{This idea came from @peaxh.milk.tea on Tiktok!!!}

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖ ⋆˙⟡ ⋆.˚ ⊹₊⟡ ⋆

William "The Wise" is on the run. He was framed for a very violent murder, which someone claimed his magic was the cause of. He didn't do it, of course. He's not heartless. But people believe that if you are powerful and can use dark magic, then you are to blame for most terrible things. So now, William is looking for shelter, or at least a place to stay low. There's a reward out for whoever catches him. 70,000 gold pieces. And there's countless posters with his face posted all over numerous towns. Everyone knows his face, so this will be difficult.

Luckily, Michael is a close friend to William, and knows he would never do these things. He decided to help. Since he's a paladin, he can make distractions and get away with things normal townspeople can't. Of course, he'll need friends to help with this mission. So, he called for Lucas and Dustin, the Ranger and Bard. They all need to find a safe place for William, and find a way to clear his name, while also finding justice for the poor people who are being murdered.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

At this moment, they have just entered a new town. Already, the group can see William's face printed on paper and stuck to several surfaces. This will be more difficult than they thought. Dustin, ever the genius he is, hides William in a cloak, a hood drawn to cover his face. It's not ideal, but it will work for the meantime. The four stick to the wall, the cleric clinging to the paladin's side while the bard and ranger whisper-fight about something stupid that happened on the way here. Michael peeks behind the wall, noticing a fellow paladin in full body armor. Just when he starts forming a plan though, the two idiots fighting push one another and end up pulling a domino effect, pushing Will, to pushing Mike, and he loses his balance and falls. Luckily, he's able to pull himself up again and hide, glaring at Dustin and Lucas like he'll murder them.

They manage to sneak past the other paladin with Michael's distraction and enter the town. Dustin and Lucas immediately head for the food, since they have been walking without any breaks to eat and are starving. William is nowhere to be found. This causes alarm for Michael. He grabs the other two's attention, asking where the cleric went. They both look around, then sheepishly shrug, feeling guilty that they lost track of him. The paladin sighs in disappointment before grabbing them both and dragging them further into the town to track down William.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖

Loud music and children's laughter fill the air. A celebration, but the three don't know what for. There are several carts stacked with fresh and shiny fruits, cooked, greasy meat, and other kinds of food. Other carts sell puppets, masks, and ribbons for children to run around with. Lucas and Dustin admire the streamers that are tied from one lamppost to the next. Michael doesn't care about this one bit. He only cares about the safety of the missing cleric.

Eventually, they reach the center of the town, where many people are gathered. Little girls braid each other's hair at the fountain, and a couple yards away is an empty space of concrete. Around this certain area, a crowd of people circle around it, dancing to the beat of the fast music. They are all barefoot, getting the color of chalk on their feet while they step on a masterpiece made by... someone. Michael approaches. He knows that style... William has drawn that. And in the crowd, he can see the familiar cloak that Dustin lent William, dancing among these strangers. His face is concealed with one of the wooden masks being sold at the carts nearby.

Michael stares, stunned. He didn't expect William to be doing this while trying to find a place to hide. But, the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. They've been stressing and in fear for about a week now. A little fun couldn't hurt, right? And Dustin and Lucas thought so too, because they joined in as well.

Oh, Michael...