[amanda784]

"You're such an optimist," said Piper with a laugh.

"You will be too," said Laura. "I can already tell I'm rubbing off on you. You've even started drinking chamomile tea like me!"

Piper thought of chamomile tea. How she longed for a cup of it now. Tea had a way of making you not feel hungry nor thirsty if only for a little while. It calmed her. She could really use that now. Instead, Piper pulled two granola bars out of her bag.

"There's no telling time in here so I suppose it could be dinner time," said Piper, handing a granola bar to Laura.

[amanda784]

The granola bar was no home cooked meal, but to Piper it tasted better than anything she had ever eaten before. She was so hungry, that it seemed to taste better than it usually would have. Piper quickly ate hers, while Laura took her time.

"I have beef jerky too," said Piper.

"Vegetarian," replied Laura.

"Really? I've known you for months and I'm just now learning you don't eat meat?" asked Piper.

"I work in the office and you're out in the field. Rarely do we get time to chat," said Laura, laughing.

"You know so much about me though," said Piper.

"I'm a researcher," replied Laura, "it's what I do."

[amanda784]

Maverick "Mav"

"Piper! Laura!" a voice called in the tunnel.

"Mav?" asked Piper, looking to Laura.

"Maverick!" Laura called back. "Where are you Maverick? How did you find us? These tunnels are impossible to navigate."

"I'm just inside the entrance!" Maverick shouted back.

"Don't you leave that spot!" Laura shouted back.

They followed the sound of Maverick's voice until they saw the wooden ladder leading out of the tunnels and into the cathedral.

"Oh, Mav!" shouted Piper climbing up the ladder. "I'm so happy to see you! What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't go to the tunnels?"

[amanda784]

"It's been days," said Mav. "Farley called me all types of worried."

"Days?" asked Laura. "It couldn't have been."

"Three," replied Mav. "You were supposed to check in every two."

"I planned to explore small sections of the tunnels at a time, but we were chased in and got lost," said Piper. "You won't believe what we found there! Laura, show Mav the pictures!"

Laura pulled out her camera and scrolled through the pictures, but all the pictures had gone dark. Some, showed Piper with a flashlight and tunnel walls, but none showed the other worlds they had seen.

"What?" said Laura, handing the camera to Piper. "All my photos got ruined!"

[amanda784]

Maverick laughed.

"None of your photos are ruined. You were just taking pictures of nothing. See there?" he pointed to a picture on the camera of little blue light glowing. "That light is from a Meji. I did some digging when you didn't check in. The tunnels are crawling with Meji, looking for the lost creature. I knew something was off the second I heard about Laura's research bringing up "other worlds". You know I don't believe in such things."

"It was so real. I smelled the Lilies!" said Laura.

"You thought you did," said Maverick. "Meji have different magical abilities, but most are tricksters and you have been tricked.

[amanda784]

The three spent the evening catching up and sharing Laura and Piper's adventure in a rented room near the cathedral.

"You know," said Maverick. "Farley was real worried about you two. He put a bounty on you and called up all the best hunters. Most refused the tunnels and I was already on my way the second he called me, but he really values you two."

"What bounty will you be collecting then?" asked Laura.

"My little apprentice here is safe," said Maverick, putting a hand on Piper's shoulder. "That's all I want. Besides, I heard the cathedral itself is good hunting. I still got a few tricks to teach Piper here and I plan on taking in whatever we catch. I'm thinking a 60/40 split since I had to save you two."

[amanda784]

"I will not be joining you on that adventure," said Laura. "In fact, I think I would be happy to never hunt again."

Maverick laughed. "That's good Laura. You're way to valuable as a researcher. It would be terrible to waste you to field work. Next time, I suggest you research what hunters are already in the area though."

"Don't think I didn't try!" said Laura. "Hunters only talk to other hunters. Most hunters don't even use a researcher. It's impossible to get through to them!"

"Hey now," said Maverick holding up his hands in mock defeat. "We aren't a friendly bunch, but we mean no real harm."

[amanda784]

"Let us strike up a deal than," said Laura. "I'll give you all the information you need before your hunts and you get all the gossip you can about who will be where I send your apprentice before I send her."

"Deal," said Maverick. "You know, Farley would have come himself if he hadn't just caught himself a bounty. It was the criminal kind. Court proceedings have him all tied up. I tell ya honestly though, that if I hadn't gone after 'ya I think he would have come anyway. He would have been jailed for not showing up in court tomorrow mornin'"

[amanda784]

Piper laid on the couch since Maverick and Laura had each taken a bed. She listened to Maverick and Laura as they talked. She was surprised to hear how worried Farley had been about them. Farley had a wife, but both Laura and Piper had no family. That is, besides the one they had within the workplace. Farley had made a company, but he had also made a family. Even Serena, Farley's wife, would check in on Piper from time to time and bring her meals if she hadn't brought in a good hunt in a while.

[amanda784]

Maverick had told Piper that hunter's didn't have friends, but he came to find them not accepting the bounty Farley had placed. Maverick was part of there little family too regardless of how he felt about fellow hunters.

"Maverick?" said Piper, once Laura had fallen asleep. "About that split on the hunt tomorrow. I'm thinking 90/10 in your favor. You saved us."

"Don't sell yourself short little one," said Maverick. "You would have gotten home eventually. You're born for this kind of work.

Maverick was being kind, but he was still a hunter through and through. You didn't argue with a hunter like him. Instead, Piper drifted off to sleep.

[Wild Pet Found]