"Shopping"

Kupa laughs softly at the angrily groggy male leaning up,his hair getting a little messy,and bags deepening into his eyes. He got very little sleep it seems,and it will only get worse from here.

"Aww don't worry! We'll be passing through a village along the way. Maybe they can lend you a bed while I get a map drawn up for the region." Kupa said.

"Did we at least pack emeralds? I could use an extra soft bed..." Grayson said as he rolls his sleeping bag up,wiping his eyes free of grogginess.

'As many as I could pack.' Alex assures.

Grayson pulls his bag over his shoulder,coming to a stand as he moved to assist in packing up the camp.

And thus they set off to the village.

Upon arriving,'Village' was a touch of an understatement. It was actually a town,bustling about it's business. As it's habitants began to appear,Grayson slips on the hoodie he was given earlier,and it adjusts his form as it settles.

Kupa walked more closely,keeping within arm's reach of Grayson,to make it seem they were siblings. A mixture of cars,horses and donkeys filled the street,the chatter of females going about their normal business made for gentle ambience as the group made their way toward a trading shop.

They enter,and were greeted by a warm

voice. Alex steps up to the counter to start asking about a good place to sleep,and maybe a map.

Grayson looks at the trader,to quickly avert his gaze,and pull his hood over his head.

The Trader was an Ender with emerald green eyes,and dark skin,and similar color hair to him.

"Is everything okay?" Kupa asked quietly,worrying his change of behavior was out of recognition. "The clerk is an Ender..." Grayson said as he tugged at the hood,so the Trader couldn't get a clear shot of his eyes.

A gentle laugh rings out from Kupa,light and melodious like a bell,"Grayson,not ALL Enders are bad. It's mostly the ones with purple eyes you should be worried about. I promise as long as I or Alex are close by,you will not come to any harm." She ensures.

Grayson nods nervously, as he browsed what the trading shop had. He stops at a sword made of blue diamond,set on a display where all could see. The sword was beautifully made,with a slightly soft lether handle,metal guard and a blade that appears to have been taken directly from a diamond cluster and shaped into a sword. As he picks it up,an attendant steps up,"Oh,i see you've taken an interest in our custom weapons?" She asked. She wore a simple trader's robe,her hands tucked snugly in her sleeves.

"No,no,just browsing. I can't even afford this yet." Grayson said,as he looks along the edge of the blade. "What all would you know about this literal gem of a weapon anyway?"

"That sword specifically was sold to the original owner of the shop following the War of Krubis. For most the sword was too heavy to lift off the pedastal because of an enchantment that locked in the owner's gender,pretty much prevents most from lifting it. How do you know the enchantations?" The shop assistant queried as Grayson settled the sword back in it's place.

"Actually I'm rather new...so it's beyond me.." Grayson said.

"Ah,well,if you're ever interested in buying the weapon,just bring a large bag of coal,okay?" The Assistant assured.

"Yeah...Alright." Grayson said,as he regroups with Alex.

"So? Do we have beds?" Grayson asked as the clerk dismisses herself.

'Unfortunately no. Every last inn is fully booked. We'll have to try somewhere else. The Clerk says our map will be done within the hour,though.' Alex signs. Grayson gives a gentle sigh,"Great,more not rest." He said,wiping his eyes tiredly.

"Maybe some coffee is an order. I'm sure he had a long night." Kupa said,as she began to take Grayson to a nearby cafe with Alex in tow.

Grayson approached the barista,asking about their choice of energy drinks.

"Ooh! We just got this shipment from Terris Magai! Take a look." The Barista said as she hauls a wooden crate of potions onto the counter.

The assortment seemed to be split between flavors and uses. He picks up a clear potion,"What's this..?" He queried.

"Stamina of 10,000 Men." The barista said simply.

"What's in it?" He asked.

"That's a trade secret,Ma'am."

He looks at Kupa,then at the barista,debating his options,"How much..?"

"20 emeralds."

Grayson fished out the requested amount,and trades it off for the bottle. He opens it,wafting it under hus nose. It had a very...musky fragrance with a floral backing. He swigs it.

The taste was not pleasant,but as the name suggests,his tiredness began to fade. "Where to now?" Grayson asked,looking to Kupa.

"Now...I suppose we explore." Kupa said.

'I'll catch up with you two later. Grayson,I hope you can stay out of trouble?" Alex asked.

"No guarantees,but sure. Meet you back at the trade shop?"

'Sounds like a plan.' Alex signs

Alex dismisses herself.

Kupa hums,looking around,"Wanna see if they have an arcade?" She asked. "Yeah." Grayson said with a smile,as they began to wander about town looking for an arcade.

Before too long,they stumble onto an open front arcade. Front and center,was a rhythm based arcade machine called "Miner's Mania".

"Miner's Mania?" Grayson asked as he picks up a pair of controllers,diamond pickaxe shaped. "Ahh! I loved this game when I was little! Steve used to play it all the time,and I'd sit there for hours watching him almost dance to the music's commands." Kupa said,as she picks up a player two alternate versions of Player one,as a pair of golden swords.

"Really? Were you ever able to top his score?" Grayson asked,as he checks the price. It was an emerald per game,player two could join for free.

"Not really. I came close a few times,but I couldnt keep up with how fast Steve was about it."

"How about we start our arcade tour here?" Grayson asked,as he shows an emerald. "Oooo you have no clue who you're dealing with! Some villages call me La Bamba!" She said,pointing one of the swords at Grayson to initiate a duel.

Grayson puts the emerald in,"Why?" He asked as the game counted down.

"Because I destroy all in my path with this game." Kupa said confidently as the game began to wind up as the start came closer.

"We'll see."

(BGM;RIOT--Overkill)

The game emits a "go" frequency as the game starts,and blocks began to deploy in simultaneous composition to the beat.

At first,Kupa pulls ahead while Grayson attempted to get used to the gameplay.

"Think you can keep up now?" Kupa laughs,as she swiftly gained lead. "Dont get cocky!" Grayson said as he finally started to match up to the game's pace,and with it,catching up to Kupa before too long.

As they matched pace they seem to have dropped all competitive communication for a competitive silence as the game became more and more of a blur. All of a sudden,from the start of the first chorus,all the way to the bridge,Grayson drew ahead in score,as Kupa failed to keep up with the rapidly increasing speed.

After a few minutes of struggle,the game outs Kupa on grounds of missed notes,to allow her to watch her foe at work.

The game hits the heat of it's notes,all the while both of Grayson's hands synced into the gait of the game's rapid,unrelenting rhythm.

"Woah....Nobody even made it 10 seconds into the hardest part of the game..." Kupa mused,watching the disguised male play the game with energy and skill to spare.

The game finally ends after 6 grueling minutes of swapping in and out of the heated rhythm,before the song was allowed to end on similar grounds to Kupa.

Grayson pants,as his score was displayed.

1,420,760.

"Ho. Ly. Shit. You just smashed Steve's record!!" Kupa cheers,"That seemed a little easy.." Grayson said with a few gentle pants.

"Certainly didn't seem like it. Wanna go again?"

"Noo thank you. Im tired enough." He reaponds,waving his hand dismissively.

Kupa gently chuckles,then her face slowly turns pale,witnessing as the shirt began to wear away into nothingness. "G-grayson? I think you want to look at yourself.."

Grayson yelps,"Shit! I think the hoodie was damaged! We need to hide!" He said,turning to bolt.

Kupa follows close behind,and they kept off the main street.

"So uh...What happens when I'm in a town and am spotted to be male..?" Grayson asked.

"I promise you don't want to find out." Kupa warns,as she peers around the corner,having Grayson stop.

"We aren't far from the trading shop. By Notheus and his creations Alex is going to blow a fuse when she finds out the hoodie broke." Kupa said nervously.

"Oh stop your bellyaching. I'm sure we can get it fixed since I have the remaining scraps in my pocket." He said

"Now how do I get a guy across the street without getting him seen..?" Cupa debated.

"What if I used your sweater?" Grayson suggested,earning a warm red blush,"N-no that won't work. It's too small for you."

"Uhhh...What about a tarp?" Grayson asked.

"WAY too conspicuous." Cupa assured.

Grayson hums softly,and yips when a hand gently touched his shoulder. He quickly turns to almost come eye to eye with the Enderwoman he did only a day ago...