The old and young pair soon left the armor shop. Arnold had agreed to work on something simple for Abel, but with the caveat that it wouldn't be the best, as he was currently in the middle of a big commission.
"When can we get it?" Audu asked before leaving.
"Err, today's Tuesday... Maybe on Saturday. Yeah, it should be done by then." The Dwarf stroked his beard and nodded to himself.
"Alright, we'll be back then."
With that, the pair left the premises in search of something else they could buy. From taking a look at different weapon types, to shopping for cheap rations, and whatnot. They soon started window shopping for things that had no use in the Towers, but were useful at home.
"Maybe a new curtain. The current ones have started fading out. Abel suggested.
"Oh, you want to buy curtains, yet, the floor boards have been as they are for several years. Creaking and disturbing this poor old man's sleep!" Audu huffed at the chuckling youngster. With their matching hair colors, to anyone who saw them for the first time, they would resemble a father and son duo.
"Those floor boards are cursed. I'm not changing them one more time. I don't know what you do that makes them wear out so fast." Abel scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll have you change them one day. Just you wait."
As the pair continued their shopping spree, their arms gradually got more and more occupied, with Abel's load almost towering over his head. It was then that they stumbled upon a pair familiar faces.
"Abel" Aileen called out when she saw the blue haired duo. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she looked him up and down.
"Aileen? H-how did you know it was me?!" Abel was also shocked. Ever since his encounter with death, his looks had undergone a drastic change.
Before it all happened, he had plain black hair and brown eyes, with round cheeks and an overall childish look. Now, he had bright blue hair and purple eyes, sharp facial features, and s light stubble. He looked as though he had matured in a week, than in several years. Overall, he was practically a different person.
Her cheeks heated up at his questioning gaze. She averted her gaze, instead settling it on the slightly older lady that was beside her.
"Abel...? This isn't who you described to me, Aileen." Heather spoke up. Her ash-colored hair was tied up into a bun, and she wore an all-black dress. Barely noticeable dark circles hung beneath her eyes, a sign of exhaustion.
"Ah... I'm a bit confused too, you see." Aileen rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed.
...
The four of them found a small café to settle down in and discuss. At first, the table was just full of curious glances, which mostly came from Audu and Heather. Audu was curious as to who these ladies were, while Heather was curious about Abel's identity. He had helped them escape, and had vanished ever since. To her, he was a figure shrouded in a veil of mystery.
"How about you go first? My story's kinda complicated." Aileen spoke first. Abel nodded, not bothering to push for a different pattern.
"Well, I'm not really sure about what happened, to be honest. I was fighting against that Gnoll leader after you guys left. At first, I had the upper hand, but then, it suddenly had an outburst of power, completely overpowering me... I lost consciousness at some point in the beating. When I woke up, I was outside the Tower, but with different looks." Abel met the eyes of the ladies as he spoke. "I know it sounds completely absurd and there is a whole lot of information missing, but believe me, I'm telling the truth."
Aileen and Heather nodded, easily accepting his words. Abel secretly sighed internally, relieved that they didn't push for any more information. Although he had warped the story quite well, if they were to push for more information, there was a chance he might slip up and expose a gap in the story.
"What about you guys? How did you manage to escape?" Abel was really curious as to how they fared after leaving the area.
"Well, it wasn't that bad. Almost all the monsters we could have run into were gone. It was almost as if they were scared of getting in the way of something." Heather spoke up, choosing to answer the question. "We managed to get to the gate without fighting any monsters, and alerted the guards to what was going on. They rushed out, but by the time they got to the site, everything was over. There was only scorched Gnoll corpses that had been deprived of their Cores. Hank and Nick's bodies were also there, but we couldn't find you anywhere. Aileen almost lost it." Heather chuckled slightly at the last part, although her eyes still contained a hint of sadness when she mentioned the death of her ex-party members.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Abel said softly and stretched his hand across the table to place it over hers. That drew a discreet glance from Aileen, but no one noticed it. No one but Audu.
"Ahem." Audu coughed lightly, bringing everyone's attention to him. He faced Heather and gave her a slight nod." Sorry for your loss, young lady. My son would have lost his life if it wasn't for whoever had saved him." He paused, "Forgive me for sounding uncaring, but I believe there is a more important question to ask." He then turned to Abel and gave hi a pointed look.
"Ah, yes." Abel's cheeks flushed slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, Aileen. How exactly did you know it was me? I mean, I don't exactly look the same as before."
"That... Well, it's kind of an innate ability that I developed." Aileen's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.
"An innate ability?" Abel was confused.
"Yes... It, um... It develops a sort of... bond that I can use to identify people I am close to." She turned her head down so she didn't have to face anyone. Abel's eyes were just left open, a bit surprised.
"Oh, well, that's pretty nice."