"You wanna be adventurers?" Smith's voice was thick with disbelief as he stared at Maya. The way he said it made it sound like we'd just announced our intention to sprout wings and fly to the moon.
"Yes," Maya shot back, her voice as sharp as winter frost. "You got a problem with that?"
Her eyes bore into Smith with such intensity that he actually leaned back slightly in his seat. He opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly thrown off balance by Maya's unwavering confidence. Finally, he took a deep breath and settled himself.
"Look, I know being an adventurer might sound like a cool, easy way to make some cash, but it's not," he began, his tone taking on that familiar adult-lecturing-children quality. "It's hard, dangerous, and not a job for a couple of—"
"Kids?" I cut in, meeting his gaze with steel in my own. "Thank you for your concern, but we'll be fine."
Smith paused, and I could see another lecture building behind his eyes. Before he could start, I pressed on, dropping the lost child act I'd been maintaining. If we wanted to be taken seriously, it was time to act like it.
"I know you've all done more than enough for us today, and we're grateful," I said, my voice firm and steady. "But it would be a huge help if you could give us some insight on how to become adventurers."
My change in demeanor seemed to catch him off guard. He fumbled with his words for a moment before taking a deep breath, his expression softening into a smile. "You kids are serious about this, huh?"
"Yes!" The word burst from all three of us simultaneously – me, Maya, and even Rowan – with such perfect timing that Smith actually jumped a little in his seat.
After recovering from his surprise, Smith's face took on a thoughtful expression. "Alright, tell you what – tomorrow morning, meet us in front of the Adventurer's Guild in the center of town. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Once we meet up, we'll get you lot sorted out. Deal?"
The generosity of his offer stunned me. While I couldn't help feeling a bit wary, his companions seemed even more shocked. Cecilia actually jolted forward in her seat.
"You can't be serious, Smith!" she nearly shouted. "Are you insane? They're just kids – they can't be adventurers!"
"Don't you see how determined these kids are?" Smith barked back, silencing her protests. "Whether they should or shouldn't, they're gonna do it anyway – that much is obvious. So I figured if they're going to do it regardless, we might as well make sure they get set up right."
His logic seemed to quiet not just Cecilia, but the rest of the group as well. He turned back to us, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Sound like a plan?"
I was still processing the unexpected offer when Rowan, of all people, spoke up. "That would be great. Thank you so much for your generosity." He caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod, which was enough to ease my immediate concerns.
"Awesome," Smith said, rising from his seat. "Well, we should be turning in for the night. We'll see you lot tomorrow at first light." His group began shuffling out of the booth, leaving a handful of copper coins on the table for their meals.
We remained seated, as there were still things the three of us needed to discuss. I was about to bid Smith and his group farewell when I caught another flash of concern cross his face.
"Do... do you guys have anywhere to sleep?" he asked, hesitating.
Though I knew full well we didn't, I couldn't bring myself to ask for more help from someone who'd already shown us such kindness. "We'll be fine," I assured him with a smile.
He returned the smile, though his eyes still held a shadow of worry. "If you say so." With a final wave, he and his group made their way out of the tavern, leaving us alone with our thoughts and the weight of tomorrow's promise hanging in the air.