I am now compiling evidence I need, so that I can research law enforcement in this town. At this point, I don’t need the money(although it would be a nice bonus), but I want some form of justice because preying off travelers and immigrants is so dastardly. As far as I know, Zoe is an immigrant as well–coming from a town not so unlike Pelios.

“Listen. I’m not saying he was a scammer,” Emerys said. “But there’s no way I should have won.”

She had relayed most of the information from the tournament in a rather animated tone, paying special attention to noting the inconsistencies.

“You seem dead set on this,” Gudrun said. “And I guess I just want to know why.”

“I know what scammers are like,” Emerys said. “At least in regard to what I would expect in my world. I suppose this is where I should tell you that I have a criminal record.”

Gudrun looked deep into Emerys’ eyes. “How recent?”

“I was fired a few months ago from my ship dock position because of it,” Emerys said. “I promise to never steal from you, Jarl, Ingrid, or Helja. But if you don’t want to talk to me because of it, let me know.”

Gudrun narrowed her eyes. “Do you swear an oath to never steal from us, then?”

“Yes,” Emerys said. “I swear on the goddess Agnesi to never steal from any of you in any capacity.”

After a long moment of silence, Jarl spoke. “You’ve been rather honest with us. I’ve never known you to steal anything.”

“I would have hoped to learn my lesson beforehand,” Emerys said. “But if at any point you or Gudrun don’t feel safe working with me, I will understand.”

“We have gone this far with you,” Jarl said. “And although he was a bit younger than you, my son, too, was a troubled young man. When you go back to the village, I want us to sit down with Helja so we can have discussions on accountability, yes.”

“I understand.”

But a part of her didn’t. Her entire body recoiled after the confession, knowing that her own parents were close to disowning her forever after they had made such a discovery. Emerys shrugged the memories aside to the best of her ability, before she turned back to her partners.

“I think I want to find Zoe,” Emerys said. “If there are two of us working together, then maybe we will be able to come up with a few agreements.”

Zoe was in a small tavern. Her deep brown eyes, tan skin, and long straight black hair were almost entrancing. Her expression brightened when she saw Emerys. “I hope you are doing well.”

“Listen,” Emerys said. “Would you like to join both myself and my party for a brief discussion on the events yesterday? I can’t stay late.”

“Let’s do it,” Zoe said. “But perhaps we could share a drink with each other first?”

When the mead appeared before both of them, Emerys held up her glass. “I do miss having wine and olives for breakfast, though.”

“You did that as well?” Zoe asked. She took a long drink. “I miss those flatbreads we would eat in our world.”

“We did that,” Emerys said. “What is your country called?”

“It’s called Teltron,” Zoe said. She looked Emerys deep in the eyes. “But seriously. It’s nice to meet someone from somewhere similar to where I was from.”

Over the next hour, Zoe and Emerys kept discussing similarities between the two of them. For a brief moment, Emerys lost track of time, her eyes locked into Zoe’s. 

“Hey,” Emerys said. “I don’t quite have the ingredients up here, but maybe I could make us some food sometime when we’re not both on our quests.”

“Oh, I’m a bounty hunter,” Zoe said.

When Emerys and Zoe went back to Gudrun and Jarl, Zoe had a lively expression on her face. She shook the hands of both Gudrun and Jarl, thanking them gracefully as she stepped into the commonspace of their inn.

The couches were made of cushions stitched onto wood, stuffed with feathers. A fireplace waited nearby, crackling in the late evening sunlight. But while Emerys and Zoe sat on the sofa together, both Gudrun and Jarl took seats across from each other. While the group introduced each other, Emerys kept sparing glances at Zoe.

“My family are all rich merchants,” Zoe said. “I came up north with my father when we were young, realized I had a deep love for the place, got a job, then settled down. Emerys, did they tell you that bounty hunting is a great way to make a living?”

“So is it often you fall for scams?” Gudrun asked.

“Oh, I wasn’t the person that donated most of the money. I only donated five copper pieces. Erik, on the other hand, paid a lot more,” Zoe said. “And Livette is not as interested in joining us for these sessions, because she would rather not talk about the fact that the two brothers are likely scammers. But if you want to investigate, further, I do have reason to believe you might be right, and that’s with the fact that I caught Sir Kellan in the tavern last night. He was bragging to another man nearby about the success at evading your suspicions. And then upon asking more of the locals, it is said that no one is allowed to watch the archery stunts. Furthermore, it’s rare others win, because Sir Kellan does have military expertise. But by allowing you to win, he’s hoping there will be enough evidence to bury his crimes.”

Emerys slapped both of her hands onto her knees. “I pretty much figured as such. You see, I wanted to sue him for the damages.”

“Listen,” Zoe said. “If we can find one of their previous victims–one of whom is likely in the village still–then we can bring it to the authorities quietly. We just need the name of our Valjor here, and then we should be good.”

“His name is Lord Ragnos,” Jarl said. “At least, that’s what I remember from one of our hunting trips.”

“I know who to start with in order to get such information,” Emerys said. “I might offer to make those husbands another meal, and then ask for information at the same time.”

When the meeting adjourned, it was late in the evening. A few hours later, Emerys went back out side, attempting to study the stars once more. Although this time, she needed her orb of light to keep her company while she journaled.

I now know where to get my own star chart of this world, which is one of my next goals. When I am not traveling and it’s not rainy, my goal will be to start building my own star chart in this journal.