Dear Risa,

  I passed whatever test they’d set up for me, and they offered me another job!

  I mean, duh. Obviously I did a good job. I’m me. I always do perfectly at everything.

  But it’s good to have that verified by someone who gives me money to do it.

  Also, apparently my dad and uncle went to the Guild in Goldvale looking for us. Which I would be super embarrassed about, but the guy who gave us our registration told them to get lost because none of us are minors, so they have no legal right to request we be recalled.

  I rescind my “asshole” comment about him from… two letters ago. Especially since my next job is in the opposite direction from Goldvale.

  I suspect we’ll eventually be close enough to Default that they’ll ask us to check in at the Traveler’s Guild there, rather than ever go back to Goldvale.

  And yeah, you’re right, what kind of moron named a city “Default”? I thought it was cool for a while, but it’s dumb. I should know better than to like something you think is dumb.

  Of course, if I don't ever go back to Goldvale, I might never see you again! That, Risa dear, would be a true tragedy.

  In other news, Luke hasn't acted weird again. So I really don't know what to make of that whole thing. Maybe I should ask Maki to ask him about it.

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  Oh, I might have kiiiinda had a flag waving over my head that I have a crush on Luke this morning. When I came down for breakfast, Cali and Luke were there, having what I thought was a serious conversation. So, being the poised, graceful person I am, I elegantly inserted myself into their conversation and enquired the topic.

  …I fell off the last stair step, tripped on a rug, crashed into Cali’s chair, and went “hey, whatchya talking about” like a compleeeete moron. You would have been ashamed, Risa.

  And then it turns out Cali was asking Luke what magic carpets cost.

  I wanted. To die. At least Maki wasn't around to see.

  Anyhow, we are now on our way to the town of Dogroofs. A part of me wonders why it’s called that. Another part is convinced the roofs will all have dogs on them. And the first part thinks that can't possibly be the reason, right?

  Maki and I have a bet going on if that’s the reason. I’m betting against. We’ll be there tomorrow, so in my next letter I'll be able to tell you if I won the bet or not.

  There’s a lot of weirdly-named places in our fair nation of Owonyan. Like, my town is Fish. Cuz it’s a good place to fish. And next town down is Tree. Cuz there’s a big tree in the middle. Then we’ve got Default City, and Dogroofs, and Vodka. Along the coast there’s Oneport, Twoport, Threeport, and Fiveport, but no Fourport.

  If I ever meet the person who named all these places, I’m gonna tell them they should have done better.

  I wonder if other countries have names that make more sense. Hey, someday I might be going to other countries! I'll for sure let you know if the names are better or not.

  Most Impatient Regards,

  Maeve Zee