In a Civilized Manner

The insides of Yukioe's cabin were just how Edris remembered it to be. With two bedrooms and a living room, the dwelling was small but sufficed fully for the two of them for years.

"You bought the cabin," Edris said, sounding impressed as he ran his fingers past the kitchen counter. "The renting board is gone."

In Odeen, all rented residences had a rent certificate posted at the front of their doors, ready for annual health and safety inspections from the landlord.

Yukioe gave him a sideways glance, remaining silent as he reached for two cups in the cabinet. He dropped two spoonfuls of brown powder into one cup and poured milk to its rims.

Under the brimming candlelight, wispy steam of air rose from the cup, diffusing into the room with a sweet aroma. Despite how he acted earlier, Yukioe prepared the sweet drink meticulously, not forgetting to cool the cup handle before handing it over to the seven-year-old girl.

"Drink this and go to bed. The room to the left is for you," he said curtly. "A kid like you shouldn't be staying up late like us adults. Unless you want to stay short forever."

Ives's round eyes shifted between the curly-haired man and the cup of hot chocolate in his hand. She then turned to Edris. Only when the latter gave her a nod did she take the cup into her hands.

Warmth enveloped her palms as they pressed against the cup surface, and Ives found the tension in her body release little by little.

"Where's my drink?" Edris peered toward Yukioe's direction with innocent eyes.

"You can drink your tears as I beat you up." The latter was obviously not having his bullshit, but despite his rebuff, the man was stirring away at another cup the next second.

The two men took a seat at the living room table. Ives tried to join them, but she was met with a pair of arms carrying her to the bedroom.

"But Mister Edris." Her voice was in a rare grumble.

Placing her down on the mattress, Edris patted her on the head.

"Yukioe's right," he said. "You shouldn't stay up late. You're only seven."

With that, he turned around to leave. Ives was about to retort with something, but Edris spoke again.

"Don't forget our contract conditions. Unnecessary tolls on the physical body would only reduce your future value."

"…Fine." Ives lowered her eyes and tucked herself in the blankets. She turned her head sideways, so she was peering toward the door.

Edris would never know, but tonight was her first time sleeping alone. In the past, Ives would always share a bed with Darcie. Sometimes, her sister would come home late from work, and Ives would stay up late to wait for her.

She knew Darcie would get angry at her for doing so, so when Darcie came back through the backdoor Ives would instantly pretend to be asleep. Seeing her sleeping state, Darcie would then plant a good night kiss on her forehead and snuggle in the blankets with her.

Ives fluttered her eyes, withdrawing herself from the memories.

Under the dimmed lights, the man's back looked broader than usual. It reminded her of the first time she saw him back at the Slums. That time, his back was also facing her, giving off the same reassurance.

"Will you be here tomorrow when I wake up?"

Edris turned around, puzzlement apparent on his gentle features.

"Of course," he said. "Unless Yukioe kicks me out into the streets."

Ives paused for a moment, then gave him a small nod. With the corner of her lips curled, she pulled the blanket over her head.

"Good night."

***

"What took you so long? Giving the brat a bedtime story?"

Edris returned to the living room to see his old acquaintance sitting with legs stacked on a chair and arms crossed, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's probably her first time apart from her sister. I'm helping her adjust."

"What are you, her dad?" Yukioe scoffed, then stopped to stare at him. "You're her dad?"

Edris gave him a look. "A year apart, and your sense of humour has deteriorated considerably."

His insult was received by the curly-haired man with a scoff in return. Yukioe leaned back in his chair. He tilted his chin toward the room in which Ives slept.

"So? Who is she then?"

"My business partner," Edris responded, and the man arched his brow.

"A seven-year-old?"

"I don't look at age. Nor the person." Edris put up his signature smile. "I judge based on value."

Seeing Yukioe's deadpan stare, he chuckled under his breath.

"You know, I think you'd get along with another one of my contracted partners."

"Hah. Look at you—scamming people left and right."

Yukioe lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

The next moment, the lamp Edris had thought were candles dimmed, bringing an oppressive atmosphere to the living room.

"Those weren't here before." He examined the candles, visibly intrigued.

"Surprised? Don't be. Many things have changed since you left. These lamps, for example, are a gift from the faction, one of the Labyrinth gains." Yukioe's gaze was fixed on the dark-haired man during his every word, as if attempting to capture his every microexpression. "It used to be just gemstones. Especially laveric."

"Impressive increase in variety," Edris remarked. "Though I'd still prefer the diamonds."

"Why did you leave?"

The lamp lights flickered as Yukioe asked the question. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the wooden surface and gazing straight at the dark-haired man.

Edris merely reacted to his interrogative stance with a shrug.

"You know why."

"Bullshit. You're saying that you left for another kingdom because of a dream you had?" Yukioe said scornfully. "It's only a dream, Edris."

"I never dream. But when I do, it's always a message from her."

The curly-haired man creased his brows in disbelief. "Ridiculous. You don't even believe in the Serenity Deity, yet you believe that she's trying to talk to you through your dreams?"

He gazed at Edris, unconvinced, but the latter responded with a gentle smile.

"I do."

There was not a hint of hesitation in his voice. Yukioe fell silent for a moment, then kicked the chair to the side.

"I'd like to see her tell you to go die. Maybe then I can actually put the tombstone to use."

"That I will not." Edris leaned back with nonchalance, "Unless it's for a good reason."

"You're insane."

"Actually, I’d consider myself quite peaceful." Edris laid out both hands, palm facing up. "Anything else? Ask away. I happen to be in a giving mood right now."

"How are you involved with the Moon family?"

"By chance," he said honestly. "I happened to have stumbled across their son who ran away from home to Zacriya's capital."

Yukioe drew his head back with furrowed brows. Upon seeing his judging expression, Edris clicked his tongue.

"It's true," he said, reaching into his Spatial Pouch. After a few seconds, Edris pulled out an emerald, rectangular case. "Grace Moon even gave me a thank-you gift."

Under Yukioe's unconvinced gaze, he flipped the box open. Sitting in the internal flannel covering was a thin rectangular slip of paper. A circular marking was printed on the centre, with the number "2" plastered in the circle.

At a glance, it was just a piece of paper, but its mere sight was enough to throw the two men into a long wave of silence.

"…This isn't what I think it is, right?" Yukioe blinked, his voice in rare disbelief.

Edris picked up the paper between his fingers; his pale eyes scrutinised its printings for another second before stifling a laugh.

"It's exactly what you're thinking of."

"A Labyrinth token. A double placement, too." Yukioe swallowed, turning to him with wide eyes. "Did you save their son's life or something?"

His suspicions were no exaggeration. Edris himself was surprised to have received what'd give him a fortune if he sold it anywhere in the southern market.

To the average Adalarian citizen, the only way to enter Labyrinths was through pure luck, getting pulled in their random selection every few months.

However, for people like Edris and Yukioe, who'd dealt with Labyrinth survivors as Soul Patchers, they knew of a second way:

Tokens.

At that moment, his initial presumptions about Lady Moon were wholly rectified. He thought she might have been an angel in disguise.

Despite the mysterious rumours surrounding the Labyrinths in the Northern Lands, it was a sought-out opportunity for almost all southern Adalarians. Although its origins and contents were unknown, the rewards that came with surviving the Labyrinth were more than enticing to draw their attention.

In fact, perhaps the mystery aspect of the Labyrinths had contributed to the appeal.

Humans were excellent self-deceivers, after all. Without any contextualised dangers in mind, everyone liked to think of themselves as the "exception," the one who'd survive the Labyrinth and live the rest of their lives in wealth and prosperity.

In other words, if they ever got pulled in by one, they'd most likely cheer in pure joy.

Edris spun toward Yukioe. "When's the next Labyrinth pull?"

"They open once every three months, on the Tip of Crescent. The last pull was two months ago, and the full moon is in two days, so… Tomorrow?" Yukioe paused. "You're planning to go in?"

"Of course not." He shook his head almost immediately, joy seeping through his voice. "I'm checking whether it'd be too late to sell them off. With the token, buying a house is no longer a dream."

"You're still on about that?"

Edris didn't respond. He leaned back into his chair, entering a lighthearted hum.

This return to Adalan was off to quite an excellent start.

***

The following day, Edris woke up to the smell of traditional Adalarian breakfast.

Breathing in the candied smell of layered honeycomb poundcake and glazed nimblets, he strode into the kitchen area with a smile.

"Good morning," he sang, obviously in a good mood. "Oh, by the way, I'm borrowing your turtleneck since my clothes are still drying."

"Thanks for asking," Yukioe deadpanned. He was hovered over the kitchen counter, frying some pancakes while drenching the dishes in the sink.

Ives was already awake and munching on breakfast at the dining table. She glanced toward Edris at his arrival, hurriedly swallowing a slice of poundcake down her throat.

"Good morning, Mister Edris," she choked out.

"Did you sleep well?" Edris strolled over, and with a napkin, he casually wiped the crumbs off the corners of her mouth. Ives bobbed her head up and down.

He grabbed a blueberry-flavoured, fresh-out-of-the-oven nimblet from the basket and tossed it into his mouth.

"Nine out of ten. One point off, so you don't get too prideful."

— You can't even cook.

"Says the person who can't even fry an egg." Yukioe rolled his eyes. "I must head to work now. You two—eat and don't cause any trouble." As he said that, he glanced toward the seven-year-old girl. "After you're done, get Edris to do the dishes."

Ives nodded absentmindedly and indulged in her second slice of pound cake. All her animosity toward the curly-haired man had dissipated into thin air the moment the food’d been laid in front of her eyes.

Edris let out a sigh. Just as he was about to say something, the pocket of his cloak rustled, and the next second, Ace burst out of its rims.

The appearance of the pink fluff threw both Edris and Yukioe into a daze, except the former was merely startled while the latter was flabbergasted toward the creature he was seeing for the first time.

Neither of the two had a chance to react, however, as a commotion sounded outside the cabin.

"Probably Celio?" Edris raised an eyebrow. "He said last night he was coming this morning."

"Hold on. How the hell did you meet this thing?" Yukioe blurted out almost simultaneously, his wide eyes shifting between the dark-haired man and the pink fluff floating beside him.

— No.

Ignoring their dumbfounded looks, Ace peered toward the door with obsidian eyes.

— They're the people from yesterday.

An ominous premonition bubbled within Edris's chest upon hearing these words, and his first instinct was to reach in his pocket to ensure the token was still there. When he felt the slip of paper in his pocket, Edris exhaled under his breath.

Lady Moon didn't change her mind about the token, right?

As if responding to his internal apprehensions, there was a knock at the door. Then a second.

Edris willingly stepped back, as though the matter did not concern him. Hiding behind him was Ives, who had hopped off her chair immediately following the initial knock. Exchanging a glance, the two turned to the curly-haired man in silence.

"…"

Muttering something unfriendly under his breath, Yukioe sighed and walked toward the entrance. He turned the handle, and standing in the doorway was one of the guard escorts from last night. Behind him was a carriage surrounded by four other guards.

"I apologize for the intrusion first thing in the morning, but…" The guard peered over Yukioe's shoulder, toward the dark-haired man in the house. "Mister Edris, Lady Moon would like to see you."