“Life is at times much like riding an untamed horse. Either you make it yield and put the bridle in its mouth, or it would take off running with you desperately clinging to its back, where you could be thrown off at any moment.” - Saying attributed to Two-Moons-Rising, Shaman and Philosopher from the Western Isles.

“Up late as well, huh?” asked Willa when she noticed the noise that came from behind her. With her keen hearing and sense of smell, she could already tell that the intruders were none other than her fellow disciples, Ognar and Giselle. Giselle still had that hint of sugar and cinnamon smell on her, probably because she lived for over a decade in a shop that sold sweets and confectionaries. Ognar on the other hand had that characteristic musky tone that orcs had, though in his case it was faint and undercut, courtesy to his life in the cities.

Willa was seated on one of the inn’s higher balconies, as she looked at the scenic night view beyond, while she laid back on a recliner with her feet perched on the railings. She had a small barrel of ale next to her, not the local stuff, which while fine-tasting, was a bit weak for her liking, but something she had brought with her in her storage. Most people would have poured from the barrel into a mug or horn, but Willa just drank straight from it as if it was an oversized tankard instead.

“Couldn’t sleep well,” admitted Giselle to her with a nod. She then brought out a glass bottle of liquor - which to Willa looked like the sort often sold amongst the better districts in Levain - and drank straight from it. “Couldn’t get it out of my head that all this… traveling around the world with teach… would be over soon.”

“I know she talked about it before, but yeah, it doesn’t feel real until it hits home that it’s happening, isn’t it?” asked Willa to her friend and fellow student. All of Cal’s students had built a friendship amongst themselves as fellow sufferers of her brutal training regimen, even Ying Xiao who had only been with them for a couple of years. “You too?” she then asked Ognar.

“Pretty much,” said the half-orc with a nod. Like his fellow disciples, he had also brought out something to drink, a large horn - likely a horned lizard’s from the size - from which a sourish smell wafted out as he unplugged the opening. Probably some sort of orcish drink, Willa thought. “Teacher definitely changed our lives… and us… for the better, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder what I’d be doing on my own now that her travels are at an end.”

“You haven’t thought it out yet? For me it’s easy,” said Willa with a smile at her fellow disciple. “My plans didn’t change one bit, just gonna adventure out there, maybe visit my family back home a bit more often, but Paradise’s too comfy a base to live elsewhere, honestly. If anything, traveling with teach kickstart my career there by quite a lot.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Giselle.

“I hadn’t told you guys before, I think, but my mom back at the village isn’t my real mom. She’s the one that married dad and had my little siblings with him, while my real mom only visits every now and then,” explained Willa with a slightly wistful look. “She was an adventurer, had a tryst with my dad, and had me as a result. Since she can’t exactly go around with her work while caring for me, she left me with him to care for, though she did visit or send over stuff from time to time. It’s how I went to Levain, Dad saved up the gold she sent over the years and used it for my schooling.”

“She’s a gold tagged adventurer, and that used to be my dream as a child… but now I found that I’ve reached that dream with ease, and surpassed it by a good bit, even,” she continued. “Just because I’ve already reached my dream and surpassed it, doesn’t mean I lost interest in adventuring for a living, though.”

“Oh right, your black tag’s already processed by now,” noted Ognar with a nod. “You know, now that you mention it, it’s not a bad prospect for us to make a living that way. For one, we’re definitely better equipped than most for it. I guess my grandma won’t be too thrilled about it, but she’s probably realized by now that I ain’t becoming a clerk or whatnot anyway.”

“You two had it easy with your lives,” said Giselle in a rather wistful tone. “I’m honestly thinking of working at and continuing my mom and pop’s store. Maybe I’d get hitched with one of their apprentices, have some kids… Just looking for some peace and quiet in life, I guess.”

“If you’re planning to have some kids, then you can kiss that peace and quiet goodbye, girl,” said Willa with a boisterous laugh as she took another long drink from her barrel. “Seriously though, remember what teacher said? Your life is yours to live as you wished. She’d be equally fine to see you adventuring or making cakes, as long as you’re happy with it.”

“If you do chose the cakes though, remember to give us discounts when we come over,” said Ognar teasingly.

“And free samples! Gotta have the free samples!” added Willa.

“I should charge you two extra instead! Deities know you’re both rich enough to probably buy out the whole store anyway!” said Giselle as she nearly choked with laughter on her drink. The three kept drinking while they talked about their future plans on the balcony, knowing that even if they might take different paths in the future, their friends would always be there to back them up whenever they needed.

A floor below, Cal heard most of their conversation from her own room, since her students had not exactly conversed quietly, and with her sharp hearing she likely would have caught the conversation even if they did it in whispers anyway. A smile graced her face when she felt the camaraderie between the three, and before she turned in for the night, she wished them good luck in their future endeavors, where they would succeed or fail based on their own efforts, and no longer followed behind her footsteps.