Fantasy How to Catch a Dungeon Streamer

[Vyseryx]

The sun was slowly descending, completing its path across the sky, though blues were still yet to give into the reds. Pushed by the gentle gusts of wind, sparse, but fluffy clouds were moving lazily towards the horizon. They looked like little scraps of wool, floating against the vast, blue expanse.

A young woman was looking at the sky, from behind the frames of her glasses. However, while she was looking, her reddish eyes saw neither the sky, nor the clouds in it. So lost was she in her thoughts.

“Yuna?” a quiet voiced asked hesitantly.

Her daydreaming ended quite abruptly, as Yuna Bennett almost jumped in her chair.

Focus, dammit, she scolded herself. It was not the first time today, as she did so.

And not the first time during the class, that Yuna was currently giving. Which was quite ironic, considering she had planned for today an exercise in concentration. She had set children a task of maintaining magical sparks, as round as they could get it, for as long as they could manage. Mari, the youngest of three girls in the class, was now standing next to Yuna. It was her voice, that brought daydreaming woman back to earth.

Between Mari’s palms, floating stock-still, was the roundest, the most perfect spark a teacher could hope for.

“Is that okay?” Mari pointed her chin at her hands, as she moved them up. Yuna leaned forward and looked at the spark. She put her hand to chin, as if matter was worth thinking about, and then nodded her head in approval.

“It’s exactly how it should be,” Yuna said with a bright smile, that reached her eyes.

Mari perked up, said ‘Thank you’ and then walked away satisfied.

Yuna meanwhile swept the room with her eyes. It was a large chamber, at the ground floor of the mage guild. Its walls, floor and ceiling were made from a smooth stone, shaped with will of its builders ages ago. The room was rarely used and dusty, though right now the air was freshened up by a faint scent of herbs. Of the six chairs in there, each was completely different; the two desks, however, were identical, if a bit battered.

Two other young girls in the room, twins Antana and Titana, were sitting further away from Yuna, facing each other. It seemed they had grown tired of the exercise and instead of each channelling their own spark, they focused on a single one and passed it between them at a steady pace. And while the little flame was somewhat dim and wobbly, the feat was quite impressive, nonetheless.

At the furthest corner of the room, close to its door, a desk was standing, and a woman was sitting behind it. Though it would be more accurate to say, that she was sitting on the chair, and lying on the desk. With her head hidden under a large book and her shoulders covered with a coat, she was sleeping peacefully, completely unphased by the class around her.

The last child in the room, a black-haired boy, was standing close to a woman. His spark was far from his hands and instead floated around woman’s head. Unaware of Yuna’s attention, boy lowered the spark a little, that it almost touched the book.

“Tiun, what are you doing?” Yuna asked across the room.

The boy’s spark immediately went out. Tiun made a step backwards, away from the woman, then looked at Yuna sheepishly, but said nothing. The teacher wagged her finger at him and sighed under her breath.

Yuna’s gaze went to the hourglass, standing on the other desk, closer to her. All of the sand had already poured down, marking the end of the lesson. She scolded herself for daydreaming again.

Yuna clapped her hands, grabbing attention of all children in the room.

“Okay, everyone,” she said, looking briefly at every face, that turned in her direction. “I think it will be enough for today.”

As children started moving towards her, all of the sparks disappeared. Yuna, meanwhile, dug through her bag and pulled out a small pouch. It was full of strawberry sweets, that she had promptly split between the children (albeit leaving some for herself).

As children were preparing to leave, Yuna stopped Tiun for a second.

“Remember to not bring your flames so close to others,” Yuna said, smiling, though with an admonishing note in her voice. Tiun only nodded, single sweet already in his mouth. Yuna patted him gently and spoke louder. “See you all next week!”

“See you,” girls answered in unison, and even Tiun mumbled a silent ‘Bye’ as he was leaving, which was about the second word anyone heard him say that day.

Yuna waved to them, as they were leaving the room. She then turned to a stand close to wall and took off a large banner of it. It was a sheet depicting fundamental gestures of fire magic, which she used to teach children. Yuna furled it in her hands, and using roll as a makeshift wand, she waved at chairs scattered around the room. They moved obediently, and as they were lining themselves up against the wall, Yuna walked across the room to the woman sleeping at the desk, who somehow manged to ignore the turmoil of ending class.

The guild’s policy dictated, that during practical classes, at least one senior mage must have been present. And since Yuna was still but a fledgling arcanist, the choice for this very responsible, yet rather boring job, fell on her master – Amestris Delestre. That woman, however, made no secret of her overall reluctance towards that duty and she usually spent most of the classes making up for lost sleep. Yuna was nonetheless grateful for older mage’s presence; it made her feel more relaxed, while she was passing down ancient techniques of setting things on fire.

Yuna tapped her finger on the cover of the book, which was leaning on mage’s head.

“Wake up,” Yuna said, not overly loudly, but decidedly. “The class is over.”

In response, Amestris grumbled something unintelligibly and shifted her position a bit, tucking her head even deeper under the book. This movement, however slight, has sent a new wave of herbal scent in Yuna’s direction; mage’s clothes smelled of milled herbs she had used in her concoctions earlier that day.

Yuna put one of the sweets on the desk, next the book, and looked briefly at the cover. It was Amestris’s favourite herbarium, except mage had transmutated its cover, so that it displayed large, golden letter spelling ‘Sleep is for the weak’. Last week it was ‘Fire rules, water drools’, and week before that ‘Night knight knit knot’. The jokes on cover were about only input Amestris had in the classes; children checked them out every time, and while Yuna found that a little distracting, she didn’t feel like arguing with Amestris about it.

Yuna left rolled banner in a rack next to the door, grabbed a staff, that was leaning against the wall, opened the door and left the room. As she was walking down the corridor, her thoughts returned to the moment she was daydreaming during the lesson. Her worries were weighing on her mind, but it was still inexcusable for her to space out, while children were practicing. Yuna’s imagination eagerly provided her with visions of kids setting their hair and clothes on fire; she shook her head to disperse those, but she still felt stings of guilt in her stomach.

Yuna stepped outside and found herself in the garden. When she had first arrived at the guild, almost five years ago, the greenery was in a state of disrepair. Mages had been giving very little attention to the garden, too focused on their work and research of the universe’s secrets. So, what Yuna found was a lot of weeds, where flowers should be and a fungi-infested tree. Out of her own volition, she had cleaned the garden up over her first months and was still maintaining it to that day.

It was rather modest and practical place, anyway. Most of the plots were taken by Amestris’s herbs, separated by colourful flowerbeds and meandering paths, paved with small, white stones. At the centre of the garden grew an old willow tree, with its long branches forming a green curtain, under which stood a small, wooden bench. Yuna was a frequent guest there – after hours of studying ancient tomes, a breath of fresh air was pretty much required, to keep her mind clear and focused.

I should deal with that quickly and catch Cornelia after training, Yuna thought, as she scanned the space around her, listing everything that needed to be done.

Chores would usually calm her down, though Yuna was not sure if they would be enough today. Nevertheless, her body almost immediately entered a familiar routine, as soon as she moved in the direction of well. Yuna grabbed a large watering can, then with a flick of her finger a stream of water emerged from the well, filling the container. She added in a carefully measured amount of the powdery fertiliser, and stirred it thoroughly, until mixture became plain.

Then, Yuna pushed watering can magically in the direction of the most demanding herb plot, while she herself paced to the centre of garden. While still on the move, she took a deep breath and drew upon the Sigil of Arcane, to weave a manipulation spell. It pulled a copious amount of water from the well and, under Yuna’s watch, started dispensing it appropriately between the rest of garden’s greenery. The mage herself walked around the flowers, picking up dry leaves stuck on them and weeding plots out where necessary. She also found a place in on of the path, where someone’s foot, rather little one, and rather in hurry, had scatter the stones. Yuna started correcting the damage with her left leg, smiling at the thought of a rushing child, who probably didn’t even notice that casualty.

As she was finishing the task, however, her thoughts drifted away again, and Yuna stumbled. She rebalanced, by turning on her right foot’s heel and leaning heavily on her staff, but it cost her a lapse in concentration. Her spell slipped away, and Yuna felt water splashing at her back and head.

She barely held in a squeal, as cold liquid trickled down her clothes.

“You are awfully distracted lately.” A female voice sounded in the garden. Yuna looked it its direction, surprised, but also pretty irritated, that she was caught in this position.

Amestris was standing at the door of the guild, with her coat slung over her shoulder. Her silver hair, curly and unkempt, created a halo of colour around her head, which moved a little with each gust of wind.

“One of them almost set me on fire.” Amestris didn’t sound upset about that fact, quite the contrary. The guild’s resident alchemist and transmutation specialist, as well as foremost expert at screwing around, had always encouraged the more destructive instincts in her pupils. Much to Yuna’s, and pretty much everyone else’s, dismay.

“I should have let him,” Yuna joked, as she was wringing out water from her hat, both with hands and magic. “You’d finally start paying attention.”

“Highly unlikely.” Amestris giggled briefly, before focusing on Yuna. “You are thinking about your boyfriend?”

It was less of a question, and more a statement of fact. Yuna gave woman a tired, irritated glare.

“I like having my friends alive, yes,” Yuna replied, with her voice sounding harsher than she intended, though her master wasn’t fazed by it.

“You are getting a bit ahead of yourself. Cornelia doesn’t even have a team yet,” Amestris pointed out. As Yuna didn’t react, seemingly too focused on her clothes, she added, “Here’s hoping his team searching will go well.”

“Mhm,” Yuna agreed, albeit there was noticeably little enthusiasm in her voice.

Amestris’s silver eyes seemed fixated on younger woman now, and Yuna avoided the eye contact. Alchemist’s stares had an unpleasant quality to them – they sometimes seemed to peer straight into one’s soul. Yuna didn’t feel like being subjected to that.

And then Amestris spoke again. “Will you try to sabotage him?”

Yuna flinched, then froze for a fraction of a second, and turned to her master hastily. “What? Of course not!”

“You hesitated.” Amestris cocked her head.

“Don’t project too hard,” Yuna retorted, and now genuine anger entered her voice. Two women locked eyes with each other – calm silver and fierce red clashing for a couple long, drawn out seconds.

At the end, it was Yuna who looked away first.

Amestris sighed loudly, though no tangible emotion could be heard in that sound. Yuna now stared at the sunset, pretending that it was the most interesting thing, she had ever seen. This led her to realisation, that it was getting quite late. She reflexively swept the garden, as she searched for a thing to occupy herself with.

It did not escape Amestris’s attention.

“Go, I’ll finish here,” she said with neutral voice.

Yuna felt a surge of relief in her stomach. She would love to be anywhere else right now. “Thanks, master.” She bowed quickly, before adding, “See you tomorrow.”

“Ayee,” Amestris replied and waved to Yuna nonchalantly, a gesture that effortlessly transitioned into a spell weaving one, bringing well and watering can back to life.

Yuna turned on her heel and walked away swiftly, taking a left turn at the Y-shaped crossroad and hurried towards the warrior’s guild.

Steady pace of the walk and evening air were soothing, but Yuna was still thrown off balance. And, annoyingly, not by what Amestris had said, but rather by Yuna’s own reaction to it. Her master’s words touched an angry part of her mind, one that she was not aware of. Once again, Yuna started mulling over the subject, that had occupied her for weeks now.

Cornelia.

He was so genuinely excited about his first foray into dungeons, and she found that absolutely endearing. But despite that, Yuna’s worries grew with every day, as it became clear, that his intentions were something far more, than a passing whim.

Yuna herself liked adventuring very much. In books. Safely contained between pages. Where only danger was messing up her sleep schedule, after reading till late at night, and all of the scary things would disappear after she snapped the book close. Where heroes would always come back to their loved ones and local inns were not filled with stories of braves forever lost to the dungeons.

And she would far prefer for adventures to stay in the books and not enter her life in any capacity. Ever since Cornelia had revealed he would like to participate in streaming competitions, her resentment towards this idea was growing increasingly stronger. Going to dungeon to earn money or prove your worth as warrior – those kinds of sentiments Yuna understood, at least to a degree. But what drove people, who turned adventuring into an entertainment for the masses, was completely beyond her. Regular adventuring was a waste of time and lives enough.

The thought of Cornelia participating in this was filling Yuna with emotions, that she didn’t fully understand, but which were certainly not positive.

Still, I would never try to sabotage him. On that Yuna agreed with herself. She was slowly circling back to being angry at Amestris for implying that.

Though Yuna had to admit, that if an opportunity presented itself, she would probably try to dissuade Cornelia from adventuring. Maybe she could convince him, that fighting monsters is less fun, than he thinks. Or that he is a complete amateur and finding proper team will be close to impossible. Or that his sister needed him at home.

Those didn’t sound like sabotage to her.

It’s not, agreed part of Yuna’s mind, that spoke with Amestris’s voice. It’s more like gaslighting.

Yuna closed her eyes briefly and gave out a long sigh. Many ideas had been coming to her head in recent days and, worst of all, she was not sure she could tell good ones from bad ones anymore.

Maybe she should have stayed in the garden and talked with Amestris more.

The sun was almost completely hidden under the horizon, when Yuna arrived at the training grounds surrounding warrior guild. It was a vast square, complete with dummies, fighting arenas and even a paddock. Mages were sometimes complaining about how much more space warriors had for themselves, but then someone usually reminded them, that they never left their rooms anyway.

As Yuna searched the grounds carefully, it became clear that Cornelia was not there. She did find, however, one of his usual sparring partners - Tonn. Donning a smile, that expertly masked her troubled thoughts, Yuna approached him quickly, confidently making her way between training warriors.

“Hi,” she greeted Tonn, making her voice sound as upbeat as she could muster. “Have you seen Cor somewhere?”

The young man turned to her quickly, with a flustered expression on his face. He was too focused on his training to see her coming, and now stood awkwardly with a sword in his right hand.

“Hi.” It took Tonn a moment to gather his thoughts. As he was answering, he avoided eye contact with Yuna. “He went to inn in the afternoon. I think he is trying to find a team for competition?”

“Oh.” Yuna said flatly, feeling her stomach sinking. A couple seconds of uncomfortable silence followed.

“I am not sure how this will go for him, but… yeah.” Tonn said, shooting a brief glance at the training dummy next to him.

“I see, thanks.” Yuna took a hint and started turning around. “See you tomorrow.”

“No worries, see you,” Tonn bid her goodbye and returned to his training.

Yuna meanwhile stormed off of the square. She followed the road to inn, her legs taking good turns without any conscious thoughts on Yuna’s part. She had walked there countless times in the past ten years, as the inn was run by Wilde family, and their daughter happened to be Yuna’s best friend.

Before the mage even realised, she was already there.

She stopped two steps away from the door and took a deep breath.

Idea

 

[Idea]

• Coded
• Semi-Coded

• 
  After tucking in the the last tip of the bedsheets, I stepped back a little to observe my work. The twinbed, pulled more towards the middle of the wall furthest from the door, was left entirely spotless, soft as if nobody had ever slept in it before, and with only a tiny, barely visible curl at the far tip. It was a halfway decent job, if I dare say so myself. It wasn't quite as perfect as mother's work, and I couldn't really take credit for my sigil's either, but I guess it was acceptable. I nodded with pride as my eyes scrolled through the whitest sheets we had in Wildeberry Inn, starting and ending in a fitting spider-web-esque fancy design. Near the window and with appropriate distance from the curtains, the chairs appeared to be placed favorably as well, the daylight sprinkling them with a dash of brighter color and warmth, so I moved to the drawer chest and carefully pulled one at a time, inspecting them for any accidentally leftover content from the previous guests. Not that I was likely to find anything anyway: It was the fourth time I was checking, after all.
  
  I patted the apron and long-skirted faded brown dress that constituted my work clothes, then took a quick deep breath before putting on a smile and pulling the knob, allowing the young man and young woman holding her child to see the room.
  
  "Thank you for waiting, and I apologize for the delay woof. We were not expecting you to visit us this soon, Mr. and Ms. Caffian. Please, do come in woof, I hope you'll find it to be to your satisfaction." I moved to the side, parallel to the door, and stretched an arm out in the direction of the room. The young man made his way in first, steps clearly a little tense and began touching the bed and other furniture, pressing it a couple of times and then sighed in relief. His wife had entered as well, scouting the room with her eyes from near the entrance. It was good to see they seemed quite satisfied, though I was somewhat distracted by the child who'd leaned over his mother's left arm and was swinging their tiny chubby hands towards me. I must've twitched a bit when one of those finally grabbed a hold of the dog-like ears perking above my head, and pressed them, because his mother took notice of it at that point and turned towards me with something of a horrified expression.
  
  "Oh, oh no stop that Relm! Take your hand off, those, that girl is not a toy! I'm so sorry, I hope he wasn't causing you any discomfort!" The boy's mother gave me some pleading eyes, ones I couldn't be sure to be of pity and sympathy for me or begging for them for herself.
  
  "No, no, no need to worry Ms. Caffian, it's no bother at all woof, and besides he is just a child. An adorable one might I add, something he got from his parents, no doubt." I chuckled a bit. Truth be told those ears were a bit on the sensitive side, but there was no way I could succeed the family business if I couldn't even tolerate children doing this much, especially one barely a year old. "On the first drawer over there you will find information regarding your stay and other services we provide. Someone will bring in a crib for your child soon, so feel free to wait here or take a leisurely stroll woof. A big party was streaming at this time I believe, so it might be a good opportunity to check out the town open air market, as it should be less crowded. Now, then woof, if you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave. Is there anything else I can help you with before I go?"
  
  "Ah no, not really." This time it was the husband's turn to smile nervously and answer. "It's more than enough. We're the ones who got a little too excited and came earlier than arranged..."
  
  "Nonetheless, we should be prepared to receive our guests even in such situations. It is most certainly not your fault woof, after all, isn't it normal to be excited in times like these?" I smiled, they both chuckled and blushed a little. "Well then woof, this time I really will take my leave. I do wish you both a great start to your honeymoon."
  
  Once I had gently closed the door, I hurried downstairs, though I slowed down a bit after nearly bumping into a muscle and armor-covered man holding a bowl with a small towel and a bar of soap smaller than his palm. I apologized of course, and continued on my way, knocking carefully before making my way inside the kitchen.
  
  "woof Vestra, you called earlier? I was helping out the newlyweds upstairs." Though the cook's apron was the same faded brown color as mine, that is where the similarities ended. His outfit had three golden buttons on the let side with strings of the same color leading to the mirroed location. The fabric of the coat was clean and refined, smooth to both the looks and the touch, and decorated like a black canvas with several harmonious sets of differently colored stripes. The shirt under the jacket had a deep purple color, but the pants and boots at least seemed a bit more contained. He turned his eyes from the pot he was standing next to and the notepad he was holding and look at me leaning from the door's gap.
  
  "Ah, it's just some of the ingredients are almost over, so I wanted to ask if you could go buy some. Market should be a bit emptier today from what your mother told me. The list is over there in the counter."
  
  I saluted him.
  
  "woof! Sure thing great chef! I shall bring you the finest ingredients for your cuisine." I winked.
  
  "Oi Dansa, I told not to call me that anymore!" He protested, but I was already leaving through the closing gap of the door while cheekily showing him my tongue. My ears still twitched as they overheard him mutter to himself "Seriously, that girl sometimes..."
  
  I went into the changing room with a grin on my face.
  
  Of course though, it had been replaced with a simple smile, the way that my apron and dress had been replaced with usual tunic over a short dress and skirt. I went around the adventurers mostly gathering around the request posters that shops delivered to us, advertising what they wanted and were willing to pay for certain resources from the town's dungeon.
  
  "Going out Dansa?" Asked Daves, one of said adventurers, raising a mug of ale from the table.
  
  "Yep. Just the market woof." I thought about it for a moment, then approached his table. "Having lunch?"
  
  "Yeah, I was a little late today. There was a line because of those big-name streamers today."
  
  I forced a sigh, and shook my head.
  
  "Some people just have no manners.woof"
  
  He nodded.
  
  "Tell me about it."
  
  "They do provide some nice entertainment, but it can be quite unfair, that difference in treatment woof. Adventurers who want to focus on their job aren't any lesser. You are providing an invaluable service, and not trying to hog the glory."
  
  He nodded, more vehemently this time, swinging the mug a bit.
  
  "Yes, exactly, exactly! We do so much work, we barely get any credit, and then we have to wait in line just so they can pass with priority? What's up with that?"
  
  "Well..." I picked up one of the rags I usually carried with me, and cleaned up the little spill of ale, not bothering to continue looking as my sigil took over and my arm moved practically by itself. "I can think of one person that does appreciate you properly. How about I bring some extra eeldeer cuts from the market today woof?"
  
  I winked. He seemed pensive as he sipped on the ale.
  
  "Well, eating at an inn isn't what most would think as a romantic dinner, but Dayna likes this place too, and we haven't eaten out together in a while... Alright, get us some candles and you have a deal."
  
  "woof I'll be sure to talk to mom about it." I nodded back to him and smiled, waved as I headed to the door. Just before opening it, I pulled up my cloak, ears going through the holes cut at the top. It wasn't like I needed it. The weather was clear and warm. But I suppose old habits die hard.
  
  
  

  ....................​

  
  
  The market was still a bit of a walk away from there. Wildeberry Inn was located near the edge of the town, one the side closer to the dungeon entrance. It was, after all, an inn for adventurers: If they were exhausted and in need of care after leaving the dungeon, we were there to take the weight off them, offer them some medicine and a good bath to wash off the dungeon's ether pollution (the name given to the conditions created by the high density of ether within the dungeons) and furthermore, if something happened and reinforcements were needed quickly, it was a good thing to have the resting adventurers closer to the place of action. Let the inns on the other side serve those more fearful types and travellers, though we certainly wouldn't turn them away if they came to us. Everyone is welcome as long as they don't cause trouble!
  
  The market, on the other hand, was closer to the center of town. Stalls and carpets were mixed together and spread all over those central streets, reaching the inner circle, four squares linked by a road which constituted the closest one could get to the actual central square without permission from the city council or even the local lord himself. Well, it was generally best to stick to the inner circle anyway, the central square was full of those fancy expensive shops that imported goods from other places. It was much cheaper to buy local goods from the stalls, and besides that meant I was supporting adventurers too since they often bought materials from them, and in turn the adventurers might spend money on our business, so it all came back to us! I couldn't help but chuckle a bit whenever that thought crossed my mind...
  
  Well, point was, I wasn't going to set foot on the central square until I was helping Yuna pick her wedding ring. Not that she was making huge strides in that direction, honestly Cornelia seemed more focused on dipping a foot into streaming. And as I had to maneuver around the crowds overflowing from the taverns and streaming hubs, or covering my ears due to the roaring of their cheers, I could understand why a guy like him would want to try it out. I didn't want him to do anything reckless of course, both for his sake and Yuna's, but I suppose his party could always talk some sense into him. If Yuna was there, she would for sure.
  
  "Hey Dansa! Out shopping?" The voice that called out to me was the butcher mr.Maverick. He waved at me with a huge grin plastered on like usual, and the eyes the people sitting in the carpets and the woman on the stall in front of his followed as I skipped over to his stall.
  
  "Just refilling for Vestra woof. Do you have any of these?" I presented him the list. My eyes wandered a bit while he looked it over, to the vegetables and various types of meat lined up in boxes, the monster parts dangling from the top of the stall, and in a corner the utensils and bowl where he curated the products the adventurers brought him. When I looked back to him though, he was much closer, his grin practically attached to my face already. I leaped back a bit with the scare.
  
  "See anything you like hehe?"
  
  Until I saw you. Or I so I would have said, but I didn't know how he might take it.
  
  "Well, you do sell a number of things. Oh, you wouldn't happen to have eeldeer meat would you? It's not on the list, but I needed about this much of it as well."
  
  "That's quite a bit, but well, if people will buy it, I will sell it!" He turned around and grabbed a plate and a slab of bright pink meat, slamming the second onto the first in front of me. The mucus slowly dripped onto the plate... "Even if it looks like a giant sneezed all over a perfectly good slab of deer."
  
  "Well, money is important woof." I raised a hand with a grin and narrowed eyes, one finger and a thumb pressing on one another. The man exploded with laughter, turning even more faces towards us as the sound echoed in the street. I turned to them a bit and gestured some manner of apology for the ruckus.
  
  "Hahahahaha! That it is, that it is. You get it don't you, Dansa? By the way, I've been hearing some things as of late... There's some rumors going around.. about that streaming party the Wildhorn Heroes." He leaned over the stall's counter and whispered. "Would you like to hear about it?"
  
  I nodded vehemently, ears swinging back and forth as I did. He grinned again and pointed to his open palm. He must have been really pleased with whatever face I made, cause he started laughing again.
  
  But, yeah, now that he got me all curious I couldn't just not hear about it. I began looking for my coin pouch, when I felt a tickle on my leg, following by a bump.
  
  "Rrrrrrrrrr.....raff! Rrrrr...." A small dog all snugged up with some kind of thick vest-thing, resembling a pillow, was wagging it's tail while it leaped around behind me, tinkling the metal tag on the collar with every jump. The owner hurried behind it, trying to pull it back by the leash as the animal continued to growl and bark playfully.
  
  "I'm so sorry, he's not usually like this!" Who was this again? Perhaps a tourist? Or maybe she lived in the town center. The way she bothered to decorate her nails in the middle of the day and wore clothes that seemed fancy but not so fancy as to meant specifically for a party, indicated the latter was a likely option. So perhaps, gentleness and politeness were right for now. Since there was the dog here I should probably reign in the woofs too.
  
  "Oh, it is no bother at all. I'm sure he just wants to play." I crouched near the pet, and pinched my nose for a second just to make sure I didn't sniff. "Woof. Woof."
  
  The thing bark and wagged its tail harder. The butcher begun packing the things I asked for (those he had of course) and the lady placed a hand to her cheek.
  
  "Now if only my son would actually play with him. But these days he is focused on trying to move out. He could stay a little longer, you know. It's not a bad house, and he could give us a hand. Of course, I do want to support him but-"
  
  "I'm sure your son just wants you to see how well you raised him."
  
  "Well, if you put it like that, but even so he could have picked better things than that streaming business. Wildhorn Heroes was it? A silly name, isn't it? I suppose he might get married soon at least."
  
  The woman sighed, but my ears twitched.
  
  "Woo-what do you mean?" I nearly barked, and grabbed the woman's hands without thinking, practically leaping as I got up. She looked a little startled, and Maverick sighed in defeat.
  
  "Ah, just the rumor going around you see. I hear that girl that's always with him in the dungeon got pregnant."
  
  "Oh, so that's how it is! Thank you very much for sharing... I apologize if I got a little too eager, just my curiosity..." I turned around, dropped the coins to pay for the stuff the butcher left on the counter, and took them, waving him and the lady goodbye. "Until next time! Thank you very much!"
  
  That was fun. But now I needed to hurry and do the rest of the shopping or I might cause trouble for Vestra. Though I didn't want to run lest I bump into someone, I did step up my pace a bit while heading to the rest of the needed stalls.
  
  "Hey mister, can I get...?"
  
  "Yo yo, how's it hanging Topaz?..."
  
  "A good day to you ms.Shukaku. If it's alright, would you be able to give me..."
  
  "I would like three ripe marythorns and a standard bag of flower please..."
  
  
  

  ....................​

  
  
  "Hey Vestra, I'm back woof!" I announced as I pushed open the door with my leg. My arms were too busy with the paper bags to do it after all.
  
  "Just a second Dansa." He responded. He had his sleeves rolled, and I watched as he smoothly moved from one place to the next, mechanically adding ingredients and mixing them up, then stuffing the vegetable crepe, and when he stopped, as if frozen. By his facial expression, he was making a great effort. I saw one of his arms put down a tool, then his hand moved to grab the other arm, forcing out of the predetermined path. He picked up the sauces and began decorating the food, arranging the salad and sauce, until a beautiful dish was created. He finally let go of his arm, which seemed limp for a second and then returned to normal. He smiled at me, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. I decided to give him a breather rather than having him help me with the bags. I carried them all the way here anyway.
  
  "I asked you this a lot of times but... are you sure you don't want to add that to your sigil? If something happened to you everywhere would miss your dishes you know."
  
  "Should I be happy or sad to hear that? But... I couldn't. Not truly. I'm just expressing myself here. Even if I put it into a sigil, that would just be copies of something I've already done. There is no method to inspiration."
  
  My ears folded a bit.
  
  "Well, the conversation got a bit too complicated for me woof. What table is that for? I'll bring it there after I change."
  
  
  

  ....................​

  
  
  Pressing both hands against my lips, I blew a kiss at the food, then winked at the adventurer with red, unkept hair. He seemed to be blushing a bit, as if he didn't actually expect me to acquiesce to his request to "give his food a kiss to make it taste better". He fidgeted a bit, then pointed at his cheek.
  
  "Now how about one here, for the road?"
  
  he wanted me to kiss him? Should I bring him a bottle and read him a bedtime story too? The thought of saying made it harder to keep a calm smile, struggling to control laughter. But if I kept him waiting too much or refused his request he might think I was just trying to bait him! I searched around the room, and saw two adventurer girls, one of whom raised her arm as soon as our eyes met: A perfect excuse!
  
  "Ah, my sincere apologies, it appears those customers over there need me. If you'll excuse me."
  
  I hurried to them as discretely as possible, taking out my notepad.
  
  "Heyo Nera, Lida woof!" I greeted them.
  
  "Dansa! You alright?" Lida inquired.
  
  "That jerk over there has, like, gotten a bit of a reputation." Nera complained. I laughed a bit nervously.
  
  "Totes. But y'know how it is. That type is a customer too. Just gotta deal with them. Thanks for the save by the way."
  
  Lida winked.
  
  "Ey, no problem! Anything for you girl."
  
  Meanwhile, Nera spread herself over the table.
  
  "Why can't a hot, nice guy just waltz through the door?"
  
  Then as if he heard her, Cornelia pushed the door aside and half-confidently stepped into the room. Despite his stride, that third-hand armor he was covered head to toe with was already a bit cracked and rusty, and the sword on his hilt was bulkier than standard and the shield mostly wood rather than the iron reinforcement you'd normally want. Few paid any attention to him, except those who caught him looking as his eyes scouted the room. Then he saw me, and began to approaching. I looked at Nera and Lida, who just gestured at me to go to him.
  
  "H-hey Cornelia. Finished with training already? You come well equipped today woof... Don't tell me you're going to do it today?"
  
  He stayed silent, but eventually gave me a nod.
  
  "Does Yuna know about this?"
  
  "I've been telling her that I intend to do it. But I only decided when I would do it after we parted ways yesterday, so..."
  
  I wanted to sigh so badly, but I had to hold it in. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
  
  "Well, I can only wish you luck then woof."
  
  "Right. I'm gonna do it, you'll see."
  
  My gaze followed Cornelia as he made his way to the place where the requests were, and politely requested a chair from a nearby table. I raised an eyebrow, unsure what he was going to do with it, then I saw him climbing. I wanted to shout at him to stop, but doing that would only have called more attention to it. As I saw him drawing breath whilst the first few eyeballs were drawn by curiosity towards this boy in armor standing on a small wooden chair, I couldn't take my eyes off him anymore: It was like a cart wreck.
  
  "You know him, right Dansa? He was uh... What was his name again? He was pretty nice, right? Maybe we could invite him to ou-" Nera began, being interrupted by Cornelia's shouting.
  
  "Everyone! Attention please! My name is Cornelia Greatshield! I am a new adventurer, and I'm looking for a party! I have received training at the warrior's guild, so I can take on the monsters on the dungeon. I intend to become a dungeon streamer." He smiled, excited, and raised his sword to the ceiling, leading some people to cover their heads in reflex. "Who wants to join?"
  
  Of course there would be protests.
  
  "This isn't the Dungeon Guild you know?"
  
  "We're trying to eat over here!"
  
  "Move, I wanted to see that request!"
  
  In particular, the comments of a particular old man, with a curly strand of hair dripped over his face and leaning on a thin yet very long sword like a walking stick, seemed to have hit a cord.
  
  "In the first place, young man, your armor doesn't seem fit for an adventurer. Have you completed your training in the warrior's guild yet? Won't it conflict with your schedule? Do you just plan to tackle the dungeon in your free time, with that kind of armor, while streaming nonetheless? I'm sure you could deal with the first few monsters, but as soon as things get a little tough, how is party even going to-"
  
  "Now, listen here, I may not be the mo-o-ooost..." He bent down as he spoke, and the weight of his armor finally tipped over the chair (which by a miracle hadn't broken) and caused him to fall down, being grabbed by some of the nearby guests.
  
  "Cornelia! bark" I shouted and barked out of worry, without thinking.
  
  "I'm, fine. Thank you for catching me." He nodded to the adventurers that helped him, who sighed or returned a 'you're welcome'. But still, the giggles and chuckles muffled by the semi-silence that formed in the room were hard to ignore. There were mutters and whispers about the fall, and about his name.
  
  "You can't even keep your composure, nor your balance. Or at the very least, you can't accept just standing on your own two feet instead of relying on something this prone to dropping you-" The old man gestured to the chair, then turned to me. "No offense of course. The fact it could keep intact after that, your father did make some wonderful chairs."
  
  I shook my head and then nodded, though my heart was still beating fast with worry. I looked back to Cornelia, who was clenching his teeth and blushing. He pushed aside the people trying to help him up, and pointed a finger straight at the old man.
  
  "You have a problem with me? You don't think I can do it, huh? Well, I'll show it! I'll fight you and show everyone here what I can do."
  
  The old man shook his head, people were starting to frown at Cornelia. I tried approaching him, but... what would I even say. If I told him to stop, would he hate me for it?
  
  What followed was a bit hard to describe. The two of them went out to the back to a place we had for light sparing, but it couldn't even called that. Cornelia charged at the old man, who beat him in a couple seconds with the hilt of his sword, sending Cornelia straight to the ground, before the hilt was placed on his neck.
  
  "What the heck! How can you be this strong! You're an old man I thought- I thought you'd be so much weaker than this."
  
  "So he was just trying to pick on the weak?" One of the adventurers asked another. And just like that, the atmosphere changed, got a lot more tense, and to make matters worse, there were tears in the boy's face.
  
  "Well, he is still green. We've all been young adventurers in over our heads once." The old man told the others. "Let's just go back inside and give him some space. There's been enough of a mess already. Our food might be growing cold too."
  
  Of course, though those words were probably meant with kindness, they only struck at Cornelia's pride more.
  
  When Yuna arrived, Cornelia was in a table by the corner, clutching a drink I'd asked my mother to bring him on the house. With that fixed, downtrodden gaze, and armor now covered in dirt, he certainly looked like he needed it.
  
  

  

  

  
  
• 
  
  After tucking in the the last tip of the bedsheets, I stepped back a little to observe my work. The twinbed, pulled more towards the middle of the wall furthest from the door, was left entirely spotless, soft as if nobody had ever slept in it before, and with only a tiny, barely visible curl at the far tip. It was a halfway decent job, if I dare say so myself. It wasn't quite as perfect as mother's work, and I couldn't really take credit for my sigil's either, but I guess it was acceptable. I nodded with pride as my eyes scrolled through the whitest sheets we had in Wildeberry Inn, starting and ending in a fitting spider-web-esque fancy design. Near the window and with appropriate distance from the curtains, the chairs appeared to be placed favorably as well, the daylight sprinkling them with a dash of brighter color and warmth, so I moved to the drawer chest and carefully pulled one at a time, inspecting them for any accidentally leftover content from the previous guests. Not that I was likely to find anything anyway: It was the fourth time I was checking, after all.
  
  I patted the apron and long-skirted faded brown dress that constituted my work clothes, then took a quick deep breath before putting on a smile and pulling the knob, allowing the young and young woman holding her child to see the room.
  
  "Thank you for waiting, and I apologize for the delay woof. We were not expecting you to visit us this soon, Mr. and Ms. Caffian. Please, do come in woof, I hope you'll find it to be to your satisfaction." I moved to the side, parallel to the door, and stretched an arm out in the direction of the room. The young man made his way in first, steps clearly a little tense and began touching the bed and other furniture, pressing it a couple of times and then sighed in relief. His wife had entered as well, scouting the room with her eyes from near the entrance. It was good to see they seemed quite satisfied, though I was somewhat distracted by the child who'd leaned over his mother's left arm and was swinging their tiny chubby hands towards me. I must've twitched a bit when one of those finally grabbed a hold of the dog-like perking above my head, and pressed them, because his mother took notice of it at that point and turned towards me with something of a horrified expression.
  
  "Oh, oh no stop that Relm! Take your hand off, those, that girl is not a toy! I'm so sorry, I hope he wasn't causing you any discomfort!" The boy's mother gave me some pleading eyes, ones I couldn't be sure to be of pity and sympathy for me or begging for them for herself.
  
  "No, no, no need to worry Ms. Caffian, it's no bother at all woof, and besides he is just a child. An adorable one might I add, something he got from his parents, no doubt." I chuckled a bit. Truth be told those ears were a bit on the sensitive side, but there was no way I could succeed the family business if I couldn't even tolerate children doing this much, especially one barely a year old. "On the first drawer over there you will find information regarding your stay and other services we provide. Someone will bring in a crib for your child soon, so feel free to wait here or take a leisurely stroll woof. A big party was streaming at this time I believe, so it might be a good opportunity to check out the town open air market, as it should be less crowded. Now, then woof, if you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave. Is there anything else I can help you with before I go?"
  
  "Ah no, not really." This time it was the husband's turn to smile nervously and answer. "It's more than enough. We're the ones who got a little too excited and came earlier than arranged..."
  
  "Nonetheless, we should be prepared to receive our guests even in such situations. It is most certainly not your fault woof, after all, isn't it normal to be excited in times like these?" I smiled, they both chuckled and blushed a little. "Well then woof, this time I really will take my leave. I do wish you both a great start to your honeymoon."
  
  Once I had gently closed the door, I hurried downstairs, though I slowed down a bit after nearly bumping into a muscle and armor-covered man holding a bowl with a small towel and a bar of soap smaller than his palm. I apologized of course, and continued on my way, knocking carefully before making my way inside the kitchen.
  
  "woof Vestra, you called earlier? I was helping out the newlyweds upstairs." Though the cook's apron was the same faded brown color as mine, that is where the similarities ended. His outfit had three golden buttons on the let side with strings of the same color leading to the mirroed location. The fabric of the coat was clean and refined, smooth to both the looks and the touch, and decorated like a black canvas with several harmonious sets of differently colored stripes. The shirt under the jacket had a deep purple color, but the pants and boots at least seemed a bit more contained. He turned his eyes from the pot he was standing next to and the notepad he was holding and look at me leaning from the door's gap.
  
  "Ah, it's just some of the ingredients are almost over, so I wanted to ask if you could go buy some. Market should be a bit emptier today from what your mother told me. The list is over there in the counter."
  
  I saluted him.
  
  "woof! Sure thing great chef! I shall bring you the finest ingredients for your cuisine." I winked.
  
  "Oi Dansa, I told not to call me that anymore!" He protested, but I was already leaving through the closing gap of the door while cheekily showing him my tongue. My ears still twitched as they overheard him mutter to himself "Seriously, that girl sometimes..."
  
  I went into the changing room with a grin on my face.
  
  Of course though, it had been replaced with a simple smile, the way that my apron and dress had been replaced with usual tunic over a short dress and skirt. I went around the adventurers mostly gathering around the request posters that shops delivered to us, advertising what they wanted and were willing to pay for certain resources from the town's dungeon.
  
  "Going out Dansa?" Asked Daves, one of said adventurers, raising a mug of ale from the table.
  
  "Yep. Just the market woof." I thought about it for a moment, then approached his table. "Having lunch?"
  
  "Yeah, I was a little late today. There was a line because of those big-name streamers today."
  
  I forced a sigh, and shook my head.
  
  "Some people just have no manners.woof"
  
  He nodded.
  
  "Tell me about it."
  
  "They do provide some nice entertainment, but it can be quite unfair, that difference in treatment woof. Adventurers who want to focus on their job aren't any lesser. You are providing an invaluable service, and not trying to hog the glory."
  
  He nodded, more vehemently this time, swinging the mug a bit.
  
  "Yes, exactly, exactly! We do so much work, we barely get any credit, and then we have to wait in line just so they can pass with priority? What's up with that?"
  
  "Well..." I picked up one of the rags I usually carried with me, and cleaned up the little spill of ale, not bothering to continue looking as my sigil took over and my arm moved practically by itself. "I can think of one person that does appreciate you properly. How about I bring some extra eeldeer cuts from the market today woof?"
  
  I winked. He seemed pensive as he sipped on the ale.
  
  "Well, eating at an inn isn't what most would think as a romantic dinner, but Dayna likes this place too, and we haven't eaten out together in a while... Alright, get us some candles and you have a deal."
  
  "woof I'll be sure to talk to mom about it." I nodded back to him and smiled, waved as I headed to the door. Just before opening it, I pulled up my cloak, ears going through the holes cut at the top. It wasn't like I needed it. The weather was clear and warm. But I suppose old habits die hard.
  
  
  
  ....................​
  
  
  The market was still a bit of a walk away from there. Wildeberry Inn was located near the edge of the town, one the side closer to the dungeon entrance. It was, after all, an inn for adventurers: If they were exhausted and in need of care after leaving the dungeon, we were there to take the weight off them, offer them some medicine and a good bath to wash off the dungeon's ether pollution (the name given to the conditions created by the high density of ether within the dungeons) and furthermore, if something happened and reinforcements were needed quickly, it was a good thing to have the resting adventurers closer to the place of action. Let the inns on the other side serve those more fearful types and travellers, though we certainly wouldn't turn them away if they came to us. Everyone is welcome as long as they don't cause trouble!
  
  The market, on the other hand, was closer to the center of town. Stalls and carpets were mixed together and spread all over those central streets, reaching the inner circle, four squares linked by a road which constituted the closest one could get to the actual central square without permission from the city council or even the local lord himself. Well, it was generally best to stick to the inner circle anyway, the central square was full of those fancy expensive shops that imported goods from other places. It was much cheaper to buy local goods from the stalls, and besides that meant I was supporting adventurers too since they often bought materials from them, and in turn the adventurers might spend money on our business, so it all came back to us! I couldn't help but chuckle a bit whenever that thought crossed my mind...
  
  Well, point was, I wasn't going to set foot on the central square until I was helping Yuna pick her wedding ring. Not that she was making huge strides in that direction, honestly Cornelia seemed more focused on dipping a foot into streaming. And as I had to maneuver around the crowds overflowing from the taverns and streaming hubs, or covering my ears due to the roaring of their cheers, I could understand why a guy like him would want to try it out. I didn't want him to do anything reckless of course, both for his sake and Yuna's, but I suppose his party could always talk some sense into him. If Yuna was there, she would for sure.
  
  "Hey Dansa! Out shopping?" The voice that called out to me was the butcher mr.Maverick. He waved at me with a huge grin plastered on like usual, and the eyes the people sitting in the carpets and the woman on the stall in front of his followed as I skipped over to his stall.
  
  "Just refilling for Vestra woof. Do you have any of these?" I presented him the list. My eyes wandered a bit while he looked it over, to the vegetables and various types of meat lined up in boxes, the monster parts dangling from the top of the stall, and in a corner the utensils and bowl where he curated the products the adventurers brought him. When I looked back to him though, he was much closer, his grin practically attached to my face already. I leaped back a bit with the scare.
  
  "See anything you like hehe?"
  
  Until I saw you. Or I so I would have said, but I didn't know how he might take it.
  
  "Well, you do sell a number of things. Oh, you wouldn't happen to have eeldeer meat would you? It's not on the list, but I needed about this much of it as well."
  
  "That's quite a bit, but well, if people will buy it, I will sell it!" He turned around and grabbed a plate and a slab of bright pink meat, slamming the second onto the first in front of me. The mucus slowly dripped onto the plate... "Even if it looks like a giant sneezed all over a perfectly good slab of deer."
  
  "Well, money is important woof." I raised a hand with a grin and narrowed eyes, one finger and a thumb pressing on one another. The man exploded with laughter, turning even more faces towards us as the sound echoed in the street. I turned to them a bit and gestured some manner of apology for the ruckus.
  
  "Hahahahaha! That it is, that it is. You get it don't you, Dansa? By the way, I've been hearing some things as of late... There's some rumors going around.. about that streaming party the Wildhorn Heroes." He leaned over the stall's counter and whispered. "Would you like to hear about it?"
  
  I nodded vehemently, ears swinging back and forth as I did. He grinned again and pointed to his open palm. He must have been really pleased with whatever face I made, cause he started laughing again.
  
  But, yeah, now that he got me all curious I couldn't just not hear about it. I began looking for my coin pouch, when I felt a tickle on my leg, following by a bump.
  
  "Rrrrrrrrrr.....raff! Rrrrr...." A small dog all snugged up with some kind of thick vest-thing, resembling a pillow, was wagging it's tail while it leaped around behind me, tinkling the metal tag on the collar with every jump. The owner hurried behind it, trying to pull it back by the leash as the animal continued to growl and bark playfully.
  
  "I'm so sorry, he's not usually like this!" Who was this again? Perhaps a tourist? Or maybe she lived in the town center. The way she bothered to decorate her nails in the middle of the day and wore clothes that seemed fancy but not so fancy as to meant specifically for a party, indicated the latter was a likely option. So perhaps, gentleness and politeness were right for now. Since there was the dog here I should probably reign in the woofs too.
  
  "Oh, it is no bother at all. I'm sure he just wants to play." I crouched near the pet, and pinched my nose for a second just to make sure I didn't sniff. "Woof. Woof."
  
  The thing bark and wagged its tail harder. The butcher begun packing the things I asked for (those he had of course) and the lady placed a hand to her cheek.
  
  "Now if only my son would actually play with him. But these days he is focused on trying to move out. He could stay a little longer, you know. It's not a bad house, and he could give us a hand. Of course, I do want to support him but-"
  
  "I'm sure your son just wants you to see how well you raised him."
  
  "Well, if you put it like that, but even so he could have picked better things than that streaming business. Wildhorn Heroes was it? A silly name, isn't it? I suppose he might get married soon at least."
  
  The woman sighed, but my ears twitched.
  
  "Woo-what do you mean?" I nearly barked, and grabbed the woman's hands without thinking, practically leaping as I got up. She looked a little startled, and Maverick sighed in defeat.
  
  "Ah, just the rumor going around you see. I hear that girl that's always with him in the dungeon got pregnant."
  
  "Oh, so that's how it is! Thank you very much for sharing... I apologize if I got a little too eager, just my curiosity..." I turned around, dropped the coins to pay for the stuff the butcher left on the counter, and took them, waving him and the lady goodbye. "Until next time! Thank you very much!"
  
  That was fun. But now I needed to hurry and do the rest of the shopping or I might cause trouble for Vestra. Though I didn't want to run lest I bump into someone, I did step up my pace a bit while heading to the rest of the needed stalls.
  
  "Hey mister, can I get...?"
  
  "Yo yo, how's it hanging Topaz?..."
  
  "A good day to you ms.Shukaku. If it's alright, would you be able to give me..."
  
  "I would like three ripe marythorns and a standard bag of flower please..."
  
  
  
  ....................​
  
  
  "Hey Vestra, I'm back woof!" I announced as I pushed open the door with my leg. My arms were too busy with the paper bags to do it after all.
  
  "Just a second Dansa." He responded. He had his sleeves rolled, and I watched as he smoothly moved from one place to the next, mechanically adding ingredients and mixing them up, then stuffing the vegetable crepe, and when he stopped, as if frozen. By his facial expression, he was making a great effort. I saw one of his arms put down a tool, then his hand moved to grab the other arm, forcing out of the predetermined path. He picked up the sauces and began decorating the food, arranging the salad and sauce, until a beautiful dish was created. He finally let go of his arm, which seemed limp for a second and then returned to normal. He smiled at me, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. I decided to give him a breather rather than having him help me with the bags. I carried them all the way here anyway.
  
  "I asked you this a lot of times but... are you sure you don't want to add that to your sigil? If something happened to you everywhere would miss your dishes you know."
  
  "Should I be happy or sad to hear that? But... I couldn't. Not truly. I'm just expressing myself here. Even if I put it into a sigil, that would just be copies of something I've already done. There is no method to inspiration."
  
  My ears folded a bit.
  
  "Well, the conversation got a bit too complicated for me woof. What table is that for? I'll bring it there after I change."
  
  
  
  ....................​
  
  
  Pressing both hands against my lips, I blew a kiss at the food, then winked at the adventurer with red, unkept hair. He seemed to be blushing a bit, as if he didn't actually expect me to acquiesce to his request to "give his food a kiss to make it taste better". He fidgeted a bit, then pointed at his cheek.
  
  "Now how about one here, for the road?"
  
  he wanted me to kiss him? Should I bring him a bottle and read him a bedtime story too? The thought of saying made it harder to keep a calm smile, struggling to control laughter. But if I kept him waiting too much or refused his request he might think I was just trying to bait him! I searched around the room, and saw two adventurer girls, one of whom raised her arm as soon as our eyes met: A perfect excuse!
  
  "Ah, my sincere apologies, it appears those customers over there need me. If you'll excuse me."
  
  I hurried to them as discretely as possible, taking out my notepad.
  
  "Heyo Nera, Lida woof!" I greeted them.
  
  "Dansa! You alright?" Lida inquired.
  
  "That jerk over there has, like, gotten a bit of a reputation." Nera complained. I laughed a bit nervously.
  
  "Totes. But y'know how it is. That type is a customer too. Just gotta deal with them. Thanks for the save by the way."
  
  Lida winked.
  
  "Ey, no problem! Anything for you girl."
  
  Meanwhile, Nera spread herself over the table.
  
  "Why can't a hot, nice guy just waltz through the door?"
  
  Then as if he heard her, Cornelia pushed the door aside and half-confidently stepped into the room. Despite his stride, that third-hand armor he was covered head to toe with was already a bit cracked and rusty, and the sword on his hilt was bulkier than standard and the shield mostly wood rather than the iron reinforcement you'd normally want. Few paid any attention to him, except those who caught him looking as his eyes scouted the room. Then he saw me, and began to approaching. I looked at Nera and Lida, who just gestured at me to go to him.
  
  "H-hey Cornelia. Finished with training already? You come well equipped today woof... Don't tell me you're going to do it today?"
  
  He stayed silent, but eventually gave me a nod.
  
  "Does Yuna know about this?"
  
  "I've been telling her that I intend to do it. But I only decided when I would do it after we parted ways yesterday, so..."
  
  I wanted to sigh so badly, but I had to hold it in. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
  
  "Well, I can only wish you luck then woof."
  
  "Right. I'm gonna do it, you'll see."
  
  My gaze followed Cornelia as he made his way to the place where the requests were, and politely requested a chair from a nearby table. I raised an eyebrow, unsure what he was going to do with it, then I saw him climbing. I wanted to shout at him to stop, but doing that would only have called more attention to it. As I saw him drawing breath whilst the first few eyeballs were drawn by curiosity towards this boy in armor standing on a small wooden chair, I couldn't take my eyes off him anymore: It was like a cart wreck.
  
  "You know him, right Dansa? He was uh... What was his name again? He was pretty nice, right? Maybe we could invite him to ou-" Nera began, being interrupted by Cornelia's shouting.
  
  "Everyone! Attention please! My name is Cornelia Greatshield! I am a new adventurer, and I'm looking for a party! I have received training at the warrior's guild, so I can take on the monsters on the dungeon. I intend to become a dungeon streamer." He smiled, excited, and raised his sword to the ceiling, leading some people to cover their heads in reflex. "Who wants to join?"
  
  Of course there would be protests.
  
  "This isn't the Dungeon Guild you know?"
  
  "We're trying to eat over here!"
  
  "Move, I wanted to see that request!"
  
  In particular, the comments of a particular old man, with a curly strand of hair dripped over his face and leaning on a thin yet very long sword like a walking stick, seemed to have hit a cord.
  
  "In the first place, young man, your armor doesn't seem fit for an adventurer. Have you completed your training in the warrior's guild yet? Won't it conflict with your schedule? Do you just plan to tackle the dungeon in your free time, with that kind of armor, while streaming nonetheless? I'm sure you could deal with the first few monsters, but as soon as things get a little tough, how is party even going to-"
  
  "Now, listen here, I may not be the mo-o-ooost..." He bent down as he spoke, and the weight of his armor finally tipped over the chair (which by a miracle hadn't broken) and caused him to fall down, being grabbed by some of the nearby guests.
  
  "Cornelia! bark" I shouted and barked out of worry, without thinking.
  
  "I'm, fine. Thank you for catching me." He nodded to the adventurers that helped him, who sighed or returned a 'you're welcome'. But still, the giggles and chuckles muffled by the semi-silence that formed in the room were hard to ignore. There were mutters and whispers about the fall, and about his name.
  
  "You can't even keep your composure, nor your balance. Or at the very least, you can't accept just standing on your own two feet instead of relying on something this prone to dropping you-" The old man gestured to the chair, then turned to me. "No offense of course. The fact it could keep intact after that, your father did make some wonderful chairs."
  
  I shook my head and then nodded, though my heart was still beating fast with worry. I looked back to Cornelia, who was clenching his teeth and blushing. He pushed aside the people trying to help him up, and pointed a finger straight at the old man.
  
  "You have a problem with me? You don't think I can do it, huh? Well, I'll show it! I'll fight you and show everyone here what I can do."
  
  The old man shook his head, people were starting to frown at Cornelia. I tried approaching him, but... what would I even say. If I told him to stop, would he hate me for it?
  
  What followed was a bit hard to describe. The two of them went out to the back to a place we had for light sparing, but it couldn't even called that. Cornelia charged at the old man, who beat him in a couple seconds with the hilt of his sword, sending Cornelia straight to the ground, before the hilt was placed on his neck.
  
  "What the heck! How can you be this strong! You're an old man I thought- I thought you'd be so much weaker than this."
  
  "So he was just trying to pick on the weak?" One of the adventurers asked another. And just like that, the atmosphere changed, got a lot more tense, and to make matters worse, there were tears in the boy's face.
  
  "Well, he is still green. We've all been young adventurers in over our heads once." The old man told the others. "Let's just go back inside and give him some space. There's been enough of a mess already. Our food might be growing cold too."
  
  Of course, though those words were probably meant with kindness, they only struck at Cornelia's pride more.
  
  When Yuna arrived, Cornelia was in a table by the corner, clutching a drink I'd asked my mother to bring him on the house. With that fixed, downtrodden gaze, and armor now covered in dirt, he certainly looked like he needed it.
  
  
  

Vyseryx