Heaviness was all around Kuro as if he was wading in water. He jolted up to find rough canvas emblazoned with the imperial symbol wrapped around him like a cocoon. It was almost too comfortable and sleep still beckoned for Kuro to come back to its warm embrace. The previous day had been long and he even considered letting his tiredness get the best of him. He laid back down, but he defiantly rolled himself free determined to get up.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! CLACK!

Whatever sleepiness had lingered, now faded as his eyes scanned the area. The wagon was in shambles, stripped clean off with more care than an animal could handle. Its front half was missing and left the rest of it hunched over among the foliage.
“What happened? Where am I? Where’s Milly?” Kuro thought as his hands reached for a sturdy-looking branch.

BAM! BAM! BAM! CLANG!

With some sort of weapon in his hands, Kuro followed his only clue. It was a few paces off deeper when he saw a familiar black tuft of fur sleeping on a fallen log. It yawned without a care in the world while Kuro passed it only turning when it felt a pat on the head. Milly stood in the small clearing with a hand on her hip holding a hammer while the other arm wiped the sweat off her brow. Her eyes shined as they met Kuro’s. She posed triumphantly in front of her creation with her hand in the air while the other remained on her hip with a slight whimsical turn. For the first time, Kuro actually could tell what she made.

"What do you think of my very own cart?" asked Milly.

"Well that explains the wagon,” Kuro sighed as he circled her handiwork. “Why’d you make it in the first place?”

“To take the gold of course, whatever we can’t take we bury in that hole for later,” Milly pointed out a rough ditch dug up by some large animal.

"So we're actually doing the bandit thing? I thought it was just a bit." Kuro responded.

His face was twisted at the thought of taking the gold. He ran his hand through one of the crates and let the coins slip between his fingers like sand.

"We need money, Kuro. Research isn't cheap and once we make a breakthrough we would make everyone’s lives better." Milly argued. “Think of it as an investment for a better future.”

Milly was right. It was true after all, Kuro barely made enough coin to pay for his turn with the sword after months of saving between whatever he earned at the guild and living expenses. This was more money than he could hope for in a lifetime and with Milly’s inventions—they could make everyone’s lives easier. That was still something worth using all the pilfered money for, but guilt weighed heavily on Kuro’s shoulders. He couldn’t agree with the ease or the method it was acquired.

"We should at least give some away to the needy," Kuro protested. “This is way too much for just the two of us.”

"Listen, let's split it in half. I do what I want with mine and you can do what you want with yours. Does that sound okay?" Milly insisted.

"I could live with that."

The two shook hands and got to work. After a good while they decided what was reasonable or light enough to drag into town and buried the rest. To mark the location, Milly shot one of her special arrows into the tree. It shined distinctly of a material not commonly used by other archers.

The two hid their loot, draping a section of unmarked canvas over a plain crate. Once Milly threw her large bag on top, they were ready for the road again. Their pockets were lined and despite Kuro’s noble intentions, he craved a decent meal.

It was a half day's travel into town and since Kuro spent a good portion of it asleep, the sky grew streaks of orange before the town's walls came to view. The roads were lined with farms and farmers selling their excess produce to travelers. At one of those stands was a variety of fruits that made Kuro's mouth water. One bite and he could not resist the fresh crispness of an apple making him buy more than intended. Much to his amusement and despite Milly saying she wanted none she ended up munching on two as they joined the flock of travelers into the main road leading to town.

They found themselves confronting one of Kuro's greatest fears. Waiting in a line. The sun made its way into the town before they even made it to the entrance when it was finally their turn. The guards at the gate were checking people into the town. It was a routine thing for Kuro, but Milly went pale.
“What’s wrong? We’re about to go through,” asked Kuro.

“What? Don’t worry about me, Kuro. I’m okay. I’m always okay,” Milly rushed.

“Sure you are,” Kuro sighed to himself. “Take some deep breaths or something.”

“I can try…”

Each step closer to the gate made Milly even stiffer and more awkward to watch. Each of her movements became mechanical as her eyes kept darting between the gate and the cart.

“Milly Relax, just act natural or go with the ‘I do what I want attitude’,” Kuro suggested. “You know? Confidence is key here.”

“I can try…”

It was finally their turn. Civilization and a nice hot meal were just a few steps and a conversation away. Kuro pulled his adventurer’s guild card from his pocket and readied it for the guard.

“Purpose of visit?” the soldier inquired.

The guard wore a familiar set of armor with a tabard displaying the imperial symbol on it. Kuro handed him his card with a large “D” inscribed on it and it was all the information that the guard needed. With a nod, he handed it back to Kuro and directed his gaze to the nervous girl behind him.

“Purpose of visit?” the soldier inquired again but harsher.

“She’s with me,” Kuro interjected.

“Is that so? She can answer her own questions,” inspected the soldier. “Purpose of visit?”

His eyes lingered on the petrified Milly and called her over. Without a word or eye contact, she approached and stood before him.

"Purpose?" Said the soldier coldly.

Milly searched everywhere and could not find the words. She looked at Kuro, desperate for her next line.

"Shopping? Remember? You hired me to escort you to go shopping at the farmlands?" Kuro asked for her to play along.

"Y-yes," Milly managed to peep.

An armored hand extended out waiting to be filled with something. Its owner was losing their patience and was tapping their foot to show their displeasure in the delay of routine. Milly looked to Kuro for help once again and he pulled out a silver coin to show Milly her answer. She did the same and put it in the soldier's hand. Once he was satisfied he waved them through.

A few paces into the town and Milly regained her confidence. Instead of pale her face compensated with extra shades of red.

"How did you lie so easily?" Milly interrogated.

"What do you mean? We did go shopping at the farmlands," Kuro responded with a smile.

"Weren't you scared they might check our stuff?" Milly asked with her hand on her chin.

"Not really, no, check it out yourself."

Kuro pulled the cart to the side for Milly to look in. Before opening the lid of the crate she looked for any onlookers afraid to expose her stash. Nobody batted an eye at the two at the side of the road as they had other more pressing matters. It wasn't the gold that greeted Milly once she opened the crate, but a pile of red instead.

"Mind passing me one? It might take a while to find an inn and I want a snack," Kuro asked with pride in his voice.

"So sneaky!" Milly stomped in place before handing over an apple. "We were taught to be honest all the time growing up, but you just lied like it was nothing!"

Kuro chuckled at Milly’s protests, "I didn't exactly lie, I just left out the important details. That reminds me, we should probably get you signed up at the adventurer’s guild. Guards tend to ask us less questions since our work is often all over the place."

"Yeah, that was super convenient," answered Milly.

"But first an inn, I could use a bed and a decent meal."

"Agreed!"

It took the whole day, but both of them were finally back on the same pace. After a bit of wandering and asking for directions, they found an inn that was famous for its hearty meals and comfortable beds. That night, there was no time for lingering thoughts. As soon as their heads hit their pillows they were asleep faster than a candle’s flame being blown out.