"I have to grab a few things," Korie said as they approached the stairs. She pulled a copper pocket watch from her jacket, frowning at it. "Can we meet out front in about five minutes?"

Maevus just shrugged. All her worldly possession—which, admittedly, hadn't been all that much—had been lost the day she was captured. The only things she had left were the clothes on her back, her dragons and the dagger at her side.

And a sword. 

Guilt and anger played equally through her blood as her thoughts turned to Voron for the first time since she'd come to the Carneri Guild. 

Logically, she knew it wasn't his fault. After all, he'd been nothing but kind to her since they had met. Unfortunately, logic wasn't often the thing that governed her reactions. Dragon fire ran far too hot in her blood for that.

Which made working with others difficult...

Korie disappeared up the stairs, heading toward the women's dorms while Maevus and Lox trailed down to the main floor. It was already much livelier than it had been while she and Letya ate breakfast. The chatter of conversation and buzz of magic was a little overwhelming.

Maevus wasn't sure she liked it all that much.

Ignoring the curious, open looks tossed her way, Maevus ducked her head and began to move toward the front doors, Lox trotting along at her heels. She didn't want to be delayed by any curious Encants.

She got to the doors without anything exploding and slipped out into the cool morning. The doors closed softly behind her and she leaned against the red wall. Lox, finally bored, slipped out of her world and back into his own, leaving her to her own thoughts as she waited for Korie. 

Clothes would be the first thing she bought. After that, she'd pay back Letya and Vraylor. Then... Maevus frowned. What else was there to buy? A thousand gold pieces was a lot of money. 

She wasn't in the practice of buying anything that wasn't an absolute necessity.

Maybe she should start. Maevus' gaze floated over the people walking down the sidewalks around her, eyeing the packages they had tucked under their arms, listening as children begged for candies or toys.

What did she want?

It was shocking to realize she didn't know what she wanted. She'd spent so long focusing on what she needed, she no longer seemed able to remember how to simply want something.

Crossing her arms, Maevus tilted her head back to study the sky. It was clear—good flying weather.

She wanted...

"Hey, Dragon Lady!"

Maevus was jerked back down to earth, sighing at the familiar—if unwelcome—nickname. She slowly let her gaze fall away from the robin's egg sky, tilting her head to the side to watch as Savrin walked down the sidewalk toward her. She straightened uneasily when she realized he wasn't alone.

"I ran into Letya a second ago," Savrin said with a grin. "Went to Vraylor for your first job, huh?"

Maevus frowned, still eyeing the stranger, who was giving her an equally wary look. His purple eyes were pale amethyst in the morning light, his blond hair shot though with strands of pure gold. He was an Encant. She could sense his magic bubbling just under his skin, ready to attack at the slightest provocation. It set her teeth on edge, stirring up her own magic.

The pendant throbbed lightly and her fingers began to creep toward it. Then she decided she didn't really want to know someone else's feelings. Her own were jumbled enough after Sawyer and her first morning as an official guild-member. 

Slowly, she nodded. "I'm helping Korie Ghostfoot hunt down a thief."

"Oh," Savrin said, garnet eyes brightening as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Nice. That job's been waiting three weeks for someone."

"Why didn't you take it?" she asked, curious. Savrin was definitely powerful enough to back Korie up. He'd taken down an entire dragon after all.

"The Queen," the other man said suddenly, his low voice sullen. "He hasn't exactly had a lot of free time."

Maevus narrowed her eyes at his tone, earning herself a full-blown scowl. Savrin sighed wearily, though there was something amused in his eyes.

"Lorn, meet Maevus Kildaren," he finally said. "Maevus, this is Lorn Warbeck. My boyfriend."

Well that explained the killer glare. Maevus shifted uneasily, giving Savrin a questioning glance. How much had he told Lorn about their meeting? 

Like he was reading her mind, Savrin gave her a sympathetic smile. "He knows Adela using her Anmedeis wasn't your fault."

Lorn snorted, muttering something under his breath that didn't sound very much like he knew it wasn't her fault. Savrin threw a gentle elbow into the other man's ribs, earning an indignant hiss. With a sigh, Maevus glanced at the door, hoping to see Korie coming through it to rescue her from this incredibly awkward situation.

Giving her an apologetic smile, Savrin threaded his fingers through Lorn's, pulling him toward the guild doors. Over his shoulder, he called, "Good luck with the job, Maevus. Come find us when you get back. First drinks on me."

Lorn threw her another dark look before opening the door, just for Korie to come bursting through, a bulging bag at her side. She gave them a bright, "Good morning!", before hustling over to Maevus, dark hair slipping from the hasty braid she'd put it in.

"Ready to go?" she asked, then stopped, studying Maevus' face. Her expression darkened a little and she looked over her shoulder, back toward the doors. "Did Lorn say something to you?"

Maevus blinked in surprise, then shook her head. "Um, not exactly. He just...doesn't like me very much?"

And he wasn't the only one. She thought uneasily of Volt, frowning to herself.

Gesturing for Maevus to follow her, Korie said, "It's not you, really. Lorn's been a little overprotective ever since the Queen's council sent a missive saying Blood-Charmed Encants were on a probation of sorts. They have to prove they're under control." 

Korie sneered as she said the last words, winding her way through the crowds. They weren't as bad as last night, but there were still enough people around to make Maevus nervous. She couldn't concentrate properly on what Korie was telling her.

"Probation?" she finally managed to rasp, struggling to catch up with the surefooted clanswoman. 

Korie nodded, slowing down when she noticed Maevus trying to dodge her way through a small crowd coming from an indoor market. When Maevus caught up, Korie said, "Blood-Charms kind of scare people."

"For good reason," Maevus couldn't help but point out. "Encants with Blood-Charms are kind of known for being a bit—"

"Not Savrin," Korie snapped, whirling to face her, golden eyes flashing. "Savrin's never hurt anyone if he could help it."

Maevus held her hands up in surrender. Softly, she said, "I didn't mean anything against Savrin." More grudgingly, she added, "I know he's a good person. He...really helped me out."

That seemed to appease Korie for the moment. She nodded once before turning on her heel and continuing to cut her way effortlessly through the people ambling along the sidewalk. Maevus blew out a slow breath, a little surprised by Korie's vehemence. 

She wondered how well the clanswoman knew Savrin. Then she wondered if that mattered, or if Korie was just protective because Savrin belonged to her guild.

Maevus remembered what Savrin had said about a guild being more like a family. A pang went through her as she wondered if she knew what it was like to be part of something like that anymore.

Finding herself once more scrambling through the crowd, she caught up to Korie and said, "You know we could just fly out of here, right?"

Korie gave her a brief side-eye, still looking a little irritated. Maevus wondered if she was destined to alienate everyone in the Carneri Guild. 

Maybe Vraylor had been right to wonder about her ability to work with others.

"We're not supposed to use visible magic inside the city, unless it's for work," Korie finally said, voice still a little stiff. "You can summon one of your dragons once we're outside the walls."

Great, Maevus thought sourly as she nearly bumped right into a plump woman wearing a huge, flowered hat.

Both women sighed, exchanging an uncertain glance. Korie grimaced lightly before continuing to lead them through the city.

Maevus let out a quiet groan, already regretting this decision.