"Come on Mess, you're telling me you've never once wanted to find out who your parents are?" Itri's voice echoed in the long passageway, seeming to leap out at us multiple times.
I shook my head with a bemused smile. "Genuinely, nope. It doesn't make any difference to me, so I couldn't care less."
I'd continued to walk, but Itri had stopped in his tracks, his face aghast. "I really don't understand you."
"Well aware." I chuckled.
Tem was silent, and had a thoughtful expression on his face. Now that I looked closer, it was a sad thoughtful expression. I'd have thought that it was in response to the room we were walking through - long, filled with countless cells that held the skeletons of Coursers - but Tem barely seemed to even notice the contents of the room. He scowled slightly when he spotted me watching him, and then schooled his face into a blank expression.
I sighed, and wondered whether Tem wanted to know who our parents are. I'd never considered it before, and before I could think about it for too long now, Itri's voice broke into my thoughts.
"Well I know that at least one of my parents was a great fighter, strong and fierce, if not both of them."
"Mmm hmmm." I grunted as I rolled my eyes. This would be the fourth time hearing Itri's speculation about his parents. The compass that lay around his neck supposedly pointed in the direction of his father, and he checked it every few minutes even though there was only one way through this chamber. Tem and I had agreed to guide him through the dungeon, and while Itri was a little annoying, he was also very endearing when he wanted to be.
We reached the end of the row of cells, and the exit loomed before us, an inky darkness deeper than anything else we'd seen down here hiding anything that lay ahead.
"Here we go." I murmured under my breath as I stepped forwards into the gloom.

- Rocco -

Tonight was a busy night, and I barely had a second to think in the midst of serving drink after drink, making sure everyone was okay, and keeping an eye on Cosmo. I handed out the next glass of cider and realised there was nobody standing at the counter. I heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back against the sturdy wooden shelves behind me. A minute of peace. My mind turned to Mess, as it often did since she'd decided to go down into the Dungeons. I know she's capable, and she has Tem with her, though what use that boy would be I don't know. But still, I worry. And would it kill her to send a message every now and again? To let me know she's safe? My blood started to boil, and maybe it was a good thing that right then was the moment that someone stepped up to the counter. I shook my head, trying to shake away the anger, and smiled up at the stranger. "What can I get for you?