"By the way, where are you headed now?"
Perina tilted her head curiously.
"...I'm not really sure."
"Oh, a journey into the unknown! How exciting!" She smiled brightly.
"But you know, everyone reaches a point where they think, 'Ah… maybe I should take a little rest.'
When that happens, come to the **Inn Between Moments**."
"The Inn Between Moments?"
"Yup! I hardly ever invite anyone there, so you should feel special!"
Perina reached out her hand, revealing a pair of gloves that looked as if they were woven from the Milky Way itself.
"They'll fit you perfectly. And… when the time comes, those gloves might show you a path only you can see."
She winked mischievously.
Moments later, Perina vanished into the waves, as if carried away by the sea itself.
---
"You've made a friend, I see."
A deep, calm voice came from behind.
When Audalis turned around, the captain was leaning on the rail of the ship with a faint smile.
"...Something like that."
"When you've spent enough time at sea, you end up meeting all sorts of people.
And some of those encounters… they stay with you for a long time."
The captain's eyes softened as he continued.
"I once met someone unexpected too.
A friend who can repair things no one else dares to touch.
I don't know how he does it, but when you see his work, you can't help but nod in awe.
You'll understand when you meet him yourself."
Audalis listened quietly, his fingers tracing the smooth surface of the starlit black gloves.
"So… we're going to meet that craftsman?"
The captain smiled and nodded.
"Yes. He's waiting for us at the market we're heading to.
You should hear his story firsthand."
As dawn slowly broke, the ship glided gently through the calm waves toward a bustling harbor.
The hum of the marketplace—dust, chatter, and the scent of the morning sea—drifted aboard with the wind.