9:00 AM.

Vidal's Restaurant and Suites was a significant degree quieter. The banquet room had three families dining around their own tables. Only one waiter waited by. On its platform, the grand piano had returned, from the last time the party had been there, but simply waited frozen like a black and white photograph as no one sat to play. Outside the windows, dozens of mossling-drawn carriages have lined up. Ladies in dresses and parasols, and men in gold-lined suits all boarding to depart.

Kirin's legs couldn't stay still, swinging forwards and back, as he leaned forwards with his arms resting on their table.

Alia had already locked her hands so tightly that her palms were arguing which of them should push more.

"There's no time to rest," stated a cold and yet feminine voice.

Walking into the hall was the six-foot lady with emerald green hair, whom Kirin saw back in front of the dormitories. She had the same sharp glare from yesterday, and, this time, the company of two other girls with pouches packed by their belts, and spears crossed on their backs.

"But Mistress! We've got three times more gold than the team right next to us!" exclaimed one of them.

The emerald-bobbed lady stomped and hissed. "How many times do I have to tell all of you not to be so complacent? Anything could happen at any minute. The next team could get a quest so rewarding, they'd push us back down in a snap!"

The girls pouted. "We know that, but still..."

The lady grinded her teeth, pressed her eyes shut, and then continued stomping her way to the hall. "We have to secure our spot to the games. We have to defeat--" She froze, foot halting in midair, as she opened her eyes again and met Kirin's.

It's her again!!!

Kirin really wanted to ask why she ran yesterday! Isn't now just the perfect chance!

Kirin rose, nudging his chair backwards.

Steam and blood oozed out of the lady's nose again. "Whawhdawkawdaw!!!" she said, leaving upheaved dust from dismantled carpet as she ran away in the corridors.

"Mistress?!" called the girls as they chased.

Kirin blinked. "...What's with her?"

"That's Idila Icegrove, the Minted Mist bringer of the Chrysaor guild." Onyx explained as he reached for a glass of iced tea on the table. "Faolan's told us many stories of her refusing to stop staring at him when they happen to walk the same hallways together."

"She's the strongest member of Chrysaor - which is the fifth most recognized guild in Bladewood," Alia added. "They follow pretty much the same system as our guild." The fairy finally separated her hands to raise one finger in a lecturing pose. "Her party has achieved feats almost as impressive as those of Coral Crown. A demon palace appeared over Latesi once, and they purged and scrapped the whole thing in just under four hours."

"Whoa." Kirin nodded enthusiastically. "Any clue why she reacted that way? Do I have anything on my face? Don't I look presentable?"

Alia tapped her chin. "Not really, Kirin. You look pretty well."

Kirin nodded again. This time, a lot more disappointed.

Onyx scoffed, sipped from the glass he had, and then planted it back down. "You look horrifying."

Kirin turned towards him and gave a glare as sharp as Idila's. "Any other day, that would dry up my throat. But I just can't help but feel you meant what you just said a little too much."

"Good morning," greeted a short, skinny, hunched man in his late thirties as he plodded following Faolan to the team. What puny amount of light from the chandeliers above blitzed up his round, silver-rimmed shades and glittery blue tuxedo. "May I introduce you all to Lady Robin Esther? The most delicate of swans to have graced the face of the world."

"Mr. Elvin, there's no need for that kind of introduction." Robin giggled meekly as she gently pulled back a chair. "Good morning, everyone! I can't thank you enough for coming to meet me here today." She slid her gloved hands down her back, collecting her skirt as she took her seat.

Faolan chose his spot between Alia and an empty chair shortly taken by Mr. Elvin.

The fairy was as frozen as the ice in her untouched drink. Her smile was unwavering and her eyelids have forgotten their responsibilities.

That reaction wasn't alien at all.

Kirin too couldn't help but gaze at the star right before them all.

Faolan gave out a quick smile, catching Kirin's expression, and then tilted forwards to speak to Robin Esther. "While we have everyone's attention, I think it's time to start sharing about your quest for us."

"Right." Robin bobbed her head curtly.

"Take your time, miss," Mr. Elvin whispered.

The celebrity closed her eyes and lowered her head. "The... past few days, I've been experiencing some strange things. Every single morning... when I wake up... I find odd marks on different parts of my body, tears on my clothes, and leaves in my hair. I sleep in one of the most luxurious suites in this establishment. There are potted plants there. But the sort I find in my evening braids are none of theirs. Many times, I've tried not to sleep, in hopes I can figure out what happens. But the day after, I always find myself in some variation of those disheveled states. I've had guards, and even Mr. Elvin himself stay up with me at night, but, they too wake up to find themselves oblivious of the previous night."

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"It's definitely not sleepwalking." Faolan remarked, rubbing his chin as he gazed contemplatively at a vase with red flowers amidst all the dishes.

Alia flinched, briefly breaking free from her awestricken stasis. "It could be a charm!"

Robin blushed and turned her face a way.

"Are you still virgin?" Onyx asked with a face so blank that he could have been mistaken for paper. Kirin nearly put his palm flat on the knight's cheek too. "I'm sure you've looked."

Robin shuffled as if her legs were getting squirmy beneath the table. Her hands travelled somewhere on her lap, and muscles on her arms flexed.

"I'm asking to isolate the possibility that we might have a--"

"I-I'm still a virgin," answered the lady.

"Onyx." Faolan called, as anxiety and dismay grew in his eyes. "I know the question was necessary but that was far too abrupt."

"Nobody else was gonna ask." Onyx picked his glass of tea back up.

Kirin eyed both men in turns.

In some way, there was a little bit of a jolt in his chest that triggered emotions he had never had before.

"Do you mind if I cast a spell on you?" asked Alia.

Robin locked a fist on her chest and gulped as she turned to face everyone again. "That won't be a problem, no."

Alia raised her hand and casted, "Purple Emperor's Magic! Amethyst Eyes!" Her irises shined, and her fingers began releasing a quick mist of lavender that wafted and danced like butterflies fluttering all over the lady.

A serenade played in the air, and pastel lights evaporated off of Robin's skin.

"There's..." Alia breathed in deeply as her spell ended. "...not really anything." She glanced left and right to see everyone. "No curse, no charm. No magic."

"Nothing?" Faolan returned to his rumination, eyeing that vase again.

Onyx nodded. The slight scrunching of his brows and shimmering of his eyes speaking as if they had already figured out what was going on. "Faolan?"

The Dragonlaird rubbed his chin one more time. "Right. Miss Robin? Our party will be sleeping over with you at your suite tonight."

***

Cloudy was the sky later that evening. Chilly were the winds streaking past the swaying grilled glass doors to the balcony. Floating orange lamps spun like planets all over Robin's suite, emitting faint glows that made it excruciatingly difficult to keep eyes open. And a standing clock by the wall also didn't help, as it constantly reminded everyone that it's been minutes past eleven.

Over on one sofa, Mr. Elvin had already fallen victim to lull, snoring and stretching his limbs, all for Onyx and Foalan's inconvenience as both men were on either ends of the furniture.

Faolan remained polite. Even keeping his leg as still as possible as the old man's temple had rested upon it.

Onyx on the other hand really just couldn't say anything about the leather-shoed feet that have stiffened on his lap.

"So what's it like? Being a star?" Alia gazed up at a lamp floating just above. She was sitting sideways, thighs like fours-without-verticals on the cushions and her ankles crossed.

Kirin caught the lamp and parked it on his lap.

Assuring warmth immediately glazed his skin.

"Well, it certainly can be fun." Robin patted her skirt then rested her palms unbelievably gracefully on her knees. "I get to be in all sorts of places, awe people just by walking in a room, meet followers wherever I go!"

Onyx let out a nearly unnoticeable sigh as he averted his face from Mr. Elvin's feet. They were extending.

"You get to make lots of people happy. ...It's always been a weird feeling, finishing a song and taking a pause to hear all the claps and all the cheers. Seeing all of the bright faces." Robin reached for her violin and bow from a coffee table in front. "I used to... always get teary every time. It was embarrassing. Mr. Elvin said that added to my charisma though. What's it like being a knight?"

"It's very rewarding!"

"It's very pleasuring."

Wouldn't take a god of knowledge to guess which between Alia and Kirin answered what.

Kirin let go of the lamp and let it drop on himself as he started vigorously squeezing his fists right under his chin. "You get to brawl with all sorts of creatures, fight hoodlums, collect materials from precarious places, and, best of all, get hurt!!!"

Robin beamed, moving to lean her violin on her shoulder.

"Those aside..." Alia tapped her lips to suppress an already curt giggle. "...we're similar in many ways."

Onyx's eyebrows jerked as he hugged himself and sunk a little bit into the sofa.

"We travels heaps too! Sometimes, we have also admirers who look in adoration when we meet them on the streets. They're either previous clients or people who have just heard of our previous accomplishments."

Robin lowered her instrument for a second. "Oh, yeah! You surely make loads of people happy too when you protect them."

Kirin huffed and stored the air in his cheeks.

Nobody has come up to him yet! Obviously, he's still pretty relatively new. But one day he'll surely have a fan who'll recognize that he's also part of Fable Eclipse and will be coming to beg for a signature!

Robin positioned herself again to hold the violin properly and prepared her bow against the strings. "Do you ever get tired?"

Faolan yawned and scratched his eye.

Alia glanced at Kirin and smiled, crinkling the corners of her narrow eyes. "Yup, adventurers definitely do! Lots of us get lazy too. As a matter of fact, just about ninety percent of our guild didn't used to do anything at all. Lots of Harpe just hung around the guild hall to chill and chat. Hard to find people like Kirin who never run out of energy to do quests."

Kirin flinched back to the conversation, giggled nervously, and scratched his head. "Alia, the way you said that made me sound diligent. I don't keep my motives secret."

Robin laughed with no sound.

"How about you?" Alia asked. "Does being a star get exhausting sometimes too?"

Robin pursed her lips in a lifeless smile and began drawing the bow forwards and back.

"Oh my gosh!" Kirin perked up, eyes glittering. "This was the song you played when we first listened to you downstairs."

Onyx stared sharply towards the balcony.

"Whoa..." Kirin closed his eyes and let the notes strum his ears. "Can we just listen?" From his lap, the light lamp's heat trailed and starting caressing the rest of his body. "Right now I wish I had no other senses."

A strong gust blew and the sound of flapping fabrics arrived from the balcony's direction.

"There are many things I wish I've known before entering this life." Robin shared, continuing her melodious song. "I've enjoyed every single show I've ever performed. Every single song... every single applause. Obviously, my whole life has become as convenient as anyone would ever pray it to be. But..." Robin sighed. "I can't believe I still have complaints. It's just that... it's so hard... to see who really loves me for me. The me without my violin... without my songs... without my name. I wish..." Robin paused and lowered her instrument to her side. "I wish I had known love before everyone had known me."

"Robin?" Alia caught and rubbed the lady's back as she started to cry.

On the balcony, more winds gushed and twisted in a short cyclone as a dark blue figure began to form.

"Everyone, get ready!" Onyx shouted, getting up so abruptly that Mr. Elvin was thrown to the floor. "Moon Magic! Lunar Eruption!"

White projectiles blasted at the figure.

"Wha... What the heck is going on?" screamed Mr. Elvin as he scurried from the floor and rushed to hide behind the couch.

From smoke upheaved by Onyx's magic and the figure colliding, a tall, gray-skinned man with the darkest of stubbles approached, palms raised generating magical orbs beneath them. "Who dares shoot at a god?"