The two young women shared a look and pouted at him with upturned eyes. "Look Mister. You promised us a job."

"I-i did but..."

"You aren't going to disappoint us are you, Mister?"

"We came all this way for you." The other one spoke up.

"Ladies, look, you told me that you could cure what ails me, I thought you were healers." Ted mumbled.

"Oh, we can still do that..."

"We can definitely heal you and make you feel like a real man."

"No. No, that's quite alright." Ted recovered a bit and tried to put his suave aire back on. "We won't be needing your services. A miracle occurred and we're all completely cured! B-but I'll give you a bit of coin for your time."

He placed a few bronze pieces into their hands and hoped that it was enough to placate them.

"Hmph." The two girls sighed. "I guess we better go tell Anthony that this didn't work out."

The two girls walked away and back into the night.

Ted let out a breath that he didn't realize that he was holding and slumped into the booth with his friends. "That... could've gone better."

"You think?" Karen sulked.

"I'm sorry, Karen." Ted apologized in a rare moment of self reflection. "I shouldn't have made assumptions and put you down like that. I'm just ... really excited to finally be an adventurer with the two of you. And, I just want everything to be perfect, you know?"

He paused for a moment and signaled for another round of ale to be brought over. "I just got a bit over eager. Like always. And I've been dragging you both around. So, I'm sorry, I'll try to be better."

The barmaid hustled over and placed down three fresh mugs of ale.

"A drink to forgive and forget?" He raised his mug as a peace offering and slid the other two over.

Karen and Phil held their mugs to the table. 

Karen leaned over and punched Ted's arm, 

Phil kicked his shin from underneath the table.

"Ow!"

The two laughed and raised their mug with Ted. "Now, we can forgive and forget."

All three downed most of their ale in one long swig. A collective gasp for air escaped from them as they set their mugs back down.

"Ah! That was good!" Ted belched.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Phil asked.

"Well, I suppose it has only been one day." Karen answered. "Even if it has been a crazy day."

"We could just keep doing what we did today. Or, maybe find a way to attract more attention." Ted offered.

Phil and Karen glared viciously at him.

"If anything, I think we need to tone down the ruckus that we make here. Or else we'll just scare off anyone that'll be interested."  Phil adamantly stated with a stern voice.

"It'd be nice if we could find a way to have them approach us instead..." Karen sighed wistfully, she didn't have Ted's social fortitude.

"Um, excuse me."

A timid, yet angelic voice called out.

"Yup! Just have them walk right up to our table and tell us that they want to be our healer." Karen continued.

"Um, I want to be your healer?" The girlish voice squeaked tentatively. 

"And then we'd accept them on the spot!" Karen said. "Wow, Ted's really killing the timid girl impersonation tonight."

"Oh, thank you!" The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "May I sit down?"

A divinely gorgeous girl stood before them. Her hands tightly and nervously gripping the sides of her white robes

The girl had glowing golden blonde hair that fell perfectly in waved tresses, a pair of brilliant and loving aquamarine eyes, and a  timid sort of smile that drew the attention of the entire room. An immediate inexplicable desire to protect her rose up from all three of the childhood friends.

"P-please do!" Ted managed to say, nearly speechless for once.

"I-i couldn't help overhearing that you were looking for a healer." The girl mumbled. She seems even more shy at their full attention. "Ah! Not that I was trying to eavesdrop or anything."

The three stared at her with their mouths agape. The girl had an overwhelming presence, beauty, and charm that captivated rhem. Their unbelievable luck that a healer would approach them was, quite frankly, unbelievable. An auspicious moment, nearly as fortuitous as an encounter with the divine itself. At least, it felt that way to theml. Ted found himself pinching his cheeks to make sure that he was awake.

Yet, for some reason, a nagging disquiet feeling tugged gently at the edges of Karen's heart.

"It's just that you were speaking kind of loud. And, I couldn't help, but overhear, you know?" The girl prattled on seemingly oblivious to their stupefied expressions. "Um, anyway, I-i heard that you were looking for a healer. So, um, could you..."

Ted's personality reasserted itself with full force and he stood up flailing about frantically.

"Of course! Of course! Please, have a seat with us! We'd be most honored to have a gracious guest, such as yourself, to join us this wonderful evening."

"Oh, um, well thank you." The girl replied and gracefully slid into the booth. “My name is Zephyraster Von Malficar Verhängnis.

"Um, but Zephyra is easier. So, you can just call me that.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Zephyra. I’m Ted and this is Phil and Karen.” He said while gesturing to the other two.

A brief moment of silence followed as Ted slid into the booth next to Zephyra.  He gently kicked the two from underneath the table to remind them to speak. 

“Oh, yes, um nice to meet you.” Phil managed to get out.

“A pleasure. So… you. You want to be our healer?” Karen asked, the incredulity of her disbelief slipping through the tone of her voice.

“We are, of course, delighted that you chose to accompany us.” Ted quickly supplemented casting a quick glare at Karen.

 

“Of course, we’re happy that you want to be with us, but I have to ask… why?” Karen asked pointedly. “I mean, we don't know anything about each other. And, we’re not exactly the best-”

 

“Karen! This wonderful young lady wants to join our party. We should make her feel welcome and get to know each other." Ted hissed in warning, cutting her off before turning back to address Zephyra. "I know that we would all rest assured having you with us."

 

“Oh, it’s not a problem. Um, if someone I didn’t know suddenly wanted to be in my party. I’d be worried as well.” Zephyra replied. “I’m really new to all of this and it’s all just… well I'd be happy to have a group.”

 

“We understand. It’s been a hectic day for us as well.” Ted quickly empathized.

 

“I came here to find a party. Um, my father always told me to be really careful and to find people that I can trust. But, all of the companies, guilds, nobles, and everyone here were really… overbearing.” Her hand found a way to Ted’s shirt sleeve and gripped on tightly with tears glistening at the corner of her eyes.  "They were really scary."

 

Karen struggled to keep from rolling her eyes, but at the same time, she understood and wanted to protect the young woman. Even so, it all seemed too convenient, but she couldn’t find any reason that Zephyra would be lying to them.

 

“They probably didn’t mean much by it. Healers are really valued. We won’t let them harm you.” Phil quickly assured her.

 

He wasn’t usually this eager to protect people, especially a practical stranger.

 

“Thank you.” Zephyra said while sniffling. “A-anyway, I’ve been running away all day from the scary people. Until finally, I decided to hide in here. And, that’s when I overheard your conversation. You all seemed really close… and really nice. So I thought that… maybe…”  

 

“We are absolutely ecstatic that you decided to approach us. We would absolutely allow you to join our prestigious group.” Ted declared happily and puffed out his chest.

 

“R-really?!" Zephyra gave them all her most dazzling smile. A few of the surrounding patrons accidentally poured ale into their laps.

 

"My parents always told me that it was dangerous outside of our home. I didn’t believe them at first. But, after seeing everything for the first time today, I can see that they were right. And, I’m just so glad that I was able to meet all of you.” 

 

"Ah. A sheltered noble." The three of them thought. 

 

“My parents always told me that if I joined a group that I should have them sign a contract. A little something that would protect everyone involved they said. And, um well, when I left, my Dad gave me a contract, just in case I found my future partner.” Zephyra sidled up a little closer to Ted. “And, I was wondering… if maybe you would think of signing it with me?”

 

"A rich sheltered noble!" Their eyes nearly turned into platinum coins at the thought.

 

All contracts were regulated by the government and taken very seriously. If a contract was signed, then the terms of the contract would be enforced through the stern hand of the law. and, nearly every type of contract was permissible through the eyes of the court. There were even cases of contractual slavery, even though slavery was generally forbidden. 

 

A contract wasn't unheard of being used to bind a group of people into a party. And, they were expected to be signed in joining a guild, or a larger company. However, most adventurers didn’t bother signing a contract with a party and tended to simply come to verbal agreements with their groups for one simple reason. 

 

Money. 

 

A professional contract costs money to be drafted. If the contract was violated, it cost money to have the courts review the violation. All routes that were very boring, very bureaucratic, and very expensive..

 

“Uh, I don’t think…” Karen blanched at the mention of a contract. "That'll be such a pain when something goes wrong."

 

“Of course, we’ll sign! We all want to make sure that you’re well protected. And, we want you to know that you can trust us.” Ted eagerly agreed. He swallowed hard at the closed distance between him and Zephyra. 

 

“We have nothing to hide and if having the law on your side would make you feel more at ease with us. We would be happy to oblige.”

 

“I’d be willing to sign a contract. It'd be mutually beneficial. You said that your Dad wrote it for you?” Phil added much to Karen’s horror.

 

"Are you both crazy?!" Karen burst out. "Excuse us for a moment, I need to talk with these two privately.

 

Karen stood up and dragged the two away from the table. "You need to stop thinking with your-"

 

"I can only imagine how you're going to end that sentence." Phil cut her off. "But we came here to find a healer."

 

"Precisely! And she wants to sign a contract with us. And, if we're honest, we all knew that getting a healer to even think about joining a ragtag group, like ours, wasn't a probable endeavor." Ted tagged on. "This is good! A contract."

 

"She couldn't leave as easily once she sees our bad teamwork…" Phil continued almost muttering.

 

"Well, we're not that bad. But, she's amazing. She's beautiful. We have got to have her sign on with us." 

 

"No, Ted, we're pretty bad." Phil said. "But I agree. This is an opportunity."

 

"Exactly, my point though! We're nobodies! We're terrible adventurers. Why would she want to sign a contract with us?" Karen tried to argue.

 

"We need a healer. Even a bad one. She's the only healer we're likely to get." Phil refuted. 

 

 Ted had stopped only listening as he stared enamored at the girl still seated at the table.

 

"You're right. I just… I have a bad feeling about this is all." Karen sighed.

 

"Are you sure it's not because she's more beautiful than…" Ted's voice trailed off as a dull pain in his shoulder throbbed. He caught a glimpse of Karen's glare out of the corner of his eye. "Um, nevermind. Let's go sign this thing!"

 

He marched excitedly back over to Zephyra, practically walking on air.

 

"Besides, just think of all the money we'll be able to earn. The books you'll be able to buy." Phil whispered to her on their way back to the table. "And, maybe we'll have someone to babysit Ted."

 

Karen's eyes lit up. 

 

Money?  Books?

 

They were her two most favorite things. If someone else was able to watch Ted, then maybe she'd have more time to spend her money. And more time to read her books.

 

"Hi, sorry that we took so long!" Karen bounced back to the table. "We'd absolutely love to have you in our group."

 

"Oh really? I'm so glad!" Zephyrs beamed back at her. "I was worried because you all left when I mentioned a contract…"

 

"It's not a problem! Not a problem at all! We'd love to have you babysit-"

 

*Ahem* Phil cleared his throat.

 

"I mean, heal Ted. I mean, our group. We'd love it if you could heal our group." Karen excitedly, yet awkwardly stuttered.

 

"Holy shit, what did you tell her?" Ted looked to Phil with a perplexed expression. 

 

Phil just shrugged back with a knowing grin.

 

"That's great! Then, just one moment, I'll get the contract out." Zephyra started to dig through a small satchel on her hip. Her tongue stuck out adorably with her concentration. 

 

"No... That's not it… not that either. When did I put that in there? Oh! Here it is!"

 

The beautiful girl pulled out a ginormous scroll that was as round as she was tall. Even completely rolled up, it was a monster of legal paperwork. Their jaws hit the floor. 

 

This was the contract?! 

 

They hadn't ever seen one before, but it was huge. It would take them simply forever to read over it.

 

But, more importantly, how did she manage to pull it out of her tiny little satchel? How did she even manage to lug that thing around with her?

 

The table creaked underneath the strain of the contract's weight.

 

Zephyra looked confused as the group just stared at the scroll dumbfounded.

 

"Oh, right. My bad. I have a dimensional bag." She giggled. "I forgot that they're kinda rare and not many people have one. It must have really surprised you. All of your faces were priceless!"

 

She laughed by herself until the shock wore off the rest of the group. "My daddy made the bag as well as the contract." 

 

"ITS HUGE!" Ted yelled out exuberantly. He wasn't upset or thinking about anything in particular. Just genuinely astonished. And, it finally caught up to him.

 

The entire tavern heard him. 

 

"Alright! So, we should get started, if we want to finish reviewing the contract before the end of the week." Zephyra started talking and pulled out a flattering pair of reading glasses. "Um, most of the contract is about legal protections. We won't sell each other out to the court systems and things like that. And-"

 

 "This monstrosity would have legal scholars debating for centuries. I absolutely, positively, do not want to spend the next several weeks reading the terms and conditions."

 

"Lady Zephyra, we don't have to go over the whole thing. We trust you implicitly." Ted flashed her his most brilliant smile.

 

"We can just sign the contract and go over it later." Karen agreed. "Finally, more books. More Money. And more someone else watching Ted. Books, Money, and someone else to watch Ted…"

 

"I… suppose we could just do that. We look forward to working with you, Ms. Zephyra." Phil continued. "Even though we really should read it first. But, we do need a healer. It's a miracle no one has died yet."

 

Zephyra was surprised.

 

"They don't want to read the contract. … Hmm, daddy told me to make sure that they'd understand though."

 

She looked around the table, weighing the conviction within her new friend's eyes.

 

 A pure smile slowly spread across her face. She had made her decision!

 

"Alright, well if you're sure, just a signature on the bottom line and a quick prick from your finger."

 

"You need our blood?" Phil asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Mhm! It's to finalize the -" Zephyra started.

 

"Oh! I've heard about it. It's a new technique that they use to prevent forgeries." Karen excitedly added on.

 

"Well, that's not exactly-" 

 

"Really? That's so cool! Magic is something else." Ted was the first to sign.

 

"Yeah, but it's not-"

 

"It was also used to track down the recipients wasn't it?" Phil added..

 

"I mean, yes. But in this case-"

 

"Ouch! I wish it didn't hurt as much." Karen had signed as well.

 

"The quill does have a very, very sharp point."

 

Finally, Phil signed his name.

 

All three had signed with a small drop of blood next to their name.

 

A bright flash of light filled the tavern. The smell of sulfur filled the air. A glowing deep crimson vein wormed its way throughout the parchment of the contract, pulsing as though it had a heart. Zephyra's eyes misted over and shone with a black  energy.

 

"THE CONTRACT IS COMPLETE." Zephyra said in a deep growling voice that was not her own. 

 

Then, the contract burst into flames.

 

Zephyra let out a small yawn. 

 

"Oh wow, forming a contract takes a lot out of me. I'm going to bed. See ya tomorrow!" She got up and she skipped away to her room upstairs.

 

The rest of the tavern didn't seem to react, as if they hadn't seen or heard any of the strange comings or goings. 

 

Stranger still, even though they witnessed it, Ted, Karen and Phil didn't talk about it. In fact, they didn't say anything at all. They just finished their meal and went to bed.