The day had been long, arduous for the citizens of Baska. The small merchant town often became a bustling center of commerce for people from all over Fiore, once a year during its Flea Market Festival. When outsiders are not brought through the town, however, they fight to survive on old profits and travelers. Those who have found success in their sales were allowed to live through the year comfortably, skating by on what was earned during the influx of consumers. Between these spikes in attention that the town received, however, there was very little to continue to drive the towns economy.

Thus, the incoming participants for the Martial Arts Tournaments had been a blessing in disguise. The contestants came from all over Fiore, which meant the fans followed suit. From the ice realm of Nanuq to the dark reaches of Oak, everyone came to see both potential for growth, and present skill. The merchants ran themselves ragged to ensure that they had everything they needed to deal with each and every customer- Such was the life of a salesman.

This fast paced sprint for profit, combined with the excitement of the tournament, left many people exhausted. Participants in the test of skill would rest and recuperate in nearby inns while the members of the audience indulged themselves in artisan foods and wines. The merchants pushed themselves to satisfy each and every customer, ensuring that they could live comfortably until the next influx- Hopefully with some to spare. By the time that the sun left over the Baskan Hills, the average person within the town found themselves nestled in their bed.

Some, however, did not find such exhaustion from these activities. The fast-paced environment that had formed within the town in preparation of the tournament only caught those who were interested in what it could offer. For a man such as Finn, it was no different from any town.

As the stars began to appear in the sky, slowly claiming the territory of night while the moon made up for the lack of glow of the sun, a silence swept over the town. The roaring sound of haggling and laughter slowly was replaced by the screeches of the nocturnal. In this time of feint white light and chilled air, the young participant of the tournament had made himself comfortable at the crest of one of the many hills.

This hill was barren of major flora, sporting only grass for as far as they eye could see. Finn had sat upon his spot, knees brought up and arms rest upon them, gazing up at the moon. Memories of Worth Woodsea poured into his mind, as did the recent past of Crocus and Hargeon. Everything he had learned and seen since he left home- It was all so much. He'd been with humanity for several years now, but it still felt so foreign.

The woods were simple. Beasts wanted to survive, and to do so they found the method that best suited them. Some hunted while others foraged, but in the end it was all the same. Survival. It was a lifestyle that anyone could learn, though few could excel at.

One of the few, he had made himself at home in the forest. He likely could have been content there for the rest of his years- But would that be enough? He yearned for adventure. The proof was in his title, an Adventurer Class member of the guild Blue Pegasus. Who was he to deny himself the freedom that the world offered? And yet every single person he met offered new exploration into the depths of man.

Each and every one of them were a unique person. They all wanted to survive, but unlike in the wild, they had the liberty to define that themselves. Survival to one could lead to the destruction of a thousand lives, whereas another could save millions. Everyone was out for themselves, and yet somehow that drive for self satisfaction could also lead to a drive to help others. Humans were so...

Confusing...

His thought traced through his mind while the air left his lungs in a defeated sigh. Falling backwards, throwing his arms to his side as if they were supporting wings and his legs out, he lay and looked at the moon. Did he understand anyone? Did he understand himself? It was such an odd thing. He would have never had these thoughts had he stayed where he was.

A smile crept upon his face, replacing the frustration that had just held his mind so tight. No, he wouldn't have been able to learn anything in that forest. Not the things that he'd already gained at the very least. He would have never made these new friends, or fought these new battles. He would have eventually become the apex predator of a limited area- A beta fish in a tank of minnows.

This life that he chose was complicated. It sometimes even felt like he'd be overwhelmed by the sheer weight of what was different; and yet he knew he wouldn't. He knew that this was part of his growth. This was a chapter in the adventure of his life, one that would continue to change. As old experiences became easier, new ones would offer an equal amount of luster. Before long, he'd find out exactly who he was.

Or maybe he wouldn't. Only time would tell. It wasn't like him, giving this much thought to the unknown. He had been traveling in loops, ever expanding his distance from the starting point but afraid to truly let go. If he was going to find himself, he had to do what it was he wanted to do.

Whatever it was that he needed to do.

Reaching a single hand up as if he could reach the moon, he closed a single eye. The perspective made it look as if the moon was right there in his palm. Closing his hand, however, proved the contrary. And the stars are even further away, huh?

A thought that he'd always had, but never understood until that moment. He'd never understand things truly from a distance- He could only loosely incorporate them into his life. If he was to finally live his own life and start his own adventure, he'd have to dive in. No more hesitation. No more fear.

He was Finn, and it was time to adventure.

Baska was a lively town, livelier during day than at night, Bianca noticed. She had just arrived, ten hours ago to be precise, and been doing some exploring around the town. It was completely foreign to her, since she had never set foot here, although it was pretty damn close to her hometown. It also baffled her how she heard only recently about the tournament, since it was so near. Staying in too much, that was the answer. For the past week or so, all she did was take quests from complete strangers who paid her to do some oddly effortless jobs that she wouldn’t have thought people would pay for to be done. That was beyond her concern, however. She liked getting money for doing such simple jobs. This made her wonder how much she would earn for completing quests of a higher difficulty. Either those quests were sent to specific wizards, or people were faster to grab them while they were posted on the boards, because Bianca had never seen anything more difficult than how hard it is to get groceries on the boards. Well, there’s one way to find out, isn’t there? She’s going to wake up early, that’s it.

As the moon replaced the sun in the sky that was now colored a deep, dark blue with millions of little blinking lights on it, Bianca had reached a little further outside of the town, somewhere silent with barely any humans around. She was hungry. Although her stomach didn’t growl like other people, her mind kept repeating to her a single sentence that eventually made her stomach grumble, as if in agreement to her mind. ‘I am hungry.’ But who to hunt here? There was no one as far as she could see, just animals and Bianca wasn’t the type to feed on animals.

Her mind was automatically emptied when she heard footsteps through the grass, from a distance. Her first instinct was to hide, since it could potentially be her prey, but she couldn’t be too sure. Having too much hope could result in her being upset about it when it turned out to be just another animal. But the pace of their footsteps proved that they had to belong to a human, otherwise her hearing was getting very poor for a vampyre. They were getting louder and louder, which meant that the stranger was getting closer. Did she need to run? Attack? Keep hiding?

‘Why am I thinking like I’m in danger?’

Because she was hiding. At that moment she thought she would be caught, even if by an animal, Bianca went deaf. This made her panic even further, but as she was planted to the ground and knew producing any sort of sound would alarm the intruder, as it was going to find her incredibly soon, and going deaf right now was not helping at all.

That moment when she realised she didn’t go deaf, but instead the footsteps stopped, Bianca braved her cacophony of false scenarios and took a peek to check what it was that she had been hearing. Lying down on his back, hands on both sides was a blonde boy, most definitely younger than her. The panic that she had experienced just a while ago hadn’t died down yet, so she waited there in hiding, until her heartbeat slowed down. Then, she would get up, soundlessly moving to the tiny hill behind him. He wouldn’t notice her unless he had incredibly sharp senses. She could see him reaching out for something with his hand.

“Trying to reach for the stars?” she spoke loudly in her lilting accent that would make people assume she wasn’t from this country. When the boy would turn to her, she would give him a small smile.

Finn's senses were sharpened. Years that he had spent living in the woods, surviving on a daily basis, forced him to attune himself to the world around him. His eyes caught the slightest of changes, his ears picked up on the faintest of noises. Even his nose could smell the changes that took place in the area around him. He had lived his life having to be on edge, to be aware of the world around him.

And yet for the past several years, he had been outside of that type of lifestyle. Living among normal people, with normal worries. His senses never dulled- His mind, however, did. It stopped processing the changes, as it naturally stopped perceiving a threat. He'd never been threatened seriously in a street, or found himself cornered against a building. There was simply no reason for him to process every little thing, outside of a fighting scenario.

When the voice came from behind him, accented and curious as to his actions, his head snapped in her direction and eyes opened wide. Bright and blue, they seemed to reflect the lights above within their depths.

Before him was someone who looked like she was not from around this area. Her hair was white as snow, and skin pale enough to catch the moonlight. Her entire attire seemed to embrace this pureness of color, with a eye that seemed to take the place of an eye patch. Finn hadn't much experience with the feeling that was inside him right now. If anything, it could be considered attraction. After all- She was a beauty. Even someone dense to the norms of society could see that.

"I guess you could say that."

His answer was simple, preempting his move to sit up and turn his head to face her. A single leg bent up, bringing itself to his knee while his elbow rested upon it. His other hand fell behind him as support, his head lulling over his shoulder as he looked back at her.

"Nice to meet you- I'm Finn."

What else could he say? Truth was, he didn't know the answer to her question. Well- Obviously it was a yes. It was more than that, though. It was a familiar feeling, reaching up at the stars. It simulated the yearning for something out of reach- Something you couldn't even fully understand.