"Oh, well this is no big deal. This'll only take a few," said a bubbly voice. A smaller boy looked up at her as she sat down to work on a slightly broken flute. He said nothing as the woman tested the key after a few moments and smiled as she handed it back to him.

       The boy looked at the key, and he grinned as he saw that the one key is now closed completely rather than hovering over the hole. He reached into his pocket to pull out a few coins, but the woman stopped him. "Hold on, don't worry about it! Something like this is so small I didn't even need a screw. Save your money for when you need it, Ivo," she said with a smile.

       Ivo's mouth grew from a grin to a smile. "T-Thanks Crito," he said, then turned to leave.

       One thing that people always remembered about Crito: she always seemed to have a smile plastered on her face. If she haven't learned how to fix woodwind instruments in the first place, it was certain that she'd still be smiling as she lived homeless on the streets of Chilith. The majority of people, especially children, admire her optimism and open-mindedness.

       Crito sighed happily as she watched Ivo head home. She walked over to her back room where she kept her customer's instruments that needed repairs. A small pale brown dog was napping on a blanket. Crito's bronze eyes shone as she softly pat the dog's head, which roused lazily.

       Looking around the room, Crito decided to work on a saxophone that someone brought in. The person who brought it in said that it was dropped, and now some of the keys didn't work properly. She chuckled as she realized how a lot of problems with woodwinds are about the keys.

       After some time, there was a knock at the door. "Come on in! I'll be right with you," Crito called. She placed the saxophone down on the table and pushed her short brown hair behind her ears before going to greet her guest.

       Standing near the front table was a local man known for his limp. "Hey there, Crito, how're you doing?"

       "I'm doing great! How about you, Xavier?"

       "Well," he sat down in a chair, "everything's doing just fine. Gilbert is staying at my place now," he said. He brushed his copper hair out of his eyes. "I like his company, but it'll still take some time for me to get used to him being around the shop more," he added.

       "Ooh~" Crito took a seat across from Xavier. "So I'm guessing they put him in the unofficial unit then," she said.

       "Yeah, and he was pretty disappointed that he didn't get official, or noble, but at least he's safer where he's at. Plus, it'll be easier to get used to him living with me rather than being confined to headquarters," Xavier said. "Anyways, Gilbert told me to give this to you," he added and slid an envelope on the table.

       "From Gilbert?" Crito cocked her head slightly as she opened the letter.

       "He said something about the nobles. His exact words were 'hey, give this to that flute girl; it's something about the nobles'," Xavier recalled and laughed at the mocking voice he used for his friend.

       Crito laughed before she removed the letter from the envelope. She scanned the letter, decorated with the designs that all royal papers had, before actually reading the letter.

To the young lady, Crito~

I am excited to inform you that there will be a ball held at the castle to celebrate our peace treaty with Prerissa. I have noticed that you are well respected by the common people, so King Esmour and I are proud to announce that you are invited to organize the music for that night. You will then receive a fair amount of currency and the night to enjoy at the ball if you so chose to accept this opportunity. We hope to hear from you soon.

~Queen Alyson

       Crito's eyes widened, and she quickly stood up and punched the air. "MHHM! Guess what!"

       Xavier flinched from the sudden excitement. "W-What happened?"

       Crito laughed and leaned her elbows against the table. "Queen Alyson invited me to organize the music for the ball!" She excitedly made her way to another small room where she kept several pieces of music that she had collected, and a good amount of them were songs she wrote herself. "I already have a few songs in mind that I'd like to use!"

       "That's fantastic!" Xavier picked up the letter that Crito left on the table and read it himself. "Man, this is great for you!"

       "I know, right? I need to get to the castle to tell the queen that I'll be happy to prepare the music," Crito said and grabbed a bag to take with her.

       "Well, since you're heading out, I should be getting home as well," Xavier said and stood up. "I'll see you later," he added.

       Crito followed the man out and made sure her door was closed. "Good luck with living with Gilbert," she said with a smile brighter than usual.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

       Before he even opened the door, Xavier could hear random notes ringing from a bellset. He sighed in slight annoyance as the mallets were immediately dropped when Gilbert saw him. "Oh hey, Xavier, did you give Crito the letter?"

       "Yeah, she's ecstatic," he said and chuckled to himself.

       "Oh really? What was it about?"

       "Queen Alyson invited her to organize the music for the ball," Xavier explained.

       "Oh, that's it?" Gilbert picked up the mallets he dropped and set them back down by the bellset. "Well, if that's it, then I'm sure you could've done the same," he said.

       Xavier raised his eyebrows. "Crito has an excellent taste in music, and I'm sure that she can do this without a problem," he explained.

       Gilbert shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so, but don't forget that you're pretty great too. Who else can play with four mallets in each hand? I can't even do it with one in one hand!"

       Xavier laughed. "I think it's better off if Crito's in charge anyways. It'll be hard for me to go back and forth from the castle and home," he said.

       "If that's the case, I'd go to the castle for you!" Gilbert sat down on a chair and looked through some sheet music on the table.

       Xavier rolled his eyes as he started to get annoyed by this. "I'd also have to find people to play at the ball. Then not only will my foot will be bothering me, but I don't know a whole lot of people either. How about we just drop the subject and have some apple juice?"

       Gilbert snickered. "Beer's too strong for you?"

       "I don't like getting drunk."

       "Aw, little Xavier can't down some liquor without-"

       "Don't call me 'little'," Xavier cut Gilbert off with a small smack to the head. Gilbert pouted, and Xavier chuckled. "Looks like little Gilbert can't take a hit," he teased.

       That made Gilbert scoff. "I'm part of the unit, so I'm pretty sure that I can take plenty of hits," he said.

       "Then was that the reason why they put you in the unofficial unit?" The words were out before Xavier had the time to think about it.

       Gilbert glared with glazed eyes, and Xavier's eyes widened. "You know, that actually hurts. A lot," he said in a quiet voice.

       Xavier mentally slapped his forehead and took a seat next to the pale blond man. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I just wasn't paying attention to myself," he apologized. Gilbert looked away from him and leaned his head on his arm. Xavier sighed. "Look man, I didn't mean it. I've seen you doing your thing, and I know you'll make it someday," he said.

       Gilbert was silent for a few more moments before smirking. "Ya' know what? You're right," he said, his blue eyes showing his growing excitement. "And not only will I be at headquarters someday, but I will be one with the nobles!"

       Xavier laughed softly. "Well that's a high goal," he commented. Gilbert opened his mouth to make some sort of sassy comeback, but Xavier bet him to it. "I believe in you, though," he added.

       It took a moment before Gilbert registered what Xavier said. He laughed. "Yeah," he looked outside at the darkening streets.

       "Someday~"