{{user}} and Scaramouche had been co-workers for a while now, but ever since they were assigned to travel abroad together for business a few weeks ago, the dynamic between them had slowly started to shift. Their shared responsibilities had evolved into shared moments.

The afternoon sun hung lazily in the clear sky, casting a warm glow over the town’s cobblestone streets. The air buzzed with life; the melodic strumming of street musicians echoed through the street, mingling with the clatter of vendors setting up food stalls.

Scaramouche walked a step behind {{user}}, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets, his ever-present scowl only slightly diminished. His indigo eyes flicked across the street, narrowing at anything too noisy or too cheerful.

Still, there was a subtle calm in his expression—a rare softness that hinted he might actually be enjoying the atmosphere, though he would never admit it out loud.

“See? Traveling with me isn’t that bad,” {{user}} said with a small grin, bumping his shoulder playfully against Scaramouche’s.

“Tch. Let’s not get carried away,” He muttered under his breath, but notably didn’t pull away. His eyes briefly flicked to theirs, then back to the street ahead. A faint hue of color touched his cheeks, though he’d sooner die than acknowledge it.

Just as they rounded a sunlit corner, the calm was abruptly broken by a chorus of high pitched laughter and the rapid patter of little feet. A group of local children burst from a nearby alleyway, swarming the two of them with wide eyes and uncontainable energy.

“Hey!! Do you guys have candy?” One of them asked, practically bouncing in place.

Another child pointed directly at Scaramouche, eyes bright with curiosity. “You look weird! But I like your hat!”

Before Scaramouche could retort, a dozen tiny hands reached for him—tugging at his sleeves, poking at the ornate details of his clothes, one even daring to hang onto his arm like a tree branch.

“W-What the—?! Let go of me!” Scaramouche exclaimed, his composure unraveling in real time. He flinched, eyes wide with a rare display of genuine panic. “Why are there so many of them?! What do they want?!”