40: Fun Never Lasts

"This is it! Our first party!" Jack cheers as we walk slowly through Orym District.

"You're way too excited about this… " Sachi observes.

"How could I not be excited? All we've been doing is training and school! Rinse and repeat every single day! It's about time we just do something fun!" Jack replies as he walks confidently down the street.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that we aren't here for pleasure Jack! We have a job to do and Master Elyon is counting on us to get it done within a week." Layla reminds her face full of annoyance.

"I know! Even still, we should try to enjoy ourselves while we're at it! I'm sure Master Elyon won't mind." Jack concludes as everyone sighs in disbelief as walks far away from us.

"I really hope that idiot doesn't mess everything up, Kira trusted me to make sure we stay on task." Layla sighs.

I look over to the right of me and notice that Mari is unusually quiet. Is she really still mad about earlier?

"Hey did you manage to finish Elmar's assignment? I got stuck on a couple of those last questions." I ask as Mari gives me a strange look.

"They aren't that hard. You're a big boy, figure it out on your own." Mari replies coldly as this is very out of character for her.

"What's your problem? This isn't like you!" I argue as Mari looks back at me an angry look on her face.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, Crow! You have no clue about what I've been through so stop acting as if you understand me! I hate to break it to you, but whatever box you thought you put me in, get rid of it! Hmph, it was stupid of me to ever trust you!" Mari shouts as she stomps away again.

"Mari stop!" I command as she completely ignores me.

"Wow, that got pretty ugly." Sachi points out.

"I don't get it, what did I do wrong?" I ask as I could feel my head spinning from confusion.

"The truth is, while all of us are very close, we really don't know each other beyond our time here in Goliath. While what Mari said was definitely harsh, she isn't wrong by saying that we don't really know her. Sure, we all gave each other base-level stuff but beyond that, we've essentially been forced to be close because of our circumstances." Sachi shares her words full of wisdom.

"Wow, I guess you're right. It has been like that, hasn't it? I never thought about it that way… " I reply as I can't help but question my relationship with my party.

"Don't hang your head low, it's just natural growing pains. It takes a while for people to get really close Crow. Especially after we've been going through all of these changes that we didn't ask for. Mari's really had it the roughest because she's basically been like a beacon of hope and positivity for our party. Deep down though, there's definitely darkness and pain in her heart." Sachi claims as we both make it to the Tavern.

"I think you might be on to something. Did she ever tell you anything about her background?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Even if she did, it's not my place to speak on it. Both of you are like two peas in a pot though, you've been inseparable since we've gotten here. I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later!" Sachi reassures me as she pats my back lightly.

"Thanks Sachi, I can always rely on you!" I reply as we both enter the tavern and join Layla and Jack at the bar.

"Ah, so is this everyone?" The owner asks as he observes us.

"Yes sir, this will be all of us!" Layla responds.

"Wait, where's Mari?" I ask as I look for her around the tavern.

"You mean that long-haired Mardian girl? She's already down there!" The owner confirms as I can't help but feel uneasy.

We walk down a long staircase and reach a wooden structure that seems to be an elevator of sorts. It has a wooden wheel that spins right in the middle of it.

"Crank this thing downwards and you'll get there in no time! May Adora keep the moon shining on all of you!" The owner says vaguely, as he walks away.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Jack asks his voice full of confusion.

"Pay it no mind we need to catch up to Mari!" Layla commands as Jack starts cranking the wheel.

After about 4 minutes of cranking the elevator finally stops and we enter an underground district with torches all over the place. In the distance, we can hear a crowd of people cheering and bantering.

"I would've never thought a place like this could exist until a month ago! I wonder if the local government is even aware that people come down here?" I ask as I admire the abandoned district.

"The capital is so large that there's no telling what they know." Layla replies as we walk towards where the sounds are coming from.

We continue to walk until we finally reach the party. There are young Frodians of every house all over the place dancing, drinking, and arm wrestling. There are even some familiar faces.

"Layla? What are you doing here?" Feno asks as he looks genuinely surprised to see us all.

"What kind of question is that? We got invited here of course!" Layla states as she smirks at him.

"Well excuse me then! I just thought the Chosen Children were too busy trying to save our land to have time for us commoners!" Feno jokes as we all start laughing.

"We decided it was time to have a little bit of fun. It's been nothing but hard work since we've gotten here! So, what do you recommend Feno?" Jack asks as he puts his arm over Feno's shoulder.

"Well if you're trying to get to know the ladies! I suggest you head on over to the dance hall, there's plenty of girls that would love to have a dance with one of the Chosen Children. Where we're at right now is the bar where you can order any food or drink on the house! Lastly there's the fire where we socialize and tell stories of our jobs!" Feno explains as Jack looks like a little kid about to open a Christmas present.

"Say no more! I have found my people!" Jack shushes Feno as he makes his way over to the dance hall.

"And he's gone." Sachi remarks as I can tell she's a little nervous.

"Sachi, why don't you stick with me? I'm sure if we charm some of the boys around here we might start getting some answers!" Layla says as she lets her hair down.

"But Layla! That's not really my thing!" Sachi worries her voice full of anxiety.

"This is for the job Sachi, let's stay focused! Crow maybe try to find Rena and see if you can get some answers too! She obviously has a crush on you, take advantage of it!" Layla teases as she and Sachi leave me alone with Feno.

"Ugh, this has been some kind of day for me!" I sigh as I facepalm.

"You okay? Every time I see you it seems like your mind can never rest. Like you're always observing everything! You gotta learn to relax sometimes man!" Feno suggests as he hands me a drink.

"Oh no, I'm good man! We actually aren't here just for pleasure! Actually, have you seen Mari around? I've been looking for her this whole time." I ask as I scan the whole area.

"Oh yeah, she's right over there!" Feno points as I see Mari dancing with a Scavian Guy who I've never seen before.

"Oh… Hey, Feno can you hand me that drink back? I think I'm gonna need it!" I command as Feno slides it right back to me.

"Sure thing, are you going to be good?" Feno asks his voice full of concern.

"Haha of course I am! It's not like Mari and I are dating or anything! Welp I better get moving the night is young after all!" I say as I'm clearly trying to hide my true feelings.

"Good luck! Enjoy yourself Crow!" Feno commands as he pushes me out into the party.

As I stumble forward I accidentally bump into someone.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." I apologize as I slowly look up.

"For someone so strong you're pretty clumsy Crow!" Rena jokes as she helps me up.

"Yeah, I guess I am sometimes." I reply as we both start laughing.

"Hmm, are you good? You look pretty stressed out." Rena asks as she gets super close to my face.

"Uhh yeah! Never better!" I lie as I can't help but feel nervous around this beautiful girl.

"Hmm, I know your type! You haven't really ever been to a party have you?" Rena asks as she smirks at me.

"You caught me! I've kind of been all over the place during my life, but this is really is my first party!" I respond honestly.

"Well stop being so clumsy and let's have some fun!" Rena insists as she grabs my hand and takes me to the dance hall.

"But I don't know how to dance!" I emphasize.

"Who cares? You're a Chosen Child! Everyone here thinks you're great!" Rena says as I'm actually starting to feel my confidence go up.

"YEAH! You know what? You're right!" I agree as both of us start dancing together.

For the next thirty minutes, I decide to enjoy myself as Rena and I do everything together. We drink, play cards with a big group of Frodians, and dance the night away as I can tell that Mari is getting jealous.

"Whew, you've got a lot more stamina than I expected Crow!" Rena admits as we take a break for a second.

"Maybe my training is finally paying off?" I ask.

"Maybe! Hey, I wanna actually talk to you about something. Do you mind?" Rena asks.

"Of course not, go ahead!" I insist as she gets really quiet.

"Well, with you being a Chosen Child you've basically seen both sides of the coin. Commoners and Nobles. What do you think about what happened earlier?" Rena asks as she puts her drink down.

"That's quite a loaded question. I definitely can already tell that the nobles here can be extremely corrupt considering how my last job went. The wealthy people in my old world were pretty bad too so I know kind of how it is." I say as I think back on my past.

"Really? Were you poor growing up?" Rena asks her face full of intrigue.

"Poor is an understatement. Not only was I an orphan but I also was pretty much homeless for the last three years. It's actually surreal that I have a place to call home now considering where I came from." I respond as Rena nods her head.

"I see… We're a lot more alike than I originally thought! I'm glad I looked past my assumptions of you!" Rena says her voice full of excitement.

"Oh really? Why's that?" I ask.

"Well, that's because… Crow, I'd like to know if you'd become a member of Silver Fang?" Rena asks as I instantly feel my heart drop.