Ercale and Zee followed closely behind Larkin, who seemed to navigate the town as if he were familiar with its layout. Zee couldn't help but ask, "Have you been here before?"
Larkin, his steps unwavering, replied, "No, but one of my friends told me about this place."
Ercale seized the opportunity to inquire, "Did your friend mention anything about this town's symbol? It appears different from what was on the map."
Larkin, rubbing his beard thoughtfully, responded, "I think they might be under new leadership, changing things up a bit. To be honest, I'm not even sure if the town still goes by the same name." Ercale's suspicion grew as he considered Larkin's words, particularly the mention of new leadership and the strange feeling he had while observing the townsfolk.
Ercale couldn't deny the strange feeling that had settled in him, but it wasn't as if he cared for the people of this town. He had experienced this sensation once before, but it couldn't possibly be related, could it?
However, Ercale's train of thought was interrupted as he heard a timid voice calling out to him, "Um, hey mister?" He turned to find a young girl, no older than 6 or 8, she had raven black hair and yellow eyes, looking up at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity in her eyes. When he met her gaze, she flinched, seemingly intimidated by his presence.
Ercale examined the young girl and quickly noticed that she stood out from the other townsfolk. Her appearance and demeanor were different from the others.
"What is it, girl?" Ercale inquired, still maintaining a reserved demeanor. He had no particular interest in engaging with random people. The girl, sensing his reluctance, took a step back. It was then that Zee, displaying her usual warmth, approached the child and knelt down to her level.
"You're so cute," Zee complimented with a gentle smile. "Is there anything you need?" The young girl blushed at the praise but shook her head.
"No," she replied, "but he looked sad, so I wanted to talk to him." She pointed toward Ercale, who responded with a dismissive roll of his eyes.
Larkin playfully smacked Ercale on the back, jesting, "Haha, you look so grumpy that a little girl tried to comfort you." Ercale's stern expression remained unchanged, and Larkin quickly backed off, reminding himself that this was Cain, not Xain.
"I'm sorry," Larkin mumbled, avoiding any further confrontation with Ercale.
Meanwhile, Zee continued her friendly conversation with the girl. "What's your name?" she inquired.
The girl replied, "Mari Zebik." Zee, upon hearing the name, complimented her, "Mari, that's a lovely name, just like you!" Mari blushed again, her shyness evident.
Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a woman's approaching voice. "So this is where you ran off to, Mari," a woman with raven-black hair said, appearing on the scene. She bore a striking resemblance to the young girl.
Karin Zebik took Mari's hand and let out a relieved sigh. "I hope my daughter didn't trouble you," she said, addressing Zee.
Zee quickly reassured her, "No trouble at all, we actually enjoyed her company."
Karin's smile warmed as she introduced herself, "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Karin Zebik." She offered a slight bow of politeness.
Zee reciprocated with her fake name, "Emily, nice to meet you," while Larkin stuck to the pseudonym as well. "I'm Edward. She's a charming girl, miss," he said, keeping their cover intact.
Ercale remained silent, simply wanting this interaction to be over as soon as possible.
Karin paid no mind to Ercale's silence and continued conversing with Larkin and Zee. She asked them, "Are you newcomers to Moonveil?" Larkin took the lead in responding, "Indeed, we are. The recent changes in the town intrigued us, so we decided to pay a visit."
As the discussion unfolded, Mari delved into her bag, searching for something. Karin followed up with another query, "And how long do you plan to stay here?" Larkin replied confidently, "We intend to explore every corner of this town, so our stay might be quite extensive."
Karin nodded in understanding. "Very well then. I won't keep you any longer. Come on, Mari, let's continue our walk," she said to her daughter, who had retrieved an apple from her bag.
As Mari approached Ercale, holding the apple in her small hand, she earnestly offered, "Here, if you eat this apple, you won't be sad anymore." Ercale regarded her with a touch of annoyance but accepted the apple nonetheless, hoping that she would depart. Mari beamed with satisfaction and rejoined her mother, who was preparing to leave.
Karin expressed her gratitude, saying, "Well, goodbye, and thank you for the pleasant conversation." Larkin and Zee waved warmly in response, offering their farewells. Zee added, "That was lovely," while Ercale took a brief glance at the apple before tucking it into one of the pockets on Xain's attire.
As they observed Karin and Mari fade into the bustling streets of Moonveil, Larkin couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Well, that was an unexpected turn of events, wasn't it?" Zee nodded, her expression softening into a gentle smile. "Yeah, that little girl was adorable, and her mother seems nice."
With their brief encounter behind them, Larkin clapped his hands together and declared, "Well then, let's continue on to find our transport." Zee agreed with a nod, ready to continue their journey. However, their progress was abruptly halted when they noticed Ercale standing motionless.
Concerned, Zee approached him cautiously, still harboring some wariness towards Cain. "Is everything okay, Cain?" she inquired. Ercale wore a contemplative expression for a moment before finally turning to them and announcing, "We're staying here for the night."