Ed, their server from the previous visit, found them right after they settled into their seats. He greeted them with a broad smile, his eyes flicking over their clothes. “Ah, I had a feeling you two would be back! And I have to say, you both look excellent today.”

  ? Grim wasn’t sure how to deal with the sudden charm and compliment, but Maven took it in stride. “Thanks, Ed. We can’t wait to try those blended drinks you mentioned.”

  ? “Ah, the smoothies!” Ed rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, his grin widening. “Excellent choice! But those are best served with some hot food. Any preferences?”

  ? The two of them shared a look, and Grim noticed a flicker of unease in Maven’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what the cause of that was, but he took the initiative. He had been the one to invite her out, after all. “Give us the best you've got. We’ll take whatever you can dish out.”

  ? The grin on Ed’s face wavered momentarily, and he glanced down at Grim’s wrist. He could see the doubt in the other man’s eyes and shook his head, holding out the bracelet that held his funds. “Not an issue.”

  ? He crossed his fingers under the table as Ed reluctantly tapped their bracelets together. There was apparently no issue, and Ed’s smile returned in full force, if a bit surprised. “Well, alright then. I’ll get you two some light drinks to start out, and your food will be out soon.”

  ? He vanished into the building as Grim and Maven spoke quietly. As subtly as he possibly could, Grim glanced down at his bracelet, wondering just how much that had cost him. When he saw that his balance was almost halfway gone, it was all he could do to keep the shock off of his face. What kind of food were they about to bring out? Having been here last time and knowing Ed’s honesty, he was sure the price would be fair. But still…. Almost fifty gold. What kind of food could cost that much?

  ? “So,” Maven said, taking a sip out of her drink and smiling across at him. “How are you settling into Ironmarsh?”

  ? “Oh, I think it’s going alright,” he said, hoping he sounded casual as he pulled the sleeve back down to cover his bracelet. “Apart from training with Fendel, I’m having a lot of fun.”

  ? Fendel had recently accelerated his lessons with the bow, making him face actual live combat practice. Granted, they used blunted arrows, but he was still getting tired of the number of welts he accrued, undeniable evidence of where his teacher had hit him with a training arrow. Under his clothes, he was sure he was more bruise than otherwise.

  ? “You excited to get your full certification?” Maven asked him, leaning across the table. “I hear there’s a bet on how fast you’ll hit level five. Garf told me he’s got nearly a hundred gold that you won’t do it by the end of the year.”

  ? That made Grim laugh. “I don’t know how much he’ll lose, but he will lose that bet. I’m already halfway through.”

  ? “I noticed. I heard about that Invader boss you fought with a party. I don’t know how you’re still here… Level five as a fresh level four?”

  ? “Eh, I got lucky,” he retorted, waving away her praise. After glancing around to make sure nobody was listening in, he too leaned across the table. “The truth is that my Camouflage did most of the work. I told you about how it works when I’m in a dungeon, right?”

  ? She nodded slowly, but didn’t seem to understand. At his meaningful look, her frown deepened, then her eyes widened. “Oh! You could see through the mist it used!”

  ? He’d been careful to keep that detail out of the official report, and the party had agreed. It was the more powerful part of his Camouflage skill, after all. It was how he peered through illusions and found hidden items, monsters, or rooms. “Exactly. So it’s not like I was extra skilled or something. I was lucky enough to see through its attacks and warn the others. They’re the ones that did the real fighting.”

  ? “Still, that’s impressive,” she continued on. Then a smirk formed on her face. “Good luck losing that ‘Golden Goose’ title now.”

  ? She laughed at his immediate scowl, but they had to postpone any talks of their delving or his talents as Ed reappeared. Grim gawked at the platter the man was holding, piled high with all kinds of food. Even Maven’s mouth dropped open in shock as Ed set it down, having to pull over another table so that it didn’t take up the majority of theirs. Grinning at their reaction, he gave them both a roguish wink. “Enjoy, you two.”

  ? Grim immediately pulled a few slices of roast meat and bread onto his plate, making a quick sandwich. He was starving, and the faint scent of garlic on the meat compelled him to devour it as quickly as possible. Maven, however, merely peered at the food, with that uncertain look in her eyes again.

  ? “Aren’t you hungry?” Grim asked her, pausing mid-bite.

  ? “It’s just… so much,” she said, her eyes flicking to him before returning to the pile of food. “And I… well…”

  ? Sudden comprehension dawned on him, as did the meaning of her uncertainty. Apparently, she’d remembered his surprise from their previous meal, and felt subconscious about her appetite. As he watched, she gently scooped up a small portion of meat, a few pieces of fruit, and half of what looked like some kind of small meat pie. Settling back down, she flicked yet another glance at him, then began eating in small, dainty bites.

  ? “It doesn’t bother me,” he told her, mentally kicking himself. When she gave a small start and glanced up at him, he smiled. “Really, I don’t mind at all. I’m actually kind of impressed that you can eat that much. I’ve… never had much of an appetite.”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  ? Her consternation only increased at that comment, and he set down his sandwich, letting out a sigh. He was never good at communicating in the best of times. *Why can’t dating be like delving? That comes easily.* Deciding he should at least try again, he added, “I mean it. I don’t want you to act any differently just because we’re on a date. If I’d wanted someone who would only nibble at the food, I would have invited Miranda or something. I invited you because I wanted to eat with you.”

  ? A tinge of pink crept up her neck, but she appeared to accept his word, for she piled a bit more onto her plate. Then she made a sandwich as he had, and took a bite. She let out a noise of enjoyment, then her usual appetite returned, and she began devouring the food with her normal enthusiasm. Grim could only grin as he copied her, albeit with a much slower speed. The food was all excellent, and he took advantage of the chance to get to know her a little better.

  ? “You have to try some of this,” he said, indicating a sandwich that had dark, shredded meat. It was all coated with some kind of tangy sauce that he loved. Maven, however, had made a gesture of distaste and shook her head.

  ? “No thanks. I can’t stand food with grease or a lot of sauce.”

  ? Filing that information away for future reference, he shrugged. More for him. “What else do you not like? Or rather, what’s your favorite kind of food?”

  ? She paused in the middle of a noodle dish, her lips pursed as she considered his question. “Hmm. I like fruit. A lot of people say I’m probably a vegetarian, but that’s not true. I just eat a lot less meat than most. I really like pasta too.”

  ? “I can see that,” he remarked, smiling a little sadly. The exact noodle dish she was devouring had caught his eye, but she’d snatched it up before he could get a taste.

  ? Maven caught his eye with a smirk and twirled some of the noodles onto her fork. Then, to his surprise, she extended the utensil. “Try it. I can guarantee you won’t like it.”

  ? He wasn’t going to let her get away with that challenge, even if it was a little awkward. Leaning forward, he took the offered mouthful of pasta, then jerked back in surprise. “Why is it sour?”

  ? There was some kind of oily dressing clinging to the noodles that had caught him off guard. It certainly wasn’t bad, but the sharp flavor and cold temperature of the noodles were something he’d never tasted before.

  ? “It’s called soba,” she said, smiling proudly. “I’m surprised Brent learned how to make it, because it’s from Hisui. That’s a country to the east.”

  ? He’d heard of it, of course. One of the eastern-most–or westernmost, depending on the traveler–there was a land split between three countries. War was a common occurrence between those nations, and stories made it across the world, even as far as Duremar.

  ? “Have you ever been to another country?” he asked. He wondered if being the daughter of a Guildmaster had given her experiences he’d never know.

  ? “No,” she said. “My mother is well-known for traveling to Whenuakōwhai, but I think she was just chasing some criminal.”

  ? A comfortable sort of silence came over them then, save for the occasional scrape of a utensil against their plates. Grim was full rather quickly, but compared to the speed at which Maven ate, it wasn’t much longer until she, too, was satisfied. Grim was pleased to see that most of the food had been eaten, meaning she hadn’t felt too awkward to enjoy herself. All told, he thought this date had been rather successful.

  ? “Shall we make a trip through The Quay?” he suggested, when Ed came to clear away their empty plates and they’d given their thanks for the meal. Maven didn’t reply at first, and when he glanced up at her, he saw her frowning slightly, looking off to the side.

  ? “What are they in a rush for?” She asked. Turning, he saw a group of fully armed figures rushing to the West. “That patch… They’re in Marshguard.”

  ? Grim could only shrug. “Maybe they’re late for a delve slot.”

  ? But then, at the sound of clattering and cursing, he looked in the opposite direction and saw another group running by. They also had patches marking them as belonging to Marshguard. That was odd… Then another group, this one wearing the uniform of Ironwatch. What were the two biggest delving guilds doing rushing around this early in the day?

  ? “I… I have a bad feeling about this,” Maven said. She reached up to rub at the stud in her left ear, a deep frown forming on her face. “I can’t reach my mother. That’s unexpected.”

  ? They both rose from the table, hurriedly shouting their thanks to Ed, and followed the next group that rushed by–another Ironwatch party. Despite not knowing what it could mean, Grim felt Maven’s unease creeping into his mind. He hadn’t seen this many delvers rushing in the same direction since he’d arrived in Ironmarsh, and somehow, he thought it couldn’t bode well. Maven tried to hail one of the group's members to ask a question, but she was ignored.

  ? “Let’s go to the Guild Hall,” Grim said quickly. “I bet Veyra and Orren know what’s going on.”

  ? Maven nodded quickly in agreement and increased her pace. For someone who didn’t focus on building up her body too much, she was pretty fast, Grim thought. “You’re probably right. Orren has a seat on the Council, so he’s usually aware of what’s going on.”

  ? The closer they got to Relvan’s Gate, the denser the traffic became, until it actually bottlenecked at the gate itself. So many people were trying to hurry through the gate that the guards looked overwhelmed and were shouting for order in vain. Seeing the chaotic display, Maven let out a frustrated groan. Grim, meanwhile, was starting to feel more and more on edge, as it became increasingly clear that something was off.

  ? “Damn! It’s going to take an hour to get through here at this rate!” Maven growled her frustration, then turned to him. “Can you carry someone with your Dash skills?”

  ? “I can,” he replied quickly. “My range drops dramatically, but it’s possible.”

  ? Without a word, she extended her arms, and he understood her meaning. In spite of the awkwardness, he allowed her to clamber onto his back. He had been warned explicitly not to use his skills in public settings unless it was for his own defense, but this felt… He knew something was wrong, and he had to get back to the Guild Hall. If he found out later that nothing was wrong, he’d gladly pay whatever fines this was going to get him.

  ? He used Shadow Dash to cross the distance to Relvan’s Gate, flashing past the panicked guards, then Air Dash to clear the gate, landing clumsily on his feet and nearly falling with the unfamiliar weight on his back. Maven grunted in surprise and moved to get off, but he held tight onto her. Angered shouts sounded behind him, and he glanced back just in time to see one of the gate guards moving in his direction, a scowl on his face and his hand extended. “Hold tight!”

  ? Maven let out a gasp of surprise at the second Shadow Dash. Her grip, which had loosened slightly, redoubled at the sudden movement, holding him so tight that she nearly cut off his air. Still, he pushed forward with a second Air Dash, the first time he’d used his boon’s effect on the new skill. They were clear of the gate now, and he ran forward, using a Dash skill as soon as a charge came off cooldown, racing across the western half of the city with Maven hanging on tightly.