And once more, a few days pass, and we've just docked at the royal capital of the 4 Winds, where a group of knights escorted us to an apartment complex that had more land around it in case we needed to expand. Turns out, Emperor Takeshi is giving us this complex to serve as our base of operations on the mainland. And when I say this place was big, I mean it was huge. The 3 base buildings alone could house 50 people in each one; that's 150 rooms. This apartment complex was also guarded by the Emperor's Elite Guards and some hired adventurers from the guild. If that wasn't enough, each room was designed to match each of our preferences. There were also offering altars on the first floor since we all had blessings now and obviously would be offering goods to our respective deities, which reminded me of my offering duties.
So, I went out to buy some sweets for my goddess, so that I could offer them later. And I'll be crystal clear with you, kids—I ate some of it now before I left. I reminded everyone that we had to make an appearance in the emperor's chambers the next day, so try to keep sober. The same went for me. I did stop by the tavern, but it was to buy Root beer—5 root beers: 3 for the goddess, 1 for me to drink on the spot, and another to take home. And as I was drinking my refreshing carbonated beverage, which mind you was not alcoholic even though the name contains beer, a little girl comes in, sits herself down in front of me, and makes herself comfortable. She then orders a double pint-sized beer. I give her a look, but I'm not one to judge. I had my first sip of beer at 13.
She then gives me a sharp look, and I mean if looks could kill, I would've died there and then. It seems she's had a bad day, so I ask if she's had a bad day. She sighs and replies, "Bad would be a bloody understatement to what this day was. I just got booted from my long-time adventuring party and got fired from my night job, which I had for 5 years. And their reason!? They said I was becoming a too familiar face at the damn club. Tsk, it's their loss anyway. And you? Do you normally snoop into people's business like this?" Not gonna lie, that last question made me chuckle, which prompted her to give me a look that could only be described as judging. I cease my chuckling at once and reply back, "No, just got curious. You don't normally see girls that look like they're 12 ordering a double pint-sized beer, even at this time of day. Call me Rei, it's the preferred name." The little girl replies, "Huh, you do have manners. Call me Hana. I'm an ex-scout for the Heaven's Gate Adventuring Party, and I'm not a little girl. I'm over 20. I actually just turned 24 today, and what gift do I get? A unanimous vote to kick me off the party and a lost job. What luck, huh?"
At that very moment, I thought to myself, "Poor girl could probably use a friend right about now," and that's where I step in. "Hey, you know, cancel the double pint. I'll get ya root beer and a cake, how 'bout that?" She laughs and takes me up on my offer. "Ya know, it'd suck to be found in a dumpster, bleeding and used, the day after my birthday. Why not stay sober just for today?" A laugh, and when the root beer arrives, I touch it and with a little bit of skill, I manage to stick a card with our crew name and an address to look for me at. I act as though I was needed elsewhere and left in a hurry.
When I got home, I went straight to the altar to offer the sweets to the goddess Themis. It beats having to burn the snacks just to offer them to the gluttonous goddess of Justice. The moment I entered my room, there she was—Hana, the scout. I'd expect nothing less from the ex-scout from the most prestigious parties in all of adventuring. She throws the card at me, and I catch it.
"So, you're offering me a job, yeah? If this is pity, I don't need it. But if you're genuinely interested in my services, then let's discuss rates." I throw the card back at her.
"Considering you got past the emperor's elite guards and a couple of the city's top-ranked adventurers guarding the place, I'm very much interested in your services. What say you to 10 gold and 30 silver per month and 4 gold per day, just like everyone else in the crew?" The card gets thrown back at her, and she catches it and puts it in her pocket, replacing it with a knife as she speaks up while attempting to scratch me.
"Make it 6 gold a day, and you've got yourself a deal." I smile, knowing that I can already take this offer, but I wanted to see how far this girl would take it. As I let down my arm guards, I grab both her hands and force her to let go of the knives.
"I think we can settle on 5 gold a day. Do you know how much a gold coin is? That's 3 double pints in your alcoholic terms." She uses her foot to gain momentum and stands us both up. She then swipes at me, knocking me off my feet.
"I'll take that offer." she says with a knife inches away from my neck.
As we both get up, the rest of the crew comes to surprise me for my birthday, which I completely forgot about. They were stunned to see this little 24-year-old girl with a new sigil from a god and a relic from said god, meaning they've blessed her and have given me the permit to add her to our roster. So, Hana, the Scout who'd lost it all just a few hours ago, was suddenly back on her feet, while I barely was, since that swipe really hurt my poor ankles. Anyway, that scout who gave me these painful ankles was now a part of the crew.