Eren eventually slowed down. Her rage fueled march abating. She stood on the side of the street breathing heavily, staring at the sky with a blank expression in her eyes. Ril jogged up to her, stopping just a few meters behind her.

Eren’s hands were clenching and unclenching spasmodically. Ril stepped around from behind her. Her eyes glistened wetly as she stared unseeing into the sky.

“Hey? Are you alright?” Ril asked hesitantly. Raising his hand halfheartedly, unsure whether he should give her a hug, or clasp her shoulder in a show of camaraderie.

“Uhm, what, yeah.” Eren sniffled, raising her hand and brushing it under her nose. “I’m fine. Sorry for spacing out. What else would you like to see in the city?” She said the last bit with a bit of forced cheer and a teary smile.

She doesn’t look like she wants to talk about it. At least not with me. I guess everyone has their pride. Wonder how much she made from escorting the princess. Somehow I doubt that it would be three thousand dekars.

“You know, I would love to explore the outer district some more. Can you show me the way?” Ril said instead.

Eren nodded, before looking around and setting off. “It’s this way.”

They walked in silence for some time, passing through the cultivated streets of the inner city.

“I find it helpful to walk around when I am feeling frustrated.” Ril said quietly, not looking at Eren. She glanced at him, but didn’t say anything. “You know. Helps get rid of the energy. I don’t know why I am bringing this up. Never mind me. So you’ve lived here for a while, right? What can you tell me of the outer city? Is it very old?”

“Not very old. Barely fifteen years ago, the second wall was raised. Less than five years after that, the second wall was fortified.” Eren said after a moment, a tinge of humor in her voice.

Ril resolutely kept looking forward, but after a moment he gave in and glanced over at Eren. a small grateful smile on her face.

Smooth... Ril thought to himself with a small relieved sigh. But hey, if it works it works.

They continued on their walk, exiting the inner city and passing by the grumpy gate guard who gave them the stink eye on the way out. Soon they were out of the paved boulevards of the inner city and walking through the much narrower streets of the outer city. Around them houses clumped together, reaching upwards as if in competition to see which could touch the sky. Narrow alleyways almost entirely shaded from the sun lay between the buildings. Some of the alleyways looked like they would be very difficult to traverse. Sometimes because of the narrow space that the flanking buildings left, but other times because of the garbage that littered the ground.

Eren started out quiet, still dwelling on the events earlier in the day. But soon, as they put some distance between themselves and the opulence of the nobles, she perked up, becoming enthusiastic about telling Ril all about the short history of the district. The first place that she took him was the farms. Large swaths of land completely dedicated to growing vegetables and fruits. Such an undertaking was unheard of in cities prior to the calamity, but it quickly became the norm after farming became improbable outside of the walls.

Regardless, the Eskolaite Gardens were impressive. At this time of day they were bustling with activity, almost resembling a bee hive. On a whim Ril asked Eren if there was a vantage that they could sit on to view the Gardens from above. Eren thought for a moment, before leading them to the tallest nearby building. It was an apartment building, and the door was unlocked. Before long the two stepped out onto the roof of the flat topped building to behold the gardens.

“Amazing. Even after years of seeing it, you never really get used to the magic.” Eren said wistfully. Ril nodded before hopping up onto the ledge and sitting down. Dangling his feet over the edge in a carefree manner.

“It really is amazing. Although I don’t really remember a time before this, so this just looks normal to me.” Ril replied.

Eren joined him on the ledge and they sat there, looking at the people running around in the maze of vertical plant beds below them.

Should I ask her about her father? Maybe she will appreciate some advice. Not that I have any advice to give. She’s older, not to mention she has a family. Seems a little different to my upbringing, Ril thought to himself, snorting in amusement.

“What’s so funny?” Eren asked curiously.

“Nothing, just thought of something stupid.” Ril said.

They descended into silence. Simply enjoying the cool air.

It will be winter soon. Won’t be able to just sit around like this then.

“Hey Eren?” Ril suddenly broke the comfortable silence. “What do you think I should do?”

“About what?”

“With Evelyn. I would like to help her somehow.”

“Focus on what you can do. Get into the academy, graduate, then you can become her trusted advisor.” Eren said. “I’m sure once you are qualified, Cato would be more than willing to give you jobs that will help the princess.”

That’s...actually good advice. Ril thought, a determined look crossing his face. Then he grinned. Wonder how fast I can do it.

“Want to head back down and continue the tour?” Ril asked.

“Sure, why not? Let the greatest tour of Anduin’s outer city continue!” Eren grinned.

They descended down from the tall apartment building. Continuing the impromptu tour of Anduin. Eren enthusiastically described the short history of the place, highlighting key events which had prompted the building of the walls or the establishment of various streets.

Eventually they found themselves on the edge of the slums. Here the building quality degraded. The finished wood changed to a more haphazard arrangement with greener wood incorporated into the architecture. As such, much of the windows and doors had gaps in them as the green wood shrunk as it dried. There was evidence of plenty of doors that looked newer than the rest of the structure. Likely caused by the door jamming after a particular nasty winter. Or perhaps not. Regardless the homes left much to be desired.

The people on the other hand didn’t change all that much. It seemed that a large percentage of the population of Anduin lived here in the recently and hastily constructed buildings. That wasn’t to say there was no change in the people. While those that walked the streets with purpose looked much the same as those closer to the inner city, there was also a new population of people who did not exist elsewhere. They sat around the edges of the street, their spirits crushed, waiting patiently for something to happen.

The place reminded Ril of Elkshire. Elkshire was not one large slum, but it was significantly poorer than the areas of Anduin that he had visited so far. The wealthy district of Elkshire consisted of a single home. Or castle really, as Lord Glotsk was the sole noble residing in the city.

Despite the obvious poverty, Ril felt a sense of relief flow over him. This place was poor, cruel and uncaring. But for all that, it was familiar. His travels with royalty, or near royalty had left him feeling slightly out of place, and the ill-fitting buildings brought Ril back into his comfort zone.

Out of nowhere Ril felt a presence getting too close to his person. Quick as a snake, Ril’s hand snaked out and gripped the offending presence. In his hand he held a hand that was hovering dangerously over Ril’s bulging purse. Ril followed the hand up and saw that it belonged to a young kid, maybe eleven or twelve, dressed in rags. Before he could make any more observations, the kid jerked his hand back, nearly tearing out of Ril’s grip.

Quickly, Ril spun and used his second hand to solidify his grip.

“Oi! What do you think you are doing?” Ril asked, more surprised than angry at the potential thief.

“Let go of me! What are you doing? I’ll scream!” the kid said, struggling mightily in Ril’s grip. After a second Eren rushed over and put her hand on the shoulder of the kid. It was a good thing too, because Ril was about to lose his grip on the bucking kid.

This kid is strong...If he was just a few years older he would pulverize me.

“What is going on here?” Eren asked, her commanding voice quieting the kid. Her vice-like grip on his shoulder intimidating the kid into silence.

“He grabbed me!” said the kid.

“Well he was trying to steal from me!”

“Was not!”

“Did too! I caught you red handed!”

“Did not! I was minding my own business when you grabbed me!”

“Then what was your hand doing next to my purse?”

“It was minding its own business”

“No! You were going to steal from me!”

“Was not!”

“Did t---”

“Shut up!” Eren shouted. Cutting off both of them. “Ril. We can take him to the guard station. They can handle this.”

“What? No! I didn’t do anything!” The kid cried, resuming his struggles, but Eren’s grip was firm.

Ril reached up and scratched his head. His hair was growing back slowly and it was starting to itch.

“Uhm, we don’t have to involve the guard.” Ril said, “I just want him to admit that he was trying to steal from me.”

“Why not involve the guard? We just pass him over, they pull him off the streets and we can continue on with our day.” Eren said. By this point, both were completely ignoring the struggling kid between them. The rest of the passersby also ignored the spectacle. If they looked at all, they quickly averted their gaze when they spotted Eren’s guard uniform.

“Well, they are going to lock him up. And uhm. He didn’t actually steal anything. So, no harm done, right?” Ril replied with a hopeful expression on his face. “We can just tell him not to steal and let him go. No need to ruin his life.”

“Alright... but what makes you think that telling him not to steal will actually change his behavior?”

“It probably won’t, not by itself. But if you want, we can help him change.” Ril said, phrasing it more like a question. Ril didn’t much care for the kid. The kid reminded him of himself back when he was younger, but other than that, it didn’t spark much feelings of empathy. Ril had left that life behind, and had no desire to be reminded of it, even if it was to help someone else.

Eren looked at Ril thoughtfully. “Alright. This I’d like to see. How are you going to get him off of the streets?”

Ril paused, not expecting Eren’s response.

“Go on, what are you going to do?” Eren said, with a smirk.

“Yeah, what are you going to do?” asked the kid, fearfully.

Ril stood there silently for a moment. Debating what he could do to help the kid. Meanwhile, Eren turned towards the kid and began talking to him.

“So, while big brain here has an epiphany, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Bel.” the kid said hesitantly. His gaze flashing back and forth between Ril and Eren’s hand which was still firmly planted on his shoulder. “Say could you let me go, I promise not to steal anything from you guys.”

“Nah, I can’t do that. I am a guard. And I should hand you over to the nearest station but I want to see what Ril here does. I’m Eren by the way.”

While Eren made small talk with Bel, Ril was staring off into the distance. Considering how best to do what Eren asked him to.

How did I get out? Eve, obviously. And Gemma. I guess Glotsk being a clutz should be thanked as well. So in summary, lots of luck. Ril thought to himself, I guess there is only one thing that really matters.

“Hey kid? Do you want to get out of the slums?” Ril asked the kid, looking deep into his eyes. When the kid opened his mouth Ril spoke over him. “Like, really want to get out of the slums. Are you willing to work for it?”

Bel hesitated. Unsure what the small bald guy wanted to hear. “Yes?” he asked, more a question than a statement.

Ril for his part just shrugged. “Good enough for me. Come.” Then he started walking away from the slums heading deeper into the outer city. He gestured for Eren to come along and bring the kid along.

“So what is your plan?” Eren asked curiously, dragging Bel along by the arm.

“Back in Elkshire there was this old guy. We all called him Old Man Joe. Never actually learned his last name. Don’t think anyone knew it. Not really you know. Anyway he used to say all sorts of things. Sometimes these quick sayings, other times long stories. I used to sit outside his house sometimes and listen to him talk. I think he told those stories to try and teach people about the world. All his stories tried to teach something. Eventually I grew up and stopped listening to him.” Ril said idly. “Anyway, there was this one story that he would repeat a lot, about a guy and a fishing rod. I think it is fitting in this situation.”

Ril paused at an intersection and looked down each street. He mostly knew where he was but it never hurt to double check. “Hey Eren? Which way towards the market district?”

Eren pointed and they continued on their way.

“So what is the story about?” Eren piped up after a minute of silence.

“Oh. Right. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it last. Let me see. It was something about how there was this really poor beggar who was always begging for food on the streets. This dude comes up to him and gives him a fish, and tells the beggar that he should eat the fish and not be hungry. The beggar is happy. His stomach is full, and he was shown kindness by a stranger. But then the next day he is right back to where he started out at. His stomach empty, and begging on the streets. The rich dude with the fish comes by again, and when he sees the beggar still on the street he gives the guy a new fish. He tells the beggar to eat the fish and be happy. And the beggar ate the fish and was happy. But the next day the beggar was once again begging for food.”

“I don’t really remember what happens next. But eventually the rich dude with all the fish gets fed up with giving the beggar fish everyday. So one day instead of giving him the fish he gives the beggar a fishing rod and some worms. Then he drags the beggar to the ocean and teaches him to fish. They spend the day together fishing, and the beggar never goes back to begging.”

Ril paused. “You know, the story sounds a lot better when Old Man Joe told it.”

“Old man Joe is pretty wise.” Eren said.

Ril snorted. “Sure, but why was the beggar poor in the first place.”

“How does that have anything to do with me? I don’t want a fish...or a fishing rod.” Bel said, pouting as Eren literally dragged him through the streets.

Ril shrugged, not really caring if the kid understood what he meant. “If you cooperate I’ll give you a hundred dekar.”

That immediately shut the kid up, and he stopped fighting Eren. Not that she seemed to be having difficulty with the kid, but she shot Ril a grateful glance anyway.

They walked for a few more minutes, before arriving at the front of a familiar looking blacksmith’s shop.

“Ahh here we are.” Ril said, pushing into the dimly lit building. A small bell tinkled as the door to the shop opened. “Hello Dom, how are you?”

“Bored.” came the subsonic rumble of the massive smith. He was noticeably further along in his novel which seemed even more beat up than the last time that they visited. Predictably the book was dogeared and was placed on the counter.

Eren curiously looked around the room, then to Bel, then to Dom, but didn't say anything. Seemingly content to wait and see what Ril was planning.

“Sell?” The smith rumbled, his dark eyes focusing on Ril intently.

“No, well yes, but not really.” Ril said, “I found this kid on the streets, and remembered that you were bored, so I figured maybe you could take him on as your apprentice. Seeing as you have nothing you want to do and he doesn’t know what he wants to do, I figured you two would be a perfect match.”

The smith looked at Bel, who audibly gulped at the attention, hiding a little behind Eren’s form .

“Weak...” The smith grumbled, turning away, and moving to resume his book.

“Wait a moment. What if I paid you?” Ril said, pulling out his coin purse.

“No...” The smith rumbled.

“I didn’t even say how much I would be willing to pay you.” Ril said, a little miffed at the smith’s response. He was starting to remember how he had felt like the first time here.

Dom didn’t respond. Clearly not thinking much of Ril’s insistence.

Ril stood there for a moment, thinking. “What about this.” He said, pulling out a clump of silver hair.

Dom lazily glanced up, before looking back to his book. Then he stiffened and snapped his gaze back to the clump of hair sitting in Ril’s hand.

“Intrigued...” The smith rumbled leaning forward. He lifted his massive hand and hovered it over his hair.

“Confusion...” The smith rumbled, louder this time. The floorboards seemed to shake at the smith's voice. Dom looked at Ril with a question in his eyes.

“Sure, you can take it.” Ril said, guessing at the smith’s intentions.

Dom lowered his hand and delicately picked up a single strand of silver hair. He brought it to his eye, and just stared at it for a long moment. Just as Ril was getting uncomfortable, Dom let out a rumble.

“Organic Silverlight. Rare. How much?”

Ril grinned. I got him. That was the longest sentence I’ve heard from the smith yet.

“How about you take the boy as your apprentice for as long as he needs it, and keep him out of trouble while he is learning from you.”

Dom frowned. “One year.”

“Oh come on, he won’t learn anything properly in one year.” Ril complained. “Five years.”

“Three...”

Ril pretended to think for a moment. Then he grinned “Done!”

Reaching over the counter, they shook on it.

“Uh, guys? Don’t I have a say in this?” Bel said fearfully from where he was hiding behind Eren.

Ril looked at him, confused. “You did have a say. I asked you if you wanted to get off the streets and get a chance, and you said that you would be willing to work for it. Here is that chance.” gesturing towards the massive smith.

“What if I changed my mind? Can I have the hundred dekar you promised me and leave?”

Ril nodded slowly. Then without answering the boy, he turned back to Dom. “Can I add something to the agreement?” Ril pulled out one-hundred dekar from his purse and placed them on the counter. “If the kid stays with you for the full three years, give him these coins. If not, you get to keep them.”

“Hey! You said you would give me those coins!” Bel said, stepping out from behind Eren. The proposition of losing money seeming to have granted him bravery.

“I never said I will give you the money now. If you finish the apprenticeship, you will get the money. And if not...well that means you lied to me about your convictions, and I am not obligated to fulfill my side of the promise anyways.”

Bel stared at Ril, fuming, but in the end stayed silent.

“Well that’s that!” Ril said, clapping his hands. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Pleasure...” The smith rumbled, greedily scooping up the ultra-light strands of hair and reverently storing them in a bag.

Eren and Ril stepped out of the shop, leaving Bel to his fate.

“Nice. So would you say that was a success?” Ril asked Eren innocently.

Eren snorted in amusement. “Very impressive, Ril.”