Across the glass display, Daiden noticed three sets of clothes. He placed his Mioveroldian Page over the sets for more information and gaped at the results. Strange leather armour, delicately stitched elemental robes, and a healer’s cloth – the quality radiated brilliance, to even the untrained eye. On closer observation, Daiden managed to decipher a portion of the technique as well, the cuts, the padding, and more. He took it in a stride for once, attributing the knowledge to his acquired skill in tailoring.

Daiden then slowly moved away from the outside display and walked over to the door. It hit a bell and opened with a pleasant ring, to a wide and neatly furnished area. He felt amazed by the aesthetics, more so the items on display. He scanned the floor and found two other customers, in quiet observations of their own. On the counter, Daiden noticed a plaque with the store’s name – Balder’s Promise. The employees whispered amongst themselves at the sight of him, breaking away and leaving one to head towards the second floor. A little later, the employee arrived and nodded at Daiden.

“Welcome to Balder’s Promise,” the employee greeted, with a trained smile. “Is it your first time here?”

“Yes,” said Daiden, honestly. “Well, I’m actually hear to speak with Balder.”

“I must inform you that the items here are quite expensive,” the employee said, ignoring Daiden’s purpose for the visit. “Would it help if I recommended an alternative store, something nearby, maybe more suited to your price range?”

Daiden shook his head. “No. I’m where I need to be. It would help if you took me to Balder instead. I have a Letter of Introduction from the GCQI.”

The employee twitched a little. She continued to smile with a strain, bowed and retreated to the shelter of her colleagues. After another hushed conversation, she returned. “May I see this Letter of Introduction?”

Daiden smiled in that moment, folding his arms, almost playfully. He quickly opened his Mioveroldian Page, but held control. “Ah, Balder…it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“I’m sorry?” the employee managed, wearing an expression of bewilderment.

“You are Balder, yes?” asked Daiden, feigning confusion.

“No…?” said the employee.

“Then, no, you may not see this letter,” said Daiden, swiping away his Mioveroldian Page. “It’s addressed to Balder. I take these things very seriously, you see.”

The employee twitched again, smiled, and moved away from Daiden. She hurried upstairs with the information and returned with a different tone. “Balder will see you now. Would you like me to escort you?”

“No, no,” said Daiden, returning the smile with pettiness. “I can’t keep you from recommending alternative stores to poor-looking people now, can I?”

With a polite nod, Daiden walked towards the stairs and palmed his face with embarrassment. “Ugh. That was low. Maybe I should apologize…or, fuck, never mind.” He straightened his back and moved to a neater floor, sparsely furnished and without customers.

At the centre of the second floor, a short, young, silver-haired boy examined a pile of loose materials with great interest. Daiden looked around and noticed nobody else. He casually walked towards the boy, arms crossed and behind his back. Hunched over, the boy barely noticed his visitor.

“Good, you came here with an open mind,” the boy said, suddenly. “Show me the letter from the GCQI.”

Despite a soft voice, the boy exuded an atmosphere of authority. Daiden shrank a little but obliged without protest this time.

“I see that you’re not a customer,” the boy concluded. He sprang to his feet and spread his arms out wide with a bright smile. “Welcome to Balder’s Promise, the only place in Craftsman’s Cross where quality is promised and guaranteed. I came up with that myself.”

“Very nice…” said Daiden, with a laugh. “And you are?”

“Good question, Daiden Lost,” said the boy, immediately. “We’re the only two people here. You showed me your letter after assuring safe delivery to hands of Balder and Balder alone. Who does that make me?”

“You are…Balder?” asked Daiden, uncertainly.

“The one and only, Balder Keen,” said the boy. “And I apologize for my employees’ behaviour downstairs. I trained them to be that way. You see, too many people wander in here without any intent for purchase. I don’t have it in me to entertain them. We’re also very, very expensive.”

“But you look so…young,” stammered Daiden. “I didn’t expect that.”

“Ah! Strange…” said Balder. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven, well, almost,” said Daiden. He scratched the back of his head, realizing he looked a lot older than the boy, or rather the man in front of him. “I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, but you’re very young!” said Balder, cheerily. “We’re all immortals, but Mioverold ages us differently. Some witness significant change through their early years and freeze into their appearance much later. I stopped aging around fifteen, maybe sixteen. You should know this.”

Daiden retreated a little, taken aback. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect it.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Balder, with a shrug. “Everyone has a problem with how I look, especially the many with an inferiority complex.”

Daiden managed a nervous laugh. He took a moment to shake away his stutter and said, “I’m actually here for a couple of reasons.”

Balder eyed Daiden from head to toe, with a strange expression, and dropped his hands with a frown. “Reasons… ugh! How much time will this take? I’m humouring you because Amora is a dear friend. But time is money, and I’m just about dry with patience.”

With a loud gulp, Daiden remembered Anvi’s description of Balder as an eccentric. “Talk about a sudden shift in tone.” He took a deep breath and changed his own tone of speech as well, to flattery. “Not long at all. I just completed a raid, against the Sand King. You must have heard, yes? I commissioned Ironside & Sons for an armour with the loot from the raid, and well, Anvi said that there’s nobody he would rather collaborate with than you for the task. That’s why I’m here. I mean, from the display outside to even the materials here, you’re every bit the legend from the stories. And as for the bloodstones, I’ll pay you handsomely.”

Daiden paused until he noticed Balder’s ears perk with sudden interest, “I had to pull a lot of strings to ensure I managed to meet with you. I owe Amora a lot for writing that Letter of Introduction as well. But you must understand, I can’t let the materials I have go to waste. Your brilliant mind, I need it for the best result.”

“I’m listening…” said Balder, softly, cheeks reddened from the praise. It wasn’t an ordinary interaction, and the tailor realized it. Balder deciphered Daiden’s status as a trainee from the Letter of Introduction. His personality would have shooed the latter away under ordinary circumstances. But the Sand King’s raid marked Daiden with a bright future, as an extraordinary presence even. “I can benefit from befriending him…”

After Skunk and his group, the GCQI, and with Anvi and Kir, Daiden slowly realized a lift in his social position. He wagered the raid against the eccentric Balder, heightening the weight of his praise in the process. The two men looked at each other as opportunists for a moment, and then with the prospect of a beneficial friendship.

When Balder agreed to the finer details, Daiden routed the conversation to a strange direction. “It’s an honour to work with a future legend. But…ah, I mean, I can’t possibly…it might be too weird.”

Balder raised an eyebrow at the bait, urging for a continuation now.

“I’ve always admired your profession, from a young age,” said Daiden, slyly. “Would it be possible for me to work as an apprentice in your shop while you finished the armour?”

“Aren’t you a trainee for the Godvildian Military?” asked Balder, a little confused. “You’re a High Ranker…you raided the Sand King, successfully.”

Daiden noticed the rising suspicion and shook his head with a firm conviction. “I could never mock the needle. Grasping at even the basics of such a delicate craft…it might just be what I need for a breakthrough with my swordsmanship. As a fellow pioneer, I’m sure you’d understand. What the world considers strange, only we can know as the true pursuit of greatness, yes?”

Daiden sang the last part, waving his hands, hiding his embarrassment. But after a moment of silence, Balder agreed, with a proud, happy expression. The former covered his mouth and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Fuck, I haven’t kissed this much ass in a long time,” thought Daiden, with a casual smile. “Oh, well, it worked then, and it worked now. Why have any pride when you can get what you want by being a little shameless?”