For once, Edgar's weary eyes opened without a dream lingering behind them. He was looking at the ceiling of the orphanage guest room, and it was still light out, but there was one thing missing: He didn't hear any gentle snoring to his left. Indeed, when he turned his head there was nobody there to greet him. For just a moment, it felt a bit odd to not have her there.

This wasn't good. She was the first thing he thought about when he got up. He was getting too used to having her around, and he'd still not figured out a way to stay with her. He quickly got up and splashed his face with the cool water from the wash bucket in the room, then felt even worse. It was, after all, the same bucket of water that she must have used to wash up earlier.

He shook his head to stop thinking about it. He should just be glad the orphanage thoughtfully left a spare washcloth. He'd misplaced his handkerchief somewhere last night, and knowing all the places he'd been he didn't even want to go looking for it. It was probably in some nasty puddle of greenish slime along with his broken knife.

Jeez.. it was clearly well past noon already. Why hadn't Anya woken him up yet? He quickly caught himself thinking that and smiled. He'd best stop thinking altogether. Counting chickens before they hatched was stupid; first he had to find a way to keep traveling with her before they finished reading her father's book.

Since that book wasn't here, he'd better get moving. Even Diana's feather was conspicuously gone when he opened the door and trudged down the hallway. It wasn't long before he heard the same childish clamor he'd heard the night before, in the same large room at the end of the hallway. He made his way there and listened to the commotion.

"Ah! You caught me!"

Once more he was standing at the door, smiling at what he beheld. There was Anya, surrounded by the children, obviously playing a game of tag with them. She really did have a childish streak.. maybe that's what he liked about her? More pressingly, perhaps it was good that she had someone like him to keep an eye on her.

"Hey!"

A naughty boy suddenly yelped in pain and placed his hands on his head. He turned to spot the person who had knocked his head, and was met with the same disapproving smirk he'd seen the night before. But not even the nastiest of glares from young Pipin could faze Edgar.

"You'd be wishing I'd stopped you if you actually took a peek under her skirt. She only LOOKS kind."

Anya shot both of them a nasty glare; one that put Pipin's to shame. That was enough to convince Pipin that Edgar wasn't lying, and he ran off in frustration. Edgar watched as the other children took off after him, with little Emma at the forefront, leading them in a chant of "Lecher! Lecher! Now he's on a stretcher!" Soon, the room was empty save for Edgar and Anya.

"Really now.. I've never heard of a wolf who lets her tail get caught so easily."

Anya shot him an incredulous stare and pointed at where her ears should be under her scarf.

"Do you really think I didn't know you were there to save me?"

It was impossible to tell if she was serious, or just putting on a tough act to save face. Maybe it had actually been a bad idea to teach her how her mother and father behaved. Edgar's hand raised up behind his head to sheepishly rub at the soreness her words had inflicted, but she quickly read his body language and continued talking.

"Besides, I had to keep the kids from waking you up. Pipin's quite a devious little brat.. you wouldn't believe how he wanted to wake you."

"Heh.."

Anya's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Perhaps she'd noticed Edgar's unease? He quickly held his hand out to her, and she matter-of-factly accepted it.

"Where shall we go?"

"Nowhere in particular."

With a nod, she let him lead her on. As they walked, he wondered if all girls were this flighty. Here she was, taking his hand even though they'd only really gotten to know each other a day ago. If he failed to find a way to travel with her, would her affections just as quickly transfer to the next boy?

"You know, I've been thinking.."

"O-oh?"

For a split-second he wondered if she was listening to his thoughts. Her eyebrow raised as he flinched.

"Well, I had plenty of time to think about it while you were asleep, right? I wonder if there's anyone else still alive who knew my parents."

"You mean people they met in other cities, like my gran and Ms. Diana?"

Anya nodded her head, but she was staring off at the sights and sounds around them like it was just a passing thought. She probably had seen through him, but Edgar chose not to overthink things. He could play along without getting suckered by her teases.

"Well, Kumerson's really not that far from a lot of the places in those books, so I guess you could always go find out easily enough."

"Mhm~"

She leaned in a bit closer, but still looked away while they walked. He could tell she was concealing a smile.

"I suppose I could. I made it to Tereo on my own, after all."

He smiled back, but deep inside he was struggling to maintain his composure. He really didn't want to be teased right now.

"True. You won't even need to lug around that book much longer, now that we're almost through reading it all."

She turned and flashed him a brilliant smile. Clearly she was enjoying this. Like mother, like daughter. She was letting him lead her as he might, but rather than feel happy and secure in her trust, he felt dismayed.

"Well, it wasn't too tough finding a companion in Tereo, so if I ever grow bored I'm sure I'll find one worthy of holding my hand."

"Let's just hope he's willing to chase after you.. it hurts."

He couldn't help but resent her teasing, even if only a little. A boy his age should be thinking about how they looked to passers-by as they walked hand in hand, but he was too preoccupied with their imminent parting. He had to change topics before he ruined the time they had left together with his dour mood.

"So.. why did you go to Tereo, anyway? Aren't there better places closer to your home where people could read business language?"

"Hmm.."

She took a moment to reflect, then turned back to him with a definitive answer.

"No. Of the people my father told me about, I felt I could trust your grandmother and Ms. Diana the most."

It was the kind of sentence that would usually end a conversation, but after a moment of silence she kept talking.

"Besides.. I don't really like big cities like Gerube. They make me feel.. small."

Edgar was surprised to hear her admit that, but even more surprised when he considered where they were right now.

"But you're alright with a place as big as Kumerson?"

"I wasn't at first. That's why I was glad Tereo was on the way."

Again, it felt suspiciously like Anya was finished talking, but she continued a moment later.

"You know, when your father told me that your grandmother had already passed on, I was scared out of my mind. I mean, what was I even doing? I ran away from home. I was alone no matter where I went. And when I heard your father say he wasn't going to let me go to Kumerson on my own, I took one look at your brother and started shivering."

"Heh.."

Edgar chuckled, but he didn't like being compared to his big brother. He was what people called a "strapping young lad," while Edgar was basically the runt in his family. Nothing like his intimidating big bro, who seemed to tower over people with his arms permanently crossed, like he refused to be looked down upon just because he was a miller.

"But your father kept loudly shouting 'Edgar!' like he was calling some sort of ogre. I was so scared I couldn't move."

She shyly looked Edgar in the eyes.

"I can't say how relieved I was when I saw that it was you running up to the house."

Not fair. How could Anya tell him something like this so casually, even turning her head away like it was the toughest admission she'd even forced out of her lips? He wondered what he could possibly say right now until she decided to twist the knife.

"I knew I'd have no trouble with you."

If she hadn't tightened her grip on his hand and leaned in even closer, Edgar would have stopped walking in shame. She really was going to be the death of him. She wasn't looking at him, but he couldn't tell if she was giggling because she was embarrassed or because she was happy to make him flustered. He forced himself to say something so she wouldn't get the last word in.

"Well, I guess I can live with that."

With a deep breath, he kept walking beside her as their footsteps slowly began to match in pace. It was starting to feel natural walking beside her, cheering her up and being cheered up. But how long could this last? At this rate he wouldn't be able to stay at her side much longer. That was the reality of their situation, no matter how much he wished it wasn't.

Only his father and brother lived with him at home; could he really abandon them? They'd be in trouble if he wasn't there to help them out, wouldn't they? Sure, they looked down on him a bit, but they were family. Once he'd finished his little quest here, he had to go back. He'd finish reading Anya's book soon enough, even if he tried to stall.

"Edgar?"

"Uh.. yeah?"

He suddenly realized that she was looking at him, puzzled. No, wait, it wasn't puzzlement, it was concern. Soon it became a sigh of disbelief.

"Are you really this dense?"

"W-What?"

She was staring at him incredulously, but he wasn't sure why.

"You're still worked up about having to go home, aren't you?"

"Of course! I don't want to say goodbye to you so soon!"

It was the first time he'd ever blurted out his feelings so honestly, so he couldn't look her in the eye afterward. He just kept walking while looking ahead of them, doing his best to keep from racing off ahead of her in embarrassment. Why was she making him state the obvious?

"Dummy. I don't want to say goodbye yet either."

She sighed and kept walking, but sure enough, she hadn't finished talking yet.

"You really are just like daddy.. loyal to a fault."

"Huh?"

For once, he didn't feel bad about being compared to her father; instead he felt confused. How was he being loyal? He was going to desert her to go back home, wasn't he?

"I'll bet it never even crossed your mind that you could just stop reading a few pages from the end, huh?"

He stopped walking in disbelief, and their hands finally disentangled. So that's what she meant. If his quest was never completed, he didn't have to return home. Damn.. it was so obvious. His hand was covering his eyes, and she was staring up at him as though she just had to get a good look at the expression he was concealing.

"Yeah.. that's definitely what I like about you. I can see why mom liked it so much, too."

He tried turning his head away, but seeing her stretch her hand out to him for once made that impossible. He swallowed hard, hoping his pride would sink down past his feet and into the ground, somewhere where he'd never feel it again. He forced a smile and took her hand. Soon he was awkwardly walking beside her as she practically skipped down the street.

Well, if Anya wanted him to stay with her and his family didn't, then what was he worrying over? His father and brother were tough; they could fend for themselves. Besides, he knew in his heart that he'd sacrifice more than his pride for Anya. He no longer felt useless, not when he was with her. In fact, he was already gently pulling her hand, knowing exactly where to take her.

"Hey, where are we going?"

It was time to prove he could still be of use to her, no matter how marginally. Their footsteps were already matching again, but passers-by could eye them all they wanted. He didn't care. He wasn't a merchant, he didn't have to worry about his reputation. In fact, that was for the best where they were headed.

"Like I said.. nowhere in particular."

He wasn't even trying to hide the bright smile that had appeared on his face. He wanted her to see it. She already had fun teasing him, now it was his turn to tease her back. Besides, she knew the place they were going to, she'd just never been inside. It was of course the guildhouse which was just now coming into view.

"Um.."

She seemed apprehensive as they walked up to the door, but it was alright. There would be no patrons inside right now. All the merchants and apprentices were at their busiest this time of day, just like yesterday and every day before that. Nobody would show up here until dusk, when it was time to brag about their profits over a round of beer.

"Come on, come on! There's someone I'd like you to meet inside."

Anya's nervousness only increased as they he held the door open for her and she crossed the threshold. The bell above the door jingled as she hugged up closer to him, veering away from the giant coffin on their left. Her father had just died, so she probably didn't want to see any coffins right now. But that was hardly the reason he'd brought her here. No, the reason was-

"Welcome back, young sir! Oh? And who's this lovely damsel..?"

The old man's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Anya's face. She was still clutching Edgar's arm, and had just now turned her face enough to give him an uncomfortable sidelong glance.

"Anya, I'd like to introduce you to Master Yule Landt of the Rowen Merchant's Guild. Master Landt, I'd like you to meet Anya.. Anya Lawrence!"

When their jaws both dropped, Edgar knew it had been the right decision to bring her here. After all, Anya wanted to meet more of the people her parents knew, so who better to start with than Master Landt, the little boy who had saved her parent's relationship by telling her father that he loved her mother?

"THAT Yule Landt?!"

Sure enough, Anya had already figured it out. He really liked that bright, childlike honesty of hers. If she wanted to go chasing legends that badly, who was he to stop her? As long as he got to be there holding her hand, he would gladly join her.