The next few days passed without a single posting on the Silver Phantom Guild's quest board. Olivia kept her composure, but James could see the faint lines of worry whenever she thought no one was watching.
With nothing official to do, James decided to keep earning coins the old-fashioned way—hunting horned rabbits. This time, though, he had company.
"You're too slow on the cast," Ilyanna said, crouched low in the tall grass. Her bow was already drawn, the string taut.
James frowned. "Magic takes focus. Not everyone can just… twang and be done."
Her eyes narrowed with a hint of amusement. "If you keep talking, the rabbit's going to—"
A blur of brown fur darted from the bushes. Before James could even lift his staff, Ilyanna's arrow streaked through the air, catching the horned rabbit clean through the flank. It tumbled once and went still.
"—run," she finished, lowering her bow.
They made their way across the fields, working in a rhythm that slowly took shape. James flushed rabbits out with a controlled Gust, forcing them into the open, and Ilyanna's arrows rarely missed. Occasionally, she let him take the shot, patiently pointing out where to aim and how to read a rabbit's feint.
Between hunts, they talked.
James told her about the library in Iguro and the years he spent sleeping on the street across from it, about the old books that taught him his first spells. Ilyanna shared stories about her parents—how her mother could split an arrow at fifty paces, how her father always kept one hand on his sword when they walked through town.
Neither of them said it aloud, but there was a quiet understanding between them: both had been alone for too long.
By sunset, their satchels were full, and James had landed two clean kills on his own. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
As they walked back toward the dimly lit streets of Iguro, Ilyanna glanced at him. "Not bad, Scholar. You might even be worth keeping around."
James smirked. "Careful, Archer. You almost sound like you're enjoying my company."
She didn't answer, but the faintest smile tugged at her lips.