“How could you tease him like that?” Dunes asked, causing Vonda to flush hard, the young woman drinking her water silently. They stood atop one of the many gardens of the guild, overlooking the city as the purple haze of dusk fell across it.

  “The alcohol had clouded my mind,” Vonda replied, her voice full of guilt and shame.

  “Yes, it is always the alcohol’s fault.” Dunes tio sip away at his own alcohol, though it was very light. ‘I don’t think I could be so brave, even with such liquid ce.’

  Vonda stared up at the evening sky, the suing as dusk washed over the City of a Thousand Colours, coating it in a particur type of colour the denizens could identify. She stared across the city, the same city which she had once called her home. She could no longer he colour of purple that dusk brought. Her true home y north.

  Dunes remained silent, allowing Vonda to set the course of the versation, but the young woman did not speak up. He remai her side, allowing the various emotions to swirl within her, so she could sort through them at her own pace, with Dunes nearby to assist if she so needed.

  Like Vonda, Dunes uood his role, to remain silent and to listen. Vonda, too, needed such a voice, just as Dunes had done, often speaking with the young woman. They were both from their own order, so their retionship with their divine was different to those who were raised within temples for the masses. They had simir responsibilities, but some of those responsibilities were different, and more extreme. However, they were each simir in the way they were disimir to other priests, and found friendship in that.

  ‘I’ll have to ask her soon,’ Duhought, thinking of the scarf he had bought, and the young devilkin woman who was still a him for his apparerayal.

  Adam y in his bed, fresh out of a bath, his eyes glued to the ceiling. The light seeping through the window, though gentle, illumihe room as though it was noon for his half fae eyes. His body had cooled from the shock of Vonda’s a. The phantom of the kiss remained upon his lip, her soft upper lip, her rougher lower lip.

  ‘Whoa.’

  The wave way to nothingness.

  ‘Damn.’

  The wave way to more nothingness.

  ‘Wasn’t that teically…’ Adam thought. ‘I guess I’m a guy, so no one cares.’ Adam’s cheeks remained flushed red at the thought of the kiss. ‘Hold on! Wasn’t that my first kiss? I ’t believe you stole away my innoce like that, Vonda! I k! You’re really a hrough and through!’ He pulled a pillow over his face, as though to hide his embarrassment.

  Jurot wondered what Adam was thinking, and how he rocessing what had just happened. He had no doubt in his mind the young half elf was g through his queer humour.

  ‘Their children would be strong.’

  Omen: 4, 20

  ‘Nice,’ Adam thought.

  Breakfast was mashed potatoes, which had been cooked with a little bit of milk and butter, as well as lightly salted and peppered, along with fried meat and scrambled eggs. A small pte of fruit made up Adam’s dessert, the young half elf trying his best to eat healthily. ‘Should I also get some grilled vegetables ime? I have to keep my heart healthy so I live a long time to spoil my adorable children.’

  “Okay?” Jurot asked.

  “I’m fine,” Adam replied, an awkward smile on his face. “I’ve got a crit in my back pocket.”

  ‘Should I remain behind?’ Jurot thought. He had promised the teen Iyrmen they would leave today to adventure, but if Adam was able to strike true today, it would only add to the fuel of his chaos. He could feel Naqokan’s eyes pierg the back of his head, and he supposed he would o help his cousin.

  Jurot was caught between who Adam should marry. Vonda was a great option, for she was a member of Life’s Rose, one of the most respected orders across all the nearby nds. Then there was his cousin, Naqokan, whose family was well known even among the nearby nds, and her cousin was a didate to bee Chief, and if not the Chief, one of the Chief’s aides. Then there was Mara, who was Lucy’s closest fidant, whose strength, though currently only slightly better than an Expert, would no doubt reach the height of a Paragon, or even an Idol.

  ‘Their children would be strong.’

  It was the thought he had for whoever Adam paired up with. However, it was Vonda who had taken the lead, and with Adam refusing Naqokan so obviously, she was the likeliest. Also, Mara had shown almost no i in Adam in that regard.

  Jurot’s eyes fell to Lucy for a moment. ‘No.’ He gnced away almost immediately. There was no way Adam and Lucy would get together, it would be too troublesome. However, the thought of how close Lucy was to Jirot and Jarot came across his mind.

  It wasn’t impossible…

  Nirot threw a look to Naqokan, who had awoken with focus that m, the io kill leaking out of her body. ‘Good luaqokan.’

  “So, yoing to watch over me today?” Adam said, eyeing up both Kitool and Jaygak, who had remained behind while Jurot had takehers away.

  Jurot had takeeen Iyrmen out, along with Lud Mara, each of them taking their wolves, as well as the three rge warhorses they had summoo pull along their carts. Elks brought too much attention, and though warhorses brought much attention, it was less attention, though none brought as much attention as the awakened or dire wolves.

  “It’s best for us to watch over you, sinight do something stupid today,” Jaygak said.

  “Why would I do something stupid today?”

  Jaygak smirked. “Who could uand why you would do something stupid today, but perhaps it was because-,”

  “Jaygak,” Kitool said, stopping Jaygak from teasing Adam too mu the m, though Adam did deserve it.

  “Well, since you’re both here, might as well tell you about the…” ‘Hold on. Isn’t it weird that I’m talking to the two female Executives about fashion?’ Adam furrowed his brows. ‘Is it weird that I’m thinking it’s weird?’

  Kitool, upon seeing the stupid look on Adam’s face, rexed slightly in her chair. “What do you wish to speak about, Executive Adam?” Since Adam was talking about it openly in the guild, then it must have been something fairly insequential.

  “Sister…” Adam flushed his cheeks. “Manager Vonda and I…” Adam paused, noting how Vonda had appeared, wearing simple attire, with her amulet over her chest. She wasn’t wearing her scarf, though he noted her cheeks were flushed, though she smiled politely at the group, having appeared rather te pared to her typical early ms.

  ‘…’ Vonda had heard Adam speak her hough the young half elf had awkwardly paused, and her ow beat quite quickly as she thought about how coy he was being. She sat beside Adam and Kitool, gd Jaygak was in front of the half elf, so they could verbally jest easier. “What a wonderful m Mother Soza has blessed us with.”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. “We were just talking about the business’ attire.”

  “Ah,” Vonda replied, stifling a sigh of relief.

  “I was thinking about the design of the outfits,” Adam said.

  “Again?” Jaygak asked.

  “I haven’t talked about them that much, have I?”

  “It’s at least the third time.”

  “That’s not bad.” Adam cleared his throat. “Anyway, I was thinking about the colour scheme for the different people. We said red of the guards, greyish blue for the workers, brighter blue for the upper ranks, Managers and Executives, probably Team Leaders, or whatever we decide to call it. Team Leader doesn’t sound that cool, so probably something like… Officer? Leader? I don’t know.”

  “The names are important, but of the colour for the crafters?” Jaygak asked.

  “The… crafters…” Adam blinked. ‘ht.’ “Uh…”

  “Yellow?” Jaygak mused aloud.

  “Executive Jaygak, you’re a genius,” Adam whispered, raising his brows in surprise.

  “Don’t look too surprised. How it be anything but yellow when you speak of Khalid so often.”

  “Don’t make me sound weird,” Adam replied. “I speak of my children more.”

  “You speak of children too often.”

  “It’s not weird, I’m just, I’m a foolish father who adores his children, and Khalid doesn’t t, he’s a charming mert who I should pay attention to because the Yellow-,”

  “You’re making it sound even queerer,” Jaygak interrupted the half elf.

  Adam huffed, before quickly sketg his idea for the attire. “Anyway, look, this is what I have so far.”

  “It’s quite… simple,” Jaygak said, surprised Adam was being so meek about the design. It was merely a shirt and trousers, and fairly simple shoes.

  “KISS…” Adam said, wing slightly. “Keep it simple, stupid.”

  Jaygak shook slightly, her lips trembling as she avoided bursting into ughter at how red Adam had bee. She could feel the heat emanating from the pair even from where she sat. ‘They must both be virgins if they’re this embarrassed?’

  “A pattern upon their breast could assist with identifying them,” Kitool said. “Badges or embroidery.”

  “Right, but I feel that’s too close to the Iyr’s design, and as much as rotected by the Iyr, we should be careful not to officially be a business of the Iyr, just in case some of us go around causing trouble.” Adam cleared his throat as a joke, raising his brows.

  “Stripes?”

  “Along the shoulder,” Adam said, sketg across the shoulder. “I was also thinking pins across the colr, too, or maybe the cloak, or arm, or something.”

  ‘Adam thinks so much like an Iyrman,’ Jaygak thought.

  “I was thinking, and don’t take any offeo this, but a circle which dehe tier, and then diamonds flowing out of the circle, or maybe around the circle, to dehe little tiers between the ranks. So a bronze circle would be among the lowest, and then each bronze diamond means you’re slightly above the bottom bronze rank, and a silver circle puts you above those with bronze circles and diamonds, in their own tier, and then gold.”

  Jaygak slowly he pins would be preetals, meaning they held their own worth, though that did e with a slight issue. “What if they sell the pins?”

  “They shouldn’t.”

  “What if they do?”

  “We’ll cast a spell to see if they’re telling the truth, and if they’re found to have sold their pin, then they should be punished.”

  “What if someone else steals the pin to sell? Will you cast spells on everyoo find out who stole the pin?”

  “Mnnn, well…” Adam replied, crossing his arms. ‘That would be pretty bad for morale…’

  “Embroidery is fine, with thread or patches, either along the sleeve, the shoulder, the breast, or the colr.”

  “Good shout,” Adam said, slowly nodding his head. “You know, maybe we should keep the blue cloth for the normal workers, and the ma could be white?”

  “Do we have nothing to hide?” Jaygak joked.

  “Well, white cloth is harder to keep , and easy to sully,” Adam said. “If the workers are going to take us seriously, we should be the one’s with the hardest cloth to .”

  “Why are you so serious in matters like this?” Jaygak teased.

  Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I’m serious when I o be.”

  “Serious when you o be, but always a fool.”

  “Yes, and I take great pride in being a fool, Jaygak.”

  “Instead of Purple Adam, they should call you Foolish Father,” Jaygak snapped.

  “Yes,” Adam replied, smirking slightly. “They should.”

  What niames should everyone have?

  Patrons, you aren't allowed to make niames because... you know.