Hineni stands up behind the rafters, looking around at the now emptied out structure.

People run around below, scurrying and working. They’re already starting on the renovations, carrying out tables and furniture and piling it onto the curbside. More people come inside, already prepared with boxes of tools. They begin to rip out the floor and the walls.

“Man, they’re fast,” says Sockel.

“Time is money,” replies Hineni, watching the activity below.

“— A man after my own heart,” says Avarice, walking up the staircase in the form of a dark-elf. Hineni looks his way.

“Thanks for your help.”

Avarice shakes his head. “Thank you for your business,” replies the god. “I assume you’re going to hold up your end of the bargain, yes?”

Hineni raises an eyebrow. “I appreciate you thinking I’m not the kind of a man who would weasel out of a deal,” he says sarcastically.

Avarice shrugs, not really bothered. “You know how it is with money. People change their minds very quickly.”

“Don’t give a shit about money,” replies Hineni, looking back over the room. “It’s about the message.”

“That might be your problem,” says Avarice.

Hineni looks his way, shaking his head. “No. It’s yours.” He holds out his hand. “When you’re forgotten as a god and you fade away into dust, your money isn’t going to help you one bit.”

“Right to the point as always,” says Avarice.

“I want to go home,” says Hineni. “Give me your hand, or are you canceling our deal?”

“Please,” replies Avarice, grabbing his hand. “As if I would. You would think you’d trust a long-term business partner more.”

Hineni rolls his eyes.

[Property Transferred]: [Adventuring Guild]

from (Hineni) to (Avarice)

“It’s your problem now,” says Hineni, walking away, down the staircase, past the god.

“The funds will be on your account tomorrow,” replies Avarice. Hineni waves a hand over his shoulder.

“My secretary will handle it,” he says, hearing Sockel sighing.

Reaching the end of the staircase, he looks at Rhine, who is leaning against a post with crossed arms and his boot back against it. The man places a hand on his shoulder and the boy looks back up his way.

Hineni nods.

Rhine nods back.

The two of them head to the door, waiting on Sockel to catch up and then, after she sorts out some details, the three of them head back home.

Hineni wanted to get the frogs out of the area, not only to help their own business. But most importantly, to pay them back for pestering them so often. This was an escalation on their part, but it seems like it was about time and, all things considered, a very light reaction on their part to the several kidnappings and attempted murder.

Avarice had wanted the structure in order to open a small, local bank in this neighborhood. So that he can sell accounts not only to the adventurers from Hineni’s guild, but to all of the normal people of this area as well. Especially those who are too intimidated by their social status to leave this neighborhood to go to the richest one, where the main bank is.

So, it seemed like the ideal scenario for some cooperation.

Hineni is pleased with the results.

It is the next day.

Rhine tinkers around in the forge. It is still several hours before they start their work for the day and Hineni had only found him here because he wanted to tell him that breakfast is ready.

“You coming?” asks Hineni.

Rhine looks over from his work, shaking his head. “I’m gonna skip breakfast today,” he says. “I wanna finish this,” he explains, looking back down.

“Okay. But you better not pass out on me later,” says Hineni. “We have a full day.”

“I’ll be fine,” replies Rhine.

Hineni nods, waiting a moment, before then going back.

Rhine has been working on various ideas for a gift that he can present the owl-god as tribute in exchange for something. At this point, Hineni assumes that she had meant it as a joke. But Rhine seems to have taken it to heart nonetheless and has been trying to make various bits and bobs, sketches and designs and trinkets for various ideas that he thinks she would like. But all of them have been failures until now and the project keeps starting over from scratch.

“Just us today,” says Hineni, sitting back down at the table.

Obscura clicks with her mouth, leaning down to adjust the berries on her pancakes with the tips of her talons around. “The river boy’s waters run rampant,” she says. “He will crash asunder.”

“Rhine’s been working his butt off,” says Sockel, leaning back. “Not something you’d know much about,” she notes.

“Who~!” protests Obscura, hissing angrily as she looks up from her breakfast. “When Obscura becomes all-powerful, the sock-elf will fall to her sad, bony knees in reverence!”

Sockel yawns.

“Get along, you two,” says Hineni. “Come on. Let’s have a nice breakfast,” he says, grabbing his knife and some butter. “Saw he learned a new spell,” says Hineni, referring to Rhine's magic last night at the adventurers' guild. “Was that you?” he asks.

Sockel shakes her head, pouring herself something to drink. “I told you. Something challenging in life is important to grow and to get rid of extra energy,” she explains. “I just stand back and let him run around the dungeon like a feral. It all sorts itself out.” Hineni nods, understanding. “He’s got a lot of pent up stuff,” says Sockel. “Not the kind of energy you can get rid of with just work.”

“Keep it up, Sockel,” says Hineni. “But give him a day off some time too.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure the frogs will be on board with waiting to murder us if we tell them Rhine needs another day to relax first.” Obscura clicks angrily with her mouth.

“We’re not going to hear from them for a while,” says Hineni.

“What makes you so sure?” she asks. “We just shook the hive.”

“We didn’t shake it. We tore it down and threw it into the river,” replies Hineni. “But I think we got our message across.”

Sockel frowns. “I don’t share your optimism.”

“They have one shot left,” says Hineni. “The kidnapping. The attack on the house. The big-frog,” he says. Obscura hisses again. “That’s three tries,” explains Hineni. “They only have one shot left to get us and they can’t afford to blow it. They’ll be planning for a few months.”

Sockel crosses her arms. “You weirdos sure take this number stuff seriously,” she says. “Are you telling me that if they fail their fourth try, they’re just… going to stop? Forever? That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” replies Sockel.

Obscura laughs a smug laugh. “Poor, foolish sock-elf,” she says. “Fear not. Wise Obscura is here to fill the gaping void that her thoughts leave her.”

“— I said no arguing at the table,” warns Hineni.

“Who…”

“Anyway. We have time,” he says. “So let’s take it easy and focus on us for now.” Hineni grabs the kettle and pours tea into his cup. “We have enough to do as is.”

“Sir, are you sure that this is the right box?” asks the man from the military, pulling out an adamantine axe. He looks back at his order-sheet. “We were expecting steel-grade weapons.”

“You want ‘em or not?” asks Hineni. He rests a hand on the box. “This is the right one.”

“— We can’t pay your more than what’s written as the list price.”

“Don’t care,” says Hineni. “That’s enough. Happy to support the effort,” he says, sliding the box an inch forward.

The soldier looks at his companion, who just shrugs. He looks back towards Hineni. “Okay. Thank you for your support. The money will be on your account as soon as we get these in.”

He sets down his sheet on top of the box and the two of them start carrying them out through the door that Rhine is holding open.

“There goes my raise,” says Sockel, playing with a pen. “Walked right out of the front door.”

“What do you even spend your money on, Sockel?” asks Rhine. “I mean, you bought those drinks once and that desk for your room, but I’ve never seen you buy anything else?”

“— Just because you have money, doesn’t mean you need to spend it, twerp,” says Sockel. “Having money saved up means you have freedom.”

“Huh?”

She leans back on the back legs of her chair. “Any time you wanna leave. Any time you wanna go do something, you can,” she says, waving the pen around. “Need to escape a city fast? Having money saved will let you do that,” explains Sockel. “Wanna stay, but need somebody else to ‘leave’? Money will let you do that too.”

“Stop teaching Rhine about assassination economics,” says Hineni.

“Don’t worry, Rhine. Auntie Sockel is going to take you far in life,” says Sockel, pointing at Rhine with the pen, entirely ignoring Hineni.

“Thanks, Sockel!” beams Rhine.

A door opens up behind Sockel. “Hey! Can you people please be quiet?!” snaps Eilig. “Some of us are trying to read here!”

The three of them look over towards her.

“— You can read?” asks Sockel. She narrows her eyes. “Put on your clothes, Eilig. It’s work time.”

(Eilig) has started channeling: [Fairy’s Chime]

Channeling time: {3} Seconds

“I’ll kill you first!” snaps Eilig.

“They’re just clothes, Eilig,” says Hineni.

The fairy ducks out of the way as a pen flies straight towards her. It misses, flying through the crack and, from the sound of it, sticks into the wood of a bookshelf on the other side.

[Channeling interrupted]

“- They’re a symbol of my spirit being crushed by you forcing your oppressive, human lifestyles on me!” she yells. “Fairies don’t wear clothes!”

Sockel sighs, getting up and cracking her neck.

“Behave, all of you,” says Hineni, pointing at them as he walks off.

Everyone sure is ready for a scuffle lately. It must be the spring air, he considers, turning his head towards the front door as the others walk inside to begin the work day.

It's probably nothing worth worrying about.