"I hope you don't plan on all of us sharin' a single room in one of these complexes," Aurrie said as she followed Tamma to the front of her building. She pulled open the main door and held it open.

"Of course not. This used to be my place. But once Miwah came to Farrowport, I haven't spent as much time as I would have liked in it. At this rate, it wouldn't surprise me if I never slept here again."

"Would that be the worst thing in the world, Tamma?" Miwah said as she walked through the door.

"It was good enough for you when you came back from the forest, remember? You seemed to be more than happy to lay in my bed."

"And for that, I am grateful." Miwah started to climb the stairs first but stopped after a few steps to look back at Tamma. "But seeing as how we have been together in more than one life or death situation, I feel I am qualified to give you some friendly criticism." The seamstress wagged a finger at Tamma. "There is no reason for your room to be in such a sorry state!"

"Yeah, yeah." Tamma rolled her eyes and put a hand on Miwah's back, nudging her to continue up the stairs. "I get it, mum. I need to do my chores. Make my bed. Take out the garbage."

"No one in Xiwao would ever let their room get like that."

"Last time I checked we weren't in Xiwao."

By the time Tamma finished her sentence, Miwah reached the top of the steps. She stood next to the door to Tamma's room and face the hunter with her hands resting on her hips. Miwah opened her mouth, ready to speak until she noticed Aurrie tapping her foot. 

"I'm one to appreciate some friendly jokin' among friends. But could one of ya tell me exactly why we're here? Pickin' someone up? It's not another Purifier, is it?"

"Not at all, lass. It's someone much more important than any young lady with Potential." Tamma smiled to herself as she pushed the door open. Aurrie tried to peer into the narrow space of the room, her eyes widened with excitement until Miwah stood in front of her and shook her head.

"Do not listen to her. We are just picking up her pet."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that?" Aurrie asked.

A long and low whimper escaped from the open door. "Come on, boy. Don't be like that," Tamma said somberly. Miwah opened the door all the way and stepped inside behind Tamma. The hunter crouched next to her brillick and stroked his side with her hand. Lug kept his head buried into Tamma's side. "We haven't been gone that long."

"A brillick?" the housekeeper said startled as she hovered over Tamma and Lug. "Who in their right mind keeps a brillick as a pet?"

"I do!" Tamma shot a mean glare at Aurrie. "I've known Lug here since he was just a pup!"

"He is very affectionate," Miwah said. 

"I'm affectionate for brillicks, too," Aurrie replied.

"Oh really?" Tamma looked at Aurrie as she continued to pet Lug's back.

"Yeah. Especially if they come in bowl o' potato stew."

Disgruntled, Tamma shook her head and returned to consoling her disheartened pet. "Me and Lug have been through a lot. And I'm hoping we'll be seeing even more together."

"Well, if we ever end up starvin', it's nice to know that we got a plan to fall back on."

Tamma clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth and scratched behind Lug's ears. His whimpering stopped as he lifted his head up and let out what sounded like a purr. "Don't listen to her, boy. She's just from the lower part of town. You know how they can be sometimes."

Aurrie stepped to the side and looked around the room, her eyes scanning every square foot of the area in a span of seconds. "All three of you managed to fit in here?"

"Yes. And believe it or not, it was even messier before."

Aurrie kicked a small pile of dirt to the side with the heel of her boot. "I'm leanin' on the side of believin' it."

"So where are we going to stay now?" Daego asked from outside the room. "There's no way all of us are going to be able to fit inside. Unless you plan on everyone taking turns."

"Tamma is used to sleeping outside," Miwah said with a smug smile. "And Lug is an animal. I am sure they would be more than happy to let us use their room."

"Keep dreaming, lass." Tamma gave Lug one last pat on the head before rising to her feet and joining the conversation. "We'll be giving Chaston a visit."

"You think he will let us stay at his research center?" Miwah asked.

"He'll have to! We're Farrowport's only hope of survival. The least he can do is give us a place to lay our head seeing as how we'll be doing all the hard work."

"If he's holed up in the richer part of town, I don't mind paying the fella a visit," Aurrie said while smiling. She looked up in space, her mind wandering off on its own.

"This... Chaston guy..." Daego whispered to the hunter. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Don't worry. He won't be any competition if that's what you're worried about, lad."

The swindler winked and gave Tamma a friendly jab on her shoulder. "All right. Sounds good to me."

Tamma whistled and Lug stood upright. "Let's get going, boy. We've got a long walk ahead of us. I know you've been laying down all day. You ready to get some exercise?"

The brillick bounced in place with his tongue sticking out. Lug gave his master a lick on her hand and returned to his cheerful mood. 

"I'll take that as a yes." Tamma picked up a collar with a rope fastened to it and strapped it around his body. "I'm ready to head out. Is there anything in here that you want to bring with you, Miwah?"

The seamstress scanned the room for a moment then shook her head. "No. I did not have much on me when I came here."

"Then that means we can kiss this place goodbye." Tamma gestured towards the door by flicking her head. "Let's get going before the Cutthroats start making their way through the rest of the island. At least the upper part of town has got the Farrowport Guard to keep them at bay."

Aurrie scoffed at the statement. "In what world is the Farrowport Guard good at doin' the job they're paid to do? Never even seen one back in my part of town."

"Yeah. Because it's dangerous down there, lass."

"And you expect 'em to keep us safe from the Cutthroats?"

"Narrita is mad, but she's not crazy. Attacking on the Governor's grounds is just asking for trouble from the reset of Remcroft. As much of a nuisance as that gang can be, there's no way they'll be able to hold their own against even just a single platoon of Remcroftian knights."

"All I know is there we're going to some proper rest," Daego said as he leaned against the railing. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I can try to sleep this headache off."

Aurrie left the room first, followed by Tamma with Lug trailing behind. Miwah left last and closed the door behind her. By the time the door was shut, Daego already made his way down to the bottom of the steps, leaving the three girls on the upper floor.

"I think it's about that time," Yalch said as he floated in between the trio. He stretched his arms above his head as his mouth opened wide for a long yawn.

"Time for what?" Aurrie asked.

"Yalch needs rest. If he stays outside of a Beacon for too long, he will vanish," Miwah said.

"Forever," Yalch added.

"So, whose Beacon are you going into this time?" Tamma asked. After a short bit of silence, all eyes shifted to Aurrie.

"What? Why are y'all lookin' at me?"

"You're the only one that hasn't let Yalch rest in your Beacon," Tamma said. "Sounds like it's your turn."

"But I just got mine!" Aurrie grabbed her necklace and angled her body away from the others "I don't want that kind of responsibility already!"

"It is not a big deal," Miwah said. "Just let him fly inside of it. Then when the time is right, he will wake up and fly out."

"It's that simple, huh?"

Both Miwah and Tamma nodded.

With a shrug and grumble, Aurrie nodded her head. "All right. Fine." The housekeeper faced forward and let her necklace dangle over her chest. She tapped the stone. "Go ahead."

Yalch lowered himself next to Aurrie's Beacon. The ghost's shape compressed before getting sucked into the stone. Once he vanished, the housekeeper held the necklace closer to her eyes and gave it a gentle tap. "Is he gonna be all right in there?"

"He's just fine, lass. As long as you keep your necklace on you, he'll be safe and sound."

"Got it."

Miwah took a step down the stairs. "Shall we continue on to Chaston's place?"

Tamma followed behind the seamstress. "Yeah. We've got a lot to tell him."