Today was a comparatively mild summer day in Hargeon, topped off with a cool breeze. At this point, Aleksandr had found his routine. He would work for most of the week and take the weekends off. Today, he had helped an old lady deliver some cupcakes, for which he got paid reasonably well. He wasn't running a charity, but he had some sympathy for her, which is why he let her off the hook without arguing. He had more sense than to bicker with a frail old lady, and if he lost his composure, well, that would be terrible. He didn't want to be known as granny-beater, considering it would interfere with work. However, he was still looking for money.  

Aleksandr's attire had him look more like a tourist than anything. He was in beige slate shorts and a short-sleeve shirt that looked like it was out a middle-aged tourist's suitcase for his trip to Astera. His shirt was open, however, and he was wearing a white undershirt below it. Some touts had already attempted to scam him, but he just said 'No.' and walked away, refusing to waste his time. They continued to haunt him for a few hundred meters but were soon gone, looking to scam some other unlucky vacationists. He was on his way to the park to clear his mind before proceeding to attain other work.

"Checkmate!" ringed throughout the park. Aleksandr traced the origin of the sound as a spectacled boy, who seemed to be younger than even his own younger brother. "Who's next?" the boy got up and started demanding. Alek noticed that the youngling was at a chess table, and it didn't take him much time to deduce that he had just beaten someone in chess. The lad needed a lesson in humility, and Aleksandr was more than happy to convey the message to him. He was no amateur, and even if he might not beat the boy, he would definitely be looking to give him some competition. It would be embarrassing to lose to a boy his age, but as it seemed, everyone else was getting their ass handed to them as well. Don't mind if I do. 'Eh, why not.' he thought to himself. "I'll do it." he raised his hand. The brunette's eyes landed on him. "Come on, then. Don't waste time." the brown-haired boy spoke in a tone that had just a touch of disdain. Aleksandr did not like it.

So they sat down to play their game of chess, but there was a surprise. Aleksandr was barely keeping up with 'Bart' but it was close. He thought the brunette was all talk and no show. Perhaps he was wrong. There was another surprise, however, as the lad was surprisingly open. "You're outstanding, Bart." mused Aleksandr. "Not as good as my brothers." came back the dry reply. "How old are they?" they were conversing as they were trading blows on the board. "Twins. Seven years older." was the answer. "That's quite a few years. You're still young, you'll get better." Aleksandr reassured him.

"My parents keep pushing me." Bart said. "It's like that sometimes. They'll understand, if not, you'll have to make them, somehow. It's hard." once again, Aleksandr reassured him. Despite their tough competition, Bart was still a young kid and had problems common to his age group. Problems that Aleksandr himself had experienced. After some more tough competition, Bart finally edged him out. Disappointing, but a fair result. "Thank you." Bart said. He gave Aleksandr some money for playing with him and helping him with the family problems. Aleksandr hesitated in accepting the money but relented in the end.

Word Count: 603/500