"Daryl squirmed in his chair, as he tried to listen to the one-sidedconversation."Hello. . . . Yes, Becky. Darla seems to be much better now."Becky...??"Yes. . . . You can tell Mrs. Willis that she'll definitely be atschool tomorrow and ready to cheer for the team. . . . Do you wantme to have her call you back? . . . Okay, then I'm sure she'll seeyou at school tomorrow. . . . Thanks for calling, Becky."Daryl watched as his mother hung up the phone and returned to thedining room table. . ”“That makes some sense, I guess. But why didn’t he just ask me when I was talking to him?”“Cuz you don’t look or act like an adventurer, ma’am.”“Jenkins, what about the provisional part?”“That? Not sure, but I think it’s if one side encounters unreasonable hardships like the Countess saying not to do it, or something like that. The difficulty can increase and the requesting person must boost the reward. You can always go into the guild and ask them ma’am.”“Thank you, Jenkins. The rest of you. She could see open spaces, the blue sky above, and even a large pond a short distance away, surrounded by cattails. “It really is beautiful up here.” “Very.” Kia glanced back at him, and smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt when she saw that he was looking at her, not the scenery. She aimed the camera out into the woods again, the naughty voice in her head growing a bit louder from seeing him admiring her. After she’d snapped a few more pictures, she heard Steve mutter, “Shoot.” “What is it?” “I. Béla stopped, surprising her escort, and straightened up slightly."I'd like to be alone while I bathe," she told him. "I have much to think about."According to protocol, Béla was kept in isolation and continually surrounded by a thought-dampening field, with the exception of her daily bath and her sessions with the Praetor. Even during those times, she was not permitted to make conversation with her escort except for the most basic requests.She stood and watched her escort until he was out of.