{-Myr-}

She followed right behind Llewel, who was busily counting the coins they had for the umpteenth time. Usually she didn’t mind it; it was only after a largely unrestful night and a pounding head that the crowds and greetings bothered her.

They couldn’t even reach the quest board before being interrupted by someone else.

“If it isn’t the twins! You’re still hanging around here? I would’ve thought you’d taken the hint and left.” Another thief wandered in front of them, trying to put on a menacing appearance.

“Go away, Ruzlue,” Llewel sighed. He shoved the coins back in his pouch, took Myr’s hand, and guided her around the thief. “We fought your battle yesterday, so leave us alone.”

Ruzlue barked a laugh. “Wondered why no one came by to take it back! Keep that up for me, will ya? I like the peace and quiet—maybe it could keep you out of the way too!”

“I’m not dealing with this,” Llewel grumbled. “Let us live our lives and you can live yours. We’re not bothering you so just let us be.”

Ruzlue just stepped in front of them again. “Come on, Llewel, Myr. We’re all thieves here.” He smirked and snatched Llewel’s pouch. “Though I’d hardly consider you that!”

“Give it back! I worked hard for those!” Myr tried to take it back from him but he was able to keep it out of reach.

Llewel was about to help her before something else caught his attention—the players from the day before. She was actually happy to see them for a moment before she realized what the situation may have looked like.

“I knew you were up to something!” Zetai announced proudly. “Reynneak, you owe me twenty bucks when we log off.”

“I never bet you anything,” he mumbled.

She ignored him. “You’re all coming with me! I spent all day trying to find you, so now’s the time to bring you all back to Fininri and get my reward.”

Ruzlue was about to sneak off before Llewel grabbed his coat. “If we’re going to do this, then so are you. You’re the only one in trouble here.”

“I can take being beaten up by players on a daily basis,” Ruzlue muttered. “I can not take the actual wrath of Fininri—”

“Then I guess you shouldn’t have stolen something from him in the first place,” Myr remarked dryly.

“That’s easy for you to say as someone who doesn’t have a code to follow!”

Zetai casually walked up to them and nudged them with her sword. “Quit talking and start moving. What part of I’ve spent all day and I’m tired of searching do you not get?” She led the way on their trip to the marketplace, Reynneak behind all of them to keep them from running off.

It wasn’t something that went unnoticed, however. Multiple people saw the twins and asked if they were alright; Myr assured all of them that it was fine, though the only thing Llewel did to acknowledge them was look in their direction. He was always like that—no matter how concerned someone else was about them, no matter how long they’d known the person, he still treated them like a stranger. It made it obvious that Myr was the more social of the two when he wouldn’t even try.

Fininri had just finished serving another customer when they all walked in. “Welcome to the Nafrius Shop, how might I help you today?” His characteristic smile faded, however, when he saw who else the players had brought with them. “You’ve brought thieves into my wonderful establishment.”

“I know, right?” Zetai wandered up to the counter. “Can I get my [Stunning Tip] now?”

“Just give me one moment.” He went out from behind the counter and walked in front of Ruzlue, Llewel, and Myr. She knew there wasn’t anything she needed to worry about, but that didn’t keep her from getting a bit anxious at seeing his expression. “Ruzlue. I thought I’d never see you again and, honestly, I wish that I hadn’t. Look at you. You’re wearing expensive clothes, you’ve grown bigger… How does it make you feel to know that you only have what you do because you take it from others?”

“I can’t help it,” Ruzlue whispered back.

“Perhaps not, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to tolerate it. Open your Inventory.” Fininri patiently waited until it was done to look through it. He tapped on items in the menu to have them appear in his hands; then, he sat them beside him, all the while considering how much he might charge for them. “Try to make an honest living next time, yeah?”

“You’re taking everything…”

“Yes, and I’ll sell this record-breaking [Stick (Sword)] to you for the low, low price of one thousand coins!” He pulled a stick out of his bargain bin. “It’s a fine, sturdy stick with sixty uses! It does absolutely nothing except for attacking your enemy, and fighting anything above level ten gives it a chance of breaking on you! I’d say it’s the perfect item for a person like you.”

“You’re not scamming me.”

“Oh, you’re right, I’m not scamming you. I’m demanding you buy my product to make up for the years of sales I lost out on because of your thieving.”

“Can’t I just buy an actual dagger? I can’t even wield a sword.”

“Hmm, maybe you can consider returning in a couple of days for a trade-in, but right now, no. This is your only option.”

“Fine…” Ruzlue gave Fininri all the coins and begrudgingly walked out of the shop with his new stick.

Fininri turned to the twins. “As for you…” His expression lightened up and he ruffled their hair. “Have either of you seen the bread I laid out yesterday?”

“We ate it,” Myr admitted truthfully.

“Good, you little rascals! That was meant for you. But you know you don’t need to go and take it, however obvious it is.” He moved past the pile of items on the floor to get behind the counter. After a bit of searching, he came back with another loaf. “This one’s fresh today. Lucky for you no players ever touch this stuff—they forget that [Heal Potion]s aren't the only thing that can recover HP around here!”

“Thank you.” Llewel glanced at Zetai and Reynneak before adding a bit quieter, “Ruzlue took the coins that we had, too, do you think we can get those back..?”

“All you ever need to do is ask!” Fininri replied merrily. “You know a little ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ go a long way with me.” He handed them a pile that was definitely a lot more than they had lost.

Zetai cleared her throat. “So, this is great and all, but I’d like my reward too.”

With the reminder, Fininri grabbed another thing from behind the counter and handed it to the players. “Thank you for helping me catch the thief and return the stolen goods. Here is your reward, one of the items he stole from me, a nowhere-near-one-of-a-kind [Stunning Tip]. I hope it serves you well in your journeys to come.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great,” Zetai took it and shoved it into Reynneak’s hand. “You take that, it’s better than what you got for the tutorial, trust me. Now come on, use [Quest Finder] and figure out where the guy with the [Flaming Tip] is. I want to set some stuff on fire!”

“Why do I feel like I’m going to end up regretting this..?” Reynneak mumbled as the two players left.

“It’s about time we get going, too,” Llewel remarked, managing a small smile in Fininri’s direction.

“You know you don’t have to. I could use some help around the shop; it sounds like soon I’m going to need to help stock a caravan for each of the campsites around Masylm. I’ll pay you, of course. You’ll have to share the spare room but I’m sure that’s better than where you are now.” Fininri’s gentle smile didn’t fade. “I hate knowing I’m right here and can’t do anything to help you two. At least let me pay for a stay at Idihu’s.”

Myr smiled at the thought, but it was gone the moment she saw Llewel’s expression.

Llewel slowly backed closer to the door. “We told you about how we’re going to leave Nafrius eventually. We can handle ourselves.”

“This could be a good thing,” she pleaded. “You’ve got to admit that this makes sense, right?”

“It does, but… there’s something about it that doesn’t. Thank you for the offer—I promise I appreciate it more than you know—but it doesn’t feel right. I’m sorry but I think I at least need some time to think it over.” Llewel left the shop without another word.

Myr turned to Fininri. “He’s—”

His smile still hadn’t disappeared. “It’s fine. I get it, the two of you have to deal with things that no one else can even think of. If he doesn’t think it’s the right thing to do, then maybe it isn’t. Just remember that I’m always here if you need it.”

“Thanks.” The little bell rang and alerted both of them of an unfamiliar player, telling Myr it was time to go. “I’ll see you later.”

She left and began her search for her brother. He never went far.