"So, what's your plan for the rest of the day?" Alson asked the two women as he held the door open to the research center. Tamma and Miwah stepped out with the latter giving a short bow as a sign of appreciation. "You going to give the new girl a proper tour of Farrowport?"

"I think the poor lass has seen more of Farrowport than she cares to," Tamma replied.

"It is not... that bad..." Miwah struggled to say.

"Yeah. I can tell in your voice that you're really fond of the place," Alson said.

"Could be worse. At least I have made a few friends during my short time here."

"It's a shame that you've made yourself even more enemies!" Tamma replied with a wink. "I think the best way to deal with that would be to make more pals. We've got a saying back in Bahnwa. 'It's always better to make another friend instead of another enemy.""

"Do you have any suggestions then? If you know of anyone willing to befriend a foreigner from a warring nation, I am more than willing to meet them."

"Farrowport has people from all over the world. I'm sure we could find at least one person to help us out," Tamma responded. She then tapped her chin with one finger and looked towards the sky. "It's just a matter of figuring out where to look first."

"You try looking around the lower part of the city?" Alson said. "I know it's where the less-than-savory individuals are, but a lot of the people down there don't care about Remcroft's politics. They've got their own nations and cultures to adhere to. Or they're just apathetic to international spats altogether."

"That's also where the Cutthroats like to hangout, Alson. You know we're their number one enemy right now," Tamma said.

"Oh, right. But that's where all the best fighters are. Most of them are even tougher than what you’d find in the Farrowport Guard. You've got to take risks if you want the rewards."

"Is that a Bahnwan saying as well, Tamma?" Miwah chided, placing a hand over her mouth to hide her chuckling. "That sounds like it could be one."

The hunter shrugged her shoulders. "Might as well be. I'm not a fan of the idea, but it's not like time is on our side. Maybe we could avoid the Cutthroats if we're careful where we look."

"And if the Cutthroats are really after us, they are probably looking around everywhere on the island but their favorite part Farrowport," Miwah said. "And we also have our secret weapons to resort in case something goes wrong."

Tamma bobbed her head in agreeance as she pondered the seamstress' statement. "That's not the worst idea. Finding someone that actually knows how to fight could really giving us a shot at dealing with all these threats."

"You girls want me to tag along?" Alson said almost giddily. "People respect the Farrowport Guard! You let me come with you two and I'm sure the folks down there will stay in line."

"Or attack you on the spot. You ever notice how the Governor doesn't send too many of her men down there to enforce order?" Tamma asked. "From what I've heard, the folks in the lower part of town don’t respect the Farrowport Guard. And seeing as how you don't have any of your teammates to back you up, it might be more trouble than it's worth to bring you along."

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Alson scratched the back of his head as he kicked a stone down the dirt trail. "Yeah, I guess that's about right. Besides, it might be best if I actually stay here and stick to my shift."

Tamma put a hand on the guard's shoulder. "We appreciate the offer, Alson. We really do. But I have a dreadful feeling that this island is going to need all the able bodies that it can muster in due time. No point in throwing yourself in harm's way unless you absolutely have to."

"Fine, fine." Alson sighed as he crossed his arms. He took a few steps towards his assigned post. "I'm going back to my duty. I guess I'll see you girls later then?"

Both Miwah and Tamma nodded at the same time. "We're going to regroup with Chaston sometime tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have some good news to bring back to him," Tamma said.

"I hope so. This Insectus... Ghenkans... Cutthroat stuff can really lower morale, you know?"

"That just means it'll be that much better once we make it through this nonsense," Tamma said. From the corner of her eye, she saw Miwah take a step towards the path to Farrowport. "I'd love to stay and chat some more, but the sooner we find someone to help us out, the better."

"Right. Makes sense." Alson waved as the two women ventured down the dirt trail to Farrowport. "Best of luck you two!" he called out once they made it towards the first bend.

"Likewise!" Tamma shouted back.

----------------------------------------

"So... we have to find someone else with potential," Miwah said just loud enough for Tamma to hear. Together they marched through the busy streets of the center of the city. People passed by, grazing past them but paying no mind to their conversation. "Hopefully Yalch will awake soon. Maybe he could give a girl with Potential a bit of a scare."

"That would make things easy," Tamma replied. She then shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Of all people on this island that could have our abilities... it just had to be Narrita."

"Talk about bad luck."

"As much I hate the idea, maybe we could chat with her about it."

Miwah turned to Tamma and stared at her with a pair of wide eyes. "Narrita? The same woman that stole from us? Threatened to kill Lug? And consistently terrorizes the innocent people of this island with her band of thieves?"

"I know, I know. The idea sounds even crazier when I say it out loud. But it's not like just anyone can take a Beacon and become a Purifier. Maybe The Deity had it in his plans for her to get hold of it."

The seamstress scoffed. "Perhaps it was also in The Deity's plans for my entire village to get slaughtered."

"Listen lass.” Tamma turned to face Miwah, giving her a concerned glare as she pointed a finger towards her face. “I know you Xiwaoans aren't really the spiritual types. But everything happens for a reason. You may not see it or understand it now, but there's a method to the madness of this world."

Miwah's face became somber. Instead of looking at Tamma, she stared straight on in the direction of the lower part of Farrowport. "I will not discuss this matter further with you. You seem to be firm in your beliefs, just as I am. I would not want to hurt our friendship over differences in ideology."

"Fair enough, lass. I just wanted to bring up how we might have to ask Narrita for help. She may be a coldblooded thief, but she calls this place home just like me. Maybe if we told her about what's at stake, we might be able to put our differences aside. Even if it is just temporary."

"After I killed her precious snake?" Miwah replied, raising one eyebrow than the other as looked at Tamma with a confused glare. "That is rather wishful thinking."

"I know. But it's not like we can afford to be picky."

"Perhaps we should just wait and see if we can do anything with this final Beacon. I would rather fight alongside someone that I can trust before having to resort to the assistance of a person who steals for a living."

Tamma smiled, pressing one hand to her hip while the other patted Miwah on her back. "Are you already forgetting about the old Bahnwan saying from earlier? About making friends over enemies?"

"Let me respond by telling you a famous saying that we have in Xiwao. 'If you let a snake into your home, make sure it is out before it bites you.'"

The hunter grinned. "That's a good one! I might save that one for later."

"So you understand the meaning of the saying? Only trust your enemies for as long as you need them."

"Exactly. I wasn't planning on letting her tag along with us. Just wanted her around so we can take out the Ghenkans and those pests that brought along to the island. After that we can go back to be less-than-favorable with one another. "

"I would still only resort to that as a final option. We can discuss this further if our search comes up fruitless."

The hunter shrugged her shoulders. "That works for me."