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As per usual, the guild house that adventurers gather at is noisy, with many adventures chatting over on another as they go about their business, whether it is cashing in their latest spoils or gossiping about other parties.
You would never have guessed it, but adventurers, whether or not they are man or woman or something else, really liked to gossip.
Though that may be in part due to it being one of their few forms of entertainment.
Regardless, it was strange for the stone building with its wooden furniture not to echo with sound.
Shade, despite his years working at the guild, hated the din of the place.
However, even he knew it was weird when the normal boisterous roar of sound quietened into a dull murmur when the bell at the door dinged at the arrival of a new set of faces.
Or an old set, as Shade recognised the walking halo of golden hair approaching him, followed closely by a familiar light-coloured partner.
He was walking though, despite the cheerful smile on his face.
Huh.
Shade's brow furrowed, eyes cataloguing the slight saunter in his old friend's gait and how his smile was slightly higher on one side of his face.
"Shade!" Nashi smiled, before Kuro, another alter, continued, "Yo!"
One question answered, Shade gave a weak smile as he replied, "Hey, how've you guys been?"
"Hehe, well... we can talk about that later, somewhere more private," Kuro finished.
Oh.
He hadn't really thought about it since he'd gotten used to the press of bodies in the main room of the guild, but Kuro must have seen it as cause to be vigilant, especially since every eye in the room was on the pair of travellers.
Well, that's another question answered.
Shade nods in agreement, motioning his head to Johnathan's pack as he asked, "so what brings you here today?"
"Well, we took the request about the boar in the Eloysian forest..." Nashi instantly started to say as he began to bounce on his heels, as per usual, finding every use to info dump.
Shade listened to his tale with one ear as he focused on the analysing the boar tusks Johnathan quietly gave him.
"For a boar of this size and age, we can give you 300 gold for each tusk. They're also both of good quality, carefully removed and completely intact, so we will give you another 100 gold for each, for a total of 800 gold."
"Okay!"
"Now that's done, when do you get off?" Kuro says, smirking and leaning over the counter.
"Please stop, we both know I'm not your type, plus I'm completely uninterested in you." Shade deadpans in answer to his advances.
"Harsh. Anyway, you should bring Crow along! He still works here with you right?"
"Yeah, I can get him to come. We get off at 5."
"Okay! We'll pick you guys up later :)" Nashi says smiling and waving as he follows his husband out the door.
Shade stands frozen for a moment. It's been a long while since he's heard Nashi do that.
It's still terrifying.
Around him, the quiet murmur of voices quickly regains its earlier roar, becoming more and more deafening as the guild's patrons argue, speculate and, on occasion, gush, about why the Devil of Silvercrest and the Silent General would travel this far North at this time of year.
The more anarchistic conspiracy theorists posit that the Empress is trying to flex her hold to scare the people "or why else would the two most dangerous of the Empress's Own be here". Others, less willing to jump to conclusions, and maybe having travelled with or talked to the two before, explain that "its probably because they got bored of the route or are visiting their friends in the area" but are quickly shut down and drowned out by the louder, more fretful people among their number.
Shade sighs.
He's probably going to get off from work late today.
When Shade finally leaves, Crow in tow, the sun is starting to set.
He finds Kuranashi somehow perched on the fence and leaning into Johnathan, who stands in front of it, facing the entrance and leaning back slightly as he quietly signs in response to whatever Nashi was talking about this time, the two of them seemingly lost in their own little world. However, from experience, he knows that this is not the case, the talking actually a front to cover up the way they are slowly scanning the surroundings for threats.
"Hey," he calls out, despite knowing they've already noticed him, "Sorry we're so late, there was a bit of a mess we had to clean up after you two left."
"Shade!" Nashi turns towards him, smiling widely, as Johnathan gives him a small smile. "You guys are finally here!"
Nashi jumps off the fence as Johnathan signs <Let's go to Daisy's>, naming the tavern on the town's outskirts that the pair stayed at whenever they were in town.
"Sure. It's been a while since I've had Daisy's gratin and I know Crow wants to try their new milkshake," Shade replies, looking at Crow for confirmation, who nods, smiling nervously.
"Okay then, let's go!," Nashi agrees loudly, raising his arm in excitement.
"Onward! To Daisy's!"
They sit down at their usual booth near the back door, exchanging a small smile with Daisy, Nashi still telling Shade and Crow about hunting the giant boar. Johnathan takes the corner seat facing the door with Nashi just beside him, able to quickly get out, while Shade and Crow squish together on the other side, backs to the rest of the tavern room.
They order and the tenseness in Johnathan and Nashi's figures lessens.
Crow gasps in surprise and Shade frowns.
They've gotten better at hiding it.
"So?"
"We couldn't just leave them!" Nashi immediately tries to defend.
Shade looks at him unimpressed for a moment before sighing and deflating.
He knows there's no point in fighting about this particular matter.
"Tell me about them" he says instead.
Nashi perks up and Johnathan smiles a small, tense smile.
In the middle of the story, Nashi's food arrives and he starts shovelling food in mouth as he talks to Crow, having digressed to tell him about a mutual friend.
Shade leans back, having heard this particular tale about them before.
He notices Johnathan gazing at Nashi, subconsciously smiling softly, seemingly blind to the rest of the world.
Shade smirks, thinking back on the last time Nashi had come to him fretting about whether his partner reciprocated his feelings.
What besotted idiots.
It was good to see them and catch up with them again.