John finished his report and wanted to complain to someone. But, he didn’t, since he knew that venting to someone without plans of actually doing anything would make both of them feel worse. He believed that unless he was trying to find solutions to his problems, then he shouldn’t be making others feel pity for him.

He remembered his oath, and despite everything, he smiled. It was a meaningless smile, but he smiled. Ultimately, this didn’t matter. He’d be okay, his dungeon would certainly grow, and the town would expand to accommodate that. He may have been tired, exhausted, but he knew it would be fine in the end.

With that thought, he decided to take the rest of the day off. Not like he’d really need to announce that; Lucky for him, the news hadn’t gone out yet and adventurers were unaware. John wanted to prepare everyone for it when it happened, but that’d be hard to do. He would just need to trust that the people in his town - both ones he knew personally and ones he hadn’t actually talked to - knew how to handle their shops or stores when adventurers rushed in like a swarm.

Things would be alright, as they always have been. Thanks to the dungeon closing, there weren’t as many adventurers; They’d all left for better jobs elsewhere. Going outside with his favorite brown cloak, John walked.

He had no destination, no goal. But that was alright too; Sometimes walking can clear someone’s mind better than anything else. One of his favorite locations that he often ended up wandering to was a grove in the forest. It felt magical to him, in an odd way.

There wasn’t actually any magic there, but it felt like it all the same. Flowers blooming everywhere, sunlight gently filtering through the maple tree leaves…

John sneezed.

…And his allergies. That too. He didn’t mind it all that much, really. The view was worth it to him, even if he occasionally had to pause to get into a sneezing fit. He remembered the time he took Fizz to the area. Fizz had been teaching him to make a flower crown, and John had sneezed 4 times in a row. Fizz burst out laughing and called him a chipmunk, since his sneezes were somewhat high pitched.

John chuckled at the short memory, but didn’t linger on it. Just stood around, enjoying the breeze but keeping his guard up for things in the forest. No matter how much he denied it at times, or how he jokingly told himself that he didn’t want to work as a Dungeon Supervisor anymore, he did.

He may not have admitted it to himself as Fizz did, but John enjoyed his life. If things went to plan, he’d have much more life to live before it all ended. He didn’t mind that it would end; it made it meaningful.

He spent a long while just existing in that area, sitting down on a rock. Sometimes he saw some interesting animals; When he had a surplus of freetime - which, he admitted he probably wouldn’t have again for a while - he enjoyed going to the library to read up about the things he saw. Some bugs, some birds, maybe a neat lizard or frog, it was a nice way to waste his time. Everyone should slow down once in a while, he believed.

Slightly smiling, John headed back to town. Maybe he could check on Fizz- Well, if he wasn’t in the Insect Dungeon. John paused; That wasn’t right anymore, was it? It wasn’t exactly filled with ‘insects’ anymore, it was filled with baked shenanigans. He wouldn’t call them anything else, it was gonna stay baked shenanigans as long as Fizz was involved.

Considering that, he decided that he’d just let Fizz name it instead. Now that the dungeon wasn’t like any other dungeon, it needed a name of its’ own. John sucked at titles anyways, so it wasn’t his place to put one on the dungeon. He took his sweet time wandering the town, idly waving to people he passed by.

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John enjoyed remembering why he wanted to do all of this to begin with compared to what his motives ended up being. Now his main concern is the happiness of the people around him, and really… That’s about it. John’s certain that as long as people are happy around him, he’ll be alright with that.

He could reach out for more, but he was never the kind to force life onto the floor. Instead, he just cruised along. Finding himself sitting down on a park bench, John allowed himself to relax. It was a nice day that day; No clouds in the light blue sky, flowers in bloom. It was a bit chilly - That’s how spring was in Ineptias Town - and John liked it that way.

He didn’t like the heat, but Fizz did. Maybe that’s why the bakery was at a ‘comfortable’ 80 degrees. John admitted that it kept the goods warmer for longer, but still!

Ridiculous.

John paused when he noticed someone tending to their crows in the Incinerate Inn’s stable. Huh. Crows. In a stable. From what he recalled from meeting Doremi and Sola, the guy that got them all here was tending to his crows in the background. Tido, was it?

More than a little curious, John went over to say hello to Tido.

“Hey, your name is… Tido, right? I was wondering how you take care of your crows.”

John idly started, getting to the point of his curiosity quickly. Tido smiled awkwardly.

“Er… Yeah, that’s me. This is Cwoh,” Tido gestured to the comparatively smaller crow, “And this is Kraa. I take care of them both by feeding them, making sure they have clean water, and giving them ample exercise. Sometimes I, um, give them puzzles to do. Crows are about as smart as a 7-year-old, but since these two tapped into a magic line while they were in their eggs - or something like that, I’m not sure, - they’re a lot bigger.”

John hummed in curiosity, before asking with a smirk.

“I’ve seen massive birds before, but I never knew you could tame them. How many times has some stuck-up adventurer wanted to buy one because they think it’d be cool?”

Tido blinked and answered with a straight face.

“Too many times, but each time someone asked, Kraa or Cwoh would peck them in the shins.”

John was taken off guard and started laughing. After a moment, he looked up and noticed Tido was being serious. John promptly stopped laughing and paled for a moment, sympathy for the poor souls in his heart. Tido continued.

“Anyways, they’re really easy to take care of. When they really need something, they just get it theirselves or ‘tell me’ about the problem by nudging me a lot. I love my crows, and I like to think they care about me too!”

John remembered something.

“Did you, by chance, attract other crows? I’ve heard more of them in the trees than I usually do, which is new.”

“They just follow me, I guess.” Tido said with a shrug, before awkwardly looking away. “I hope nobody’s too superstitious here, since crows have been said to foreshadow death or misfortune. They don’t mean any harm, though! Did you know that the reason people think that is because they usually follow armies into battle? They don’t really join in, but they wait around until the aftermath to start pecking at the corpses. They’re scavengers, after all.”

John allowed Tido to explain more about his crows for a while before leaving, waving goodbye. John headed back to his office, making a small note in his mind to check the library at some point to learn more. Back in his office, John smiled to himself.

Today may have been a little hard compared to other days, but he handled it well. That was something to be proud of, even if it didn’t seem like it. A day spent getting better was a good day to him.

Deciding that he’s used up all his free time, he sent out the report. His problem would be tossed to someone else for a little while, which was good enough for him. He shut his eyes for a moment, a bit of tiredness coming over him.

Eh, he’s done what his job needs of him, time for a nap.