The soft pitter patter of Clover’s paws rushed down the cobbled, winding paths through Njord’s slums as the cool night air flowed effortlessly through Diane’s hair, causing it to flow elegantly behind her.

She glanced back, looking across the intermittent and flickering mana lamps for any sign of someone behind her. A sly grin inched its way across her face.

I bet he’s really freaking out right now!

She giggled to herself a little, as Clover slowed down.

“Fooound you.”

“EEEEP!” Diane squealed in surprise as Thistleman’s half-bored voice sauntered down from above her.

Diane spun quickly back around to catch Thistle sitting lazily atop the hanging sign-post for the Crimson Dragon, one of the many questionable taverns populating the slums.

“C’mon Clover, don’t let him catch up this easily! Go, go!” With an abrupt turn, Clover cut off down a dark side alley before knocking over a few poorly stacked crates on his way out.

Let’s see him keep up if we zig zag through the town! Muahahaha!

With a smirk, Diane continued guiding Clover down the shabby streets. Even at this late hour, and in spite of the recovery still in progress, some of the taverns were still open. The regular drunks stumbling out of the taverns couldn’t so much as dodge out of the way as they instead would fall and tumble to the side.

*hic* “Ayyy, yooouu…. Wash ere’ ur goin’” *hic* “On yer… cat? SHTUPID!”

“Fuck… Chad ya’ know who that is? Its tha devil girl!”

“ Shiiiit… she could be tha’ demon lord hisself… WASH OUT ON DA DAMN ROAD!” *urp*

“FUCKIN’ HELL CHAD, WATCH WHERE YOUR THROWING UP!”

Diane giggled to herself as the boisterous sounds faded out behind her, as she didn’t spare them a single glance back.

He won’t catch me off guard this time!

As Clover cut down into the next alleyway, Diane’s eye opened wide.

“I caaauuughhht youuu-“

“Clover, jump!” Diane cut off Thistle, who was leaning on a wall blocking part of the narrow alley with his head slightly cocked to the side. With a sudden crouch-turned-leap, Clover went flying overhead and landed with all the grace of a cat.

“Ohhhhhh, I think I see what’s going on now. Hmmm…” Thistleman muttered to himself as Diane sped off once again. “Well then, in that case… game on!”

I know he’s fast, but how is he doing that?! I think… I’m being too predictable? He will definitely catch us next time… unless…

Diane glanced around. She recognized this road, and it ran towards the central market without any other turns for a little ways. Plus… with the curves, it would offer an ideal cut-off point for Thistle to catch her again.

Her grin widened, as she gave Clover’s fur a nice little tug and pointed towards the nearest rooftop. “Clover, up!”

The saber toothed cat slowed to a stop, cocked his head towards the roof, and with a soft, yet rumbling mewl he sprinted towards the side of the building. Diane couldn’t resist laughing as Clover pounced up the shoddy wooden porches before clawing himself the rest of the way on to the roof.

“Alright, now to the water! Go, Clover, go!” Diane shouted with glee, as various lights turned on in the homes caught in their wake. With the light of the moon as their only guide, they made their way leaping from roof to roof towards the harbor, graced with a light, salty breeze. As they neared the harbor, the masts of shadowy ships came into view from the other side of Tormund’s Wharf. Along with it came the edge of the land-locked buildings.

With another graceful leap, Clover plopped down onto the ground.

Alright, straight… clear. Left… clear. Right…

“KYAH!!” She felt a hand suddenly grab her foot.

“Tag, this was tag, right? So now I win?” Thistleman looked back up at her again, a certain listless expression etched across his face.

“Hrrrrrmmmmm… fine. You win.” Her face reddened slightly, as she huffed while closing her eyes and turning her head off to the side haughtily. After a momentary silence, she glanced back at him from the side of her eyes.

Still nothing…?

“Ok, so for your prize, you’re gonna help me sneak to the top of the harbor gate tower!” she declared authoritatively.

“… Why?”

“Because it’s fun. F. U. N. FUUUN.” Diane twisted back around and stared with absolute determination back at Thistleman.

“So… my prize… is to help you sneak to the top of a guard tower?” Thistleman stared back at her quizzically, and obviously confused.

“Yes.”

“… fine.” Thistleman let out a short sigh, when Diane suddenly leapt off Clover and grabbed his arm.

“Alright! Come on, come on! Let’s go!!!” With the unholy force of an overly-motivated child, she drug him out on to the wharf. “C’mon Clov- er?” She slowed for a moment as she looked back to call their feline friend.

“What is it?” Thistleman turned to look back as well, as Clover stretched himself out, digging his claws into the planks of the warf to relax after a good run.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.” Diane shook her head, causing her hair to bounce slightly with the back and forth motion, before she resumed her advance. “Let’s go!”

Thistleman glanced back quizzically, his eyes knitted in thought.

The trio made their way quickly and quietly across Tormund’s Wharf. The soft sounds of the harbor water lapped against the support posts, as the distant sounds of larger waves struck the outer harbor walls.

“You know, I’ve heard that they have a really awesome festival here come autumn. I think they called it the Harvest Festival? The whole place gets decorated, people dress up in all kinds of crazy ways, and they cook lots of really good food. Then they have a really cool parade late in the night, and they use magic to make all kinds of crazy lights and effects! Just think about it, having something like that here!” Diane pranced ahead, as she whispered to Thistleman. She smiled widely as the calm waters caught her reflection in the moonlight.

“And then, the whole sky gets lit up, painted like a canvas! It’s something they do to pay respects? Dunno what that means though.”

Sounds like a waste of mana if you ask me…

Without batting an eye, Thistleman followed along, keeping an eye out for any guards as Diane prattled on. He put on a little smile, although he still couldn’t shake his confusion.

I don’t get why any of this has her so riled up, but at least… well she isn’t miserable anymore. Although… I really have no idea what this emotion is coming from her? Everything about tonight… is just weird. I don’t quite see how any of this is fun either… Hrmmm….

After a little ways, they reached the edge of the harbor, where they could barely make out a single long walkway that connected to another wharf that followed along the inner edge of the wall. The current angle of the moon barely illuminated it through the darkness, its pale light reflected from the calm harbor waters. A single guard with a torch walked slowly down the walkway, before entering the last tower on the end.

I suppose this is where I help out now?

Thistleman put a single finger up to his lips, and waved at Diane to follow him. Looking carefully around, he waved for her to follow him.

Just the one guard out on patrol?

His eyebrows furrowed together again in thought, as he guided Diane and Clover across the walkway to the wall, and hid in the cover of its shadows behind a few crates.

“Wait here for a moment… I need to check this first tower to make sure it’s clear for you and Clover to sneak by…” Thistle whispered quietly. Diane nodded emphatically as they crouched deeper behind the crates. Clover’s fluffy tail still poked out a bit as it slowly waved around.

… Good enough…

Without a sound, Thistleman crept closed to the midway tower, to the boisterous sounds of laughing.

“Hey Cid, let me tell yah something, don’t you ever go to day shift. They don’t kick it like we do on nights, bwahaha!” The deep voice of a portly man rumbled out of the open tower door way.

“Eh? When did I ever say I was gonna do that? You had one drink too many there, Halfgar?” The other leaner man retorted in slick, oily voice.

“With the way you’ve been going on about Brunhilde, I couldn’t help but wonder if you’d try and join her squad. She ain’t as good as our boss, she’d hold yer ass to the fire if ya missed a patrol or three.” Halfgar prodded Cid, before taking another deep swig, causing some ale to dribble through the stubble on his face.

“Aye, sure, I would never work for her, I was just saying… when have you ever seen a dame that could be such a looker in this armor? Just think about it…” A dirty grin plastered itself on Cid’s face, as neither of the men noticed the pair of kids and the large saber toothed cub slip past the doorway.

Thistleman’s eyebrows knotted ever further as they reached the gate tower. Glancing in, a half dozen guards were passed out in various states and angles, as the heavy stench of alcohol wafted out of the chamber. The only sober guard, likely the one who had entered earlier, was collecting the empty and partially drunk mugs of ale and had been taking them to the sink.

“Useless shitty night shift… I don’t get why they keep letting the shifts go like this… even if I complain they still don’t do jack, fucking favoritism… I need to get to day shift, fucking trash…” With a loud clink, the tall guard finished piling the glasses of ale into the basin, before tapping a small mana stone into a slot on the counter. With it, a small arc of water shot up from the harbor underneath to fill the basin.

Thistleman looked over at Clover, then back at the small doorway, then up at the top of the wall, which was currently unmanned. He motioned for Clover to go atop the wall, and then for Diane to follow him. They were able to enter unheard between the loud snoring and the clink of mugs and plates being washed. Well, other than the fact Thistle could also hear Diane’s heart racing as loud as thunder.

Thank god the Canian was one of the passed out guards… if he was awake at all, we would not have been able to sneak through…

As they carefully wound their way up the tower, they passed by a bunkroom full of more snoring guards, a well-stocked store-room, and then the machine room which operated the sea gate. The gate itself was closed at night in order to prevent any sea monsters from entering the harbor, and only opened in an emergency.

As they popped open the top hatch of the tower, Diane caught her breath at the view, and ran excitedly to the railing. A large mana crystal was hung in the center of the room, giving off a bright light much like a light-house. The moonlight glistened across the harbor to one side, and the slow-rolling ocean on the other. The large silhouettes of ships cut across the skyline and reflected cleanly in the waters, amidst the backdrop of distant shadowy mountains and endless swaying forests. The starry night sky was almost entirely unobstructed, other than the occasional small wisps of clouds. The cool sea breeze was also much stronger atop the tower, with the fresh salty smell of the water wafting up from the waves crashing on the sea wall.

“This… this is what I wanted to see! Isn’t it grand?!” Diane bounced around, almost forgetting any semblance of caution. Diane looked back over at Thistleman’s face, her eyes dropping a little as some of her excitement ebbed away.

Thistle looked quietly across the harbor and the walls surrounding the town.

This… is troublesome… and makes absolutely no sense? Even after everything that happened… why?

“Hey… Thistle, you know, I- I’ve been wondering something.” Her tone changed, her voice trembling a little as she spoke.

“What is it?” Thistleman asked after a moment’s silence.

“Does the world have to be such a cold place? Is it possible to be happy, or to have a moment’s peace?”

Thistleman slowly blinked, before his head jolted to the side. Diane looked almost wistfully out at the moon’s reflection. “I’m sorry, what?!?” The question caught him completely off-guard.

“Well, you know, everyone always hates each other. People always try and kill each other… sometimes, you have to kill others just to live…” Her eyes teared up a little as she continued on, “I… was just wondering, if we could just stop everyone from fighting and dying… maybe even make peace with the demons? It would be nice if people could just be happy, you know?”

“… you can’t make peace with the demons.” Thistleman responded flatly, matching her teary eyes with a steely gaze.

“Why not? The world can’t be that cruel, can it? ” she pressed on.

“The change your talking about… isn’t possible for them. Do you know what drives them, and why?”

“Well… no… it- it isn’t like people have really talked with them… but if we could, I am sure something could be done! Th-then nobody would need to die fighting them again!” Diane’s voice trembled even more as she spoke, as the tears in her eyes began to slowly roll down her cheeks. Her hands tightened into small, shaking fists.

“Hmph…” Thistleman halfway snorted. “The thing about them, it’s that… they cannot feel any of emotions you’ve been talking about. Happiness? Joy? Hope? Peace? Such things… are incomprehensible to a demon. Pain, rage, sadness, despair… almost all of their lives are consumed by these types of emotions. The only thing they can feel outside of those is the exhilaration of an adrenaline rush.” He spoke harshly, but firmly. As Diane’s eyes darted away, he took his hand and lifted her chin back up.

She needs to hear this… Even a little bit at a time, I need to break this mindset… it’s dangerous, and could get her killed!

“But… Isn’t that… just too sad?” Her voice had become little more than a soft, sniffling whisper.

“I doubt any of them would see it that way. If you had over ten thousand years, I doubt you could have found more than two…” He firmly drove his point home.

Diane still would not meet his gaze again, and after a minute Thistleman sighed. He leaned against the railing to look down at the small waves rolling in. He then continued, his voice almost sorrowful.

“It’s not like they have much choice in the matter, nor is it that that gods want to change things for the better. They have done nothing more than to divide up the worlds time and again. The only way to find peace and escape the cruelty and suffering of the world… is through the death of all things.”

“I think I could be plenty happy… if I could just keep my little piece of the world here…” Her words were now almost silent, too quiet to even be called a whisper.

“Then you would need to get far, far stronger. Even then, if you slip up, or someone stronger comes along… you could still lose everything.”

“Then… I would just need to become stronger than anybody! Right?!” Diane stepped in closer, and grabbed Thistleman’s arm tightly.

Thistleman glanced at her from the side of his eyes. The sorrowful tone carried on, with a hint of a challenge towards her. “Countless people have said the same thing, do you think you could do better than all of them?” She kept her counter simple. “… Do you think you could find a moment of joy in your life?”

Maybe… I went a little far there…

Thistleman blinked. Then blinked again. After another moment, he slowly cracked a very… enigmatic smile. “Well, at the moment, I don’t really feel anything at all. I suppose that is a nice change, for once.”

“Feeling nothing is a nice change? C’mon, you gotta do better than that!” She giggled a little bit, some of the despondence on her face clearing up into a tiny half smile.

“Oh, then make me!” He leaned in and poked her on the shoulder.

Before Diane could counter again, they were interrupted by the loud stomps of leathery boots ascending the stairwell and a gruff shout.

“Hey, whose up there?! I know you ain’t a guard!”

“Thistle! If we get caught up here, Auntie will definitely ground us for good! We gotta get away!” Diane exploded in nervous terror, quickly looking around for any other way down.

Thistle opened up with a much bigger smile. “Oh, don’t worry, I have a *great* idea.”

Something about his eyes made her feel… just… a bit… worried? The way he looked from her… down to the water, and back again…

“I… uh… maybe getting grounded for a while longer isn’t so bad? Hey? Thistle?”

As the guard threw open the hatch, he was greeted by a loud shriek!

“I DON’T WANNA GET WE- KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

*SPLOOSH*

*YOWL*

*SPLOOSH*

He rushed to look over the edge of the railing in time to spy a small, very conspicuous group swimming away.

He muttered to himself, as he rubbed his eyes. “Seriously, what the fuck? I… I’m just not even going to report this… Captain Ross already wants to kick me out for reporting on the shit standards here… they’d just say I imagined it while drinking and fire me. I gotta get Brunhilde to accept my transfer… even if I gotta beg…”

Just a little later that night, Emily was startled awake as a large, wet, smelly creature tried to crawl into the closet to cuddle with her.