Audentis Fortuna Iuvat

I found the place Reyna described with ease and climbed the steps, knocking on the yellow door. I heard shuffling and latin cursing through the wood until it was finally opened by a very familiar face.

"Kerri?" He asked with a frown.

"Mark!" I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him in delight, crumpling the envelope slightly. "Reyna told me you retired!"

He stepped back and gestured for me to come in. "I did, I only just moved here to start my apprenticeship."

"Apprenticeship?" I frowned.

"Yeah." He grinned giddily. "I'm studying to become a psychiatrist."

"Phsychiatrist..." I looked down at the letter in my hand. "She didn't..."

"Who didn't do what?" Mark asked, flopping down into an armchair.

"Reyna," I explained. "She gave me this letter to give to you, probably explaining that I'm messed up in the head and need fixing."

I threw the crumpled paper at him in disgust and collapsed on a sofa that sat in the rather cluttered living room, no doubt the cause of the cursing as Mark struggled to answer the door.

He opened the envelope and studied the letter intensely. "It says nothing here about fixing you." He said finally.

"What does it say then?" I asked and he crossed the room to hand me the letter, reading over my shoulder as I scanned the page.

'Mark,

Hopefully you're reading this because Kerri has finally returned to camp, we know that you've only recently begun your apprenticeship and believe us when we say we wouldn't draw you away from it unless our situation wasn't desperate.
We've had news from Mt Tam that there's strange activity occuring and we need it to be investigated. We fully intended to send Kerri and Octavian to do the job but as his presence seems to be damaging to Kerri we would appreciate it if you would accompany her instead as you work well with her and have the qualifications to take action if something goes wrong with her.
This mission would be fully investigatory if you wish to accept it and thus would not be considered a quest. Report to either one of us for a full briefing before you leave tomorrow morning.

Senatus Populusque Romanus,

Praetors Catherine and Reyna'

I put the letter down. "That was... unexpected."

Mark nodded. "So are you keen to go?"

I looked at him, baffled. "You would actually leave your apprenticeship for me?"

He grinned and tassled my copper hair. "Don't get such a big head, it's for the whole camp." He paused. "But of course mostly for you, you're like a very spirited, disobedient, reckless, brave, annoying-"

I smoothed my hair back down. "Your point?"

"Sister to me." He finished with a grin. "I'll just get my stuff and then we'll go and see the Praetors."

I nodded and watched him leave the room with a sigh of satisfaction, my curiosity satisfied and the familiar rush of anticipation beginning to seep into my veins.

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