Here's a portrait of my mother, Danielle. She taught me everything she knew. I have yet to find a practical use for cow tipping, but at least she died doing what she loved.

-Basen Koh, unprompted

Reid sat at the kitchen counter in his shared living space, looking at figures he'd written. His magic ledger was remarkable, but he needed to work through ideas himself. The ledger could give him simple calculations like the total amount owed or break down bills in whatever way he could imagine, but it was hard to grasp a cohesive understanding while just looking at the end result of what he guessed he wanted from his ability. So, instead of using magic, he wrote things down the old fashioned way.

First things first, how do we stay above water? How much do we need to sell?

That was somewhat straightforward. Reid pulled up the ongoing, recurring expenses from his ledger and added them up.

Ten gold a month rent. Let's figure another three gold per month in miscellaneous fees. That should get us pretty close. Monthly wages...two gold per month for me. Wow, that's more than I really realized. What am I going to do with all this money? I guess I could use it to buy magic items at the shop where I work...

Kris is...sixty silver per month, but he's going to be working more. Not sure how to factor that in, but let's assume we pay him out of the Immaculate Collection's coffers at the same rate he's paid now. Four weeks, roughly times two point five, assuming he works five days instead of two, times fifteen silver. One gold, fifty silver. I don't like that he's making less than me. He has kids!

He wrote and underlined thirteen gold for rent and three gold fifty silver for wages. He'd figured the loan interest yesterday and added that to the list since, at the very least, they'd need to stay on top of that to not fall further behind—one gold and seventy-five silver with wiggle room, plus ten silver for the society membership Basen had mentioned.

All told, he needed the shop to sell at least eighteen gold and thirty-five silver worth of magic items per month to break even on bills but not pay down debt. Reid knew that was possible. Basen had a huge existing inventory, and Reid himself sold far more than that in just three days with Mr. Foursprout.

That reminded him—Basen had never mentioned how much he paid for his stall in the market square. He'd need to factor that in since it would probably be the best spot to sell things.

Preoccupied with his thinking, he didn't notice the person hovering over his shoulder until her voice made him jump.

"Whatcha doing?"

He jerked in surprise, launching his pencil over the counter and nearly knocking his stool over.

Leah laughed and scooped up his pencil from the other side of the counter. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Reid steadied himself and sighed. "It's alright. I was just really focused. I'm trying to figure out how to keep the shop in business."

"Not doing well?"

"It's probably less that it's not doing well and more that Basen borrowed a bunch of money and hasn't been paying his bills. Honestly, it might be easiest if he just covered some of this with his emergency money and let us start fresh. We could pay him back without interest..."

"Should I just go? You seem pretty into what you're doing there. Is that math? Eww."

"No, no. I need to take a break anyway. I've already approached the problem from a few angles. Why 'eww?' Math is great!"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Reid shrugged. He didn't need everyone else to like math to appreciate it himself.

"So other than that, what are you up to today?" she asked.

"The shop is in decent shape now, so I was going to head over to the merchant's guild. Hopefully, Kenagavis is there, and he can give me some advice. I need to figure out how to get people into the shop. I don't know what avenues I have for advertising. Seems like the merchant's guild would be the best place to find out. What about you?"

Leah grabbed some bread from the communal box in the kitchen and smeared some nut spread onto it. She evened out the spread while she answered. "I've got a notice today! My first one as a full guild member. There's a group of us heading to clear out a monster nest near the forest northwest of the city. It's just a pack of lesser monsters, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Reid knew enough to know that monster ranks roughly matched up with mage ranks. The only monsters they had near Glarrus were bog lurkers, which weren't even monsters from a technical perspective since they didn't have any magic. They were smarter than most lesser monsters, though. Leah would be fine.

"Sounds like it should be interesting. You'll be back tomorrow? The arena match is the day after that, right? Wednesday?"

He waited patiently as she answered between chews. "Yep! I wouldn't miss it. You better not plan on working!"

"I won't! Basen probably wouldn't let me anyway. Do you have any details about the match? I'd like to do some research so I know what to expect."

Leah smiled at him and shook her head. "You are so cute when you're trying to over prepare."

Reid blushed, and Leah laughed at his reaction.

"It's a match between two Greater Mages. There's a water mage from the Royal Legion. I think his name is Arvind."

The name shocked Reid, but he reminded himself that New Avennia was a vast city. It was probably a different Arvind than the man who'd escorted him from Glarrus.

"You've heard of him?" Leah asked, noting his expression.

"Probably not. I traveled to the city with an Arvind. It's probably not him, though. He was assigned a job unlocking potential in my tiny out of the way border town. Doesn't sound like the kind of work an important Greater Mage would be stuck doing."

Leah nodded and finished her breakfast. "Probably not. The other contestant is...well. Remember yesterday, how I started...well, crying?"

Reid wasn't likely to forget, but he played it cool.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

She pretended to punch his arm.

"Funny. The other greater mage is the leader of the Black Dragon Mercenaries."

Reid nodded. "I assume they're related?"

"Yep. Their leader is his son. It's fine, really. By all accounts, his father was terrible to him, and he hated the man. He's been nothing but a force of good since even before his father was finally brought to justice."

Reid sensed a "but" coming. When Leah didn't continue, he gently coaxed it out of her.

"But..."

She sighed. "But he uses the same general abilities as his father. I don't think he has his father's item since his father was a True Mage. I assume Basen has it, honestly. I'm just not sure how it's going to hit me, you know?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Are you sure you want to go? It's alright if you don't. I can have Basen donate the tickets like he mentioned."

Leah shook her head firmly. "No. I'll be alright. I want to go."

"Well, if you change your mind or need my support, I'll be right there with you."

Leah gave him a genuine, warm smile that melted his heart.

"Thanks, Reid. You're a really thoughtful person." She glanced at a clock on the wall in the living area, and her smile fell. "Damn, I need to get going. If I don't see you tonight, let's plan on meeting tomorrow night to figure out when we're heading to the arena."

"Sure. Good luck out there!"

Leah departed, and Reid looked back down at his notes. He'd meant to really just take a break, but he found he didn't have much interest in the numbers after his conversation. What he needed was some breakfast and some advice.

Half an hour later, he was enjoying both.

It was a slow morning in Veris's tea shop, and to his delight, the proprietor herself sat down across from him at a table. She'd drawn the glass wall closed today, so the shop's interior was protected from the light rain that fell over the city. The shop was cozy with the wall in place. It felt smaller, but there was a warmth inside that was more than just the temperature of the air.

"It sounds like she's really trusting you. It's so precious, I could just die," Veris said, delighting in his embarrassment.

Reid had never had anything remotely close to a romantic interest. Glarrus just didn't have that many people. His class was four boys who were years apart because they were the only kids their age in the village. There were a few younger girls and some older women, but they'd been too far from Reid to ever be anything other than acquaintances. Leah was different, but she was also one of the first people he'd connected with in the city. He didn't want to make an idiot of himself or do something to ruin a valuable friendship.

So here he found himself, asking Veris for advice. She'd taken a liking to him immediately, and she seemed to know what she was talking about, be that tea, pastries, relationships, or anything else.

"Yeah. I just don't want to be an idiot."

"I think you two are doing fine. There's no need to rush into anything or put labels on things. You're young. You're both going through big changes. You said she's a friend, right?"

"Yeah. My best friend in the city, I suppose."

"Well, there you go. Friends support each other. If you both decide you want something more, you can cross that bridge. If you want my advice, I would say give it a month or two. Really establish yourself here, and allow her to do the same with her guild. If you feel the same way then? Well, you'll both be past the point where you feel like you're rushing into things."

Reid stirred his tea while he digested her advice. Veris just smiled to herself and picked up her small cup of tea.

"Am I ever going to stop feeling like I'm rushing into things? I've been in the city for a little over a week, and I'm already trying to help Basen save his shop."

Veris set down her tea and dusted off her apron. "You did walk into the serpent's nest on that one. Basen will keep you guessing."

"That's your fault!"

"Give that a month, too. Complain to me after that."

"No, no. I shouldn't complain to you. I still need to figure out how to thank you."

"There's no reason for that! Basen came in and actually paid his entire bill yesterday. I didn't think I'd see the day, but I'm guessing you had something to do with it."

"Really? Basen seemed pretty excited to have a reason to see you. Are you two...?"

"Me and Basen?" Veris laughed. "I will admit he has a certain charm. I like someone who's not afraid to just live life. But he's a man who might never be able to really love anyone again."

"Really? Did something happen?"

Veris straightened her tea cup and smoothed the tablecloth, pulling her thoughts together.

"I've known Basen for a long, long time. I may not look it, but he's only a half dozen years older than me."

That was legitimately shocking. Basen looked healthy, but he looked old, too. Veris had greying hair and permanent creases that came from a lifetime of smiling, but he would have guessed she was twenty years younger than Basen.

"That I don't believe."

Veris clapped in appreciation. "Those kinds of compliments will get you discounts. Keep them coming, Reid. But it's true. I've known Basen since I was a little younger than you. What Basen went through isn't really my place to tell, but it was hard for him. He loved and lost in a way that would crush any man. It crushed him. He picked up the pieces of his broken life and became one of the most powerful people in Avennia. I think some of that drive was so he didn't have to think about what he'd lost."

Reid knew nothing about loss. His grandparents had all died either before he was born or when he was young, but other than that, he'd never lost someone close to him. He still wanted to know what happened but decided not to press. Veris stared at her teacup, lost in memory. She looked a little sad. The sound of the door opening and the pattering of falling rain pulled her out of her reminiscence.

"I'm sorry," Reid said. "My curiosity is going to get me into trouble. I didn't mean to bring up tough memories."

"Oh, I started it. Anyway, I should get back to work. I hope you bring Leah by again. I'll be sure to say some extra nice things about you," she said with a wink. She stood up and collected her cup. "Take care, Reid."

"Thanks, Veris."

She went back behind the counter and began talking to the new customer. Reid thought he would take her advice. Leah was his friend, and he thought that would be enough while he figured out all the problems with the shop.

Reid finished his breakfast and left the tea shop, estimating the Royal Merchant's Guild would be open when he arrived. He didn't know when they opened, but he thought a guild serving merchants should open pretty early.

His thoughts proved correct, and he was fortunate enough to spot the orkenna, Kenagavis, behind the desk. The orkenna wore a brown suit coat over an off white undershirt. The coloring brought out some of the brown flecks in the otherwise green scales on his head.

"Reid, it's a pleasure to see you again. I saw that your contract with Mr. Foursprout was completed with high marks from the contractor. Well done."

"Thanks, Kenagavis."

The clerk nodded and sat up a little straighter. "Now, can I assist you with something this morning?"

"A few things, actually. What do I need to join, again? I just recently started working with a merchant."

"Really? You certainly don't waste any time. Might I ask who you're working for?"

"Basen Koh, at the Immaculate Collection."

"That is wonderful to hear."

Reid had to hand it to the orkenna. He'd never had someone sound so sincere while looking so insincere. His brow furrowed, and his mouth looked like it was trying to determine whether he was going to burst into tears or begin vommiting.

"He's not that bad," Reid said, seeing the truth.

Kenagavis flushed a little. The color came out in his cheeks, but not the scales on his head.

"Pardon me, Reid. I shouldn't judge. Basen Koh is a respected member of society. I've heard business dealings with him have been...problematic."

Reid nodded. "Yeah, he really doesn't know what he's doing. I'm going to help him though."

The orkenna smiled at him and nodded. "Right you are. I confess I am curious how you convinced him to bring you on, but that's between you and your employer. For now, let me get back to your question. All you need to do to join is have your permanent residence pass and be employed in the merchant's trade. Working at the Immaculate Collection will satisfy the second condition. Have you had an opportunity to update your visitor's pass?"

Reid had forgotten all about the magic paper. It was floating around in the bag he carried everywhere, but he hadn't needed it in a few days. He'd have to ask Basen to sponsor him to live in the city permanently.

"Ah, no. I forgot about it. Do you know how that works? If I get Basen to sponsor me, do I need to fill out anything or go to an office?"

"Generally, you'd need to ensure your sponsor has the requisite royal credit to sponsor a new resident. Your choice of sponsor is unique, so I don't know if there is anything else you'll need to do. I would ask him at your first opportunity, assuming you think he will be willing to sponsor you."

"Thanks, Kenagavis. Once I have that, I can join?"

"Indeed. You've already been set up with a temporary account with us, so once you return with your residence established, I can finish the processing and get you on our roles. I'll update your employer now."

Kenagavis wiped his hand over a stone tablet and started writing on it with a glowing quill.

"There you are. You had more questions?"

"I do. I'm trying to help Basen with his business, but I don't have much experience, either. I think the first thing we need is to get people in the door. Do you have any information about advertising in the city?"

Kenagavis rubbed his neck in thought. "I do, but most advice like that is reserved for guild members. I'm afraid I cannot tell you quite yet. I apologize for the bureaucracy, but advice and training are one of our largest selling points for membership."

"Ahh. I get it. I haven't had any issues with things being gated like that yet. Well, there's the boards, but I couldn't act on any of those anyway."

His eyes caught on the board in the back as he mentioned it, and a question popped into his head.

"Say, Kenagavis. Do requests for specific magic items ever come in on those boards?"

Kenagavis nodded. "Not those boards. There are boards upstairs in our member's only area. There is a much wider variety of notices available, and there are frequent requests from people who have clients searching for specific items. Essentially, if you fulfill the contract, the one who posted that contract will either buy the item directly, negotiating themselves, or they'll take a small finder's fee if you sell your item directly to their customer. There are more specific rules, but that's the basic format of those postings."

Another avenue to sell some items. Basen might not like this one, but it's worth watching.

"Again," Kenagavis continued. "Once you join the guild, I can explain in greater detail."

Reid nodded. There was no time to waste, then.

"Sure. I'll be back. Thanks, Kenagavis!"

Reid hurried out of the guild and headed back toward Basen's. He'd looked over Quinn's map and found a route between the Dusk Guild and the Immaculate Collection that was a little faster than going through the grand market. He still needed to dig into what he could gain from her map and make a copy for himself. Maybe Terrance could get him the paper he needed? Reid had way too much to do. It was hard to focus when his attention was pulled in every direction.

Maybe this is what Basen feels like?

Despite his wandering thoughts, he had a plan: get his permanent residence permit, join the merchant's guild, check the member's only postings, and finally, figure out how to get people into the Immaculate Collection.