Cirrus clouds drifted overhead, their wispy forms forever out of the reach of those bound by gravity. A flock of ravens flew through them, white trails sliding off their feathers as they dove in and out with glee. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the equatorial sunshine was a boon to the green back of the beast.

The air vibrated as the sky-whale displayed its joy at the end of a month-long journey. It was pleased with the sunshine, and happy that it had outran the touch of winter in the northern hemisphere. Though its brethren may have chosen to stay and relish in the changing of the seasons, Regana-Hier was an island-sized behemoth that could only be satisfied with summers and the monsoons.

As the hot sun began its ascent to the peak of the world, those down below simply had to put up with their god’s tropical preferences.

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The Keeper Inn was a humble, three-story building beside a crossroad. From that intersection, one could travel to any of four towns in the countryside, making it a very auspicious address for the Inn.

Well, if it wasn’t for the fact that one could get from one town to the other in a half-day’s worth of travel on Shard-fuelled wheels.

With its sun-bleached walls and its somewhat eerie atmosphere, it was clear as day that the inn was past its golden age. A garden was dug out on the front lawn, scarecrows of straw and burlap guarding a treasure drove of edible greens, and a rain collection system was haphazardly set up over the canopy of the front entrance. All of those were arrangements that the young owner had set up to lower the cost of living, but in exchange, it could have been mistaken for a homesteader’s abode.

Only a sign, covered in bird shit old and new, would correct a traveller’s mistakes, but even then, it was doubtful that it would have an effect at all.

After all, outside of shooting the breeze with the innkeeper, there really was nothing to do out in the boonies. But perhaps it was for that very reason that a dust-colored magibike with a wagon attached was leaning against the front porch.

“Yeah, not sure why you haven’t cleaned up that sign yet,” a red-haired girl said, slouching over one of the few wooden chairs within the Inn. The sun gleamed off the shiny goggles that hung from her neck, and a mountain of clothing was piled up onto the table before her. “Probably drives away more customers than it attracts.”

“It’s not advertisement though,” remarked the inn keeper as he folded the clothes before him, “It’s a reminder.”

“Right…a reminder that can barely be read now?” The red-head grinned smarmily, her amber eyes sparkling cheekily. “Don’t worry, I know you’re lazy the moment money isn’t involved.”

The raven-haired youth tossed one set of clothing into the open luggage case beside him, before reaching into that giant pile and pulling out the next article of dry-cleaned laundry. “Shush, Vrei, being motivated by money is a good thing. Imagine if I didn’t help you pack even after you paid me.”

“You’re rifling through a girl’s clothes though,” she shot back, “So are you really motivated by money?”

“You think I’m a disgusting pervert or something?” he asked, rolling his eyes at just how much she was enjoying this verbal joust. What he had pulled out was her D-cup bra, and, without even flinching at the terrible timing, he folded the cups into each other, before rolling the strings in and throwing it in.

“See,” he gestured, “Not even interested.”

Vrei shook her head, chuckling. “Please, Alvain, just because you can restrain your carnal desires for a moment…”

Alvain sighed, almost running his hand through his black hair from exasperation, before stopping himself. The rhythm of taking and folding clothing had almost become automatic at this point, and he had been moments away from dragging her panties over his head as well.

That was a bullet dodged…but that definitely wasn’t something she overlooked.

“Oh man, did you actually do that?” The girl guffawed, almost falling off her chair.

He ignored her, ears burning from embarrassment. Vrei’s laughter was bright and explosive, lovely to listen to when she was laughing with you, but when she was laughing at you…Alvain could only sigh, and wish that the sky-whale would make another deafening roar and temporarily drown out her voice.

Some time passed before she stopped teasing him about his ‘lust for chaste maidens’ and his ‘obscene fetishes’. The sun had risen higher up now, granting blessed warmth unto the lands in its glare…which also meant that the wooden, unventilated lobby of the inn had become a sauna.

Alvain wiped beads of sweat off his forehead. The mountain was now a molehill, and thank god for that. He was beginning to think that Vrei didn’t have enough luggage cases to carry all her clothes, but it looked like there was just enough.

“Bloody abyss, why do you even wear this much?” Alvain complained, enviously eyeing Vrei’s sweatless body.

“If it makes you feel any better,” she said, languidly resting her boots on the table, “Regana-Hier’s going to be heading for a rain cloud in a week or so.”

“Doesn’t change the present,” he grumbled. Salty drops were sliding into his green eyes, and it felt disgusting.

Vrei waved towards one of the walls, and then to a metal pole leaning against the front desk. Runic inscriptions could be seen on its side, and there was leather wrapped around one of its ends. “Just blast a few holes, Alvain, if you’re grumpy about the heat. Your Ash Bolt should be able to do at least that much.”

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“Man, I need one of those fancy ice-rune fans, not self-inflicted property destruction.”

“Then work harder for your pay, Mr. Keeper!”

Alvain narrowed his eyes, before moving onto the final piece of clothing.

Then, he stopped.

“Huh, didn’t know you wore this.”

“Well, gotta wear things that appeal to the client. Some like business formal, some like English maid stuff, and some…”

Alvain held up a full-body dog costume, a shit-eating grin on his face. “…want dog-girls? The customer is god, eh?”

Vrei blushed, a rosy red coloring her soft cheeks. “Shut up. At least I have work.”

“Ouch, low blow there,” Alvain said, faking a wince. “Must be rough though, being a freelancing courier.”

He had made that observation many times in the past already, but Vrei still showed a grateful smile at his sympathy. Getting off the chair and sweeping off the dirt on the table, the young woman shrugged. “I like travelling and it pays well. There’s worse jobs out there.”

“Like dressing up like a dog?”

Vrei punched him in the shoulder for that, even as she laughed alongside him.

“That’ll be extra for the physical abuse,” he quipped, rubbing his inconsequential wound.

The red-headed girl grinned, as she dropped a motley collection of coins onto the counter. “Now there’s the penny-pinching friend of mine!”

“And there’s the paying customer of mine! Thanks for your patronage,” he replied, his eyes glimmering as they drank in the sight of money. “Oh yeah, need any help with th-”

With a grunt, Vrei picked up the four cases, her heavy clothes hiding the rock-solid muscles that laid in her body.

“…actually, never mind that.” Alvain corrected himself. “Damned gorilla woman.”

“My, my, what was that?” She turned, a cold smile on her face.

Alvain didn’t even bat an eye as he ‘repeated’ himself. “Ah, I said ‘Have a nice trip, Vrei!’ See you later! Bye bye!”

Yeah, there was no way the courier believed his original words were so harmless, but she let him off the hook anyways. Pushing through the door of the Inn, she waved at him once more, a cheery grin on her face, before the door swung close, leaving Alvain alone in his inn.

A few moments later, a thrum could be heard as Vrei’s dust-colored bike came back to life, carrying its master and her copious amount of work clothes off into the distance.

The air was still stiflingly hot, and now, there wasn’t even the pleasure of conversation to distract him from his boredom. Vrei had left, and now, the only soul present was himself.

It was quiet, a stifling silence that made him tired and uncomfortable.

Alvain flopped onto the table, one finger tracing a circle in the wood grain.

What would his parents think, seeing the inn become a glorified laundry room?

Ah, life was hard.

Then, Alvain smiled, a pure smile with no hidden bitterness.

Weather really must be getting to him, huh, if he’s becoming dissatisfied with his peaceful life.

He flicked a golden coin into the air, filling the sauna-like space with a clear, ringing tone.

“Welp, it’s is only going to get harder if I wish it was easier!”

He pushed away his lethargy, and got up. Slapping his cheeks until they were red and stinging, Alvain shook his limbs about like a wet noodle monster, before picking up the metal bar leaning against the counter.

“Alright then,” he said, thinking aloud, “Watering my vegetables during noontime will just be a waste, and I’m not going to have any customers until evening anyways, so...”

So he was going to go tramping about in the forest that was half an hour’s walk away in this blistering heat? And then use his sub-par tracking skills to find an animal to use his similarly inferior sharpshooting skills to take down? And, after all that’s done, drag its dead body all the way back home while praying to the Sky-Whale that a pack of carnivores don’t descend on him and steal his dinner or his life?

Was he really going to do all that?

Of course he will!

After all, doing something was better than thinking about other things!

Mustering up his motivation and imagining the best case scenario, in which he happens upon a deer with golden antlers, Alvain thrust up his spellshooter, kicked open the door, grabbed a tomato, and then slammed the door shut.

For a moment, he stayed at the front porch, breathing in the hot summer air and becoming accustomed to the brilliant light. With a sigh, the young man brought out a brass key and locked the door shut.

“Later, mum.”

An arc of ash gray energy shot out from the end of the metal bar as its inscriptions momentarily flashed with white light. It burst into a brilliant display of light and sound, echoing through the air.

Up above, the unkindness of ravens scattered from their roost in the clouds, flying off and away.

Alvain smirked as he walked off.

"Yeah, that’s right! Don’t think that I forgot about you thieving bastards either!”