The usual barking of merchants, creaking of carriages, people's chatter, and distant bells filled the air, the same ones he had heard all the way back when he first entered the city and, after buying Ayame for the best deal of the century, explored it together.
But it all dulled when he passed. People instinctively stepped aside, lowering their heads without knowing why.
Beside him, Vex hopped lightly. Her mood was a striking contrast to the subdued crowd. The woman's grin was uncontainable; her braided hair bounced with every cheerful step.
"You actually meant it," she chirped. "A date. Just you and me. I thought you were teasing me when you said that."
Quinlan did not respond beyond extending his elbow to the white-haired beauty, to which she promptly clung like a proper couple.
