow, though aside from the color, the furniture is still simple.

  “Okay. That leaves one last room upstairs. The one at the top of the stairs. I assume it’s the master bedroom.”

  Opening the large door, I see the polar opposite of the rest of the house. A huge bed, elaborate furnishings, everything trimmed with silver and gold.

  “Yeah… no way am I sleeping in here. I’ll take one of the blue rooms.”

  After I say that, Koa comes in with a question that mirrors my own sentiment.

  “Father, why is this room so ugly?”

  She is such a smart girl.

  “Because some people have ugly hearts, so they like ugly rooms.”

  That said, she is apparently ready to move onto another topic.

  “Can I have my own room? Pretty pretty please!”

  The question is such a surprise that I almost forget to respond.

  “Oh! Yeah, that’s fine with me, but I’m curious as to why.”

  Her response comes as another shock.

  “Because I’m a girl, Father! Girls and boys shouldn’t share rooms, duh!”

  How does she even know that? That damned cat better not be filling her mind with these thoughts.

  “You’ve been doing just fine when we sleep in the shed.”

  “That’s because the shed only has one room! I didn’t have a choice! I can’t wait to see what it’s like to have a real bed, just for me! Thank you, Father! Thank you thank you thank you!”

  I can’t help but to chuckle at her innocent excitement, her antics never failing to bring a smile to my face.

  “Koa, I hope you stay exactly the way you are. Forever. I really do love you. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”

  “Human, I hate to ruin the moment, but there are several people approaching.”

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