Wyn had forgotten what it was like to be so tired. Keeping his promise to Kei, he worked to help the doctors without burning any spirit fire. Since awakening his blessing, he’d burned it whenever he’d worked so hard, and he usually didn’t stop burning it until he was ready to sleep. The effect of the blessing dropping was effectively that he could fall asleep instantly after a long day, though recently he had to be woken up more and more.

The last time he’d pushed himself so hard was the night of the flood–and to be fair, it had been much harder–yet this was a far more honest kind of work, resulting in a far more mundane sense of exhaustion. His muscles ached terribly from an entire night of carrying water, lifting boxes, and running around to help wherever he was needed. His injuries and fatigue from the stakeout and subsequent chase hadn’t completely healed yet either, which didn’t help at all.

Still, he hadn’t stopped once. He needed to help as much as he could, while he could.

Wyn? Eia flew into his vision, hovering in front of his face. This doesn’t seem healthy. I can feel how exhausted you are. You should really take a break.

“I can’t…” He muttered, too tired to send it through their bond as he made his way towards the basin to wash his hands. He had to clean them after dragging away the bodies or he could contaminate anything else he touched. “I only have so much time. I have to help as much as I can or–”

He stumbled, falling to the ground as he suddenly grew dizzy.

Wyn!

“I’m fine. I just tripped.”

You’re not fine! You’re not thinking clearly Wyn, you need to rest!

“No, I don’t.” He pushed himself to his feet and walked the rest of the way to the basin, splashing some of the water on his face as he cleaned his hands. The cool water helped slightly, but it only relieved his skin–the fatigue was bone deep.

Wyn felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see the female doctor–whose name he’d learned was Grace.

“Are you alright Wyn?” She asked.

He forced a slight smile–though she wouldn’t have been able to see it behind his mask. “Yeah sorry, I just tripped is all.”

“You’ve been working all night, have you had anything to eat?”

“Yeah of course,” he lied.

She glared at him and he cringed back under her stare. Finally, she removed her hand. “Take a break.” She said firmly.

Wyn’s eyes widened slightly and he shook his head. “I don’t need–”

“You do,” She interrupted. “It’s obvious. You’ve been doing hard labor this whole time, and I haven’t once seen you so much as drink water. At this rate, you’re just going to end up another patient.”

“You must just have not seen me. I took a break earlier to eat, I was resting then.”

“If I go check with the soup kitchen, are they going to corroborate that story?”

“You don’t understand,” Wyn tried. He had to make her understand. “I can keep going if I–”

“You’re going to rest, eat some food, and drink. If you don’t, I’m going to kick you out of this tent.” She said firmly. Her tone held no room for disagreement. “Once you’ve recovered a bit, you can help at the soup kitchen. If I catch you doing any more strenuous work, I’ll drag you back to the lift by your hair.”

“That doesn’t make any sense! I’m telling you I’m fine, why are you trying to stop me from helping?”

Grace’s eyes narrowed. “Breathbane makes normal foods difficult to digest, and there are many that come to the kitchen to bring back medicinal stew for their ill loved ones. Now that it’s morning, there’s going to be a rush. They’ll need all the hands they can get over there, or is that sort of help beneath you?”

Wyn’s face burned with shame. “No... Of course not. I just–I want to be as useful as I can.”

Grace sighed. “You’re still just a kid aren’t you? Don’t forget what I said: take care of yourself.” She turned and walked away to help another patient. “Don’t add yourself to the list of my burdens.”

Eia flitted back into his vision. I like her.

Wyn didn’t feel like responding. He walked out of the tent in a half-daze and made his way to the soup kitchen out back. He accepted a bowl of stew and a cup of water from the elderly woman in charge of the station and sat down on a rock to eat it. Eia landed on his shoulder, her impossibly light body leaning against his neck comfortingly.

Annoyingly, he couldn’t ignore the way he greedily swallowed the whole cup in mere seconds, nor could he pretend the stew didn’t have him feeling stronger after only a few bites. He glanced over to the soup kitchen–which was really just a stall set up with a large pot in the behind it. It was being staffed by only two people, a short, older woman with grayed hair, and a young boy a few years younger than Wyn.

Following the rising of the sun, people had come from all over the hollow, just as Grace said, to receive food. Though it was still early, the line had already begun to build. His first instinct was to head over right away, but he hesitated. He didn’t want her to get upset with him again. Though she wasn’t quite as old, it felt a little like getting scolded by his mother.

So, he finished his stew and set the bowl down next to him, stretching his aching muscles and massaging his body wherever he could. At the very least, sleep could wait. When the line grew longer, he made his way over and introduced himself to the older woman, who introduced herself as Irina.

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“Grace sent me over to assist you two.”

The woman’s eyes crinkled, indicating a warm smile beneath her mask. “Perfect, it’s good to see someone your age helping here. Are you sure you’re alright though? You’ve got such bags under your eyes.”

This is starting to get embarrassing. He thought.

“I’m fine,” he assured her, and the words felt a bit more honest than before. “Just a bit tired is all, but I can help you no problem.”

She accepted that and handed him a ladle and apron. It was an easy enough job. People would come with bowls from their homes–or in the case of people staying in the tents, they provided wooden bowls and spoons. He, Irina, and the boy, Conor, would fill their bowls with the stew. Whenever the pot grew low–which was often–Irina and Conor would make more as Wyn took over serving everyone. The work was constant, but far less draining than what he'd been doing before, and soon Wyn fell into a rhythm, losing himself to the passage of time.

***

Hours passed as Wyn worked into a comfortable routine, and the crushing sense of uselessness he’d felt before faded into proper tiredness, the kind he felt after a long day of training. Even in the conditions that had befallen them, the simple gift of food seemed to bring relief to many of the people’s faces, and he was thanked by tired smiles and whispered gratitude.

Eia seemed in a better mood as well. She lounged atop the pot, seemingly unbothered by the smoke as she hummed along with the spirit song. Wyn found himself humming with her while he worked.

Soon enough, a familiar voice called out to him. He turned to see Kei next to the stall. She was wearing a black cloak, and combined with a white mask covering the lower half of her face, she looked just like the doctors. That was clever, it would be even less conspicuous, especially assuming they were right in their assumptions about the thief’s motives. Much to his surprise though, Corrin was next to her.

Wyn could immediately tell something was wrong. Not with Kei–she seemed normal, but Corrin’s eyes didn’t contain the glint they usually had, instead, they were laden with bags of their own. Had he slept? His posture was tense, and though to most he might’ve just looked like a normal person, Wyn knew better. He was upset– no. He was angry.

Wyn interrupted Irina and told her he had to go. She was saddened, but let him go without argument. After saying goodbye to Conor as well, he took off his apron and walked out from behind the stall.

He looked at Corrin and started to ask, “Hey man, what are–”

“You look tired,” Corrin said dryly. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I mean I’m fine, I’m tired but no worries.” His body was a bit sore, but food and the easier job had helped quite a lot. “Did we find a new lead?”

Kei nodded. “I asked around down by the docks. None of the captains seem to live here, and a good chunk are away right now doing kings know what in The Grass Sea, but there is somebody here who meets the criteria. There’s a man who used to be a tamer on the sea, but apparently he stopped working a little less than a year ago after a run in with some bandits. They say he got scared off and mostly sticks to the city now."

“Let’s pay him a visit,” Corrin said. There was something about his tone that Wyn didn’t like. “Did you find out where he lives?”

“I did. He lives on one of the platforms at the entrance.”

“What are we waiting for then?” Corrin started walking off. Wyn’s feeling of unease grew further.

“Do you know what’s up with him?” Wyn whispered to Kei as they followed.

“No idea, he’s been like that since last night. I thought he’d be better after waking up but…”

Wyn shook his head. “That’s not good. You haven’t known him for long enough. but Corrin can be a bit hot-headed. He used to get into fights all the time when we were younger, but usually he blows off the steam and gets over it. I’ll keep an eye on him and ask him what happened once this is all over.”

“How was your night?” She asked. “Were you able to help?”

“I hope so.” Wyn took a breath. “I hope so.”

“And have you decided what you’re going to do if we meet the thief?”

Wyn didn’t respond.

They reached the home a few minutes later. It was larger than most he’d seen in the hollow, and he was pretty sure living near the edge was more expensive, but it was by no means a nice place. The walls of the building had been whitewashed, but the coat had grown flakey and chipped, revealing the state of the half-rotted wood beneath. The only exception to the decrepit look of the house were the wind catchers on the roof, which seemed expensive, constructed of a polished metal that didn’t seem to have rusted at all despite wind and rain.

Unlike the rest of the hollow, since it was outside the overhang, exposed to the elements, the building was able to have its own rain collector, a large metal dish atop the house which filtered water down into two pipes. The first pipe curved into the house and out of sight, while the second pipe led into a small tank on a balcony above. From the tank were several branching smaller pipes, each with a valve that could be opened and closed, leading to a watering system for a garden out front. However, the garden looked as though it hadn’t been attended to in some time.

“Hang on,” Wyn said, blocking Corrin with his arm as he was about to walk up to the door. “We should scout around the entire place first.”

Being built on the edge, he suspected the building had a balcony, and a quick walk-around revealed he was right. They’d need to subdue the man quickly before he could create distance. If he got to the balcony–assuming the bird was with him–they’d be gone. Wyn felt good though, things would be easier with Corrin around to match his speed.

After ensuring there were no more routes of escape, they walked up to the door, Wyn standing just out of sight of the peephole. Even with the mask, he was the one the thief might recognize if given the opportunity. But if the thief looked outside now, all he would see would be a young female doctor and a boy, likely a volunteer. They just had to hope he was home.

Luck seemed to be on their side when a moment later, the door opened and a young man stood before them.

Wyn had to restrain himself at the sight. The man had the same dark green eyes, and his build was remarkably similar. He seemed a little older than Wyn had thought, perhaps in his early thirties, but elsewise he seemed like the target. He held back though, until he heard the voice, he wouldn’t be sure.

“You’re early.” His voice was tired, like many of those in the hollow, but with those simple two words, Wyn was sure.

It’s him! He took a step forward.

“Thank you for coming,” the man continued. “She’s just inside. The last batch seems to have worked well, she was able to eat some bread the other day.”

Wyn stumbled.

“She?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

The man raised an eyebrow. “My wife? That’s why you’re here right?”

Before Wyn could say another word, Kei spoke. “Sir, would you happen to know anything regarding an incident at a warehouse two days ago?”

The man’s eyes widened and his muscles tensed. His eyes shot over towards a table on the side of the room, and Wyn saw a familiar pouch atop it. A moment later, his spirit flame burst to life.

Fatigue evaporated and he took a deep breath, relishing the feeling. It was so nice to feel fresh again, the high of spirit fire was addicting, filling him with energy and purpose. “Don’t even think about it. That gas isn’t going to–”

He felt it coming in the instant before it happened. A blur of white rushed past him before slamming into the thief in the doorway. Corrin and the man tumbled to the ground with a crash as Wyn righted himself from having been pushed aside.

Kei screamed, and Wyn lunged towards the brawl.

Corrin came up on top, pinning the man down. He drew his fist back, and let out a rage-filled cry before swinging it back down. It wasn't subduing, it wasn't to keep the thief from running, it was a strike meant to harm.

Wyn grabbed the arm, halting the blow just before it hit the defenseless man beneath him. “Corrin! What the hell are you doing?”