The next morning, Sara was pointedly not making eye contact with anyone. She'd clearly heard everything from the night before despite her distance.
"Sleep well?" Isola asked innocently.
"Shut. Up." Sara's face was crimson.
As we packed up, Sara pulled me aside.
"I know you're Elinalise," she said quietly. "I don't know why you're pretending otherwise, and frankly, I don't care. Just... don't make this weird."
"Says the person who stormed off last night," I countered.
She glared at me. "I'm trying to be a normal traveler. Normal travelers don't... do whatever that was."
"Normal travelers do whatever they want," I said. "That's the point of traveling."
Sara looked like she wanted to argue but couldn't find the words. Finally, she just huffed and walked away.
The angel appeared beside me, watching Sara's retreating form with interest. "We should recruit her."
"What?" I whispered back.
"Think about it. She's S-rank, even if she's pretending to be normal. She's clearly lost and needs purpose. And having someone that strong would keep the aggressive men away without me having to knock everyone unconscious."
I considered this. "She doesn't even like us."
"She doesn't like that she's attracted to you," the angel corrected. "There's a difference. Plus, she needs the structure. Look at her—she's terrible at being a normal person."
We watched Sara trying to casually pack her bedroll and somehow turning it into a military-precise operation that took three times longer than necessary.
"Okay, but we need to convince Isola first," I said.
Finding a moment when Sara was refilling her water bottles at the stream, I pulled Isola aside. The angel floated between us.
"We think you should hire Sara as a guard," I said.
Isola's expression immediately soured. "The prude who ruined the mood last night? Absolutely not."
"She's S-rank," the angel pointed out, though only Isola and I could hear her. "She could protect us from actual dangers, not just horny adventurers."
"We have divine protection," Isola gestured vaguely at where she knew the angel was floating. "Why do we need miss 'this is inappropriate'?"
"Because," I said carefully, "the angel can't be visible all the time. And Sara's clearly struggling with normal life. Look at her."
We glanced over to see Sara meticulously organizing her pack for the third time.
"She's judgy," Isola complained. "She'll ruin our fun."
"Or," the angel suggested with a smirk, "she'll be a fun challenge to corrupt."
Isola paused at that. "Corrupt?"
"Not corrupt," I said quickly. "Just... help her loosen up. She's wound tighter than a crossbow string."
"She did turn very red last night," Isola mused. "And she couldn't stop watching even while pretending to read..."
"Exactly," the angel encouraged. "Think of it as a project."
Isola sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I'm only offering two gold coins a month plus food. That's already generous for a guard."
"That's actually quite generous," I agreed.
We approached Sara, who was now adjusting her pack straps for perfect symmetry.
"Sara," Isola began in her merchant voice. "I'd like to offer you a job."
Sara looked up suspiciously. "What kind of job?"
"Guard duty. Escort us through the Great Forest and beyond. Two gold coins a month plus food and lodging."
Sara's eyes widened at the amount, then narrowed. "Why would you want me? After last night—"
"Last night you showed excellent situational awareness," Isola said smoothly. "You maintained perimeter security while others were... distracted."
The angel whispered to me, "She's good at this."
Sara stood up, crossing her arms. "I don't need your pity job."
"It's not pity," I said. "We actually need protection. I keep getting recognized and harassed. You're strong enough to discourage that without having to hurt anyone."
"Plus," Isola added, "two gold a month is enough to fund quite a bit of traveling after we're done."
Sara was clearly doing mental math. Two gold coins was indeed generous—more than most guards made in three months.
"I won't participate in your... whatever that was last night," Sara said stiffly.
"No one's asking you to," Isola assured her. "Just keep us safe and pretend you don't hear anything."
Sara's face went red again. "That's— I don't— ugh!" She turned away, then back. "Fine. But I have conditions. One: I get my own tent. Two: no trying to include me in your... activities. Three: I'm just a guard, not a friend."
"Deal," Isola said immediately, extending her hand.
Sara shook it reluctantly. "This is purely professional."
"Of course," Isola said with a smile that suggested otherwise.
As Sara stomped back to her pack, muttering about "inappropriate people" and "just for the money," the angel floated beside us.
"She'll crack within a week," the angel predicted.
"Two weeks," I countered.
"Three days," Isola said confidently. "I have more of those confidence boosters."
Sara called over, "I can hear you whispering! And whatever you're planning, it won't work!"
Kara's party was watching with amusement. "Did you just hire the grumpiest person on the continent as your guard?" Luna asked.
"She's not grumpy," Sage defended. "She's just... selectively social."
"She told us to 'stop breathing so loudly' this morning," Kara pointed out.
"I have sensitive hearing!" Sara protested. "And you were breathing loudly!"
The angel was grinning. "This is going to be the best vacation ever."
As we resumed our journey toward the Great Forest, our group had officially grown. Sara walked ahead, scanning for threats with professional paranoia, occasionally glancing back at us with a mix of disgust and poorly hidden curiosity.
"Stop looking so happy," she grumbled at Isola. "This is a professional arrangement."
"Of course it is," Isola said cheerfully. "Very professional."
Sara's eye twitched. "I'm already regretting this."
"No you're not," the angel said, though only Isola and I could hear. "Look at her. She's relieved to have structure again."
She was right. Despite her complaints, Sara's posture had relaxed slightly. She had a purpose again, even if that purpose was guarding a group of people she found deeply inappropriate.
One more day to the forest, and our dysfunctional party was complete. What could possibly go wrong?