A brief interlude—

It was a little past noon by the time Canaria found a place to sit down. It was nowhere special, just a plaza with plenty of sunlight and open space. Present on her face was a charming smile as she hummed a tune to herself. In her hands was her phone which she had been staring at with bliss. She stared at it for what seemed like an eternity before she finally tapped on that brand new contact in order to start a new message.

Carefully, she began to think out what she would type to send him, but whenever she actually tried to, it would always end up being hastily erased soon after. It was the first time in her life she had ever texted someone who was so much older than her. She was clueless about how to approach it. As an example, she thought about the way she texted some of her friends, but for her to imagine a situation where she was talking with Edmond with such familiarity…

"Argh…"

—It was unnecessarily embarrassing and she could not help but cringe massively. A part of her even wanted to get up at that exact moment and scream at the sky silently. It was only after taking multiple deep breaths that Canaria finally managed to calm herself down.

"Why is this so hard…" Though she pouted at her phone in frustration, it did not take long for her mood to recover. Once again, she found herself smiling at the fact that she now had Edmond's contact on her phone.

"Hey Aria, whatcha smiling at?"

"Huh, Anny?"

Anny, who had shown up unexpectedly, gently greeted her friend with a hug from behind. In doing so, her pronounced Felid ears and tail wiggled as she closely nuzzled her face against Canaria's.

"How have you been? Sleeping well?"

"No, not well. I've been having trouble falling asleep lately. My doctor prescribed me melatonin, but even that hasn't been helping."

"I know you don't like to take random drugs, but what about some antihistamines? If you get the right ones, they do the job quick."

"Anny… don't those make your heart stop or something? I don't know if I can handle those…"

"Aw, well it's okay. You'll get better, I'm sure. Must be all the stress building up on you. But it looks like something good is happening? Come on, let me see it. What's gotten you smiling like a maiden, eh?"

"It's, it's nothing! What made you come here today?" Stammering, Canaria pulled her friend's arms off her neck.

"Show me, show me! Is it a boy? Is our precious late bloomer finally showing interest in the opposite sex?"

"It's nothing like that, no! Mister Edmond just helped me a lot today, okay?"

"Hoh… I see, so his name is Edmond. So how old is he? Is he handsome? No wait, if you're calling him Mister, then he must be quite a bit older. Could it be that our Aria is actually into middle aged men? Do you have a picture of him?"

"Anny, that's rude!"

"Ahaha, sorry sorry. I'll stop teasing you. Come on, don't be mad. Look, your hat is going to fall off. You have to be more careful, alright? You know it'll be dangerous if you get found out in public. If something happens to you, it'll make me very sad, alright?" Apologizing lightly, Anny helped fix the clips on Canaria's beret and also brushed her bangs back to one side while she was at it. "There, perfect! I would be a pretty good hair stylist, don't you think? Maybe one day I'll open a hair salon once I've saved up enough money. You'll come then, won't you?"

"Mhm, I'll definitely come!" Canaria nodded a lot. "Um, so what were you doing here?"

"Actually," just now remembering what she had been there for, Anny bounced up and then gestured towards the coffee shop across the plaza, "I was just on my way to get some coffee. Wanna go together? It'll be my treat."

Holding up her wallet, Anny grinned.

"Ehehe, guess who just got her first paycheck today~ That's right, me! Now don't be surprised, but at this rate if I save up for just another two weeks, I'll even be able to buy myself a brand new phone and still have some cash to spare! Can you believe it? I'll finally be able to replace this useless old junk that's even older than my little brother."

"Wow, really?" Canaria exclaimed. "I really can't imagine going out to buy the newest phone models. They just cost so much and a new one comes out every year. I feel like it would just be a waste of money, no?"

"Aria, what about the phone that you're using now?"

Thinking slightly, Canaria responded, "I don't really remember how long ago it was, but I got this from a friend of mine years ago when he bought a new phone. I asked him if I could have it then, and he said he would sell it to me for 300 Argentum."

"Don't you worry a thing. For when I become rich and famous, I definitely won't forget about our friendship. I'll treat you to all the phones you'll want!"

"But Anny, what would I even do with so many phones?"

"Tsk tsk, how naive, little Aria. I'll show you the power of a working adult, you just wait and see!"

…

…

"I'll take a medium pumpkin spice latte with extra boba, 200% sweet, less ice, and also a small hot hojicha latte with no boba, 50% sweet."

Canaria had taken a seat first as she let her friend go up to the front to order drinks for the both of them. She had chosen the seat by the window bar with an open view of the streets and once she had gotten comfortable, she ended up taking out her phone again. This time, she would definitely think of a message to send Edmond, she thought.

"Uhm, let's see…"

[Hello, Mister Edmond! I would like to thank you again for today!]

"No… am I thanking him too much? Is it too much to use exclamation marks here? But I want to properly convey how I feel. Wait, shouldn't I start by telling him who I am first? But he already has me in his contacts, so it should be fine, right?"

She deleted everything and tried again.

[Hello, this is Canaria. I had a lot of fun today. I can't wait to see you again.]

"No no, isn't this actually so much worse? He'll definitely get the wrong idea and think I'm being clingy if I tell him that."

Highly frustrated and equally embarrassed about the whole thing, she simply could not bear to look at what she had typed any longer and quickly erased everything before flipping her phone screen-side down onto the table.

"Ughhhh… I don't like this at all."

"Are you trying to send him a message again?" Anny teased, placing the hojicha latte infront of her before sipping from the pumpkin spice one. "Mmmm, boba is so good. I love drinking boba."

"Is that pumpkin spice? Can I try some?" She pointed at the other cup. Up to this point, she had always seen the flavor come and go seasonally, but as she rarely went to buy dessert drinks like these, she had yet to try it herself. Right now, her curiosity was at its peak. Anything to get her mind off her phone.

"Here, let's trade," Anny grinned through her teeth.

"Let's see… Too sweet! Bleh… Anny, can I have mine back please…" It took just one sip for Canaria to wince. To add onto her disappointment though, she found that after drinking from something so overwhelmingly sweet, her taste buds could no longer pick up any form of sweetness coming from her own hojicha latte.

"Nooooo, Anny, what have you done to meeeee." She cried, but her tears fell onto deaf ears.

"Ehehe, it's not my fault~ you asked to drink it yourself, you know."

…

"By the way, how has it been since you've started work at the guild?"

After some time, Canaria brought up the subject of Anny's work again.

"Well, well! You wanna hear about it huh? Sure thing, I'll tell you all about it, from how I brush my teeth when I wake up in the morning, to which side of the bed I sleep in at night. I won't leave any details out, so are you prepared?" With her finger in the air, Anny looked right like she was about to list off an entire wine catalog's worth of things.

"Uhm, okay!" Canaria, too, gave her best effort to listen. However…

"Oh my goodness, you're just so precious, Aria!" It only served to make Anny stop in her tracks before squealing out as she brought Canaria into a tight hug for the second time that day. "I'm so sorry! I was just kidding! I'm not going to waste your time with all those kinds of boring details!"

"O-Ohh!" Canaria hugged back.

"Okay, okay, let me tell you about my experiences so far then. I've been at the guild for two weeks now, but all that they've made me do so far is training and more training. Strength training, endurance training, artes training, teamwork training— just anything you can think of really. We have this really tough and mean looking instructor that always pushes us until everyone collapses."

"Scary…"

"Sometimes I get the urge to play possum during training exercises, but damn him, he has really good instincts! He can sniff out if someone is pretending with just a glance!" Anny hissed. "I get home on some days so exhausted that even the floor begins looking like a comfortable place to sleep."

"Oh my… I didn't realize that they make you work so hard over there. Are you doing okay?" In two words, Canaria was both surprised and worried for her friend's health. Speaking from personal experience, she knew that if she had been put into the same situation, she would not have lasted long. She became so winded just running a few measly city blocks.

"From what they've told me, I think it's going to continue for another six weeks. After that, they'll give me another evaluation test and then decide which team to put me on. Once that happens, I'll be put as an observer to learn the ropes with some live experience. Oh… I can't wait until then. My body's sore where I didn't even know it could be."

"Uhm, uhm, wait a moment. 'How to deal with soreness.'" Canaria quickly searched the internet for tips. "It looks like taking hot baths and stretching multiple times a day helps a lot."

"So a hot bath, you say…" Anny contemplated, "I wonder where I could find one of those? I don't have a bath, do you? No? Maybe I could look for a place with a hot tub. I think pools have those. A jacuzzi? Yeah, I think that's what they're called."

Thinking about it for a moment, Canaria suddenly recalled, "what about the pool at the guild? You mentioned that they had a gym and a pool right? Maybe they'll have a sauna or a hot tub there you could use?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I think they did have a sauna! I'll make sure to check it out tomorrow. Thank you, Aria~"

"Just make sure you don't stay in it for too long. I heard about how easy it is to faint if you're not careful."

"I'll be fine, I'm a perfectly healthy girl after all!"

"Hehehe."

"Oh yeah. I just remembered, Aria, do you wanna see the result of my first evaluation? They sent it to me yesterday. It's what got me this job in the first place." Saying this, Anny swiped through her email and showed Canaria the document.

——————

Name: Angelica Rivenshire

Race: Felid

Age: 23

Physical Examination:

Strength - Standard

Endurance - Good

Mobility - Great

Reaction Time - Exceptional

Combat Skill - Fair

Notes: While physical strength is not her strong point, her Felid heritage allows her great promise with her sleek build, flexibility, and high mobility. Her reaction time is also exceptional even compared to our elites.

Artes Examination:

Construction Time - Poor

Power Output - Fair

Aether Capacity - Poor

Notes: Nothing in particular to note. An evaluation in line with other Felids.

Overall Rating - Good

Notes: I recommend she apply to the scouts. With experience and hard work, she has the potential to become one of our elite scouts. I shall make a note to the scouts department of her candidacy.

——————

"Impressive, don'tcha think?" Anny bragged about her results. "So I heard the range they use goes from poor, fair, standard, good, great, exceptional, to outstanding. I got an exceptional grade on my reaction time. They don't give those out easily, you know?"

"It's because of all those rhythm games you play, I bet."

"Ehehe, I think I'm going to be applying for the scouts after all. It seems like it'll be the best use for my talents. And then I'll get promoted all the way to the top and I'll be raking in the cash!" She laughed loudly for everyone in the cafe to hear.

"Mm!"

"By the way, did you know that the standard rating is based on a normal adult human male, with each rating being one standard deviation away from the mean. They rated my strength as standard, so doesn't that mean I'm actually pretty strong then?" Rolling up her sleeves, she showed off her biceps.

There was nothing there to be seen however, and the two of them bursted out in merry laughter afterwards.

…

…

"Okay, I'll see you later then, Aria~"

"Wait, before you go, can I ask you for some advice, Anny?"

"Is it about this Mister Edmond of yours?"

"Mhm." Canaria nodded. Just as her friend was about to leave, she finally decided to ask her for some help with her current dilemma. She explained everything that had happened that day, from when she had her purse nearly stolen, to how Edmond had grabbed her arm and ran, and how they had even managed to see each other again by a pure stroke of luck.

"I've never been friends with someone so much older than me before, Anny. I know I want to thank him properly for helping me in person, but I'm afraid that he might think I'm too bothersome and clingy. What should I do?"

Anny considered the situation for a moment, but in the end, she ended up telling her something that was perhaps the most obvious thing. "Well, I think you should just keep it simple and honest. Take it from me and just tell him how you really feel and don't worry if you think it's too much."

"Uhm, do you really think so…?"

"Mhm, definitely. I mean, just look at you, Aria. You're so cute and adorable. If the two of you had a good time together, then there's no reason he would find it creepy if you just tell him genuinely that you want to meet up with him again so you can thank him properly."

"But what should I do to thank him, Anny? I don't know… I don't think I can afford going to any fancy restaurants."

Anny flashed a quick smirk.

"So, the top 10 spots in Singapore for a first date— that's what you're looking for, right?"

"Wait— nooooo! He's a married man! It's not like that!"

"I bet you liked it a lot when he patted you multiple times on the head, didn't you?"

"Annnnnnny!"

Canaria's voice echoed in the warm afternoon skies.

"Ehehehe~"

…

…