Parker wasn't sure what to say to Evaluator Rick.

  They knew that the evaluator was right. Parker needed more counseling and exercise, but it didn't seem like any amount would help starting now. It was an insurmountable climb before them, rather than trying to get better, Parker felt like they needed to find a lift to the top of the climb. An easier route than manual and mental labor.

  In the end, they just nodded and left with a head swimming through doubts. The evaluation had started so cleanly, progressed so neatly, and ended with the exemplary pass that Parker was aiming for. It was what came after that that caused such a mess in Parker's mind.

  Maybe counseling was a good idea. Maybe it wasn't too late to get started. Even with the adventure looming on the horizon, Parker did have a week. They would have preferred to see Dr. Rath, the real Dr. Rath, but that wasn't possible anymore.

  Parker walked in circles around the nexus. Or at least that is what it felt like. With the uniform, sporadic halls that all settled in the same dull gray manner, Parker was not really sure where they had ended up.

  At some point they had gone back to their room and dropped off their pack, only keeping their tablet with them. Then they had wandered down a flight of stairs, avoiding the confines of the elevator. Parker thought they were back on the main floor of the facilities, but it was hard to tell. It would have been easier if the tablet had a map application, but it was still only usable for documents.

  Eventually, Parker ended up in a wing that they had never been in before. Unlike the dull gray halls, this area opened with a giant glass wall on one side that let in natural light. The off-white tile floor was replaced by long runs of faux-wood planks.

  As the warmth of the sun came in through the glass wall, it fell on raised garden beds. Bees and butterflies flowed from flower to brush as they did their work. Parker marveled at the nature nursery but then stopped when they saw someone standing at one of the flower beds. It was the Gambler that they had traded purification tablets for a short sword: Gere.

  For the first time, Parker truly took in the archer's appearance. They looked past the gear to see the person. While dressed like a stereotypical archer, there was more to Gere than that. He had a slim frame that held more in common with a bean pole than an oak tree. His wide smile still set a little too broad, as if containing comical levels of excitement. Orangish brown curls peered out from under a cap. A butterfly rested on an outstretched finger.

  Parker cleared their throat. "Excuse me."

  Gere looked over and smiled as a butterfly left his finger. "No excuses needed, Parker, what brings you to the herbarium?"

  Parker shook their head. "How was your evaluation?"

  Gere's smile nearly faded. "I just finished the mental evaluation. I'm one of the few that passed but I hate to say it... it was a technicality, I didn't earn the success. They shut down the evaluation because it brought up the wrong trauma apparently."

  Parker blinked in surprise that Gere misunderstood. Gere added, "Unlike everyone else who saw a traumatic end to a fairy tale adventure, I was some of my own real trauma from before a few surgeries."

  Parker blurted out words as soon as Gere stopped. "I saw my old doctor. From what others said, I should've just seen a monster or a dungeon, but I just saw a painful memory."

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Gere offered a sad smile at that. Then added, "The counselor said they've had issues with the system identifying real trauma instead of inducing a fictional one in that trance. Would it be strange to restart our introductions? I feel like I mostly critiqued you instead of conversing with you the other day."

  Parker offered a nod.

  "My name is Gere Hawthorne and I use he-him pronouns. How about you?"

  Parker had to take a second to answer. It was the first time on the adventure that they felt like they could answer openly about themselves.

  "My name is Parker A-… I don’t claim my last name anymore and I prefer they-them pronouns."

  Gere let out a light laugh at that and offered up a peaceful smile. He then said, "It's nice to meet you, Parker, and if you ever want a family name you can be proud of let me know. Hawthorne is an encompassing and accepting house."

  "Thank you. I think I'm going to focus on this problem before trying to solve that one though."

  Gere nodded in time with Parker's words. Then he asked, "What is the current problem you've got?"

  Parker did their best to fill Gere in as they walked around the garden beds of the herbarium. Occasionally, Gere would interrupt Parker's story to get their help with weeding or pruning the plants. Parker didn't mind the interruptions because, in those moments, Gere took over the conversation and taught them about all the strange plants in the herbarium.

  The plants were all pulled from the archipelago. Each individual raised bed represented the flora of a different island. They all gave off a vague charge of energy that Gere described as the individual plant's affinity. Parker remembered the term from their reading but failed to see how it applied exactly.

  Even without experience, Gere's guidance made it so Parker felt helpful. All the while, they took turns driving the conversation. Gere explained the importance of the plants and how to care for them. Parker shared their story of getting to the nexus, nearly failing all the evaluations, and then the parts about trading for the wands only to have them confiscated.

  While Parker shied away from some of their feelings in the telling of the story, Gere's face made it clear that it still came through. Parker was partially worried that they'd given up an important item, partially worried that they'd given up one of their only friends to Regulus, and mostly worried about what it all meant for the social economy of the archipelago.

  It had been sold to the rest of the world that EA was in complete control of the archipelago. Despite the dangers, despite the mystery, the corporation made it seem like it was all going as intended. Now, EA did not seem as in control of the islands as the adverts, op-eds, and interviews back in society made them seem.

  As Gere led Parker around the last garden bed, he asked as question pointed at the heart of the issue. "Are you worried because you're alone or because there's no going back for you?"

  Parker spent a few moments thinking about that while Gere pruned the seedpods out of something he called a tuftbulb. The flower looked like a mixture between a lily bell and a snake's shed skin. Gere's fingers dipped into the flower, a knife from their other hand followed, and a second later, a seedpod came out. Like the flowers, Parker could feel the charge of energy coming from the seedpod.

  That was when Parker found their answer. "I'm not worried about being alone... but I don't know if it's about going back either. I feel like I'm staring into an abyss that is looking for someone more than me. What do you think it's going to be like out there?"

  Gere shook his head. "I'm not sure about that. From what I've heard from my guild master..."

  Gere's voice trailed off as he stowed the seedpod in a pouch at his hip. Parker asked, "You're in a guild?"

  Gere nodded. He said, "Yeah, just a small one though. We're an adventuring guild based out of Norway and we mostly focused on Towers until this Gamble."

  Parker nodded. It made sense that Gere was from something more official than just a random background.

  Gere continued, "From what my guild master said, it's a perfect place for growth. Wild, untamed islands with only the vestiges of civilization... but he left out all information about the challenges or the dangers so I don't know what to expect."

  They were standing at the end of the last garden bed now. The sun was setting outside the giant glass wall. Parker thought about asking Gere to travel with them for a while. Maybe they were worried about going alone. That brought a new swell of anxiety, both about asking and about going alone.

  It seemed like, unlike Parker, Gere had someone waiting on him. Instead of asking, Parker said goodnight and returned to their room.