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He could tell from the sound of her footsteps that Nora, back from a day of scouting, wanted him to know she was annoyed. Again. Theodosius watched her stride into the light of the campfire, arms crossed, cloak dusted with… was that ash? He closed his eyes for a brief, resigned moment. There were only so many ways this conversation could start, and none of them were cheap.
“I want a raise.”
No surprise there. “Good evening to you, too,” Theodosius sighed. “And what’s your excuse this time?”
“The map is accurate.” No smirk, no teasing.
Theodosius blinked. Was she serious? He had paid good money for a guild-approved map with enough stamps and seals to look trustworthy. He had bought her favorite supplies, however overpriced, and even grudgingly replaced the boots she’d lost in a swamp that did not, to his certain knowledge, exist. But this? He rubbed his temples as she dug into one of her many pockets and produced the offending parchment.
“You see this?” Nora hissed, jabbing a finger at a fresh crease. “Here There Be Dragons. Any competent mercenary knows that’s supposed to mean Here There Be Boring Landscape No One Cares to Cartograph Properly, with some cute pictures to generate income for starving artists. Remind me why I don’t simply leave you behind. You don’t pay me enough to deal with this.”
A low rumble echoed through the night. Theodosius winced. “For science?” He glanced at the treeline, then, reflexively, at Nora. “At least you don’t get bored?”
“True, that. Fun adventures in lovely company.” She grinned and offered a hand to pull him up. “Still. We should leave now. And by that, I mean right now.” Another rumble, closer. “I trust you to argue about abandoning expensive stuff,” she said, “in three… two…”