"I can't believe how cold it's been recently," The woman spoke softly, glancing up at the familiar boy who nearly stumbled through her door moments ago. He was carrying a pile of heavy packages wrapped in brown paper. "This winter is going to be a nasty one."

"I don't think it'll be that bad." He stopped before her, slightly off balance due to the extra weight. He grunted as he shifted positions. This statement brought a strange look from the older woman. He hesitantly continued, "Or, I don't think it'll be as bad as last year's winter." The woman sighed.

"You always sound so sure of yourself."

"It was just a guess." He shrugged.

"You were always good at guessing." She glanced at the boy, now struggling under the weight of the boxes. His thin arms began to tremble and his expression showed the slightest bit of agony. She motioned to the bare ground next to here chair, saying, "Just set those on the floor." He followed orders and gave a small sigh of relief.

"What's in those, anyway? They weigh a ton…"

"Why don't you take a guess? You seem to always be right, anyway." The boy shot the woman an angry glare before softening his expression.

"I'm not that good at guessing. They're just coincidences," He said. His tan skin had a hint of blush. He stretched his arms, letting his tight muscles become loose. As close as he was with this woman, he had to lie to her. He had to diminish all suspicions that she had of him. "I'm wrong a lot of the time, too." I can't let her know…

She studied him for a moment before dismissing her thought. "All right, then. You can leave. Stay well, Gale."

"I will. Thank you." Gale made his way towards the door, happy to have left the conversation. It was a close call. The woman was sharp in her age, and there have been rumors of witchcraft going on in the next town over. Although what he was doing wasn't exactly witchcraft, it was still considered a crime. For now, though, he can rest easy knowing that-

"And, Gale?" Her voice brought him to a stiff halt. His blood ran cold. "Watch what you say. You never know what people will think of you."

He cursed the God and Goddess silently, and continued to make his way out. He said nothing else and let the door slam behind him.

Gale hurried down the street. He knew where he had to go, and he had to go there fast. By now, it was almost getting dark. He couldn't risk being out on the streets at night. He had to hurry.

He picked up the pace. Running was never something he was good at. His chest ached, his heart was pounding… every leap he took made it feel like he was about to collapse. The beating of his heart pounded in his ears.

Gale stopped at the corner of a building to catch his breath. People were staring. He hadn't even noticed that anyone else was even on the street, and now realized that he probably had a few close calls when it came to collisions. He studied his surroundings. Only a bit more…

Anyone who glanced at him soon ignored him moments later. Which was good, he thought, because the less attention brought to him, the better. He didn't want to admit it, but for the first time ever, his life might be in severe danger. He was afraid of what was going to happen tomorrow, next week. So he had to press on.

His destination was a small house in between a large building and the local bar. It was homey, and it had a green roof with a chimney that almost always had smoke coming out of it. It was the home of his acquaintance. She wasn't quite a friend, nor an enemy, but he had to look out for her.

When he arrived, he nearly broke the door down by opening it so hard.

"What's the hurry?" She didn't seem startled by his abrupt entrance. The girl sat, calm, at the table. She held a teacup in her hands. An annoyed expression was on her face, and it was directed straight at him. "You look like you've seen a ghost." There were traces of humor in her voice, but she wouldn't let her face show it.

"We are-" He took a deep breath, and then began coughing. The girl looked on, uninterested. She twirled a piece of silver hair around her fingers. Finally, Gale caught his breath and managed to speak. "We are in danger."

"Of what?" She sipped the contents of the cup and eyed him suspiciously. She wasn't in the mood for nonsense, and she could tell that this was where it was going.

"Vivi, listen to me for a bit."

"I've been listening. Hurry up before I lose interest." The sharpness in her tone caused Gale to wince.

"There're witch hunts going on in the next town over- I know it- and I think they're going to happen here," Terror lingered in his tone. He tried to hide the fact that he was shaking. "It's not like they won't suspect us."

Vivi thought for a moment. "Then, we move. Simple as that." She stood up, leaving her cup on the table, and walked over to Gale. He was a head taller than she was. "I'm surprised that you didn't think of that yourself."

Gale shook his head in disagreement. "It won't be that easy-"

"Sure it will. We've done it before."

Vivi did have a point. They've moved plenty of times in their lives. It was never difficult for them to pack up and leave without a trace. But, something made it different this time. It didn't feel as safe.

"I don't think that's… such a great idea," Gale let his nervousness show in his voice. She laughed at him. It was high pitched and mocking. He frowned a bit and continued. "We need to stay here."

"I thought you were the one who was so worried about being here?" Vivi was clearly having fun toying with him. She put her hands on her hips and sneered. "Make up your mind." Her golden eyes stared into his menacingly. He felt slightly intimidated and broke eye contact with her. His silver hair fell in front of his eyes. He made no effort to attempt to move it.

"I don't know if the townspeople are going to get hyped about it yet. The lady who I do deliveries for sometimes seemed suspicious of me, but I don't… I don't know what'll become of that." He took a brief pause and looked back up at her. "Which is why I came to you."

She considered this for a moment, and then sighed. Her composure was now serious, and her posture straightened considerably. In a way, she looked almost like a different person, even though her visible appearance barely changed. "Then, I guess we have no choice but to stay here."

"Stay here and do what?"

"For now, let's just act normal and hope that nothing comes here." She glanced out the window and sighed quietly to herself. Gale rarely saw her like this.

He kind of liked it.