The morning that Hannah and Rio left was a cruel one – no doubt, the year had moved into winter, and the still dawn air had both of them in shivers and sniffles as they snuck out of the village.

The Ivers had already settled their awkward goodbyes at dinner last night. While nothing had actually happened, Hannah didn't like to think about it. Their Ma had obviously not been happy to let them go. Still, she hadn't said much more than asking them to come back in spring.

Hannah held back a sneeze, feeling miserable as she ambled behind her brother. She almost regretted agreeing to go back to Dalen so early with him, except that she didn't like taking the walk alone. Also, she had known it would have been easier to get out at such an hour, with less people to see her and make idle talk.

"Ugh," she went, turning her scarfed neck to look at her brother. "I think I'm going to die."

"No, you're not. Dalen's not that far. We'll be back before you know it."

"You're going on duty today?"

"That I am," he nodded, actually sounding proud about it. Or maybe he missed standing around for hours, keeping guard. She said this, and he answered with a good-natured laugh.

"No, Hannah. I just don't like to be doing nothing."

"Oh?"

"Of course, if it were up to me, I'd rather be in the Captain's position, or higher even."

Hannah cleared her throat, hoping she could manage to sound casual. "And what does he do? The Captain?"

"Oh, everything. Training, reporting to the Commanders, talking to the wardens, managing supplies ... He never has nothing to do. And he knows everyone, and everyone knows him."

"But he must get tired eventually ... right?"

"Maybe. But it hasn't happened to him yet."

Hannah looked away, not saying anything.

"What about you?" Rio asked suddenly a minute later.

"Me?"

"Are you going into the tailor's today?"

Hannah blinked. "Oh. Um, I don't know. I suppose I have time to rest at the tower for awhile before I come in."

"See. You want to keep busy, just like me."

"And because I feel like I should."

"I'll just be happy to be back," he told her, rubbing his hands together. "You know, maybe we should have dinner somewhere tonight. My treat. Interested?"

"Dinner? Where?"

"Anywhere you like – on the Corona, that is."

"Of course," she smiled, knowing he still had a budget to keep in mind. "Why not? I'll think over where to go."

"Good. Great. It'll be fun."

Hannah nodded, turning away abruptly to do another half-sneeze. "How come you're alright?" she demanded.

"Because I'm strong and healthy."

"You're also wearing about fifteen coats."

"You exaggerate. It's only five or six."

"I think you just want to make yourself look bigger."

"Shut up," he said, rolling his eyes, and Hannah laughed.

By the time they reached Dalen's bridge, the sun had fully come out of hiding, though the air was not much warmer. Hannah bid a distracted goodbye to her brother once inside the city, thinking only of being indoors, in the warm, ratty beds at Magda's Tower. She was, in fact, tempted to stay in for the day and make up an excuse to Christopher and Judy – she knew they would be understanding. But ... no. She felt too responsible to do something like that. Was that really her conscience, or was her brother right? Did she really do things to be the perfect daughter, the perfect friend, the perfect worker?

Not long later, she slipped inside the front hall of Magda's, half-expecting a loud, enthusiastic greeting in Sister Vicki's voice. But it was someone else at the desk, and the church sounded quiet that morning. Hannah climbed up to her room, feeling strange to be back after the few days she'd been away. She paused in front of her door, almost afraid someone else might have taken it up in her absence. She pushed open the door, peering inside. Yes, everything was just as she'd left it, curtains drawn, the bed still made in the Hannah Iver way, not a bit of clutter. She sighed indulgently, shutting the door behind her and dropping into bed. It seemed to scream from her weight, and she remembered the time she had broken her bed. How embarrassing that had been.

She lay still, tucking her arms behind her head. Funny. She felt tired, yet couldn't quite imagine drifting off to sleep right now. Probably because she was all too aware of the sun outside growing higher and brighter every minute.

She tilted her head on the pillow, glancing around her room. Perfectly clean. Would have made her mother proud. She made an annoyed sound, huffing at her own self. Just for once, she wanted to not care about these things. She was going to do the opposite of what she normally did, like have a messy room, and not come into work, and ... and ...

"I know where to go for dinner tonight," she told her brother excitedly when he came to fetch her that evening.

"Wait a minute, I went over to the shop, and that Christopher whoever told me you were sick."

"I am sick," she said, rubbing her nose. "I'm still having a cold."

"You missed work because of a cold?"

"So?"

"That's not like you."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?"

He blinked oddly for a moment, as if there was something wrong with her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Rio. I just wanted to get some rest."

"And you're sure you're up for dinner?"

"Yes, yes! I told you, I know exactly where to go."

"Alright. But I bet I know what you're going to say – "

"Jono's."

The stunned look came back to her brother's face. "Alright, so I was wrong. I thought you never wanted to go back there?"

"I can't stand Jono, but everyone else was alright. And it'd be nice to be the one being served for once."

"But we have eaten there before."

"Oh, you know what I mean! I'd never worked there then. It'll be interesting. Plus I know which are the good dishes and which aren't."

"Hmm. Good point."

"Anyway, I know you like it there."

"What's not to like? Especially now that you're not one of the girls."

She started narrowing her eyes.

"What? I didn't like you working there. It wasn't good for you."

"Well, there's not going to be any more of that. Just a good dinner for us, is all." She started bundling herself up in shawls and old coats, before turning to her brother. "Do I look as puffed up as you now?"

"Less handsomely, but yes."

She waddled over to him, the pair heading downstairs and out for their self-welcome dinner. They were both quiet at first; Hannah still felt a little groggy from lying in all day, but the sharp air and city murmurings helped to wake her senses. "How was duty today?" she asked, slipping a look to her brother.

He shrugged inside his coat (coats). "Same as always."

"Was the Captain happy to see you?"

"Well, we hardly had a chance to talk. He's busy getting ready for his trip to Dyon."

Hannah turned, eyes widening. "He's ... ? When?"

"I'm not sure. He always gets extra busy before he has to go back. It's a shame his family's so far away."

"Well, it's not just his family," she couldn't help herself. "His best friend is there now too."

Rio tilted his shaggy head. "You mean Captain Tanner?"

"Well, I doubt he's still a captain."

"And Alyssa."

She did a small nod. "Right."

"That's the thing about the city – people come and go all the time. Like us."

"Well, I'm a little tired of moving around."

"Is that why you wanted to stay in Dalen?"

"No, it was more than that," she confessed quietly.

They made a turn, and Hannah was reminded of all those mornings she used to run to Jono's to make it to work on time. What would it be like when she walked in? How many of the girls would be left? Would Jono be unhappy to see her?

But despite her wonderings, her thoughts kept rolling back to something else, like streams flowing stubbornly together in one direction. Macks. Dyon. She knew it couldn't be right to go with him, and yet, the idea of not going bothered her even more. But really, why shouldn't she be allowed to go? It was a wonderful opportunity to see the capital and one of her closest friends. And as for any "impropriety", as people liked to call it, no one had to know. She didn't have to tell the nuns, and her mother was no longer around to worry about. As for the Captain himself ... she was fairly sure he wouldn't try anything he hadn't already. She could certainly put up with him for a few days in order to meet Alyssa.

What am I saying? Do I really want to go traveling alone with Dalen's biggest skirt-chaser?

"Alright, here we are," her brother said as they emerged onto the Corona, coming up close by Jono's. There was a very young, very pretty girl standing as greeter that evening, a girl Hannah had never seen before. She tried to entice a lone man in front of them, getting an interested stare but nothing more. She then focused on the two of them instead, spreading her smile even wider. "Well, hello there. You must be hungry."

"Oh," Rio went, beaming happily. "How did you know?"

"Because it's dinnertime?" Hannah went, but the girl just laughed.

"Shall I get my friends to set up a table for you?" she invited.

"Yes, please," Rio answered, nodding.

She gladly held back the curtain for them, and Rio went in first, Hannah a little more tentatively.

Little had changed in the old eating house. It was all the same walls and tables, the same sweaty air and the same noise of old men winding down after a hard day's work. The only difference was the faces – most of the girls were new, although Hannah was very quickly approached by an old co-worker.

"Hannah?" Somehow, Sora managed to balance two trays as she looked her up and down. "Is that you under all that?"

"Yes," she answered, self-consciously peeling off layers. "It's cold out."

"I know, that's why we're full up tonight."

"Really? Not a table at all?" Rio asked.

"Well ..." She paused to look around, and Hannah took the opportunity to check the bar. Jono was there, but he was busy pouring drinks and instructing the newer girls. He hadn't seemed to notice her, and maybe he wouldn't at all. " ... you could share with those two if you don't mind," Sora said, cocking her head to a back table they used to call 'The Pit', usually reserved for mean customers or poor tippers, since it got the worst smells and the best chance of getting things spilled on them.

Hannah gave Sora an irritated look, until she realized there really was no other place. Maybe Sora wasn't trying to be mean on purpose, for once.

"Alright," her brother accepted, even before she'd said anything. He plodded ahead, still in his many coats, and Hannah had no choice but to follow. As they sat down, she pushed her chair further in (to help avoid spills), and studied their two dinner-mates. They looked like wharf-workers, with a few empty plates and mugs in front of them, and the haze of drunkenness about their heads.

"Hey, who are you?" one of them asked.

"Nobody," Hannah answered curtly, regretting her decision to come here.

"I'm Rio," her brother introduced himself. "This is my sister, Hannah."

"Nice to meet you," the left one said, lifting his mug slightly. He leaned a bit too much to the side, and both Hannah and Rio eyed him, waiting, maybe even hoping, for him to fall out of his chair. But he shook his head at the last minute, righting himself again. "I'm Petersen, and this is Brooks."

"Burke," his friend corrected.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Join us for a drink?"

"Well, we haven't ordered yet," Rio mumbled, looking around to get one of the girls' attention.

"Here, have some of mine," Petersen offered happily, pushing his mug towards Hannah.

Hannah made a face, and pushed it back.

"Ah, very proper," he praised her. "Pretty too."

Rio lifted a brow, before leaning in to whisper to her, "I think he's really drunk."

She glowered, while Petersen went on, "Is she spoken for?"

Hannah ignored him, yelling to the nearest girl she saw, "Hey! Over here please?"

Looking a little jarred, she hurried over, apologizing profusely as she scribbled their orders.

"You know, my sister used to work here," Rio told the two men.

"Really?" Petersen went, scratching all over his chin. "I ain't never seen her here before."

"Well, it was a long time ago."

"We started coming last month. We really like it here. It's warm and everybody's friendly and it closes late. We neither of us have much to go back to."

"Unless you want to listen to all this yak-yak-yakking in your ears."

"Nope. The more I drink, the less I'll hear," Petersen declared, proudly brandishing his cup. "Once I was so drunk, I actually went into the neighbor's house. I got into their bed, and that's when I got a good punch to the eye! I'm still not sure today if it was the husband or the wife who hit me."

Hannah looked over at her brother, but he seemed amused more than anything. How had she ever worked here and survived listening to men like this?

She sighed, turning towards the kitchen, hoping to get a glimpse of their food soon. Instead, her eyes flicked right up to meet Jono's. They stared at each other for a minute, then he leaned against the counter, beckoning for her to come over.

Hannah swallowed, rising to her feet.

"Wait, where are you going? Don't you want to listen to my story?" Petersen whined, but she ignored him to approach the bar.

"Well, well," Jono greeted her, in a curious tone. "What brings you back here, Hannah?"

"Just wanted to have a nice dinner with my brother."

"So I see. Got put in The Pit?"

"Couldn't be helped."

"Well. I'm glad to have you with us as a customer. How's life treating you? Working anywhere?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm quite happy."

"Good," he answered simply.

"Good."

There was a bit of a silence, both of them gazing over the woody, fire-warmed room. "A lot of new faces," Hannah commented.

"And empty heads."

She looked up, surprised. "What?"

"These new girls," he sighed, shaking his head.

"They probably just need a bit of time."

"More like sense. And a lot of it. Well. At least the customers like them."

"Counts for something."

He smirked, shaking his head. "Right, look, your food's ready. Go on, you, before it gets cold."

She nodded, moving to re-join her brother. Petersen and Burke seemed oblivious, arguing now about who was better at holding their liquor.

"This is good," Rio said, gesturing at his plate.

"Told you. I know best."

"It's funny if you think about it. The last time we were here, eating together like this, we'd just come into Dalen. Remember?"

She nodded slowly. "I remember."

"Gosh, it feels like ages ago."

"It was. In a way."

"I feel like so much has changed. I wonder where we'll be in another two or three years."

"Hopefully at a better eating house. Or a better table, at least."

He smiled. "Aw, it's not so bad. We're both doing well at work right now. And we found Ma and all."

"True." But Hannnah couldn't help feeling like she'd become lonelier these past few years, and that feeling seemed to be getting stronger every day. She was good at taking care of herself, she was used to it. But she was starting to want to have something to attach herself to, something other than work. She bit her lip, distracted as she eyed her brother. "Rio?"

"Hmm?"

"When is Macks leaving?"

Her brother looked over, his face interested.

"I mean, I'd like to say goodbye to him before he leaves. And thank him for all his help with Ma."

"Oh, uh, he's leaving end of the week, I believe."

"Alright. That gives me a few days. Do you think you could do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Could you ask him to come see me, either at the tailor's or Magda's as soon as he's free?"

"I suppose I could. Although he is awfully busy."

"Oh, I won't need long. But you must tell him. Alright?"

He nodded.

"Promise?"

"Yes, of course. Don't worry."

In front of them, Petersen and Burke clutched each other and started singing some incoherent song. Hannah started spooning food into her mouth, and was done not long after her brother – men were always fast eaters. "Shall we go before they get any worse?" she said, nodding at the two men.

"I still have my drink."

"Please? I'm really tired." She started digging out money, but he stopped her.

"I told you this was my treat."

"Well, then, maybe you should stay. But I really want to get to bed."

Petersen stopped singing, looking up at the mention of the word 'bed'.

"Don't even," Hannah warned him, wagging a finger.

Rio raised a hand. "Alright, alright. I'll come with you." He threw back one last gulp of ale and set down some coins, bidding the two men goodbye as Hannah practically dragged him away. Sora glanced their way as they left, gazing at Hannah as if wondering if they would come back.

Very unlikely, Hannah thought, although her little conversation with Jono had been satisfying. It might have even been worth the whole chaotic experience.

"You're really funny tonight," Rio expressed as they started walking back to the tower. "Just all over the place. One minute you want to go here, the next you want to go home ... "

"I just wanted to get out for a little while, that's all. Do something different."

"By going to Jono's?"

"Something like that." She started walking, and he curiously followed.

"Is that why you didn't go to work today?" he asked.

She kept quiet, giving him her answer.

"Why? Something wrong?"

"No, I just got to thinking about what you said."

"What did I say?"

"You know, that I should do things for myself. And not for Ma, or anyone else."

"Ohhh," Rio went. "That."

"But you know, I think I'm just like her. My whole life now is about work."

"Nah, I don't think you're like her. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after she left, I almost felt like ... like you tried to become her. By taking over the house, taking care of Da and me, doing all the chores – "

"I did all that because I had to."

"You did everything she did, the same way she did, like you believed she was going to come back any day so you just had to keep things running."

"Well," she wavered. "Maybe, I suppose. But I never really thought about it that way."

"I know. You just did it. You didn't think about it. That's how she trained you."

"Trained me, huh?"

"Look, in spite of all our fighting, I was always glad you were there. And I'm sure Da was too. But I felt like you weren't really being yourself, like you never gave a thought to your own life and what you wanted. Not until Da was gone and I was in Dalen."

Hannah was quiet.

"And then you came here, which I didn't think you would. You surprised me."

"Well, Ma did the same thing."

"Yes, well, when she did it, it broke the family up. When you did it, you kept it together. Even though it was, you know, just the two of us by then."

Hannah nodded, accepting this. "Right."