The sky was just starting to lighten when Holden came through the front door.
Maeve was already awake, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and her Ashen Bestiary open to a fresh page. She looked up as he came in, her sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe.
"You're late."
"Five forty-seven. Technically before six."
"Technically you said six."
"Close enough."
He pulled the leather pouch from inside his cloak and set it on the table.
She opened the drawstring and looked inside. Credit chips. Underground currency that couldn't be traced to any official account.
"This is from..."
"The Pit."
She counted quickly with her eyes. "This is a lot."
"Rank 2 fighters pay well. Get whatever materials you need for your research. Better paper. Better ink. Whatever helps."
Maeve pushed her glasses up. "You're bribing me with blood money so I don't lecture you about the dangers of underground fighting."
