As the trio left the storefront, they turned toward the residential district of the city. An uneducated observer would likely point out how little sense it makes to have Adventuring Corps dorms so far from headquarters. The uneducated observer would be absolutely right. However, it would have to be noted, outside of Graezhold, graezen society was much more interwoven with magics. Typically districts would be connected with a convenient web of teleportation circles, allowing planners to ignore walkability in favor of organization. The many species of Graezhold did not enjoy this convenience and corrected the oversight in a less elegant fashion.

Thus, the cobbled street the three stepped onto was not in the proper commercial district to the south, but instead the unofficial central district, a hodgepodge of repurposed buildings turned into a far more walkable area for those within it. Though many members of the Corps had complained ceaselessly about the situation, the Adventuring Corps was ultimately overseen by graezen authorities and conformed to the prescribed districting, leaving Corps members trekking back and forth.

The long walk didn't concern Vera sitting atop the large Titon. She amused herself with watching Riley go through the same cycle she had, running to catch up, walking, and inevitably having to run again. After finally asking her bearer to slow for the smaller rogue, she watched the buildings go by with a hint of disappointment furrowing her brow. Her poetic side had hoped her raised vantage would radically change how she viewed the city she'd spent a year in, possibly even reinspiring her. All she got was a newfound understanding of the levels of grime above the eaves of the many shops. She shifted her gaze to the people passing by below, her eyes having mostly recovered, much to Riley's befuddlement.

The rogue had assumed a draconic appearance with red scales covering her face, which made most among the crowd part without her having to follow in Titon's wake. Her shapeshifting companion was certain a complete lack of immunity should have left Vera in a sorry state for longer. Granted, the demoness still had less than ideal control of her rebellious limbs, but that only made sense considering Riley primarily used inhibiting spines to train her dexterity. Even the fact Vera had been able to get off the canvas of the hammock, no matter the missteps, surprised her.

Vera locked her ankles around Titon's neck, a feat only barely possible when considering the big man's preference to continue breathing. Releasing her grip on his forehead, the demoness let herself fall backward to hang upside down. Her mostly black hair fell to cover her horns, and a passerby may have mistaken her for human; if they assumed her grey skin was instead from a deathly illness that is. She was nearly eye-level with the draconic rogue, only coming down to the center of her ride's back. The giant of a man panicked, patting at her legs to reassure himself she was still there.

"A little warning next time would be nice," he said as he continued forward.

"My bad," the demoness called back through a smile. She dropped her arms alongside her hair, teasing the strands for a moment before speaking to the shapeshifter keeping pace.

"You never actually told me how much that inhibiting spine cost."

"You really don't need to worry about it, just please don't tell Fern," she said meeting Vera's gaze with pleading eyes for the latter half.

"If I'm going to be developing a costly habit," the demoness began, not entirely eased of the notion it would turn out to be an addiction. "I deserve to know what I'll be getting into."

The rogue didn't respond, pretending to be too focused on avoiding the crowd despite them still giving her a decent berth. Eventually she made the mistake of meeting the demoness's gaze again, and her willful ignorance broke.

"Fine, that spine set me back a Scepter and a few Swords," she said, immediately trying to follow up with reassurance. Titon spun to glance at the rogue when he heard the sum, briefly forgetting the suspended demon on his back. Vera could understand her need to reassure. Many would never handle a denomination of Spine above a copper Broom, and Vera had wasted more than a golden Scepter.

"At least it worked," the demon said mostly to herself, interrupting the rogue's insisting that she could request extra deployments to make it up. "If I'd died, then it really would've been wasted."

"Well, it did work in a general sense, sure." The shapeshifter's demeanor was leagues from the thief Vera had first met in the administrative building, oddly demure in contrast to her imposing draconic figure. "But it was specified for a rogue like me. It focused on your senses and ability to move quick while quiet." She mimed tiptoeing while she spoke before gesturing to the upside-down demoness. "You're a mage. Ideally, the spine would've targeted your magics and your Sight." She paused and shrugged apologetically. "And the other stuff mage's care about."

"Does anyone wanna fill me in on what these spines are y'all are talking about?" Titon asked without spinning around again, much to Vera relief.

"Sorry, bud. I think this might be confidential stuff," she called back.

"Yes, I'm sorry. We probably shouldn't be discussing it at all here in public," said the shapeshifter, visibly glad the demon didn't choose to share.

The three of them continued without speaking for a few minutes, the silence only broken by Vera's annoyed grunts as she attempted to sit upright.

"Have y'all seen any good shows recently?" asked Titon, breaking the brief lull as Riley moved to help the flailing demoness.

"Like in a theatre?" Vera asked mid-flail.

"I guess I'd also accept a puppet show, but yes, I meant in a theatre."

"I don't usually go to the theatre unless I'm dragged there," Vera answered as she got a grip on the man's forehead.

"Aw, but why not?" asked the rogue beneath her.

"I saw an amazing performance of 'Three Goblin King' the other day," Titon said nostalgically.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"No way," Riley said excitedly, morphing into a stout goblin the next moment. "I was 'Goblin #2' in that." He tried to walk ahead of the larger man, but the crowd no longer split for his more diminutive form and he was forced to continue speaking from behind.

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

By the time they reached the dorms associated with the Corps, Titon had pointed out all the inconsistencies between the recent theatrical interpretation and the beloved children's story he had known growing up. Interspersed throughout his analysis were jabs Riley made at the theatrical guild restricting immersion by mandating non-shapeshifter quotas for shows. They'd actually walked past the building the first time since neither Vera nor Titon had been there, and the rogue was focused on the gorgon that had ruined a show with her "rowdy hair."

"It doesn't exactly seem welcoming," Titon summarized as they looked up at the barren grey facade broken only by an unornamented glass door.

"It's certainly austere," Vera agreed.

"Welcome to my home away from home," Riley said with a flourish of his hand now that he'd returned to the objective at hand.

"Where's home home then?" Vera asked turning to the small rogue.

"Still here," he answered with a sigh, moving for the glass door. "I just wanted to make it sound a little less dreary."

It didn't help. The building's interior was no warmer, and Vera contemplated whether risking a kidnapping at her old apartment would be preferrable. The facilities administrator barely glanced at the papers she provided before assigning her a room and informing her she'd already have a roommate.

"We don't have to stay here the whole time we're in the Corps, right?" she asked Riley as they made their way up a few floors to her room.

"No, of course not," he said with fake cheer. "Though with most of your money going to inhibiting spines, good luck affording rent before you retire."

"I didn't think people usually retired from the Corps," said Titon from behind them.

"Yep."

"Oh, that's unfortunate."

"Couldn't you just progress slower?" Vera asked. "Couldn't you spend less on the spines and have enough for rent?"

"Deployments will stop coming your way pretty quickly if you do that," he answered with a shrug. "At least, that's what I've heard. I never bothered to test the rumor because I never wanted to stop using spines."

"You want to use them so bad you can't afford proper housing?" Titon asked leadingly. "That really sounds like an addiction."

"See!" Vera groaned.

"It can't be an addiction if I only feel good once they're deactivated," the shapeshifter said dismissively. "Besides, this housing is more than proper, just a little soulless as well."

"I'm not sure that's how addictions are defined," said the larger man skeptically.

"What do you mean 'deactivated'?" Vera asked. She had been walking on her own since they'd entered the building and she'd only needed Titon's assistance two times, though one of them had been on a flight of stairs. "Could we have just turned it off this whole time?"

"They're only deactivated when outside of the city, or in those training circles back at headquarters," Riley reassured as the trio crested the final flight of stairs and began down Vera's hall. "Your suffering was entirely necessary."

"If y'all are gonna talk about them around me this much," Titon began, "You might as well tell me what these spines are."

"Hmm, yeah. I keep forgetting you're a civilian. Are you sure you don't want to join up as a brawler?" Riley turned to walk backwards as he asked and nearly ran into the small woman coming out of the room for which they were headed.

She had the facial features of an elf, but the short stature of a dwarf. She certainly had the reflexes of the former as she sidestepped the careless changeling without missing a step. The only indication she'd ever planned a different path was her grabbing the knit cap on her head to ensure it didn't fall off. She brushed past the three of them and only paused a moment to take in Titon's towering figure before continuing toward the staircase.

"I guess that was your roommate," Riley said as she disappeared. "Seems nice."

"Would've been nice to get her name," Vera said as she moved to unlock the door the woman had just shut behind her. She marveled as she put a finger up to the rune lock beneath the handle and felt the rune draw out a tiny wisp of the magics within her. Tuning a rune to her for a simple door lock was wastefully technical.

"You'll have time later..." the rogue responded, trailing off as the door opened to a world of pink. The doorframe obscured the right side of the room from the hallway, leaving various shades of pink to dominate their view. Riley and Vera both stood in the doorframe, overwhelmed by the burst of color after the monotonous exterior and hallway. Their momentary hesitation was interrupted by Titon leaning forward to look in.

"I guess you know her favorite color."

Vera nodded as she crossed the threshold. Inside, a crisp demarcation ended the world of pink. Past the midpoint of the room, the pervasive grey of the rest of the building reclaimed the space. Vera crossed to what she assumed was her side of the room, sitting on the unmade bed, with only the money with which she'd left her apartment.

"I'm going to need a new kettle," she said, glancing again around the room as her companions joined her in the room. Her new roommate's side, though blindly pink, was rather sparse in terms of actual items. The only furniture beside the beds were chests that could be slid underneath for storage.

"Can't you just get the kettle you had at your old place?" Titon asked. "You're landlady should give you time to get out, even if Vladik is demanding money."

Vera looked up at the man, surprised he hadn't heard, or more accurately she hadn't told him.

"My problem isn't my landlady. Going back risks Vladik trying to magically enslave me again. Tea isn't worth all that, at least not the way I'm making it."

"Oh," he said, wheels turning for a moment. "Are you what ruined his day then?" He asked the question with a glint in his eye that anyone unfamiliar with his pure soul would mistake for malicious glee."

"You could say that, but no."

"I can understand not opening with that particular aspect of your life," Riley groaned, rubbing his temples. "But as someone facing certain mutilation by Fern's hands if anything happens to you, I'd really appreciate if you mentioned things like that sooner."

"Sorry, I guess I didn't think it would matter simply walking through the city. Actually, I haven't thought much about it at all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Titon asked as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Honestly? No, not at all. My sanity has only remained cobbled together for this long because I've been running from one thing to the next." The muscles of her face involuntarily tugged the corners of her mouth down and Vera had to work her jaw so the frown wouldn't cascade into sobs.

"You're trying to keep yourself busy then. We can work with that," said Riley as she shifted to an elvish woman's visage, and sat on the bed next to the demoness. "If you're looking to throw yourself into Corps work, we should probably go find your training officer."

"No, I want to talk to my parents." Vera knew her mother wouldn't be able to deal with the loan shark for her, but her support would be a balm even if it came with judgement. "I couldn't leave the city before because of the investigators, but that shouldn't be an issue now that I'm in the Corps, right?"

"It technically depends on why you were being investigated," the shapeshifter said slowly. "Though membership in the Adventuring Corps does seem to cleanse most sins."

"I don't know if this matters," Titon began as he took a cross-legged position on the floor. "But your parents probably already know your situation."

The other two stared back with puzzled looks until he continued.

"Before he fired me, Vladik was discussing going to 'have a talk' with your parents about your 'troublesome situation.'"

Now shock covered the other two's faces while embarrassment rapidly overtook the large man's.

"In my defense," he said holding a finger up without confidence, "That sounded way more innocuous before I knew everything else."