"Are you truly considering becoming a seeker, girl?" the old merchant asked as we walked down the streets to the stables, the city walls slowly rising on the horizon.

'Did I want to be one? Did I want to fight beasts in the depths beneath the city?' The thought terrified me, but excited my inner beast.

"I don't know, Mr. Scoresby."

"If it's just about money, it's only a matter of time before..."

"No," I gushed, interrupting the old man. "I mean - I need the money. Just look at my feet."

Third day in Castiana and I was still walking barefoot on the cobblestone streets. To be fair, though, sort of by my own choice. No, the coldness of the stone cobbles biting into my feet was not something I particularly enjoyed. In fact, yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped at a couple of shoe stores - granted, they may not have been the cheapest in the city, I would have to ask Ria or the old man about that - but the cheapest footwear I found were some sandals for five pieces of silver. The cheapest thing I would consider a decent pair of shoes then cost 32 silver coins. Way out of my current budget. Price wise, the choice was obvious. But why would I spend five silver coins now when I knew I would get better shoes as soon as I could? That would be insane.

At least, that was what I told myself when I left the shops still barefoot.

'Just a few more days.'

"I didn't realize it was bothering you that much. Kids run around barefoot all the time."

"I'm not a kid."

"Apologies, I didn't mean to..."

"And I didn't mean to snap at you, Mr. Scoresby," I apologized, collecting my thoughts. "No, my lack of shoes is not the problem. Well, it is. But - you see, I want to get stronger, and I don't think the stables are the place where I'm gonna achieve that."

'Shit! That came out wrong.'

"Don't get me wrong. I'm incredibly grateful that you got me a job with Mr. Hale just..."

"It's not a place where you can achieve your dreams," the old man finished for me, stroking his beard absently. "You don't have to feel bad leaving that place, Korra. I just wanted to help you get started in the city."

"I know, and I can't tell you how grateful I am."

Scoresby nodded, his smile shifting quickly into a frown. "Let me give you a piece of advice. Take your time. Rushing things never leads to anything good."

"Yeah," I breathed, remembering my stupid decision to take the shortcut home.

‘The shortcut - thinking about it…’

"Why do you drive through Esulmor, then?”

"Thought out trade decisions," Scoresby said, laughing. "And not rushing the DECISIONS is what I'm talking about, not about hurrying. You should really think about whether strength is really what you want. And if so, what kind of strength."

One look at me was all it took for him to know that I had no idea what he was talking about. 'What kind of strength?'

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"It's not always about muscles, Korra. If you find the talent in yourself, you can follow the path of a mage. Scholars are respected wherever they go; fine master artists get invited to the courts of the nobility; and many are seeking to get into the good graces of wealthy merchants. And before you ask, that was never what I aspired to. I'm happy with where I am."

That was obvious to see - and something to envy. I could only wish I had his inner peace, self-satisfaction, and composure.

"Thank you, Mr. Scoresby, but - I don't see myself achieving any of that. I have no knack for business or art."

"Not everyone does. What about magic?"

"I'm not sure - I've never tried."

After all, I had lived all my life in a world where magic was only a figment of the imagination. On the other hand, almost as if in mockery of that, I now felt my body overflowing with mana. But having it and being able to use it were two completely different things. Heck, I didn't even find any magically based General Weave I could choose. Whether I liked it or not, I was still the magically inept earthling I had been before my Fae abduction.

"Here you go, something to strive for."

'Me a mage?' There was no denying that it sounded good. Better than trying to get in tune with my inner beast or sinking claws and fangs into my enemies. Actually, being a mage would fulfill one of my childhood dreams - to be a magical princess. A bit lame, I know, but who hasn't dreamed of wielding magic or being of royal lineage, right? In fact, even as an adult, seeing magic tricks made me excited, even though I knew they were nothing more than tricks, not real magic.

"Is it easy to learn magic?"

To be honest, even the magic tricks were beyond me. And I did try to learn a few.

"The basics are simple. At least from what I've heard," Scoresby said, scratching his beard awkwardly. "Compared to more complex stuff. But they say that's the magic that takes years to learn... and costs a fortune."

'So he was telling me to either become a half-assed mage or go into debt. No thank you.'

Naturally, I knew not everything would come for free. The reason I got a job. However, it seemed that if I really wanted not to have to worry about every shadow, I needed a job that paid more than the stables. A bit ungrateful? Certainly. Yesterday was my first day working there. Scoresby said it himself, though. I needed to be clear about what to strive for.

And while I wasn't fully clear on how to achieve the obvious - getting stronger - I was pretty confident I would need money to do so, a lot of money.

But since stealing was out of the question, that left me with only three options: Become an independent seeker and risk my life down in the depths below the city on my own, give up my freedom and join a seeker company, or accept Tender Way's offer and forget my dignity.

"I see what you're fretting about, girl. But many of those I have helped have bitten off more than they could chew. Rather than trying to take big leaps, how about taking it in baby steps? You said you had the [Eleaden Standard Language] weave, right?"

"Y-yeah?"

"How about you learn to speak Standard yourself first and make way for a more useful weave? Who knows, maybe by then, you'll have a better idea of what path to take."

'Well, not a bad idea, actually.'

Even [Never-Dying] and [Tail of Poison Empress] were weaves taken to see what they were all about. So, starting to learn to speak the local language while I figured out the weaves I wanted to settle with sounded like a step in the right direction. After all, whether I liked it or not, it looked like I was going to be here for a while. So relying on the help of [Eleaden Standard Language] all the time sounded foolish. And not just in terms of a wasted weave slot. If I learned anything when selling flowers, it was that learning the language of my foreign customers, even if only a few words, could open doors to the hearts of many. And right now, I was kind of deceiving everyone around me.

"Thank you. That sounds…well, reasonable, Mr. Scoresby. Is there something like a school in Castiana?" I asked, meeting his puzzled look. "You know, a place where children learn - where I could learn Standard?"

"Ah, you mean an academy. No less expensive than the magic institutions. Most kids learn from their parents."

'And here goes that idea.'

"Don't lower your ears, Korra. I wouldn't suggest it if I knew it wasn't possible. If I were you, I'd start at City Hall. They have a lot of instructors working for them. Maybe one of them would be willing to help you with Standard. Or you could put up a notice. Someone sure would pick it up."

'So, paying a private tutor? That sounded expensive, too.'

"And then I'd try the library. I mean, you can read, right? They have lots of books there. Who knows, maybe you'll find one that helps you. I know I did. But well, that's a long story I'll have to tell you another time, it seems," Scoresby said, looking up. We reached the [Stables].