The group exchanged looks before turning their heads back to her.

Bree glanced at Kaira before asking, “What was the misunderstanding?”

“I am not a guard,” Iris stated calmly. “I am an adventurer.”

Kaira started to open her mouth, but Iris's eyes flashed and the elf closed it.

Good, she knows when to pick her battles.

Iris continued, “Bree, Gryff, and especially you, Kaira… It was wrong of me to leave while you were recovering. Bree, you're right, I took the quest to avoid my emotions. Is that healthy? No. Is that my choice? Yes. Again, I am not a guard, but at the same time while on this quest, neither are any of you. I have spent a year and a half doing this shit. I know what I'm doing, so me taking a solo quest is not the end of the world.”

She took a swig of her drink while the mood of the table dropped. “Laken, you had some serious issues with me earlier but then thought it was so interesting when I told you about the quest… You threatened to walk, man. That’s not cool.”

The high elf's eyes widened. “Iris, I–”

“No,” she cut him off. “You are here at Lady Arden's request. If you want to leave after, fine. But do not come here trying to tell me how to do my job. City Guards do not hunt monsters plaguing towns and villages, they do not hunt armies of bandits, and they don't take quests to chase mythical magical creatures through forests. Helping people is fulfilling. And I did inform Bree, right?”

“Yes, but…” the woman started but then sighed. “You did and while I had my reservations due to Kaira, I didn’t stop you. For the record, I had no problem with you taking the quest, just the timing.”

“That’s fair,” Iris said with a nod to the woman before focusing on the last two. “Guys, this shit is different than you're used to. Call me out as Bree did for leaving, but it is time you start shaking out this guard mindset. That will get us killed. We're not here to capture the bandits. We're here to figure out where the Marauder Prince is and capture or kill him. One man. The rest are kill or be killed,” she said, looking at Kaira with a sympathetic look.

Kaira closed her eyes, and the others looked at her, as they expected her to argue.

Instead, the elf opened her eyes and nodded. “You're right,” she said. “If I hadn't hesitated, that man would have never gotten the best of me. All I ask is more communication… Teach us.”

Iris nodded. “I can do that,” she agreed. “What about you two? Look, I respect the hell outta you guys, but I'm not Ser Meredith. I don't expect you to be soldiers. I expect you to follow whatever plan we all come up with and be badass fighters. But most of all, you have to be adaptable. Adapt or perish.”

Gryff shared a look with Laken before the bearded telv shrugged. “Fair enough. I'll give it a chance. Just don't go getting us killed.”

Iris narrowed her eyes. “I would do this alone if I thought I could. I love Mocha to death, but my friend can only do so much. The fact of the matter is, I'm stronger than all of you combined. If it comes to a point where I have to do something alone in order to keep you all safe, I will do it in a moment. With zero hesitation. Because that's what being an adventurer means.”

Laken sighed. “I still don't like it, but you're right. I can't deny that your story captured me. As Gryff said, I'll give it a chance. And, Iris, I'm sorry for snapping at you. This… isn't something we're used to.”

Iris nodded. “Understandable. I'm a laid-back person, guys. But we are doing this my way, if only until you guys learn the ropes. Come to me if you have issues, but I may tell you that you're wrong. And I'm not afraid to own up to my own mistakes and give me suggestions. So, again, sorry Kaira.”

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The elf gave her a nod. “I put you in a tough spot. I understand the reason for what you did. I will not hold it against you. You’re the team, no sorry. The party leader.”

The [Medic] looked down at her plate. “My injured will always come first,” the sun elf said. “But I will defer to you on the rest. Food’s getting cold.”

Iris gave a final nod, watching as the others went back to their own meals. While it was unfortunate that she had to do it, she didn't regret laying it all out like that. It was something she wasn't good at the moment, and earlier after what Mocha had said, she'd been vulnerable to all of the guilt. She still owed her best friend a chat, but for now, the party came to an understanding.

When the last of the food was devoured and their plates cleared, the atmosphere in the room maintained its serious tone. Gryff reached into his bag and pulled out the stack of documents he and Laken had discovered at the bandit camp. With a nod from Laken, he spread the papers out across the table, their faces reflecting the determination and focus that now settled over the group.

Laken and Gryff detailed where they found each document, answering questions that Iris and Kaira had.

“Alright, let's see if we can find anything,” Iris said as she picked up a random scroll.

The group leaned in, their eyes scanning the documents for any clue that might shed light on the Marauder Prince's plans or whereabouts.

Laken traced a finger along the parchment of a map he spread out, his brow furrowed in concentration. “This map seems to detail their routes and meeting points in the local area," he mused aloud, pointing to the various markings on the map. “But there's no indication of where they might be headed next.”

Iris held up the letter in her hand, skimming through its contents. “This one talks about a delivery of weapons and supplies, but it doesn't say where they're going or who they're for.” She sighed and looked around the table. “It's like they're intentionally keeping things vague to throw us off.”

Kaira leaned in, her eyes narrowed as she inspected another document. “They're definitely being cautious, but there must be something here that can help us. We just need to find it,” she said with determination, her gaze turning to meet Iris’s.

The adventurer nodded in agreement. “I'm sure we've each faced tougher challenges before, and we'll figure this one out too,” she said with a reassuring smile.

Gryff let out a hesitant laugh and scratched his head. “Speak for yourself, Iris. I haven't done anything like any of this. This is all new to me.”

Laken grinned. “Let's not forget that time when we had to sneak into that fancy party and recover that stolen painting.”

Bree nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and Gryff had to distract the noble’s guards with his terrible dance moves!”

Gryff gasped in mock offense. “Hey, I'll have you know that I have some pretty slick dance moves! Plus, you dance to Bree’s singing. It’s so difficult!”

“Hey!” the [Bard] cried out. “I can sing. It’s not difficult to dance to it, you just can’t dance! Not my fault you fell on your arse because you tripped over your own two feet.”

Iris chuckled at the playful banter of her companions. “Alright, alright. Let’s get back to the task at hand. I’m sure there’s something here that can give us a clue about the Marauder Prince and his plans.”

As they continued to sort through the documents, Iris couldn't help but feel hopeful that they all had stories like that about their party in the future.

As they continued to pore over the documents, their determination unwavering, Bree suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing as she examined one letter more closely. “Hold on a second,” she murmured, her brow furrowing in concentration. “There's a hidden code embedded within the text.”

As Bree deciphered the code, she found that it mentioned something about gathering and collecting certain items before transporting them to an important hideout. The group pondered what this could mean, exchanging theories and speculations.

They sat there for what seemed like hours. Finally, Iris leaned back, frustration filling her, and let out an exhale. “I don’t know what it means guys.”

Gryff scratched his beard. “Well, whatever it means, we'll need to dig deeper to find any solid leads. For now, let's rest up and prepare for tomorrow's investigation."

With their course of action decided, the group wrapped up their discussion and began to rise from the table, their minds already focused on the challenges that awaited them the following day. Bree led the way, guiding her friends to the rooms she had procured for them earlier in the day. The tired adventurers climbed the creaking wooden stairs, each one looking forward to a well-deserved rest after their long day of traveling and investigations.