Crunch.
Hou bit into his apple as they walked, drawing longing stares from half the people around them.
"I'm surprised no one's jumped you for that apple yet," Asher muttered, eyeing the crowd warily.
Hou chewed slowly. "We're not in the outer settlements. People still get food here."
Asher sighed. "Apples are still rare, though."
Hou shrugged. "Sure."
That was it. Conversation over. Again.
Asher gave him a look. Hou had a gift for killing conversations—worse than Asher himself, and that was saying something.
"Hou... for once, just try to talk like a normal person."
Hou raised a brow. "I did talk."
Asher groaned as they rounded a corner and ducked into a narrow alley. Both pulled up their hoods before slipping into a side entrance of the castle.
Ahead stood a portly man with a wide grin—Stev, the memory hoarder.
Asher lit up. "Stev! Tell me you kept the meat safe."
The meat he'd got in from the outer settlement was stashed here, tucked into one of Stev's storage-type Memories.
Stev nodded proudly and summoned a small basket. "Not just safe—I cooked it."
Asher grinned, already pulling the wine canister from his cloak. "Then it's a trade."
With a flourish, he handed over the canister. Stev passed him the meat. Both men exchanged gleeful smirks as Asher sank his teeth into the hot, seasoned meat and chased it down with the last of the wine.
Hou quietly stepped aside and handed Stev a few soul shards. "Helmet," he said, curt as ever.
Still grinning, a slightly tipsy Stev reached out and transferred the requested Memory.
Hou inspected the helmet, then glanced at the others suspiciously. "Hey… did you ask Kido to spike this wine with more alcohol?"
Stev and Asher exchanged a look—and matching idiot grins.
"Woah," Asher said, eyes wide. "Did you just start a conversation, Hou?!"
Hou sighed, already regretting it. "Guess that answers my question."
Stev's expression turned mock-serious as he turned to Asher. "Why do you always eat here? This is the Memory Market, not a bloody canteen!"
Asher pointed at him, feigning betrayal. "Is it wrong to eat with friends, you fat bastard?"
Stev's glare cracked. "Aww! It's not! You're so ki—"
SLAM.
The door behind them burst open.
Without a word, Hou yanked Asher's hood up and pulled his own tighter.
Two figures entered the room.
One was a tall, charming man with tousled auburn hair and sharp emerald eyes. The other was a boy of small stature, his face mostly obscured by a hood.
Asher didn't bother to look back. He simply stabbed another bite of meat with his silver fork and brought it to his mouth.
"Mmm..." he shivered, eyes closed in bliss.
The auburn-haired man glanced toward the odd scene and raised an eyebrow.
Hou let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. They're a little drunk."
The boy beside him tilted his head slightly, confused. He'd seen people get drunk before—mostly in the outskirts, where synthetic alcohol was common. But here? This felt different.
He tugged lightly at the man's sleeve. "Is it… possible to get real alcohol on the Forgotten Shore?"
His voice was low. It wasn't that he wanted any. Getting drunk meant letting your guard down—he had no intention of doing that. He was just curious.
The man shrugged. "I don't know."
A pause. Then he shook his head again, as if dismissing the thought, and pointed at the plump man standing near the back.
"That's Stev. He runs this place."
Stev's eyes narrowed at the boy with narrowed eyes.
The boy shifted slightly and gave a polite nod. "Uh… nice to meet you. I'm Sunny."
Asher's ears twitched.
Sunny...?
The name echoed in his mind. He'd heard it before—somewhere important.
Stev's drunk eyes rolled as he looked at the man, and said in a strange voice:
"Night, my dear friend. Are you sure this dirty vagrant is… a customer?"
Sunny frowned.
"Hey, fat bastard. Are you sure that this dirty vagrant won't break every bone in that fat blob you have for a body?"
In the dead silence, both Kai, Stev and Hou stared at him with wide eyes.
Then came a sharp click of a tongue.
Asher turned away with an annoyed grunt and flung his fork—whip!—at the boy. It missed by inches, burying itself deep into the wooden wall behind him.
"Hey, brat!" Asher barked. "Only I get to call this pig fat! Got that?"
Sunny's scowl deepened. The fork had torn through his cloak, revealing his face. But something else burned hotter.
"Who the hell are you calling a child?! I'm sixteen, you drunk bastard!"
Asher's expression contorted. Interrupted during a meal and disrespected?
He launched forward, foot swinging in a wide arc.
Sunny ducked low, eyes flaring as he twisted his body, fist snapping toward Asher's ribs. Asher, drunk, didn't see it coming, going in for another attack. Sunny saw an elbow barreling toward his face too late.
Realizing too late that he couldn't dodge, Sunny instinctively wrapped his shadow around himself.
WHUMP!
The blow landed. Asher coughed, spitting half-chewed food. Sunny staggered from the force, head spinning. He's fast. Faster than he should be. 'His core is more saturated than mine.' Sunny realized.
Neither hesitated.
They both surged forward for a second strike when—
"STOP, SUNNY!"
"ENOUGH, ASHER!"
Kai and Hou leapt in, grabbing both combatants by the arms.
Breathing heavy, fists clenched, Sunny stopped himself, exhaling sharply.
That was immature… even for him.
"Geez…"
Hou stepped back from Asher, bowing his head repeatedly. "I'm so sorry. He's drunk—and, well, he gets like this when someone insults his friends."
Asher stood stiffly, eyes locked on Sunny. He swallowed.
Sunny…?
That's when Sunny processed what Hou had said earlier. His eyes flicked to Kai, who still held his arm.
"Sunny, please," Kai said quietly.
Sunny pulled free. "Relax. I'm not going to hit him."
Asher let out a breath and pulled down his hood.
Sunny's eyes widened in disbelief.
Hic.
Asher hiccupped, scratching his head awkwardly. The alcohol's hold was finally fading. Sleepers like him couldn't stay that drunk without a constant flow of liquor.
"Heh… sorry," Asher muttered, gaze shifting sideways. "Didn't catch your name properly earlier…"
Sunny's expression didn't budge. And then—
"HOW?!"
Asher blinked. "Uh… where do I even begin…"