“That should do,” Rowena said with pursed lips, looking her friends up and down.

They each had new clothes to wear, mostly things more suited for the road, as well as packs to carry the necessities that Sorel (the only one with any kind of experience sleeping out of doors) suggested– a bedroll, a small tarp, a short length of rope, a wash towel, a large waterskin.

Sorel now wore black leggings and a long, light brown tunic with a belt. Rowena had also given her wraps for her hands to encase them in salve at night– after less than a week of working with the staff, she had blisters on her palms that hadn’t yet turned to calluses. Proficient in the Staff she may have been, impervious to the effects of the hard work required to level up, she was not.

Mattie insisted on continuing to wear a dress. Rowena offered her one in a Healer’s pale blue, but she frowned and shook her head, selecting instead a sage green to pair with thick brown tights and a hooded cloak. Rowena stuffed the blue dress in her backpack anyway. She had a feeling Mattie might be glad for it at a later date.

Rowena herself wore brown trousers and a cream colored shirt along with a simple wrap over her Sigils. The belt she wore had a flimsy sheath meant for a long dagger. It was nothing fancy: most individuals went directly to a Leatherworker for a custom fit if they were going to regularly wear any sort of weapon. But Rowena realized that if she cut the bottom half of the sheath off and made a few notches at the top to open it up a little more, she could stick her truncheon in it. It was only a little awkward.

Kieran had asked for a winter red shirt so deep it looked like dried blood. When Rowena pursed her lips in disapproval– that was an expensive dye, after all– he said, “What? It’ll go well with the eyes!”

With that Rowena hesitated, and looked at all of them in turn. “I wanted to ask about that.”

“About what?” Mattie asked as she packed up her brown leather bag as neatly and tightly as she could.

“Kieran– do you think you could… manipulate our eyes?” Rowena asked.

Mattie looked surprised and a little afraid, and Kieran looked shocked. “Why would I do that?”

“I think it’s a bad idea for us to wander roads we don’t know with such… noticeable features,” Rowena explained. That she felt personally uncomfortable with such distinctive eyes, she kept to herself.

“Well, I think it’s a bad idea for any of us to be using our powers on other people,” Mattie said sharply. “Not until we know more about what’s been… done to us.”

“Agreed. Look what Mattie did to Ayla,” Kieran said quickly, then added, “Sorry, Mattie.”

Mattie shook her head quickly and waved her hand dismissively. So long as he agreed with her, she wouldn’t take offense, Rowena figured, annoyed.

“I agree with Rowena,” Sorel said in a firm voice, surprising all of them.

Mattie looked at her with betrayal in her eyes. Sorel just shrugged, and didn’t say anything else.

Rowena took a deep breath. “I want you to try. On me, at least. If you don’t want to change your own… well, I can’t force anyone. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to have such unnatural eyes. Especially since we’re so obviously unrelated. It’s going to raise questions.”

“Who cares?” Kieran threw his hands up and let them slap down to his thighs. “We haven’t done anything wrong. We’re not on the run.”

“I just can’t imagine a scenario where it’s not a prudent idea to keep a lower profile,” Rowena said, exasperated with Kieran’s lack of foresight. They had no idea what or who they might encounter on the road, or at Arcania.

“You wanna try it? Fine,” Kieran said with a shrug, obviously thrilled at the chance to practice more of his Abilities with permission.

Rowena jerked her head back in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to go along with her idea so quickly. “Um… okay. Where should we…?”

“Here,” Kieran leaned forward and grabbed the sides of her head with his hands. “Just shut up and let me concentrate.”

“Just don’t grow me another head or anything,” Rowena grumbled.

“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Mattie said, but she walked up behind Rowena and put her hands on her shoulders in support.

Sorel moved to a position at the front of the shop to block anyone who might come in and disturb the process.

Not that anyone had come into the shop in the last week, Rowena thought guiltily as Kieran applied a little pressure on her temples. First their family tragedy, and then her… change… had prevented people from wanting to come into the shop. Now, she was pillaging it for her and her friends.

A lot had changed in just over a week.

“Just… try to avoid actually melting my eyeballs or anything,” Rowena said curtly.

“Hush,” Kieran said, and closed his eyes.

She felt nothing.

“Are you doing it?” She asked after a few minutes.

“Rowena. I am trying to do this so delicately and so slowly that nothing else will happen to you. Do you have any idea what you look like to me right now? What any of you look like?” Kieran growled.

Rowena shut up, though she thought his phrasing was curious. What they looked like to him? That frightened her a little bit, but she stayed quiet. She’d asked for this, after all, and if she wasn’t going to trust him, they probably shouldn’t be going on a quest together.

After a couple of moments Kieran released a breath Rowena hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and leaned back. “Look at me,” he said, putting his fingers gently along her jaw and tugging her head up.

She opened her eyes, and looked into his, searching.

He gave a sharp clap and jumped back. “Yeah! That’s what a Manipulator can do!” he pulled his arm towards his body in a quick jerk of victory.

“What do they look like?” Rowena asked.

“Purple,” Kieran said, and she scowled. “Just kidding. I made them hazel. I was going to go for your natural brown, but… the orange is intense– and awesome– and I tried to be delicate in layering the brown over it. I was afraid if I tried too hard to stifle it they’d go black, and that would just look evil.

“I’ll get better with time,” he added defensively. “I’m only a Level 2 Manipulator, after all.”

“You’re already Level 2?” she asked with surprise, and saw Mattie’s face darken with worry.

That meant he’d been practicing. But even with practice– he was advancing faster than he should. Without structured education, most people only gained a level or two per year.

Kieran just shrugged.

Sorel walked over. “My turn.”

Mattie said quickly, “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Just because he was lucky once.”

Kieran brushed her aside. “This isn’t luck, my dear Mattie. It’s skill.”

He’s getting cocky. Even with what we saw happen with Mattie, Rowena realized.

As Kieran put his hands on Sorel’s face, they heard the sound of someone bounding down the stairs. Rowena turned and looked up, and smiled with relief when she saw that it was Calla.

“Ro,” Calla called out, hurrying her pace. “Ro, I’m so glad you came back home. I was worried– I haven’t spoken to Father since he stormed out of your room.”

“He’s not here?” Rowena asked, surprised. She had assumed he was in the back room, or his own bedroom, sulking or raging.

Calla shook her head and crossed the few remaining steps to her sister, and embraced her. “And I don’t care. He should never have said– those things that he said.”

“You heard that?” Rowena asked, cheeks flushing. Even though her father was the one who should have been ashamed of his horrible behavior, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. After all, he was family. What they all did reflected on each other, and she had behaved rather rashly.

“Yeah, it was a little hard not to,” Calla said. “But I don’t want to talk about him. You’re… you’re leaving?”

“Yes. Tomorrow. But tonight we’ll stay at the Jellied Eel. I have some… business. An obligation to attend to,” Rowena said awkwardly as she pulled away from her sister’s hug.

“I wish you– what happened to your eyes?” Calla asked suddenly. “Again?”

Kieran bowed with an elaborate flourish.

“Do they look more normal now?” Rowena asked anxiously, touching her temples.

Calla nodded. “Not like they used to. But not so… noticeable. Kind of a shame. I thought they looked impressive.”

Rowena turned to Sorel and peered into the other girl’s eyes. Just like Kieran had said– they were a hazel color, as though a dark brown had been overlaid on top of, well, molten orange-red.

“Do mine look like that?” Rowena asked.

Calla nodded affirmation, and added, “Yours are a bit lighter, though.”

“You’re welcome,” Kieran said sardonically. “I did a little more on hers, since the idea is for us all not to have the exact same eyes.”

“Well, it sort of defeats the purpose if the two of you–” she frowned at Mattie and Kieran, “-- aren’t going to do it. But better than nothing, I suppose.”

“Can I come with you?” Calla asked suddenly, reaching down to grab Rowena’s hands.

Rowena looked at her little sister and pulled their hands up so that their forearms were touching, hands still clasped tightly. She shook her head.

“Why not?” Calla’s voice took on a slightly petulant and sorrowful tone. “I’d be useful.”

Rowena heard the door open quietly (though the little bell rang) as Kieran, Sorel, and Mattie slipped out to give them some privacy.

“Someone has to keep the shop warm for me while I’m gone,” Rowena said, and attempted a small, faltering smile. Behind her words was an implication she knew Calla would understand– someone has to look after father.

Calla nodded, but disappointment was apparent in her face.

Rowena’s throat caught, and she dropped her eyes. It was hard to look directly into Calla’s– for the first time, Rowena realized that she hated saying goodbye. She’d never lost anyone before, except her mother and Tommie, and their deaths had been so sudden that there hadn’t been any time for real goodbyes.

She wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Calla bit her lip, and then wrapped her arms around Rowena tightly. “Just– don’t die, okay? And come back soon.”

“I will,” Rowena promised, and then immediately regretted it. The truth was, she had no idea how long they’d be journeying. Originally, her plan had simply been to find the mysterious stranger, bring him to justice, and come home.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Calla about the quest she’d promised Kieran would undertake, and her own feeling of obligation to accompany him on it, as well.

Rowena pulled Calla into her even more tightly, and brushed her tears away so Calla wouldn’t see them.

You’re an Adventurer now, Rowena thought. A Rogue Adventurer, but an Adventurer nevertheless. You’ve got to be strong.

If she thought that often enough, she might actually start to believe it.