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Edited by Etherdrone

The nice, clear autumn morning painted the skies once again at the grand city of Shang Mu.

A siberian husky wearing a black jacket, black jeans, a white t-shirt and black boots, equipped with dual pistols and a sniper rifle made mention to visibly demonstrate his displeasure as he was carrying a crate of supplies with the assistance of a fox wearing a white cargo jacket with orange outlines, beige cargo pants, a black close-fit t-shirt and brown shoes, equipped with a large steel blade with a black handle.

The husky huffs in irritation as he makes a short sigh before speaking, "Care to explain to me why we're doing this?"

"You don't remember?" the fox asks with a joyful tone, making the husky scowl in response. "We agreed to help Mayor Zao with some errands while Milla and Norah gets some groceries!"

"You know I never agreed to this."

"What, you'd rather mope in a corner somewhere for the rest of your days?" Chan the fox laughs as Kai brakes any semblance of eye contact.

"No. I'd rather not carry crates at all."

"That's fair enough, I suppose. Look at it this way, then: at least you have something to do this afternoon! You won't get bored!"

Kai responds with a louder, more agitated sigh as the two boys finally reach Shang Mu City Hall and transport the cargo into the building's storage unit. Through the corner of his eye, Kai observes the Shang Mu soldiers in-duty who were mostly women wearing the standard Shang Mu uniform: red armor, each equipped with an energy pistol and dagger.

As they land the crate into the designated area, a couple of the soldiers came to secure the shipment, some carrying clipboards to make sure everything was in order. Kai takes a moment to scratch the back of his own ear as his eyes focuses at the crates, once again.

I wonder what's in them. If this much security is needed around the cargo, I assume it's something expensive...

Perhaps I should have stolen what was in those crates. It's not like Shang Mu would miss wealth, right?

He shakes his head, dismissively.

Yet despite me being with the Red Scarves for five years, Norah is a far better thief and liar than me. Still a bit rusty, though. I can tell when she's trying to steal something from me…

Doesn't feel as good as using this rifle, though.

"...I wonder what's in those crates," Chan states, as he reads the husky's expression. "Look at all the security."

Kai takes notice of the vulpine's sudden comment. "Don't you have anyone else to bother?"

"Not really. Though I assumed you were as curious as I was."

"I can't argue with that, but I personally don't care." Trying to take the topic of conversation away from himself, Kai quickly adds: "What's taking those girls so long?"

"If you're curious, that means you care," Chan chuckles as Kai grits his teeth, annoyed. "To answer your question, though, they are doing what girls do, I'm sure. Either way, I'm going to ask one of those soldiers what's in those crates."

"You honestly expect them to answer you?" Kai asks with a raised eyebrow, making Chan open a big smile and laugh jovially.

"Hahah! Don't you worry, I'll be sure to ask them politely!"

"...Politely." Kai repeats, pondering on what Chan meant as the fox casually walks up to one of the soldiers, as if he lived around them for ages.

"Excuse me, beautiful battle-maiden, but I find myself wondering: what is in those crates, after all?"

"Sorry but that information is confide-" The soldier starts, but soon found her voice stopping as her mind processed the way she was addressed. "Ahem. Did you call me a..."

"A battle-maiden of most brilliant beauty, yes! Brave and heroic, I can tell by the shine in your eyes."

"Oh, please," the girl giggles in embarrassment as her co-workers slowly giggles to themselves, all jovially stricken by Chan's disturbingly effective charms. "I-I mean, I'm not..."

"But you are! To have such an important job as to protect us citizens and our great leader, in such a young age too." Chan compliments with honest charisma, now changing her disposition for the better.

"U-um... Thanks?" She quietly fumbled as her co-workers were enjoying the scene far more than they probably should.

"I merely speak the truth, milady," he cordially bows as he had suddenly become the center of the girls' attention. "I apologize, however, if my question was uncouth. Curiosity is a trait that runs strong in my family, you see."

"T-That's okay. I mean... um, I guess I can make… a small exception? Don't tell anyone, though!" The guard explains flustered while attempting to maintain her stern tone to avoid suspicion as the other guards backs away, obviously curious. She then whispers into the vulpine's ear so the other soldiers won't hear.

Kai's eyes were swimming in disbelief at the view, carrying amazement and disgust with them.

These are the least ethical guards I've ever seen…

Either that, or Chan is a damn good flirt… I'm betting on the former.

"It was nothing special. Just tax money and apparently a lot of imported silk." Chan reveals as he returns to Kai's side, stuffing a small piece of paper inside a pocket, with a bunch of numbers scribbled on it.

"Silk? You sure that silk isn't for Ming?"

"Yes it is, you should try feeling that nice soothing texture someday!" Ming proclaims with a loud voice, overhearing the youth's discussion, drawing their attention to her.

"What are you doing here? I wouldn't even conceive that the likes of you would ever step foot in a place like this." Kai retorts, making Ming dismiss his claim with a wave of her hand.

"Very clever of you, dog-boy. I'm here to make sure my rare silk isn't damaged; it's not easy to make this kind of material, you know!" The panda explains as she caresses a piece of her dress.

"Oh yeah, so difficult. I'm sure making silk is such a herculean feat, gathering silk worms' webs and weaving it with a machine... Wow, that is so hard!" the husky counters in a sarcastic tone, making Chan shake his head, away from everyone's eyes.

Though the panda seems to completely ignore the canine's remark, she storms into the storage room, venting most of her anger towards the soldiers, who panic and fret upon finally seeing Ming's presence in the complex. Kai opens a subtle smile as he crosses his arms.

"Huh. You'd think she's angry." Kai asks.

"You'd do that? I'm sure of it," Chan laughs as Kai clacks his tongue, annoyed. "Don't worry. She'll forget all about this as soon as something else piques her interest."

The husky then, immediately, goes back to his own thoughts. I'll give this guy the credit he deserves, he's good at reading people. I'm sure he'll make a great lie detector.


Over at the Shang Mu supermarket, Milla and Norah were collecting an arrangement of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins as both girls began giggling as they told each other about their adventures since the incident at Relic Maze three years ago.

"Wait, you had an imaginary friend called Mr. Stumpy?!" Norah teases, a panda girl who wore a dark purple sleeveless top and skirt with gold outlines, mauve boots and two bracelets with red gemstones which were used for energy manipulation.

Milla face turns red in embarrassment, lowering her head a little. She was a basset hound who wore a beige crop top, beige pants, beige tank top, brown gloves with arrow-like symbols asymmetrically colored with her anklets and equipped with a short sword with a green handle made from the same material as her anklets. "Well, I was… I was going through a phase!" she argues.

"Oh, you were! I can tell you definitely were!"

Milla simply pouts at Norah for a while before she finally stops laughing as hard. "Hahah! Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought it was funny! I didn't mean to tease."

...It's really good to see her laugh again.

"It's alright," Milla says with a smile. "So, what does that mark on you shoulder mean?"

Norah blinked as she looks at the chinese character on her right shoulder. "This thing? It means 'Fire'."

"Hmm. Is it because you're a fire mage?"

"I guess it is?" Norah fumbles on her own words as she pats the symbol a little. "Vix always told me that this symbol is special and that it's suppose to represent your character or something."

"Well you can be hot-headed sometimes." Milla chuckles, having Norah respond by lightly shoving the hound to the side.

"Hey! I've mellowed."

Milla's skeptical expression made the panda roll her eyes away from the hound's. With a small chuckle from Milla, however, the conversation comes to a close.

"Alright," she says with a more decisive tone. "So, I think this is it? We should head back to the city hall, it's about noon and I would really like to eat lunch soon."

Norah nods in agreement as the girls pay for the groceries and began walking to the Shang Mu City Hall.

When Milla and Norah arrive at the city hall with several grocery bags wrapped around their arms, they enter the kitchen and place down the groceries on the countertop. Almost as if the decision was made by a single mind, the two girls decide to make sandwiches for themselves and their companions. When the girls finish eating their share of the lunch they ask one of the soldiers about Kai and Chan's whereabouts. The helpful soldier informs them that the husky and fox went into the airship docking bay on box-carrying duty. The hound and panda then enters the station and sees Mayor Zao yelling in an exasperated tone at the airship's backside, much to the discomfort of out-of-context sensitivity.

"What do you mean it's unrepairable?!" he barks with authority that fell on all of the world's deaf ears.

Kai then emerges from the airship's engine room, half-covered in dust and soot. "I mean exactly what I said, it's impossible! Care to explain to me what in the ancient's name were you doing with this airship? The engines are so badly damaged that not even I can repair it."

"What was I doing, he asks. That's none of your beeswax!"

"...It's your airship."

"Exactly! That airship was going to take you and your friends to Shang Tu!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Norah and Milla speak in unison in an outraged tone, finally signaling their presence.

Just as it was, the engine then immediately spurted a pathetic puff of smoke that rose solitary to the ceiling, another failed attempt to make this piece of machinery function, Kai shakes his head in disbelief.

"This piece of junk can't even take a hint to the cemetery. Get rid of it already."

Chan, then, exits the engine room soon after coughing from the exhaust, followed by another puff of smoke that did not even phase his composure. "Hey, so I found all these empty glass bottles in the exhaust port." the vulpine informs, holding an empty bottle on his hand. "What were they even doing there?"

"How s-should I k-know." Zao mumbles to himself, getting more and more irritated at the youths before him.

"...For as much as curiosity compels you to know, I'd rather counsel you all on not finding out." Dail retorts with impatience as he finally walks into the station, drawing more of the ire from the miniature leader.

"Are you implying something, Dail?! If you want to say something, say so right to my face!"

"Zao. I don't care enough about your personal life to comment further on any of it."

"Hm. It's a shame, really. I believe my life will make a great autobiography one day."

"I'm sure it'll be a bestseller. In your own house."

Zao remains silent, gritting his teeth at Dail's commentary. Just as soon as it all ended, Tuanjie enters the docking bay with quick steps, clearly on par with all the information needed. "I hope you children won't mind walking to Shang Tu," the bobcat asks. "Sadly, that's how it will have to be done."

"Of course not!" Milla reassures with much optimism. "It's been so long since I took the scenic route! That will be fun!"

"I don't mind walking, either! Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about my new friends." Chan reasons with a smile, making Norah and Kai shrug their shoulders with indifference.

"Well then, I suppose they won't need your assistance, Mayor Zao."

Zao grumbles to himself in response as he exits the docking station. Dail, then, with a courteous bow of his own, also leaves the youths behind him.

"I want you to explain everything to the Royal Magister when you reach Shang Tu, but I also want you to give him this." Tuanjie hands Milla a small square chip. The hound tilts her head in confusion as the other youths looks over her shoulders to glimpse the small object.

"That looks like some kind of computer chip. I don't recognize the design," Kai observes. "What on Avalice is this?"

"It's a very important item. I can't give you the details yet, however rest assured it will be very important for Avalice's future."

The youths nod in response, all with different levels of enthusiasm.

"I think it's best you children start leaving the city. Thankfully, it seems the chaos that Milla's appearance caused have finally atrophied."

"Yeah, I noticed. It feels so nice for things to return to normal now." Milla makes an exaggerated breath in relief.

"Yeah it's nice that we don't have to worry about your rabid fangirls." Norah responds, making Milla blush and grimace.

"I'm not sure what's so bad about them, personally," Chan adds, launching a quick, friendly wink at the hound. "So, I guess we should start heading over to Shang Tu, then?"

Tuanjie nods. "Fair travels," the bobcat says, later leaving the youths to themselves.

"...Okay. Should we say our goodbyes?" Milla asks.

"Not needed. I think it's best we just leave now." Kai reasons as he steadily watches the bobcat exit the area.

This guy. There's something about this guy…

What's with this chip? What the hell is this thing? I've never seen this kind of technology, not even from the remains of Brevon's robot soldiers.

He definitely knows more than he's letting on. ...I suppose we should just leave now, but why does he wants us to leave so suddenly?

What does he mean by "Avalice's future"?