"Who's up next?" The girl looks around at the small crowd gathered around her. Julias grins like a little kid at Christmas and goes to throw up his hand. "Come on up here! Bet however much you want and double your luebar if you hit me."

"Don't." Adriel grabs Julias's wrist, pulling him against his chest. "We shouldn't be out in the open like this."

"But I can earn money for us doing this!"

"Let's go, Aithen." Adriel drags Julias back the way they came, making sure to keep his head down until they reach the edge of the village again.

"Alright." Julias rips his hands from Adriel's hold and crosses his arms. "So how do you propose we get supplies?"

"We're going to have to steal." Adriel looks at the building next to them, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"You had the option to obey the law and watch me play a stupid game and you choose to break the law. What is wrong with you? I don't even know how to steal!"

"We don't belong here!" Adriel hisses, sweeping his arm out. "Look around you! We're not like anything else here. Do you really think it's a good idea to expose ourselves like that?"

"You're right," Julias sighs.

"Sorry?"

"I said you're- oh you asshole." Julias reaches out and smacks Adriel's shoulder as the boy snickers. "We don't know where we are and if I know anything from my many experiences with anime it's that the citizens probably have magical powers."

"So don't steal from the very angry ones." Adriel nods. "Got it."

"So pick your target very carefully."

"Why are you helping me steal things?"

"Because the last thing I want is to be stuck here alone." Julias glances around. "We need different clothes or else we're going to stand out like a sore thumb when the sun rises."

"Clothes first, then weapons, then food," Adriel says.

"We don't need weapons!"

"We're going to steal things from the houses of things that might be able to breathe fire. I want something to protect myself with if things go sideways."

"We don't need weapons."

"You don't need to steal one then." Adriel jogs towards an alleyway, Julias following close behind.

"I just don't think you need to carry a weapon!"

"I don't know what your issue is with weapons but I'm going to have at least one on me at all times. I'd prefer if you had one too in case we get separated, but whatever."

"We should watch that house for a while." Julias leans out of the alleyway and points at an unlit house.

"There's no one there, let's go." Adriel pats Julias's shoulder before sprinting past him.

"Adriel!" Julias hisses. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Let's go!" Adriel motions for Julias to come join him. Julias sighs before jogging over, leaning against the wall. "Do you happen to have a paper clip or a bobby pin on you?"

"Do I look like I carry either of those things with me?"

"Well I don't have my lockpick anymore so I guess we need to pick a different house."

"Why would you just carry around a lockpick?"

"Because it was useful!"

"You're a criminal!"

"If you knew why I did what I had you wouldn't be calling me a criminal." Adriel looks around. "I need something like a paperclip or bobby pin."

"So thin and made of metal." Julias nods. "Got it."

"Or we could take clothes from over there." Adriel's eyebrows raise slightly as he stares over at a line strung between two houses, clothes pinned to it.

"The owner will probably be somewhere around," Julias warns. "We should just try to find some way into here- are you ever gonna listen to me?"

Adriel turns around, jogs back to Julias, grabs his wrist, and pulls him along with him until they're standing beneath the clothesline.

"These are dresses and skirts," Julias realizes.

"And a pair of pants and a shirt." Adriel pulls the aforementioned clothing down and drapes it over Julias's head. "Wearing a skirt won't kill you, you know."

"Because you of all people is going to wear a skirt?"

"Absolutely." Adriel pulls down some other clothes, bundling them up into a tight ball before grabbing two long pieces of fabric. "Now let's go outside the village and change."

"Preferably before we get caught." Julias whirls around, breath caught in his throat as sounds emanate from the house.

"Let's go!" Adriel grabs Julias's hand and pulls him out of the alleyway and out of the village, neither stopping until they're sure they're fully hidden.

"Once we're changed we need to go back and find someone who's into knives." Adriel strips his shirt off and pulls on the shirt he stole. Julias looks away as Adriel changes into his skirt.

They both sling the dark fabric over their shoulders after changing, tying it around their necks.

"Wish these weren't just blankets," Julias mumbles, struggling to tie the blanket.

"If we get me some sewing stuff I can probably make them proper cloaks." Adriel snaps and points at Julias. "Be on the lookout for some stuff."

"You can sew?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Because I didn't know you could sew?"

"Hi." Adriel sticks his hand out. "I'm Adriel Ruin. I enjoy sewing and wearing skirts in my free time."

"Do you actually?"

"Am I gonna have to hit you for mocking me?"

"No! No. I just- I dunno."

"Didn't take me for the type of guy to do that?"

"Right, yeah." Julias nods. "That."

"I'll have you know, skirts are incredibly comfortable."

"Now we need food."

"And weapons."

"We're not getting weapons."

"We're definitely getting weapons."

"Wait." Julias holds up a hand, palm towards Adriel who looks at it in confusion.

"Are you asking me to high-five you?" Adriel's face contorts with disgust.

"Absolutely not!" Julias exclaims, jumping back. "No. Eugh. I'm thinking and was trying to tell you to shut up."

"Don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself."

Julias reaches out and smacks the top of Adriel's head, frowning when he just snickers.

"Okay, so what are you thinking about?"

"The moon's out." Julias points at the hints of sky they can see through the trees. "And the village is buzzing."

"Okay?"

"Well don't you find that a bit strange?"

"A bit, but we also have no clue how this world operates. Maybe it's a usual thing."

"What, operating at night?"

"Some of them looked like they had cat ears. Maybe they've got cat eyes too."

"And cats are nocturnal." Julias nods. "Yeah that makes sense."

"That means we can either get food and money and stuff now while they're out of their homes, or we can wait until they go to sleep." Adriel glances back towards the village. "What'll it be?"

"I'd rather not risk getting blasted by magical powers," Julias answers. "Let's grab stuff now."

"Alright, let's go." Adriel grins and walks toward the village. Julias sighs and mutters something under his breath before quickly catching up.

"So there are cat people and people with wings," he whispers once they're on the edge of the village. "What else?"

"They've got fins where they should have ears."

"Fish people too." Julias looks at the group Adriel pointed out. "Oh, they have bunny ears and pink skin."

"They've got horns." Adriel points at a lone person with bat wings folded against their back. "And wings. And gray skin."

"Okay." Julias twists his fingers around each other. "So most of this checks out. You've got water, what I'm assuming is earth, air, and fire."

"But there's five different types of people here."

"The fifth one is the confusing one. The other four are all of the elements, so what's the fifth one?"

"A fifth element?"

"That's not a thing," Julias mutters, crouching down. Adriel drops to the ground next to him, watching the bat person with attentive eyes.

"They're not doing anything interesting," he whispers a few minutes later. "I can't figure them out."

"So we just avoid them for the time being."

"Sounds good. Let's go over to that house for stuff." Adriel stands and dusts off his skirt, then sneaks off. Julias rolls his eyes and follows, thanking his lucky stars when the house is empty.

"I'll go look for a bag, you go look for money?" Julias asks. Adriel nods and jogs into another room. Julias glances around for a closet before spotting a canvas bag next to the door.

"They just have everything out in the open apparently." Adriel reappears as Julias picks up the bag, holding a very large stack of money in his hands. "Kitchen's to the right."

"Left."

"Your left, my right. Stop arguing. Let's grab stuff and go before we get caught."

Julias rolls his eyes and walks into the kitchen, grabbing what he's pretty sure is fruit and vegetables from a table in the middle of the room.

"Hey, a knife."

"You got a holster for it?" Julias pulls open a cabinet, grabbing some stuff he doesn't recognize and is hoping is food.

"Nope, but I can make one." Adriel holds up needles and thread. "Found a sewing kit."

"Okay." Julias closes the cabinet and the canvas bag. "Let's go."

Adriel opens the nearest window, checking around outside before jumping out. Julias follows him quickly, closing the window before sprinting away back to the forest.

"Ah." Adriel looks at Julias when they stop just beyond the edge of the village. "Probably should've looked for a map."

Julias shakes his head and laughs. "Of all things, that's what we forgot."

"We're idiots."

"Absolutely."