"You know, Rhaine, you really should settle down and get married already."

Rhaine sighs, "Not this again, mother. You bring this up every time you come over."

"Yes, because I'm worried about your future," her mother says in a worried voice. "Look around, this hut you're living in is filled with nothing but books, and you hardly ever come by to visit your father and I."

Another sigh. "That's because I'm still in the middle of my studies, mom, you know that."

"And that's exactly what I'm saying is the problem, dear," comes the exasperated retort. "If you'd just forget about all that and find a nice man, your father and I would be able to rest easier, knowing that you're being taken care of. As it is, we're not even sure you get enough rest or food. And things these days have been strange. You know one of the traders disappeared on that road leading out of town, don't you?"

"As a matter of fact, mom, I do. And I've already talked to Lord Mourngrym and he's agreed to let me join the group that's going to go looking for him." Bracing herself for the reaction, Rhaine puts down her book.

A moment of silence passes, and then, "You what!?" Rhaine's mother explodes. "Are you insane? You've never done anything like this before! And what's going to happen if you get hurt, or worse!? You know, when your father hears about this he'll-"

"Mom, I'll be fine!" Rhaine declares, interrupting her mother's rant. "How do you think I convinced Lord Mourngrym in the first place? It wasn't easy, you know," she wags her finger as she recalls, "I practically had to blow-up the table he was sitting at, even after I had answered every question on magical theory his so-called advisors threw at me. I've already mastered both my magic missile and thunderwave spells, and I have a few more that I can cast that are a little more complicated. Which reminds me, I never did figure out how that word in the last line was supposed to be pronounced. I suppose I should take a look at that after dinner. Oh, and then there was that part in the middle that could've been a tie-in to another spell that I had thought I read about a couple of years ago..." Rhaine trails off, the argument forgotten in her mind as she tries to recall the book in question.

Exhausted, Rhaine's mother just slumps back into her chair, a mix of disbelief and worry on her face. She buries her face in her hands as she relents, "Okay, fine, I get it, your father and I...I, can't stop you from going. So just promise me that you'll be careful."

"Of course I will, mom, don't worry. I've been wanting to get out and around lately, anyway. All this knowledge isn't going to do me much good unless I can go and put it to use somewhere, and I think that this is it. Tell father that I'll buy you both something nice with the money I make from this job after I get back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pack, and then I still have more research to do before I get going in the morning." Rhaine gives her mother a hug, and then shoos her out the door before going back to her desk and pulling out a thick, musty tome. "Ok, so that pronunciation has to be in here somewhere..."