Oh my god, why was that so expensive?

Hey, your believers just need to go in to pray, it’s fine. The rest is completely necessary storage space.

God, so much. Pretty much all of the money I’m going to be making while in Anailia is going towards books. I need to grab as many as I can on materials, enchanting, crafting techniques, alchemic theory, pretty much all I can find on both the standard magics as well as both specialized and combined magics. Oh, and any book on skills I can get my hands on.

I can’t do that, what if someone borrows a book when I need it?

Myriad could only groan at his apostle's stubbornness.

It’s on the to-do list. Maybe when I eventually take fractured mind user for some easy job experience. Until then my reading speed is already pretty intense with my many minds.

With the land bought for the church and a construction team now contracted for actually creating the designs he’d made for it, he’d just managed to spend more wealth than he’d ever expected to considering he wasn’t taken in by any nation, but he still had plenty left despite that, with more accumulating thanks to the work of the various enchanters throughout the world that shared his god.

With money not an issue and his promise to his god on its way to being complete by the time he got back he couldn’t help but feel he was in a good place for his rapidly approaching quest.

“Bad day at the clinic?” Ben asked as he got home for the day, finding Thera faced down on the couch, seeming to be completely drained of energy.

In the weeks since she started she’d been devoting about half of each day to helping out, the owner being agreeable about it since they were short-staffed overall and the fact he was already acquainted with Thera, having let her help out with some cleaning in the past.

She’d been rather committed to properly splitting her time between that in the morning with her afternoons being devoted to her earth magic, but it looked like all of that had started to catch up with her.

“Everyone in town sucks,” She moaned, tired of the people she’d been dealing with in her day-to-day life at the clinic. “I just want to start our quest already.”

“It’s only a few days away. For now, why not tell me what happened this time?”

“A kid broke his arm and when I went to treat it he started crying his eyes out. I guess unlike the adults I’ve dealt with, kids aren’t so willing to trust when the other healers say it will be fine.”

“Oof, yeah that’s rough. Try thinking of it this way though, it’s only a few more days till we leave, hopefully by the time we’re back the clinic will be fully staffed again.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not stuck seeing the looks people give me when I go to treat them. People don’t like placing their trust in amulets.”

Even if the town had grown to accept Thera to a much greater extent than in the past, there was still enough lingering fear to shy from her touch it seemed and Ben could only imagine how emotionally draining dealing with that for a few hours a day could be.

He sat down beside her and rubbed her head, trying to be reassuring as he did. “You’re right, that does suck. Here, what do you want for dinner, I’ll make you something nice to cheer you up, okay?”

“Mmh, how about something new?” She asked, peeking out from where she laid with an upturned glance.

“Something new huh? That should be doable. Come on, I’ll need some ingredients so let's go shopping.”

The promise of something tasty brought back her spirits and she got up to go at his request, making their way to the town's butcher as Ben tried to raise her mood. They’d managed to use up all of the meat Ben gathered during their demon hunt a while ago, and they both agreed they typically preferred getting it from in town when they could, the flavour that came with whatever beast they might find could be rather hit or miss.

“Ah Ben, how’d you like the roast galvoc you got last week,” The butcher, a large muscular lizard man, called out as they entered.

“It was great!” He responded with as much cheer in return. “I was hoping you might have something that matches the flavour I’m looking for. Something salty and a fair bit of fat if you have it, and I’d get it diced.”

“I think I have just the thing, making something fancy?”

“That’s the goal, I’ll bring the recipe by next time I need something if it works out.”

“Sounds good, the kids loved the last one you gave me.”

They chatted a while longer while he prepared the meat before Ben paid and they parted ways.

“I have no clue how you manage that so well,” Thera sighed as they left.

“Hmm? Managed what?”

“People.”

“He gets his knives sharpened at the shop is all. The longer you do some work at the clinic the more others will get used to you. You’re fine with Onk at the guild, right? Plus you and Sachel seem to be spending more time together.”

“Onk’s been fine from the beginning, it’s different. And Sachel is just trying to make up for the past.”

It was obvious that he wasn’t doing a good job convincing her, but even if he thought she’d feel a bit better after some rest he kept trying and took her hand. “Well you’ve got me, so if there’s anything I can do let me know. I don’t like seeing my best friend sad.”

“I’m your best friend?” She asked, perking up.

“Yeah, obviously.”

“Like, behind Will and Steph?”

“Neither of them were even my best friend on Earth. They’re good friends, but I think the person I spend every day with is going to take the spot over people I’m only exchanging letters with about once a month. The next one on the planet is probably Myriad. Although he’s not really on the planet, is he?” He thought aloud, getting a small chuckle from her.

“Well thanks, even if you are embarrassingly open about your feelings.”

“It’s part of my appeal, if I don’t let people know I care then I might regret it later.”

“And dinner is served! Eat it while it’s hot!”

“What did you say this was called?” She asked with hesitation as she saw the lump-filled sauce in front of her.

“Gnocchi cacio e pepe, lovingly made without a single ingredient that it should be in a dish that would already make an italian want to stab me.”

She didn’t know what she’d been expecting when she’d asked for something new, but it hadn’t been this, and with a bit of hesitation she scooped some up and took a bite as her eyes lit up and she immediately went for another.

“It’s good!”

“Of course it is, everything I make tastes good,” He told her confidently, hiding the fact that he’d been worried about whether or not it would come together the way it was supposed to and feeling relieved it had worked out.

Making a note, next time Thera wants a surprise cheer-up meal, pick something easier.

After food, they spent some time playing a few games before going to sleep. Sonya was stuck late at work so it had been just the two of them, leaving Thera on a winning streak without any real competition.

“Alright, I’ll make it hearts and it looks like I win!”

“Good game, but if your last card is an eight and there’s nobody else playing you don’t need to make it anything.”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense.”

As he stared at her smiling face he couldn’t help but be pleased to have brightened her mood, even as he began to come to a realisation the longer he looked at her. Gently cupping her face in his hands and surprising her as he did, he stared intently at her as he spoke. “I really have put this off a bit longer than I should have, haven’t I?”

“Um, Ben? What are you talking about?” She asked, face growing golden as he got closer.

“I really need to give you that haircut.”