********************************************************
Ulvala, Utopia Athenaeum Library, Time: 8:30 AM
********************************************************
It had been a brand new day at the Utopia Athenaeum Library for Julian. She had finally shelved the last book fortress that James had left for her that day.
Exhausted, she slumped against the chair, relieved to have completed the near-impossible task.
"God, why does James have to study so much..." she muttered, her fatigue evident. Despite James being older than her, Julian often felt like the more mature one, especially considering their differing approaches to life.
Nonetheless, they did find enjoyment in their shared adventures.
As Julian leaned against the chair, a knock on the door roused her from her thoughts.
"Hello?" Opening the heavy library doors, she was greeted by a boy dressed in black and white holding a stack of newspapers.
"Your daily newspapers!" The paper boy announced cheerfully. The boy was from Black&White Time, the prominent news outlet that not only covered the latest events but also owned "Terrain Yonder."
Julian thanked him, taking the batch of fresh papers. She had ordered a substantial quantity to ensure that all visitors to her library were informed about the latest news.
Though she didn't typically pay much attention to the news, Julian decided to take a brief look this time.
She picked up one of the newspapers while setting the rest aside.
"Pfft... Ahahaha!" Julian burst into laughter as she realized the headline.
"Seems like all of you got into trouble already," she chuckled, finding the news about "Lucky Inquisitor defeating Gray Phoenix" to be both amusing and not entirely unexpected.
She could almost picture Ace and Ezra's expressions when they discovered James' involvement.
"Guess you can't rein him in forever," she remarked, placing the newspapers down. The situation reminded her of her brother's mischievous nature.
He, too, used to create such chaos before following in her older sister's footsteps as a guardian.
With a sigh, Julian settled into her receptionist's chair. Her gaze fell upon a photograph of her older sister holding her in his arms.
Feelings of nostalgia and a touch of sadness washed over her as she thought about how infrequently she visited nowadays.
"Wish you could see them right now, Daisy," she murmured, allowing herself to drift into a deep slumber.
*************************************************************************
Ulvala, Yoshos Empire: See you Latte, Barista, Time: 9:00 AM
*************************************************************************
The café, 'See You Latte, Barista,' opened its doors to the town of Yoshos Empire. The place was bustling with activity as people ordered breakfast and drinks.
A new promotion, featuring slime-filled donuts, had returned to the menu, despite rumors that they tasted like cardboard.
At a table in the corner, The Woodheart and The Softblight sat together, engaged in a discussion.
"I've been gardening with Stacey recently. Moles have been turning up in our garden every once in a while," Aren mentioned, expressing concern about the recent pest infestation in their garden.
"You should consider getting pest control," Brad suggested, calmly sipping his tea and enjoying the morning breeze.
"Maybe you should kill them and show them the bodies," Sydna suggested, pulling a beer from her jacket, much to Brad's dismay.
"Sydna! That's terrible advice—where did you even get that idea?" Brad attempted to grab the beer from her, but his attempts were comically futile, as he ended up climbing onto her.
Stacey, engrossed in the newspapers, suddenly did a spit-take at something she read. "Oh my god, they're already in trouble?!"
"Dear, what happened?" Aren inquired, joining in on the laughter as he looked at what she found amusing.
"Wahahaha! That boy did it!"
"Okay, what's so funny about this?" Sydna asked, wanting to be in on the joke.
Aren and Stacey showed Brad and Sydna the newspaper with the headline: "The new rising heroes! The Lucky Inquisitors defeated The Gray Phoenix!" Sydna burst into laughter, while Brad seemed stunned.
"God bless their souls. They're all going to be misfits, aren't they..." Brad mused, not fully grasping the impact that the adventures of guardianship would have on his daughter, who had already left town.
Lily, seemingly interested, made happy baby noises and grabbed onto James's picture in the newspaper.
The Woodheart couple smiled as they looked at the newspaper article about their son James and his team defeating a villain.
"Our boy is making a name for himself," Aren said proudly. "It seems like just yesterday he was playing with wooden swords in the backyard, pretending to be a hero."
Stacey nodded, her eyes glistening. "They grow up so fast. But I'm so proud of the young man he's become, helping people and fighting for good."
She tickled little Lily under her chin. "You want to be just like your big brother when you grow up, don't you Lily?"
The baby babbled happily and patted the picture of her brother.
Sydna leaned back in her chair, grinning. "That kid's got moxie, I'll give him that. Who would've thought little Jimmy would turn out to be such a badass?"
Brad shot her a look. "Language, please." He turned back to Aren and Stacey. "But truly, you should be very proud. James is making a real difference in the world."
Aren and Stacey's smiles faded slightly as they remembered James' teammate Ace.
"That Ace is quite the character," Aren said delicately. "James speaks very highly of him, but his family..."
Stacey shook her head. "Oh yes, the Mournsteam. Not the most pleasant folk, from what I've heard."
"Snobby, elitist bunch if you ask me," Sydna chimed in. "Thinking they're better than everyone else just because they have money."
Brad gave her a look. "Let's not judge too harshly. I'm sure they have some redeeming qualities."
Aren sighed. "As much as we'd love to celebrate with all the parents, I doubt the Goldhearts would deign to socialize with common folk like us."
"Their loss," Stacey said matter-of-factly. "We'll just have to plan something special for when James comes home. A nice family dinner to congratulate him and Lily."
The baby clapped her hands together, as if in agreement.
Aren smiled and squeezed his wife's shoulder. "That's a wonderful idea, dear. We don't need the Mournsteam to be proud of our son and all that he's accomplished."
Aren put his arm around Stacey, both beaming with pride for their heroic son. The whole cafe buzzed with the exciting news, the town abuzz over the achievements of one of their own.
****************************************************************************************