Sitting on a bench by the street, Kirin was still sobbing.

By that time, it was already past 5:00 PM. The sky had already begun to turn a darker color and the wind a colder degree.

Between the blue knight and the trap, an empty plate and a quarter-full glass were silently sitting as their company.

"Stop crying. I've already bought you your cake and sherbet." The blue knight hissed.

"Those weren't the only things I wanted to buy, you know!" Kirin wiped sticky half-dried tears off his face. "I wanted a house, a dress, and new armor!"

"Idiot. Ten malagmium wouldn't have been enough for all that." The blue knight crossed his arms.

"I could've bought a dress, at least! I need one for a date later. Now I'm gonna have to spend some of my rent."

"How much is a dress?"

"Gasp."

Was the knight gonna be buying him the dress too?

Kirin's eyes sparkled. "Eighty amalgium, at cheapest. One malagmium if I'm feeling fancy."

"I recently bought a tabard for just ten amalgium. Don't take advantage of me."

A shameful shade dawned upon Kirin. "T-T-Twenty amalgium. That's probably how expensive most dresses are." He puckered.

"And how much money do you have left?"

"Fifty-four amalgium."

"Ahh. Then you should be fine. You'll have plenty to spare after buying a dress tonight." The blue knight stood.

"Wait! But my landlord will be collecting rent in six days. I won't have enough money by then."

"You're a knight, right? Surely you can earn by doing quests in five days."

"But!"

"Well then. I'm taking my leave now." The man waved curtly and proceeded to walk away.

"Oh, come on! Aren't you giving me even a little bit of compensation? Where are you going?"

"I've already bought you food." He paused. "I'm resuming my quest now. If I can find the man who stole your money, I might be able to give it back to you." He continued.

Kirin could only stare at the man's back as he went further and further away. "Great! Now I'm really gonna have to spend my rent to buy a new dress!"

Or did he?

"What if I rush another quest? I think I still have time."

***

Back to the guild he went.

"I'm truly sorry, Dame Torisetti." Katrina bowed. "Sir Dier announced that you're Fable Eclipse's new member and bragged about what you've achieved. Hearing you single-handedly finished a quest recommended to parties of five riled everyone's spirits."

Inside the hall, only three people were left, silently enjoying meals. Gone were all the wrestlers and rampaging mages.

"Hence, our quest board is currently empty."

A tear began collecting at the corner of Kirin's eye. "Looks like my rent will have to go after all."

From thin air, chains appeared, creating a human-sized oval of swirling purple particles.

"I'll be in my office, Katrina." Master Chrisholm's head poked out. "Oh, hi," he greeted Kirin.

"Hello?"

"I'm about to sleep. Wanna come with?"

The nonchalant question dried up Kirin's throat. He humphed, though his face warmed to an extent just below boiling temperature.

Master Chrisholm's expression remained stoic. "Anyways, Katrina. As I said, I'll be in my office. Sleeping. There's nothing to watch over here anyway."

"P-Pfft." Kirin bit his tongue. "As if you watching over ought to make a difference. You did nothing to stop your members murdering each other earlier today."

"Why would I stop my only entertainment?"

"You were entertained?! No one could've guessed that from your face!"

Master Chrisholm tilted his head. "Is this your way of saying you'd like to see me smile more?"

"What?! You can keep your mouth shut, for all I care."

The master shrugged. "Whatever. Katrina, fix the guild hall." He plopped back into the portal and disappeared. The chains vaporized after.

"Hmph. It must be a pain working for him. He's so overbearing."

Katrina giggled curtly. "It is but im--"

"I'm scarily into it!" Kirin gnawed on his nails wildly, gold glistering in his eyes.

"Umm. You're quite the odd character, aren't you?' Katrina took steps forward and raised her hands. "Hearth Magic! Restore!"

An orange magic circle glowed.

Disheveled tables and chairs began to quake, levitated to return to upright positions, and gradually fixed themselves. A chandelier, dented at certain faces, lifted from the floor, glistened and restructured to a flawless shape, and attached on its own to links from the ceiling.

"Can I help you with anything else, Dame Torisetti?"

Kirin let out a dismayed breath. "If you can spare me some coins, that'd be great."

***

"Thank you for your purchase! Please come again!" The boutique's saleslady bowed as Kirin picked up a bag from the counter.

"Thank you for the discount!"

Thank you indeed. Even just five amalgium off was a massive breather. How did Kirin even end up in such a tight situation? The beginning of his day went by pretty fine. But now.... He sighed. Anyways, he'd better go home. It was well past six by that point and he'd be needing time to prepare himself. Running on roofs after being out in the jungle did not whatsoever make his scent appealing. He ought to have a nice, warm bath, so relaxing he'd forget all his misfortunes for the day.

And he did!

All but his head submerged in the bath, Kirin closed his eyes, delighting in the sensation that the soapy water was providing. He spent several minutes staying in that trance, waiting to leave until he began feeling anxious about running out of time. Next he spent half an hour combing his hair in front of the vanity mirror, and then another thirty minutes checking himself out in the pastel green dress he had newly bought.

On his chest, a thick cluster of white ruffles stood in place of boobs that he never had. The bodice wrapped perfectly around his waist, and the skirt puffed just right and even bounced every time he took a step.

Kirin had nearly mesmerized himself, and would have fallen to the same fate Narcissus met at his lake had there not been an explosion from somewhere outside. When Kirin assumed it was just another ordinary commotion in the kingdom, a familiar crescent shaped magic projectile seared through the night sky.

***

"Crescent Blade!" The blue knight casted.

An old man in a loose purple robe danced in a dim alleyway, avoiding the crescent blade as he twirled. "You know what sucks? I can't say you have lame accuracy because you don't have accuracy at all."

"Shut your mouth, you rotting corpse!" The blue knight casted Gravitate and sent himself flying towards his opponent, aiming to cut the old man by the neck.

"Wither Magic! Wilt!" The old man disintegrated to millions of dead leaves.

"Coward!"

The leaves recollected and rebuilt the old man on top of a pile of crates. "I prefer to be called wise, descendant of Nyx. I'm simply being careful."

"You're more sly than you are wise." The blue knight swung his blade, only for it to get stuck in a crate's wooden edge. "Weren't you the kingdom's most fearsome warrior at some point? Fight like one."

The old man faded in behind. "I'm too old for war. At my age, I yearn for something more."

"What do you mean? Tell me what you were doing with The Morning Bandit."

"As I've already told you, I just happened to walk through this alleyway. He was probably planning to mug me too, had you not come to foil his plans." The old man jumped backwards, avoiding the knight's swinging blade.

"What a stupid lie. You know he's called a morning bandit for a reason."

"If you wish to put allegations upon my name, I wish you could say them to my face. I also wish you have proof to support them. Otherwise, the court will sentence you with slander."

"You think I haven't already thought of that? Why do you think was I following you this whole time? Crescent Blade!"