The Emporium,

Meilfour, Merriheim.

6:23 a.m. 19th Banem 1092.

Kashi grunted as he opened his eyes. The daeben stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above, for a moment, wondering where he was. 'Ah, yes,' Kashi muttered as the events of the previous night slowly returned. 'I must have fallen asleep.' The daeben yawned contentedly as he sat up on the couch, and rubbed his neck. "Lune?" Kashi muttered as he scanned the room, but there was no sign of the songstress.

Clack!

Kashi turned to the entrance as a guard opened the door and walked into the room, followed by Lunette who held two cups with steaming drinks. The daeben wordlessly stared at her, unsure of what to say as he recalled his tears from the previous night.

Lunette, as if sensing his unease, sat on the table in front of the sofa, and smiled as she handed one of the cups to Kashi, "Hot chocolate? I had a feeling you would wake up soon."

"Ah, thanks," Kashi muttered as he accepted the cup. He blew on the cup and then lightly took a sip. The daeben then grasped the mug with both hands, relishing in its warmth as he looked up at Lunette with pensive eyes, "Um, about last night..."

Lunette revealed a heartwarming smile as she set down her cup and gazed into Kashi's eyes. "Yes? What about it?"

Kashi faltered, unable to speak another word. The songstress' smile was the most beautiful and calming thing he had ever experienced, but at the same time, it made him extremely uneasy. After experiencing the peace that smile could bring, what would his world be like if he never got to see it again? Or worse, if the beautiful smile turned into a snarl of hatred.

"Nothing," Kashi murmured and then took a large swig of the chocolate drink as he turned his eyes away. "It's nothing."

"Kashi," Lunette called as she set her mug on the table. She grasped Kashi hands, feeling the warmth emanating from them. "No matter what, my feelings will never change." Lunette's smile brightened as Kashi turned to her in shock. "So, feel free to take your time, and tell me when you are ready."

Kashi stared at Lunette, at a complete loss for words. He had so many things he wanted to say but did not know how to. Thousands of contradicting emotions, fear, joy, happiness, sorrow all clashed within his like a volcano about to erupt.

Kashi instinctively set down the mug, and before he knew it, had his arms wrapped around Lunette as he drew her in for a tight hug. Kashi buried his head in Lunette's shoulder as he muttered, "Thank you. Thank you." The daeben felt like a cry for help within the depths of his soul had finally been answered. Now he just had to muster up the courage to reveal the truth about his past... and what he was.

"Mm," Lunette murmured as she patted Kashi's head.

A few moments passed with Kashi silently enjoying Lunette's embrace, but then, Kashi suddenly recalled his reason for coming to Merriheim, as well as those in his inner world. 'Ack, it's already been a few hours.' Kashi guiltily released himself from Lunette's embrace with an embarrassed smile. "I must have slept too comfortably. I actually forgot the reason I came to Merriheim."

"You slept well because you needed the rest," Lunette retorted. "Fighting and world domination are good and all, but make sure you do not neglect your body." She gave Kashi an accusatory glare as she questioned, "When was the last time you had a real meal."

"Real meal?" Kashi scratched his chin as an embarrassed smile played across his lips. "Kira and I prefer to live off the land. I cook whatever beast we find for dinner."

"Of course." Lunette chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "I nearly forgot I am talking to the man who sucked blood out of lizards because he was thirsty."

Kashi shrugged, feigning innocence as he said, "What can you do? The life of an adventurer is a tough one indeed."

"I'm sure it is," Lunette replied with a beautiful smirk. "So, why are you in Merriheim, Great Adventurer."

"Ah, yeah, I forgot again," Kashi muttered as he stared accusatorily at the songstress. "I keep forgetting my train of thought thanks to you." Shaking his head, Kashi went on to reveal his purpose: meeting and then taking Miote, Jade, Absalon and the Dwarven King to Serisis for a one-of-a-kind Three Kingdoms Summit.

"Oh," Lunette gasped when Kashi finished his explanation. "Wow, this is really big. Are you sure you're ready for this? One wrong move and everything you've worked so hard for up to this point will be wasted."

Kashi flashed a calming smile as he shook his head. "I would be lying if I said I didn't have a bit of apprehension, but what can I do? It's something that has to happen eventually, and right now, we are lucky enough to have a common enemy to rally the countries around. I'm not sure when next we'll get this kind of opportunity."

Kashi stood up and held out his hand, "You'll come with, right?"

Lunette nodded her assent and then took Kashi's hand as she rose to her feet. "So, I suppose we're going to see Miote first then? I saw him yesterday. He said he's putting the finishing touches on the Bank, but he needs to see you."

"I think I know why," Kashi replied as he led the way out of the Emporium. Once outside, he opened a portal and Summoned Drixlia, which naturally elicited a shocked reaction from the songstress.

"Whoa..." Lunette exclaimed in admiration as she reached out and ran her hands along Drixlia's flank. "Your explanations did not do him justice," she praised as she turned to Kashi with a teasing smirk. "I'm jealous."

Kashi chuckled and patted Lunette's head as he consoled her, "Don't be jealous. I'll find something just as cool for you in the future." With those words, Kashi jumped onto Drixlia's back, and then helped pull Lunette onto its back. With a light kick, Drixlia trotted off into Meilfour's streets.

As expected, Drixlia's appearance caught the attention of every passerby on the road. It did not take a genius to figure out that this was a high-class creature. Many cast covetous or sinister gazes, hoping to steal the kirin for themselves, but one glance at the riders instantly killed off those thoughts.

People might not recognize the daeben, but every soul in Meilfour knew Lunette Falsetto of the Hopeful Maggots. There were only two men whom Lunette would ride with in such an intimate manner. The first, was her brother, Shadow. However, Shadow was a white-haired human. The other, was the daeben, Kashi, guildmaster of the Hopeful Maggots and unofficial ruler of Meilfour.

Steal Kashi's horse? There were much easier ways to commit suicide. Upon recognizing the daeben, the onlookers quickly pulled away their gazes and gave way for Drixlia, allowing the couple a smooth, hassle-free ride all the way to Brass Close.

Kashi's gaze narrowed as he spotted a large construction site along a portion on the left side of the massive building. Previously, it had been a two-story structure, but now, that part of the building had been sectioned off, and a large pavilion stood in its place. The daeben was sure that the site was Miote's intended location for the bank.

With these thoughts in mind, Kashi steered Drixlia through the security clearance to a different section of the building. He helped Lunette get off, then joined her on the ground. The daeben then opened another portal, out of which Leila, Hogosha, Shadow, and Larsial walked out.

"That took longer than expected," Leila said as she stared at Kashi, having returned to the ice-cold business expression she wore in public.

"Sorry about that, Leila-san," Lunette apologized with a bow and an embarrassed smile. "Kashi seemed tired, so I made him rest a little while."

"Oh?" Leila softly exclaimed as she looked at Kashi, then Lunette, and then back at the daeben.

Others could not see it, but Kashi recognized the tiny tilt at the corner of Leila's lips. 'Damn it.' Kashi felt like banging his head against the wall. He had definitely done it now. Leila would definitely find a way to tease him later. "I slept on the couch. Didn't notice the time pass by," he added in an attempt to dispel any suspicions.

"Huh, since when were you the type to explain yourself?" Shadow coldly questioned, and then walked into the building before Kashi could respond, leaving the daeben awkwardly facing the silent stares of three women and a Nespian Tiger.

"*cough* *cough*" Kashi cleared his throat and then said, "Let's go. We shouldn't keep Miote waiting." With that, the daeben all but ran into the building, eager to escape the strange atmosphere.

"I have never seen him like this," Leila revealed as she glanced at Lunette. After which, she then said with a small smile, "Thank you. He's not the type to take care of himself. I hope you continue to take care of him in the future."

Lunette blinked in shock, but then nodded and replied, "I'll certainly try my best. As you know, he's not the easiest person in the world to take care of."

Leila's gaze softened with hidden sorrow as she replied, "Believe me, I know exactly what you mean." The halben shook her head to dispel the negative thoughts, and then said, "Let's go before he gets into a fight with Miote." She then looked at Larsial and offered, "Larsial-san right? I've heard about you from Kashi and Absalon, but nothing trumps a firsthand account. I'll listen to your story on the way."

Larsial knew this was closer to an order than a request, but as someone raised by the daeben matriarchal society, she was actually more comfortable with receiving orders from Leila than she had ever been with Kashi. Although come to think of it, Kashi rarely ever gave orders.

"As you wish," Larsial responded as she put on a sultry smile and got rid of the useless thoughts in her head. The women walked into the building and found a member of staff who directed them to Miote's office.

Leila led the way to the second floor and found the office they were looking for at the end of a corridor. As expected of the top merchant in the country, Miote's doors were elegantly crafted from Durim Oak which could only be found in Ederwood. The 'howling wolf' insignia atop a mountain of coins was carved onto the door as if to say the Maggots would always sit on a mountain of gold.

The door's thickness also made it completely soundproof, which was why Leila was shocked to hear, "Kashi, let me kill you just once please," the second she opened the door.

Miote's office was large, but had very little walking room as most of it was occupied by lines of shelves holding important documents and scrolls. The chesch's work desk sat in front of a large painting, which only a few would recognize to be Kashi's sub-dimension 'Takahara'.

The women found Kashi kneeling on the floor in front of a raging Miote who seemed like flames were about to jump out of his eyes. The chesch's eyes were red and baggy, his rumpled clothes revealing the truth of the countless sleepless nights he'd endured to bring the various projects to light a second sooner.

Yet what was this?

Right when everything was all but over, Kashi suddenly waltzed in, saying he had a perfect location to store the bank's money where it cannot be stolen. Furthermore, the location was centralized, allowing banks in different regions to easily exchange funds when required. By the time Kashi finished explaining the details of his inner world, Miote knew there was no better option. The subdimensions like Kashi's 'Takahara' could be used for something else, but as for the banks, nothing was better than Kashi's inner world.

Miote knew all this, but it was precisely because he knew how great Kashi's inner world was in terms of logistics that he was now pissed beyond belief. How many nights had he spent drafting the proposal for the bank? He had considered every possibility, and proposed contingency plans to counter them, but, now, since the location had changed, a lot of those were now rendered useless.

It was no wonder Miote wanted to rip Kashi a new one. "Argh, forget it!" Miote cursed as he slumped against his work desk, and rubbed his eyelid. "Luckily, I put the reserves proposal in a document of its own just in case the location changed last minute. I should be able to rework it in an hour or two." The chesch glared at Kashi and questioned, "Any more surprises?"

"Well, I'm gathering everyone for a summit," Kashi said and then proceeded to reveal his purpose.

"Oh, that's good," Miote murmured. "I've been meaning to open a supply channel to Serisis. This'll be the perfect opportunity to appraise their potential and see if there's anything worth investing in." The chesch impatiently tapped on his desk and then picked up a scroll. "Alright, go pick up Jade and Absalon, and return in two hours. I should be done by then."

"Haah... So, I'm not in trouble?" Kashi released a sigh of relief as he rose to his feet. The daeben then laughed as he patted Miote's shoulder, "As expected of our great Treasurer-sama... so capable."

Miote rolled his eyes and then looked at Leila. "Please take him before I commit first-degree murder."

"I'm going, I'm going," Kashi cajoled as he took a scroll out of his pocket and walked to the door. "See you in a few."

Miote waited until the party left his office, then turned to a stack of documents with an excited glint in his eyes. "Two hours? Hmm... let's see if I can't shorten that..."