After what felt like days or maybe a lifetime of trees and tangled roots, Celeste finally spotted something on the horizon.
A village.
"There! Valeria, look!" she cried, pointing ahead with sudden, wide-eyed joy. "We made it!"
Valeria shielded her eyes, squinting at the clustered rooftops in the distance. "Finally," she muttered with a sigh. "I was starting to think that forest never ended."
Celeste nearly stumbled forward in her excitement. "We're out of the woods. Literally!"
"Well, out of the forest," Valeria said, half-smirking. "Can't promise we're out of danger."
Celeste was too busy to hear her, her nose had caught something far more pressing.
"…Wait." She stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"
Valeria frowned. "Smell what?"
"Bread. Freshly baked bread."
Her stomach growled like a beast answering its call.
Clutching her coin pouch with a desperate sort of optimism, Celeste gave it a quick shake. The pitiful clinking of a few silver coins echoed back.
"This has to be enough," she mumbled to herself. "It has to be. I'm not chewing bark again."
Without waiting, she broke into a run, bolting toward the village with a look in her eyes that could only be described as bread-lust.
"Celeste! Wait- ugh.. seriously?!" Valeria shouted, quickening her pace to catch up. "You're worse than a starving squirrel!"
But Celeste was locked in, nose first. She darted through the narrow dirt path between simple homes, scanning left and right, her eyes wide. Then she saw it: a modest bakery, the warm scent of flour and hearth pouring from its open windows. Loaves lined the display like treasures on a royal shelf.
She didn't even stop to admire.
"Excuse me!" she blurted, slamming her palms on the counter like someone ready to auction off her soul. "One loaf of bread, please!"
The baker didn't look up. "Five silvers."
Celeste froze. "F-five?"
She opened her pouch and stared into the void. Three coins. That was it. Three little coins.
Her heart sank.
"I… I only have three…"
The baker barely shrugged. "Then you don't have bread. Move along."
It hit her harder than it should have. The final, crushing blow after days of cold, hunger, and uncertainty. She turned away slowly, as if even that act took more energy than she had left.
Valeria arrived just in time to see her slump like a wet cloak.
"You okay?" she asked, voice firm but not unkind.
"I'm so… hungry…" Celeste groaned as her stomach let out a dramatic wail of agreement.
Then, a voice. Small. Nervous.
"Um… miss?"
Celeste looked up, blinking at the boy standing in front of her. Maybe twelve, maybe younger. A woven basket hung from his arms, half-filled with old bread.
"You can have one of mine," he said, holding out a breadstick. "It's not much… and it's not hot anymore… but it's better than nothing."
Celeste stared at him, stunned by the gesture.
"Y-you're sure?" she asked. "Really?"
He nodded shyly. "My grandpa says it's good to help when you can. What comes around goes around."
Celeste took the breadstick like it was a sacred relic. "Thank you. Honestly. I mean it. You're a good kid."
"No need to repay me," the boy said, scratching the back of his head. "Just… maybe pay it forward someday?"
He turned to leave, but Celeste called after him.
"Wait! What's your name?"
The boy stopped, blinking. "My name? Uh… it's Noir."
"Noir…" Celeste echoed, testing the name on her tongue. She smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. "I'll remember it. Thank you, Noir."
Noir hesitated, glancing between the two girls. "What about you? What's your name?"
"I'm Celeste, and that grump behind me is Valeria. We're adventurers."
"Adventurers? Whoa." His eyes lit up. "I've never met one before. I've always wondered what the world outside the village is like."
Valeria finally stepped forward, crossing her arms. "Then maybe someday, you should find out for yourself."
He looked at her, uncertain.
"It's not something you're born into," she continued. "Adventure's a choice. If the call comes… don't ignore it."
Noir smiled, a little fire sparking behind his eyes. "I'll remember that."
He turned to leave again, pausing just once to glance over his shoulder.
"Thanks again… Miss Celeste. Miss Valeria. Maybe we'll meet again. Under a new dawn."
Then he disappeared into the crowd, basket swaying at his side.
Celeste stared after him for a moment, still holding the half-stale breadstick. "That kid's going to go far."
Valeria smirked. "Yeah. Assuming he doesn't give away all his food to starving strangers."
Celeste took a bite and groaned happily. "Still warm. Barely. But warm."
With their spirits lifted and stomachs slightly less empty, they made their way deeper into the village, eyes peeled for a tavern, a job board, anything that might put some coin back in their hands.
Because kindness was beautiful, but commissions paid better.
[—To Be Continued—]