The waters by the shore, nearing the beaches of Prope Portam, and, by extension, the last bits of the town were always uncalm in early Yule.

Many Paladians attributed such to a strange belief stemming from older Eran stories that snow was of a strange property that caused land and water to shift whenever it fell. Some came to blame the Mirillians, all the way in Magna, working for cheap money to push the said snow into the rivers, despite that being a whole heap away from here.

Then again, no one knew if the few of those underground dwellers escaped Mirillis and decided to push all the snow into the water just for fun. A simple Paladian mind couldn't comprehend the strange occurrences, but every other race usually attributed things happening at sea to some form of a God's wrath or a demon's revenge.

Morians thought that Shin sends a sign from above when the waters are dangerous to tread, while Tributals usually think that such comes from battles between One and those mentioned devils.

Either way, most water routes around the Mainland are much calmer than anything that connects the outside world, so causes for concern always arose during these weeks, which led to pretty much the same thing Ranpa was doing in Gorro, on that fateful night when he met Klakunhoi.

Although, unlike the night guard, this wasn't something spontaneous. Seven Paladians were chosen for each day of the week to watch over the uncalm waters. Maybe there's some escapee Eran, and suddenly there might be a war outside town that they need to know immediately about?

That, of course, wouldn't happen, but one night in early Yule was met with the first firelights gleaming in the distance. It snowed, so the Paladian who stood guard had to squint his eyes and raise a yellow lamp above his head.

...and with a loud, abrasive horn, the bow took a dip towards the wave and arrived near the shore. The Paladian stepped back before a silhouette peeked its head out from the side and waved, matching some of his energy.

Soon, the wooden board came down, and a storm of well-dressed Paladians, as well as some bearing resemblance to a typical Prope Portam fellow, trod down the side and met with the one on the shore.

"Saphrith?" he quickly asked, nodding.

"Yep, exactly!" one of them raised his voice. "Linno Palski awaited our arrival, but we didn't expect things to take such a sudden turn."

"Huh." The Paladian put down the lamp. "Sudden turn, as in?"

"The waves, boy!" he put his hand around his shoulder. "It's a jungle out there!"

"No, Kania." the other one fixed their glasses, stepping in from the side. "Just because you were all fiery about arriving at noon didn't mean the Yule seastorms wouldn't appear."

"Seastorms?" The shore Paladian asked.

"Exactly!" Kania raised his voice, chuckling, while the other, slightly annoyed Paladian strutted forward, before turning to the side.

"We're sincerely sorry for our sudden intrusion. I believe you haven't been informed, since much of this was meant to be some form of a surprise." the glassy-eyed continued.

"I'm surprised." The Paladian nodded. "Sir."

"I'm Xard." he stuck his hand out. "...however, knowing that Saphrith could learn a lesson in 'water-watching' from your town, we figured that much more time can't be wasted."

"Max." the shore Paladian, now Max, firmly shook Xard's hand. "It's cool, and... thank you." he nodded, slightly humble. "But what for is this surprise?"

"Wouldn't want that to be ruined, eh?" Kania raised his voice. "Xard will keep quiet and eventually you'll see it for yourself, boy!"

Xard sighed. One thing Max immediately spotted, besides the strange glass shape of his, was his oddly done hair. Two bangs stuck out from the sides, but the rest were short and barely covered his big forehead.

Kania seemed the opposite. His was very short, but his face was where all the expression suggesting his character resided. Big grin, big nose, big eyes. He was at least forty centimetres taller than Xard. Mentioning differences, their outfits. Kania was stripped back, and his forearms were revealed as if it was still Gorro. Xard bore protective armour over his chest and legs, but long, patterned sleeves covered his arms.

Afterwards, Max's gaze shifted towards the rest of the crew. There were ten casual Paladians, and twelve others, fully coated in armour, wearing the Saphrithian flags and emblems on their helmets and below their pectorals. Each was strangely silent, only giving a nod to Max.

While eight guards stepped down from the side, four others carried equipment, and there were twenty-four Paladians in total, and eight different horses, some bigger than the others.

"Max, boy." Kania put his hand on his shoulder. "Where can we rest for the night, if it isn't that we'll be forced back into the ship?"

"You're using too much of their generosity," Xard commented.

"N-No," Max replied. "It's not that late, you know? I bet we can figure something out." he chuckled.

"Where to, then?" Kania asked. "Ooh, I know! The Medulla Tent Bar! White Glove!" he raised a finger.

"White Glove?" Max tilted his head.

"What, bartender never told ya the name?"

"We're not drinking tonight!" Xard stomped.

"Why not?" other voices, as well as concerns were raised.

"Xard, they don't agree with you." Kania nodded.

"Drinking or not, it's a great start." Max put his hands together. "Paladians talk better with a little brew."

"See?" Kania pointed, looking at Xard. "He's no stranger!"

Xard took a deep, long sigh, before turning to the others and signalling with his hand.

Sooner than later, the horses were led down paths and with Max's smile, the big forest that separated the shores of Prope Portam was lightened up by the torches and lamps they carried, as well as with a few songs spearheaded by the others. Xard engulfed himself in complete silence, sitting atop the horse first in line.

The boat was left with an anchor at the shore, subtly moved by the waves, but alas, resting practically still.

As the song faded, something moved inside the ship's deck. Well, it was a barrel, seemingly filled with every food they hadn't eaten during travel. Whoever or whatever was inside was lucky that its lid hadn't been lifted.

With a swift punch to the side and a thrash, its contents were spewed out at the side, and someone slid across the wooden ground, coughing out a piece of apple coated in tree sap.

He shook his head, standing up, putting a hat over his head and fixing his shaggy hair.

"Foo." he brushed off whatever landed on his clothes and looked around, getting used to the sights, but finally taking a rather creaky step forward. "My legs hurt like hell!" he raised his voice, speaking to no one in particular. "Foo!" he took another painful step forward, but with the next not being as bad, he quickly climbed atop, fixing the rest of his clothes and peeking out from the ship.

The lights of the distant group were barely visible, but not too far for him not to follow. The guy smiled, before jumping from the bow onto the snowy sand. He landed face first crawling on the ground for a little and finally straightening up.

"Oh no." he glanced around, his gaze finally landing on his sleeved arm. A good chunk of the cloth had a massive rip going down the middle. "Judy's going to kill me!" he furrowed his brows, a chill came over him, and his smile quickly faded, before reappearing again.

Glimpse left and right, he ran forward.

***

"Cheers!" Kania yelled out, a pint of beer clashing against a glass Rufus carried in his hand. It seemed the loud Kania found the most common tongue with the bartender himself. He seldom left the area where alcohol was served, each topic winding back to questions about Saphrith and in turn, answers about Prope Portam.

Xard sat in the corner, awaiting the OTHER answer. Rufus had to choose between the thirteen there and the loud but charming Kania, and you could guess what choice he made. Then again, a simple Paladian mind meant prioritising simple things. The bartender could've easily answered their questions and pointed there and back, but that would have risked losing an already well-settled opponent.

Kania immediately competed with Rufus, for whatever reason. He'd drink 'till the sun would rise, and that was still a few hours away, especially in Yule. Mentioning the season, the bar itself was coated in Yule decorations or things to insulate it. Warm carpets and pillows were strung across the walls, and the wooden foundations had additional layers, separating the light from above.

Snow continued hailing outside, and through the few windows, a figure moved within the shadows, giggling here and there. The Prope Portam Paladians swore that it was that gnome haunting the Kalon family, as those few were known to create such statues in their gardens. A kid once swore it was staring at him, which caused a mild panic for the next few days. Some Paladians haven't forgotten, however, and chose to indulge in simple fear.

Simple. It was all very simple.

"What's this deal with Saphrithians arriving in our town, Kania?" Rufus asked, smiling.

"Ah, I told you already, boy! Can't spoil the surprise..!"

"Is it something that will benefit me? Or, the people in this bar, rather?" Rufus asked.

"Dude." Kania leaned in. "Everyone!" he almost raised his voice but started chuckling halfway through a sip that almost choked him. "It's a relief, and an answer to all of your questions."

"Well, Paladians seem to have a lot these days, but a few were already answered. What could this be about, then?" Rufus continued.

"Put your mind at ease, boy." Kania nodded. "We'll take all of your worries elsewhere." he signalled with his hand, stopping on the last word for a few seconds. "Like I have to take myself elsewhere because I need to pee!"

Rufus stared at him for a few seconds, before the other laughed.

"I'll be right back with you!" Kania triumphantly announced.

Rufus nodded, and Kania vigorously stood up, jumping across the bar to the many toilets on the sides. Xard shook his head, his expression seldom meeting Rufus, and the former suggested that he was sorry for Kania's behaviour.

Rufus beamed, putting his hands on the counter, before his eyes met yet another figure, standing right below, desperately climbing up on one of the higher chairs.

"Hello!" Rufus said, unsurely.

The person looked at him, before beaming. Rufus smiled too, but he was a little reluctant at first.

"Apple juice," he stated.

"Apple juice?" Rufus asked.

"What else, beer? Foo...!"

"Well, Paladians don't often order anything else." Rufus rolled his eyes. "I can fix that up for you."

The guy grinned, and after a few seconds, a round glass landed on the table. One chug led to the golden liquid completely disappearing, and now he stared at the bartender, for whatever reason. Rufus wasn't scared though, but a little surprised.

"Haven't seen you around," he commented.

"Part of their crew." he pointed to the distracted Paladians in the corner and Xard who seemed pissed off at the idea of the guards thinking of ordering a beer or two. "But they don't know," he whispered.

"Ooh," Rufus smirked. "What's your story, then, escapee?"

"Listen, um." he tapped the counter, sticking his tongue out for a second. "I need to see someone in town here. Have you heard of Ranpa?" he rolled the r's very sincerely.

"Well, of course. What for?"

The guy shook his head. "Can't tell you! It's a secret!"

Rufus seemed confused.

The guy shook his head. "For a little experiment of mine."

"Man." Rufus sighed. "What's with all you Saphrithians and keeping secrets?"

"I'm not from Saphrith." the guy raised a brow, turning back to the bartender. "Orania, have you heard?"

Rufus looked at him like a madman, but soon a playful smirk appeared on his face. "I get it. This is some witchtale, isn't it?"

"What's a witchtale?" he smiled back.

The smile quickly faded from Rufus' face. "Secrets. Back to that. Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't know you." he continued.

"Rufus." Rufus stuck his hand out.

"Sandy." he, in turn, did the same.

"A girl's name?"

"Oh!" he rolled his eyes. "One day someone's going to stop mocking me for that, foo!"

"It's original, that's for sure."

Sandy looked at him for a few more seconds. He seemed mildly disinterested in whatever the bartender was saying. Propositions of drinks or even meals coming from the other were met with a blank stare, and after a while, the latter finally spouted.

"So, where's Ranpa?"

"He still lives here," he muttered, furrowing a brow. He wasn't going to tell a stranger the full story, either way, he wasn't even sure where his and Danuta's house was in the first place.

"Great!" Sandy put his hands together. "All I wanted to know! Time to search then!" he started running off.

"Huh? Isn't it a little late?" Rufus asked.

"I'll hide in some hole until morning comes." Sandy tipped his hat and waved Rufus farewell. Again, he started sprinting, disappearing behind the curtains leading outside, and Kania quickly obscured his view.

"Sorry!" Kania raised a hand. "Had to ask the buddies in the other stalls for a hand." he laughed out loud. "No toilet paper, boy!"

Rufus looked back at him.

"Is something wrong? You look a little strange." Kania asked.

"Ah, nothing. I just had one of your men order apple juice."

"Apple-" Kania seemed surprised. "Good taste there, buddies!" he turned to the others, and they seemed confused. "Although kaito juice tastes much better, in my opinion. Haran thing, um, back to what I was saying..." he tapped the counter. "What was I saying?"