Salas leisurely walked through awoken city, the first bell had just been rung and people started to flood the streets little by little. She stopped at a shop that displayed shields, spears, and swords behind its window. She walked to the door and found a picture of a burning hammer was carved on it. She opened the door then walked into the shop, and was greeted by the chime of the doorbell.

"Thank god you two are really here. I don't want to comb the city just to search for you." She put both her hands on her hip.

"Well, Jake has been unreasonable to dart off by his own." Nila squinted her eyes at him and folded her arms.

"A bit of advise Jake, to save a quite amount of time of your youth; Let your feelings for Fia go, you are not the first to fall for her and you will not be the last. The woman has so many admirers and still choose to be single." Salas held a finger out.

"Wha--! That was not--!" Jake stuttered as he tried to deny her.

"Really?! That's all this is about?! You look me in the eyes you cheating bastard!" Nila forcefully turned Jake's head to face her.

"No! You are wr--%#ghbvmf@*&??!!" Jake tried to make excuses but unable to say more as Nila angrily pinched out both of his cheeks.

Salas left the two to their own devices and turned to a man at the counter who had been boredly watching them while resting his head on one hand. "Grayson." She threw the man a greeting nod.

"Can you not bring a drama into my shop? It has been noisy and hot enough from all the hammering and forging." He greeted back.

"Do you have my order ready?" Salas asked, ignoring the man's words.

Grayson sighed and stood up. He went to the room behind him and came back with a full hand of leatherwork which he immediately put on the counter.

Salas turned to the two and loudly clapped her hands once, "Kids, stop playing and try these on."

Jake and Nila who were engaged in semi-domestic violence turned to the woman. They gave each other one last angry look before wordlessly put their fight for later and walked to the counter.

"What is this?" Jake asked.

"Leather armor, duh." Nila sassed.

"No shit, you garden-wide forehead. I am asking why she give us expensive-looking stuffs."

"If the two of you can't stop being pain in my ass I'll throw you out of my shop and burn the armors as fuel for my forge." Grayson shot them down with a warning.

The two reluctantly shut their mouth and grabbed the armors. "The brown ones are for Nila. Jake, you get the black ones." Salas supplied.

The two silently tried to put on the armors, But they both had a problem with the straps. Salas held out a finger and stopped Grayson who was about came out of the counter to help them.

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"Hey, help me with this will you?" Jake asked Nila.

"You dofus, the straps aren't meant to be tied. It works like a belt." Nila said as she helped Jake strapping in his body armor which covered his chest and stomach.

"Okay city girl, sorry my country ass couldn't figure it out." Jake replied while he strapped in the arm guards.

"Can you cut that off that already? You are the one in the wrong but you always be the one who can't stop getting angry." Nila said as she moved on into strapping in his shin guards.

"... sorry." Jake apologized after went silent for few seconds.

"Once yours are done, you better help me back to put mine."

Salas and Grayson silently watched the two making up. The scene of them helping each other to put on their armor was quite romantic, really.

"It's always exciting to play cupid." Salas said to herself.

"Playing what?" Grayson turned to her. The woman waved her hand to the man, wordlessly telling him to dismiss what she said.

"We are done." Jake turned to the two adults in the room.

"How do we look?" Nila asked Salas as she twirled to show off every angle of her new armors.

The two of them had leather armors which protecting their bodies, forearms, thighs and shins.

"You look beautiful, Nila." Salas smiled seeing the girl quite happy.

"Still, why though?" Jake meekly looked at Salas. "Don't get me wrong, I feel indebted to be given... these. But one thing I don't like is, well, being indebted." He stared at her in the eyes. "As we all know, Nila and I have no money, I don't want to acquire something we can't pay. Plus we only know you for what? Three days? Since Ben made us met?"

"Don't worry, these are gifts for you two." Salas replied.

"Gifts?" Nila inquired.

"Today is your birthday is it not? Well, Happy birthday! I know you two don't really know when your real birthday is, but birthday is birthday nonetheless, even though it was decided by the date you two entered the orphanage." Salas congratulated them.

"That still doesn't answer the question of 'why?' ". Jake stubbornly asked the matter.

Salas sighed and leaned her back to the counter, "Do you still remember Milda? red hair, green eyes, had a lot of freckles, quick to get into fights, had a naive sense for justice?"

"Do you mean sister Milda?" Nila asked. She more than knew the woman Salas mentioned. Milda was her sister in the orphanage, and out of other older children, she was her favorite. Always smiling, always laughing, always had ways to make others feeling joy and happiness-- no matter how little it was. Her bright personality was one of few things that shined the dampened life in the orphanage.

"... The late sister Milda." Jake corrected, he threw his gaze to the ground for a moment before looked at Salas again, "What about her?"

"She was my mentor. While she certainly never bought me anything, she did took me in to her party and gave me a chance --which, at the time I desperately wanted-- to join the guild. I just want to repay her somehow, but she is dead. So I try to veer my payment to her to the orphanage in the form of weekly donation, and buying the two of you some basic equipment."

"Now, I know Ben has gotten you weapons," She glanced at a short sword and a dagger that was hanging on their waist, "So I get you armors instead."

Jake and Nila looked at each other for awhile before turning back to her, "Thank you!" They said in unison.

Salas dismissively waved her hands to them, "Don't think too much about it."

"Oh, but I think you should think much about it." Grayson disagreed. "You see, those leather armors are made from Beetle Bison's hide. It's quite elastic but hard enough to protect you from sharp and blunt attack alike. Even Jade Eyes Jaguar has a hard time biting Beetle Bison with its fangs. Here let me show you."

Grayson came out of the counter and nonchalantly pulled a knife that was strapped on the back of his waist, then swiftly stabbed Jake in stomach.

The knife failed to penetrated the armor, but the force of the stab sent Jake blown back off a few feet and hit the wall behind him.

"Jake!!" Nila looked at what happened in horror, "What the hell are you--!!" As she sharply turned to Grayson to curse him, the man in question already sheathed his knife, then casually punched her in the gut.

The same incredible power made Nila bounced a few inches higher than Jake and hit the same wall.

"You okay, buddy?" Salas --still relaxedly leaned on the counter-- worryingly asked the man's well being.

"No." Grayson replied as he rubbed his hand.

"Should have kicked her instead." She commented.

"I'll do that next time."

Jake and Nila who difficultly recovered from the attack and stood up immediately drew their weapons.

"What the fuck was that for!!" Jake grimly yelled at the man, plainly showing signs for counter attack should the man's answer was not satisfying.

Grayson shrugged, still rubbing his hand, "Just proving my point about the armor." He then went back to behind the counter.

"Chill, kids." Salas --still in the same relaxed position-- tried to calm them down.

Jake and Nila disobediently kept their weapons drawn.

"As you have seen and felt, the armors decently protect you from sharp and blunt attack alike. The reason why you still feel pain is because you hit the wall with your back, which is not protected by the armor. Now that you know how painful it is to receive damage, be sure to watch for an attack that target your unprotected area. Evade it, or veer it to your armor instead." Grayson unexcitedly advised them.

"I'll have you know too that the armors you wear are quite expensive, only a silver tag hunter like her could afford it. You should thank her more." He boredly pointed a finger at Salas.

Salas stopped leaning on the counter and stood up, "Come on kids, you have a quest to complete." She clapped her hands a few times to ensure they took their angry eyes off of Grayson, she then walked out of the shop.

The two, still angrily looking at the smith, sheathed their weapons and followed her outside.