From the outside, Natalie's house looked much like any other in the neighborhood—part concrete, part wood, with a minimalist design. But it was big—larger than the rest, and filled with animals. Overgrown greenery tangled its way across the walls—flowers, vines, and all manner of plant life.
It was like a forest, trying to escape from inside.
Across the street, the house there was far more typical, with a wooden triangle roof. On top of it, the man in white t-shirt and headband lounged casually.
He watched Natalie's house with mild interest. The windows were obscured—either by thick curtains or the dense plant life.
The sheathed sword rested on his back, but nothing about him seemed like a swordsman. He looked lethargic, biting into an apple as he observed the house.
"Nick Alcott," called a cold voice behind him. Hawthorne was standing on the same rooftop.
"Yeah?" Nick turned his head lazily, mouth full of apple.
"Why aren't you moving in?"
Nick's eyes drooped. "Pay me, dumbass."
"We agreed on fifteen attribute books."
"Yeah, and after seeing my target has a zoo of animals that could kill me? Fifteen's not enough."
Hawthorne's face tightened. "What's the price now?"
"An ability book." Nick took another bite.
"That's not possible."
"Oh, I think it is possible. You're Vice President now, aren't you?"
"I'm not."
"You're not?"
"I'm not."
"Hmph." Nick didn't press. He just kept chewing. "Still want that ability book. A blessing kind, not a curse obviously, thank you."
"You're not getting that."
"Then I'm not going in."
"Fine. How about this: fifteen attribute books, and the position of Minister of Defense for Eucadia."
Nick didn't even blink. "I thought you said you're not Vice President."
"I'm not."
"Then how can you offer that?"
"I can offer it."
Nick took his last bite and tossed the apple core off the roof—hitting a random passerby on the head.
"What's the salary?"
"Twenty books a month."
"Oh shit, that's pretty good."
"So?"
Nick finally swallowed and gave a lazy nod. "Okay. I'll take it."
"Move in."
Nick held up a hand. "Wait—look at that." He pointed to the horizon. Hawthorne looked.
"Sunset today's beautiful," Nick said, admiring the sky—part blue, part pink, part golden orange, with clouds bathed in light.
———
Wilhelm had found comfort and consolation, curled up with a couple of cats and a pair of dogs. The furry companions brought him a peace he hadn't felt in hours.
"Sorry again if the animals startled you," Natalie said with a small smile, balancing a box as she carefully brought it down from a tall shelf.
"It's nothing," Thomas replied casually. Behind him, Alexander stood still, a lion affectionately rubbing against his side.
Natalie dusted off the top of the box, then paused.
"This is what you think they're after?" Thomas asked.
"They belonged to my late grandparents, well, more so just my grandpa," Natalie said. "They always warned me never to let anyone see them... said someone might try to steal it. Sorry, I don't—"
"It's okay if you'd rather not show us," Thomas said gently, raising both hands. "I'm just here 'cause I'm pissed they took my disc."
"What's that?"
"It's like this weird metal plate that has my grandma's voice in it. No clue how it works but it's definitely a thing."
"Why would anyone steal that?"
"I don't fuckin' know. So, why would anyone want to steal that box?"
"Well," Wilhelm chimed in, noticeably calmer now with animals around him, "I've never seen a metal plate that speaks. The rarer something is, the more valuable it becomes. Just like what's in that box—your grandparents told you to hide it, right?"
Natalie nodded.
"So they're just greedy bastards then." Thomas concluded, "Isn't that Schwartz prick dirt rich already?"
"You can never have enough riches," Wilhelm muttered.
"What's in the box?" Alexander asked.
"She said her late grandparents told her not—" Thomas started.
"It's fine," Natalie cut in. "You guys saved my life back there after all."
She opened the box. Inside were stacks of books, each cover more intricately designed than the last.
"Woah," Thomas, a bookworm himself, gasped, leaning in.
"I don't know who drew these," Natalie said, lifting one out, "but they're so detailed it's hard to imagine how anyone created them."
She flipped one open for Thomas to see. Every page was filled with panelled drawings, telling a continuous story.
"They're all drawings?" he asked, stunned.
"Yeah!" Her eyes lit up. "All of them. And the stories are beautiful too."
"Can I borrow one?"
"Here."
Thomas eagerly flipped through the pages. "Holy shit, this is next level stuff. Writing a storybook's already real damn exhausting, even illustrating it? this is..."
"I know!" Natalie pulled out more. "There's like twenty of them. Every single one filled with beautiful drawings."
"Goddamn... did your grandparents do all this? It'd take a lifetime."
"I'm not sure."
"And this must've cost like mountains of graphite, or charcoal? Must've been expensive as shit. Is your family also in the mining business, or...?"
"No. We're not," she said, walking to a cabinet and pulling out a scythe. "I'm a toolsmith." She grinned, visibly proud of her craft.
"Duuuude..." Thomas stared in awe. "I probably shouldn't even touch these. I might smudge them."
She giggled, took the book back, and sealed the box once more.
The whole time, Alexander's cold gaze hadn't left the books.
"Yeah, that's gotta be worth a fortune," Thomas said. "Those dirty thieves will definitely steal it."
Natalie sighed.
"You live alone here?" Alexander asked.
"I do. My grandparents passed from old age. My parents passed during a dungeon raid."
"I thought your family were toolsmiths? What were they doing in a dungeon?" Thomas asked.
"Tommy!" Wilhelm called.
"What?"
"Rude."
Thomas rolled his eyes but let it go. Natalie still answered, her voice tinged with sorrow. "They just wanted to try something different. You'd go insane doing the same thing your whole life, right?" She smiled, but it was hollow.
"Yeah, I guess I will. My parents also passed in the dungeons." Thomas said. "Bad shit happens. Anyway, we gotta get outta here."
He gestured around the room. They were pretty much under effective house arrest. Guards surrounded the house, no doubt eyeing the box of books.
"Do you have horses?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah. We rode into town on horseback."
"What are their names?"
"Huh?"
"I'll send a bird to find them. I only have one horse myself," she said, pointing to the same one that had sniffed Alexander from head to toe earlier.
"A couple horses aren't suspicious. Once they're back, we can escape... through that." She pointed to the floor.
"Through what?"
She whistled. A group of animals worked together to remove floorboards, revealing a secret passage.