Dear Risa,

  There are a few things I’d like to tell you, but putting them in writing for anyone to read is an exceptionally bad idea. So you’ll just have to ask me about them in person when you get to this part.

  Just so I know what I’m talking about, I will leave myself clues.

  1: Echo’s magic type.

  2: Cali’s tail.

  3: Luke’s opinion of my pajamas.

  Yeah, that should be enough for the me of the future to talk for like an hour.

  In non-damning news, I figured out what present to get Luke! He needs a new rune book, so tomorrow I’ll scour the city for one with Cali while he’s working.

  Today Echo and I went to a spa. Not for a full treatment, just hands and feet and we got our hair done. She said she used to go to the spa with her mother all the time when she was little, but hasn't had the time to go in forever.

  So yeah, I got to know our new travel buddy a bit more.

  I asked Cali if she wanted to go, but she was busy. I didn't ask Maki if he wanted to go, and honestly I neither know nor care what he did today. I’m sure he had fun, though.

  Oh, I found out that there’s a musical academy here in Mouse. In order to graduate, students must spend thirty days in their final semester playing on the streets, with a minimum of one hour a day. There’s official people who grade them, but part of their grade comes from the public. Anyone can go to the Academy and ask for a roll of (numbered) tickets. Then if you pass by a musician and like their music, you drop a ticket into their tip box, and that adds to their grade.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Which explains why there’s so many street musicians here. It’s neat. If you ever ask where the best place to vacation is, I’d have to say Mouse.

  If ever you get fired from your job and have time to spend like a month traveling with me, I’ll take you here. Not that that will ever happen; people hired through nepotism are rarely fired.

  Anyhow, I’ve decided I like Echo. Sure, she’ll talk about pointless stuff all day, but she avoids answering personal questions. Which means she’s perfect for Maki, because he never asks personal questions. They’ll have a wonderful relationship built on small talk and random anecdotes.

  But hey, she agrees with me that lots of town and city names are dumb. That’s the important thing. And since she’s from Bestest, she can confirm that dumb place names aren't just an Owonyan thing! The world over, no one involved in place naming put any effort into it. That’s… comforting. Somehow.

  Oh, we had to get Echo added to our traveling party. To do that, we had to know what class she is. Turns out, her class is Spy. Yep, we have a Spy with us now.

  After everyone has been properly warned of the end of the world, we’ll be sent to places where the mayors need an Auditor and to be checked out for nefarious activities. So no more small-town stuff. Our jobs will be high-priority.

  Which means we’ll be saying goodbye to the horse and wagon we’ve been using, and get slightly better ones. Cali will probably cry about that when she finds out. She really likes that horse.

  Yeah, I should probably tell her that before she goes to sleep.

  Busy Regards,

  Maeve Zee