"..."
"Nes? I don't think that's really the best thing to say…"
The elder waved his hand in the air.
"Bah, it's fine. Auren here is a frank person, she likes frank people as well. Right?"
"W-well, a lot has changed since he passed. I guess I've been able to handle it all, though..."
Seeing the sad look on Auren's face, Nes backpedaled a bit.
"My bad, my bad. I just thought he would be the one outliving me. Let's go see the armor."
After a brief pause, Auren started leading them around the counter and into the workshop area.
As they headed into the back, Nes withdrew the bottle of alcohol from his jacket, taking a deep swig before tucking it away again.
Auren happened to be looking back at the group as he took the drink, and she frowned.
"Old Nes, since when have you drunk liquor?"
"It tastes good. Now that I'm retired, I can drink whatever I want! There's no point in trying to stop it."
