The crowd gradually disperses at the conclusion of Audrey’s performance, scattering like ants. Suddenly, as if magically compelled by some unseen power, a large majority of people reach into their pockets and toss a few bills into the case, which Eli sits next to like a loyal guard dog, looking ready to sacrifice his life to protect the contents inside. After watching the last few people leave, without further delay, Audrey sits up and switches the money with the guitar, locking the instrument inside. She then rolls the bills into multiple bundles, stashing them in different areas around her body. Watching this with an understanding gaze, Eli doesn’t say a word as he looks around for trouble, his eyes sharp and vigilant. Then, in a slow and concealed voice, he speaks to Audrey, who’s in the process of fixing the strap of her case with nimble fingers.

“Are we moving to another block? The fog really screwed up our plans and not that many people came out. I doubt we’ll be able to bring in as much money as usual. Wouldn’t it be better to go back home and rest, then come back out when everything shuts down for the day? You must also be feeling tired, right? Playing for so long must be exhausting.”

Audrey raises an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by Eli’s sudden reluctance. How could she not? After all, earlier this very day he had been so persistent, so very insistent that must make as much money as possible as soon as possible. Suddenly a feeling of doubt begins to creep up, the fear that he’s already given up on the mission, that he suddenly realized how impossible the dream is. Audrey’s eyes seem to dim as that fear latches itself onto her heart like a parasite.

“U-Um, why don’t we keep going? I’m sure we can, um, make a bit more money. Right! The longer we work, the more money we’ll be able to bring in!”

“Ah, Audrey, I don’t really think that’s too great of an idea… I only realized this after seeing you play for so long, but working without a break will only ruin our chance of working in the future… I know I don’t really have a right to say this, since I’m not actually doing all that much, but I feel it’s important to point out…”

At Audrey’s rather hasty denial, Eli feels as if he’s struck some sore spot for the young woman and feels the urge to back down. Despite the fear that he’ll end up tarnishing their relationship by being too controlling, he forces himself to continue urging her.

“I mean, look Audrey, it’s about midday right now, not many people are gonna be wandering around. We should go back, eat something, and freshen up. We didn’t bring any water or anything like we usually do. I admit, I was a bit hasty this morning, so we should go back to recoup before we make any mistake!”

Despite the perfectly reasonable advice, the young Audrey, who’s finally tasted the sweetness of hope after so long, can’t understand Eli’s words. In her mind, which is muddled from adrenaline, Eli’s words sound like an admission to defeat, something she’s incapable of accepting. Her lip quivers and she draws the guitar closer to her, a fierce look in her eyes.

“No! We should keep going! If you’re tired, you can go back. Besides, I’ve been doing this for longer than you, I know what I’m doing!”

Eli feels an intense sense of unease after hearing Audrey’s fierce rebuttal. This insistent, terrifying urging is what ultimately convinces him to lower his head in submission, an expression of confusion and incomprehension on his face. He offers an apology, his voice gentle and soothing, as if he’s taming a wild beast.

“Alright, alright, I understand. There’s no need to go that far. I know I may be kinda useless, but I’m sure I can find a way to make myself helpful. Come on, let’s move to the next area, there’s no point standing around arguing, that won’t make either of us happy.”

Audrey feels a pang of guilt, but ultimately decides to continue onwards. She allows her excitement to blossom out, which quickly becomes a fuel that propels her onwards, pushing her to her limits. She nods, then without another word, turns and walks down the sidewalk, her back straight and self assured. Eli follows after her, an uneasiness in his heart that he ultimately decides to stifle, choosing to believe that Audrey, someone far more experienced than him, knows the limits of her body more than he ever could.

In this slightly unbearable silence, the two continue on their way, turning around street corners and passing groups of homeless, who huddle together like wild animals, their eyes hungry and alert. In this silence, Eli looks around, quietly observing his surroundings, watching them gradually change. There’s a shift from the familiar run down look of the abandoned, heavily damaged buildings, to the well-maintained skyscrapers. Even after craning his neck he still has difficulty grasping that entirety of the buildings around him. Everything’s so big… It’s hard to believe there are even bigger buildings in the city center. I heard in class that the royals are in the process of making floating mansions, I wonder if that’s even possible? It’s kinda hard to imagine. While looking at the waste-filled streets he struggles to imagine how such projects are even able to be made. After all, if the royals possessed so much money, why didn’t they use that money to clean up the city? Why didn’t they improve the living standards of the majority of the population? His brows furrow as he fails to comprehend the thought process of his supposed king.

Lights flood the streets, a brilliant flashing of neon that’s the signature of advertisements. Accompanying that blinding, persistent light are the blaring, drilling voices of various characters on the towering projections attached to the long bodies of the buildings. Audrey and Eli explore such an environment with a hint of trepidation, clear looks of discomfort obvious on both of their faces. They finally arrive at a rather large intersection, a massive area with crisscrossing lanes and constantly cycling traffic. The street crawls with swarms of people.

The faces of the surrounding strangers are dirty and haggard, deep tiredness and madness etched into every wrinkled face. Audrey sees herself reflected in such expressions. She finds a hint of her past self, a selfish monster constantly in a fierce battle of survival, endlessly suppressing her desire to simply throw everything away and give up.

While Audrey is looking at the swarms of the forgotten, observing them as they hurry across the crosswalks in near-sprints, as if afraid the traffic lights will cease to exist, Eli stares excitedly at the occasional car that speeds down the road. The massive vehicles are something he’s either only seen from a distance, or read about in the crumbling textbooks in school. The sleek bodies are both elegant and gentle, with the soft purr of the engines barely noticeable. Eli strains his ears to hear the quiet humming over the incessant blabbering of the advertisements. The tinted windows don’t give him any hint as to the identities of the passengers inside, surrounding the vehicles with an air of mystery and oppressiveness.

Looking away from the rumbling cars, Eli glances over at Audrey, who is quietly loosening the straps of her guitar. Having spent a rather extensive period of time with the young woman, he feels as if he’s gotten a proper hold on the meaning of her varied expressions. Because of this knowledge, he’s able to conclude with a high degree of certainty that his companion is feeling rather tired. He can sense the weariness that seeps from deep within her bones. Perhaps she hasn’t been sleeping properly. Or maybe the sudden working lifestyle is hard to handle. Whatever the case, his heart pangs and a bit of guilt bursts forth.

I shouldn’t have left so soon. I got too caught up in the moment. I should have made sure we had everything we needed before we left. Her refusal to return isn’t that surprising now that I really consider her feelings, so I should have made plans to at least ease her fatigue… Haaah, I really am useless… I should learn how to play an instrument as soon as possible. I asked her where I could get a guitar of my own, but the answer I received was ambiguous at best. From what I gather, due to the lack of natural resources, luxury items like instruments are extremely rare, with only the upper class having access. I guess there’s no chance of me ever getting one in that case. The more he considers his unneeded presence, the more his helplessness swells. What use is a person that can’t even back their own promise? At best he can shout some encouraging words, as if that’ll somehow give Audrey the strength to persist.

Just as he’s letting out a sigh filled with self-mockery, Eli notices a sudden burst of movement. A shadow, low and quick, weaves between the crowds of people, closing the distance between it and Audrey with a remarkably fast speed. In the blink of an eye they’re right behind her, taking her by surprise in an instant. There's a ripping sound, followed by heavy breathing, then, the horrified shriek of a young woman. Nothing seems to move. Time has grinded to a halt, leaving Eli locked in a perpetual state of shocked stillness. Almost as quickly as it froze, the world grinds back into motion. Eli remains in an unmoving state.

In front of him, the dark figure dashes through the crowd unopposed. In their arms is the guitar case, an object almost as tall as they are. The surrounding strangers do nothing to stop the thief, not even minding as such a scene occurs before their very eyes. The figure’s hunched body and dark attire are burned into Eli’s mind. His dumbfounded gaze is magnetically drawn to the side of the road. His heart stops as the fragmentary scene registers in his mind.

A hollow-eyed Audrey wails as she struggles to climb to her feet, her frantic thoughts ceasing her bodily functions. Her pumping adrenaline throws her limbs into a frenzy, leaving her thrashing and kicking -- like a beaten dog.