Ae stepped across the threshold out into the rainy night, shutting the door to the small house behind him. The meeting had gone relatively well, as far as he was concerned. The Durys had agreed to continue to supply him with the produce he needed for the inn, at no increased rate. It wasn't really an improvement, but considering the Ixal attacks that driven some farmers away, Ae considered himself lucky that the family hadn't be insistent on charging him more. He buttoned up his coat and threw the hood over his head and made his way down the path that lead to the Canopy.

L'ykke stood out in the rain, a good distance from the inn, gazing intently at the interior. It was dry in there. Warm, too. There was even food, his stomach reminded him irritably. But he had no gil. He had used it all on his journey here, to Gridania. He took a step closer to the inn, paused, and then took a step back. No, he couldn't ask for free food. Not from strangers, no. He turned to walk away, but stopped again in his tracks. This was one of the only places still open this late at night, and it was close. So close. He just needed to ask. So caught up in his own internal struggle, he failed to notice the hooded figure watching him from behind.

Ae stood puzzled, looking at what he presumed to be a Miqo'te man standing outside his inn. He watched him move back and fourth, as if trying to decide what to do. After a minute or so, Ae began to piece the situation together in his mind. "Ah, he's new in town," he thought to himself, "and Miqo'te are very shy. He probably doesn't have any money, judging by his dress." Ae smirked to himself. He loved adventurers, and loved it even more when he could help them. He walked up and stood off to the Miqo'te's side.

"Hello," he called, and regretted his decision at once. The Miqo'te nearly jumped out of his skin, startled. A pang of guilt hit Ae as he saw the poor, frightened man's face. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said gently.

At this, the Miqo'te relaxed a little, and nodded.

"Are you going to just stand outside, or do you want to come in and get some food?" Ae asked warmly.

"I'm not really hung-" a growl from the Miqo'te's stomach betrayed his words before they had fully escaped his mouth. Immediately he averted his gaze from Ae's.

"Ah, but your stomach tells a different story," Ae said with a mild chuckle. The rain was really starting soak through is coat, and he saw the Miqo'te was completely drenched.

"C'mon inside, lets get you dried off and something to eat," Ae called as he proceeded to the front door.

"But, I don't-"

"I know, just come on in," Ae called. He turned to see the Miqo'te hesitated once more, and then begin to follow him inside. Once out of the rain, Ae removed his hood and looked at the Miqo'te next to him. They were roughly the same height, both a little taller than average. Ae was young, but circumstances had aged his appearance and wisdom beyond his years. The bright eyes a 20-year-old Hyur was supposed to have were rarely present these days, but they were now. Normally lack of sleep and overworking made them dull, with dark circles around them. Stress had etched its lines prematurely into his face, never to be removed. A weeks worth of stubble clung to his face, and Ae scratched at it unconsciously as he examined the Miqo'te, who, on the other hand, appeared quite young and beautiful. He had bright blue eyes that captured Ae's gaze and held it. The rest of his face had the soft, quiet features of the Miqo'te race, including a gentle but ever present expression of shyness.

Ae motioned toward a table tucked away in the corner and said, "Go ahead and have a seat over there. I'll be back in a minute with a towel and some hot food." The Miqo'te nodded, and quietly headed towards the table. Ae smiled to himself, and then headed back to the kitchen. He found it empty, the cook having retired for the night. An enormous pot of spiced vegetable broth sat simmering on the stove. Ae retrieved two bowls and two plates from the hutch, and ladled the aromatic broth into each bowl. On the plates, he put a small portion of braised boar meat and potatoes, leftover from earlier in the night. After grabbing a few forks and spoons, Ae set it all on a tray and balanced it easily with one hand. With the other, he found a clean, dry kitchen towel and off he went at a brisk pace to the table where the adventurer sat.

The Miqo'te's eyes lit up as Ae set the tray down in front of him. Ae gave him a bowl of broth, a plate of meat and potatoes and set the towel down next to him to dry off a little. He then made a place for himself sitting across from the adventurer. The Miqo'te looked up uneasily at Ae, and began, "I can't pay for this, I don't have any Gil..." Before he could continue further, Ae cut him off.

"Oh, you'll pay for it, alright." He paused and smiled slyly at the adventurer. "You'll pay in stories of your adventures!" At this the Miqo'te balked, and moved away from the food. With his ears moving forward and then laying flat against his head, he said, "I... I've only just started. I don't have any stories yet..."

Ae's heart sank. "You're too honest," he began. "Please, eat. I'm not going to put food in front of you only to take it away because you can't entertain me. Just tell me about yourself. Who you are and how you came to be an adventurer." He smiled at the Miqo'te, whose ears had perked up again. "My name is Ae Manel, and I'm the owner of the Canopy, the inn you are sitting inside."

"My name is L'ykke Yvo, and-" The Miqo'te was cut off again, this time by Ae holding his hand up in front of him.

"Please, eat first. You can tell me later, L'ykke," Ae said, still smiling warmly. "I'm hungry too, although probably not as much as you are."

L'ykke smiled and nodded, grateful to have something warm to eat. He grabbed the towel and tried to dry his hair and face, so it would stop dripping on the table. This accomplished, he first dug hungrily into the braised boar. It was lightly spiced, tender and savory and instantly began to relieve the pains of hunger. Next, holding the bowl to his mouth, he took a deep gulp of the broth. The hot liquid warmed his cold, wet body from the inside, creating one of the most euphoric feelings L'ykke had experienced in recent memory. Ae ate his own serving quickly, even faster than L'ykke did. Ae guessed from the soft moans of joy that his guest was enjoying the food, and smiled again to himself.

Ae set his plates off to the side, after finishing his own meal and watched as L'ykke continued to eat. He looked alive again, resuscitated. As the Miqo'te finished, he looked up to see Ae watching him and smiling. L'ykke blushed. "Feeling better?" Ae asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry about before..." L'ykke replied.

"Its no problem. So, L'ykke, how did you come to be an adventurer?"

L'ykke hesitated a moment, then began after a deep breath, "Its not really much of a story, but I owe you a great deal for feeding me. I never knew my mother, I was raised by my father. We lived in a small village in Dravinia, and he was a leather worker. I grew up thinking that I would be a leather worker too, and I learned a good deal of the trade. But after the 17th anniversary of my birth, something changed." L'ykke averted his eyes for a moment, before continuing.

"I started to get restless. I heard stories from the adventurers who brought us animal skins to work with about other places in Ezorea, and I wanted to see them for myself. After a few years, I told my father..." L'ykke's voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Ae asked.

L'ykke stalled another moment, and stared across the room out the window. After another deep breath, he looked directly into Ae's eyes and continued. "He told me he never wanted to see me again. He said that if my mother were still alive, she would be ashamed to call me her son. All because I wanted to travel and do something other than tan hides and make armor for adventurers who were out exploring while I was stuck in one place! So I gathered what I had and set out for Gridania. After a little under one moon, I arrived here tonight."

"Ah, I see," Ae said, nodding. There seemed to be something missing from the story, but Ae was reluctant to mention it. He made a mental note of it, and continued. "Well, welcome to Gridania, then! Sorry the about the weather, it can get this way here often enough though. This may be a silly question, but do you know anyone here?" Ae asked.

"No... I don't. I just know that I've been told I should go to the Archer's guild upon arriving here," L'ykke replied, a bit timidly.

"Ah, want to be an archer, do you?" Ae asked with a smile. "Well, then, I take it you've no place to stay the night?"

"No..." L'ykke had averted his gaze again, and was clearly embarrassed by his situation. "I was wondering, actually, if I could maybe sleep here? In the common area, I mean. Just for tonight?" His voice was meek, but he manged to look back at Ae as he finished his question.

"No, certainly not," Ae replied quite quickly and firmly.

"Oh, I'm sor-" L'ykke was cut off again by Ae.

"We can't allow anyone to sleep out here, we are about to close and lock the doors for the night."

"Oh, I see..." L'ykke said, clearly disheartened.

Ae paused, smiling, waiting for the Miqo'te to look back at him. After a few moments, he did. L'ykke looked at him, puzzled. "But! Although we're full for the night, I have a room you may sleep in," Ae stated boldly. At this, the Miqo'te's eyes lit up. "There are stipulations to sleeping there, however, which I will explain once we get there. C'mon, lets get you settled," Ae said, standing up and gathering up the dishes.

"Thank you!" L'ykke said. "Just let me know what you need me to do, and I'll do it. But..." his voice trailed off, and his head sank.

"Yes, I know. You've no gil, its fine. Don't worry about it." Ae said, reading his mind. There was no reply from L'ykke, he just followed behind Ae as they made their way up the stairs after Ae deposited the dishes back in the kitchen. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they started down a narrow hall away from all of the guest rooms. They stopped outside a plain, unmarked door, and Ae removed a key from his pocked and unlocked it. He pushed it open to reveal a rather large room, complete with a fountain softly babbling in the corner. The bed was large and appeared very comfortable, and to the right of the entrance, there was a small room that housed a hot bath.

L'ykke looked around in awe, and then back at Ae. "You said there were stipulations? What are they?"

Ae smiled tiredly, and said, "There are only two, and I apologize if they seem strange to you. First, you must use the bath before sleeping in the bed. Second, you must not wear anything more than your smallclothes to sleep."

L'ykke looked at Ae, a combination of puzzlement and embarrassment on his face. "Oh...Alright," he said softly. "Why is that, if I can ask?"

Ae straightened and took a deep breath, then exhaled and relaxed. He looked at L'ykke again, and explained with a weary smile, "Because... This is my own room. I don't mean to offend, but I don't know where you've been, and you look like you could use a bath."

L'ykke stared at Ae for a moment, then quietly shouted, "I can't stay here! This is your room! Where will you sleep? I mean... It is a large bed and we could easily share but..." L'ykke blushed at this, but remained flustered.

Ae put his hands on L'ykke's shoulders to calm him. "Yes, you can stay here. For tonight, my room is now your room. As for me, I have another room I can sleep in," Ae paused, staring into the Miqo'te's eyes. "Now," Ae began, as he took one of L'ykke's hands in his own, and placed the key to the room in the Miqo'te's palm, "This is the only key to the room, and the door locks from the inside. There is a rack over there where you can let your clothes dry as you sleep, and after you bathe, sleep as long as you want." Ae let go of L'ykke's hand, still holding his gaze.

For a moment, L'ykke was speechless. He just stared, mouth agape, unbelieving at Ae. When he finally remembered how to speak again, only one word came to mind. "Why?" L'ykke asked.

"Why what?" Ae returned, puzzled.

"Why are you doing this for me?" L'ykke asked, his eyes searching Ae's for the answer.

Ae's expression softened, and he patted L'ykke on the shoulder. "Its a long story," he said, "and if after you've had a good nights rest, you still want to hear it, maybe I'll tell it to you then. But for now, just get some sleep," he finished, and turned towards the door. As he reached it, he turned around to see the Miqo'te still standing there, looking at him. "You'd better lock this door after I leave, I can't be responsible for the actions of some of our guests, should they venture down this way."

L'ykke nodded and moved towards the door. Ae began to shut it, then paused for a moment. "Goodnight," he said quietly, and heard L'ykke echo it back to him, even softer.

Ae shut the door to his own room, with the Miqo'te adventurer, L'ykke inside. He didn't want to explain just yet why he was doing this, both of them were tired and he knew it was a conversation better suited for later. But he went over it in his head again and again as he had done many times before.

Loops. It was something Ae was very familiar with. He had personal experience with both positive and negative loops, and this was his primary reason for helping Adventurers like L'ykke. When he was still a child, his parents ran the Canopy. It was failing. He watched as the stress built on his parents daily, sapping their vitality and slowly removing any motivation and ambition they had. Travelers weren't staying there because the rooms weren't kept clean and the food was no good. The rooms weren't kept clean because the staff was disinterested in working, and the food was no good because no good cook wanted to work for the Canopy. The disinterested staff was the result of poor decision making by his parents, when the fired the good staff and tried to hire other people to do the same job for less money when the Canopy started loosing business initially. Whatever had caused the initial drop had happened before Ae was born, but it didn't matter. It had happened none the less and the problem had compounded itself over and over and formed this cycle, this loop that they couldn't seem to get out of.

Ae had a good tongue growing up, his taste was his natural gift. He was not particularly strong, nor particularly good with numbers and words, but he had his taste. He tried to help his parents by cooking, but they brushed it off and ignored it as something that would never work. That would eventually change, and it would be what got the Canopy out of its negative loop.

When Ae was around 15 years old, he was sitting in the main space talking to the one Adventurer to stop by in a week. He was telling Ae of his travels, and a dish he had in Ul'dah that was the best meal he had ever eaten (a question Ae often posed to those visiting, always looking for inspiration). This traveler described it to Ae in as much detail as he could, he himself having tried to savor the moment for as long as possible.

It took Ae three tries to make the dish, salt cod puffs, before he was satisfied with the taste. There was a lot of guesswork involved in the first attempt, and it just wasn't there. The second time, he used a little more flour and a little less popoto, and tried to keep the mixture cool before frying. Again, it wasn't there, but it was significantly better than the first try. The third time, he found a better mix of the thyme and nutmeg, and heated his oil hotter and fried it for a shorter duration, and it was perfect. It was savory, just enough sweet, with a pleasant texture that melted in your mouth without feeling insubstantial. All of the aspects the adventurer described were there. He collected his parents and all but forced them to try it.

They loved it and agreed to put it on the menu, just as a test. The ingredients weren't cheap, but they weren't so expensive and exotic that they couldn't be sourced or sold profitably. Ae added it to the menu, and tried to convince the few customers they had to try his salt cod puffs. Eventually, he succeeded. He got one, then two, then another two to try it. All of them loved it, and claimed it was some of the best fare they had eaten in years. This continued at a steady pace for a few months, but there were now more customers in the inn. He noticed after awhile that his parents seemed to be at each others throats a little less, a little more energetic, happier.

Then it seemed to happen all at once. Suddenly, every night, the inn was packed with people wanting to try Ae's salt cod puffs, that had previously only been available in Ul'dah. Those unable to travel there now had a chance to the cuisine of Ul'dah, and those that had been there were eager to see how it stood up. Ae's family almost couldn't accommodate the change. Ae had to make multiple trips to the Drury's each night to get more ingredients. After supplying them with a large sum of Gil, was able to eventually place larger orders for the finest the family farm had to offer.

A fair amount of the customers that ate there, then wanted to stay the night. Finally, Ae's parents were able to fire the slacking staff and hire enthusiastic people who wanted to work a quality job, and they were able to be paid more. Most importantly, at least to Ae, was an Adventurer named Lonka. He had traveled to the Canopy to have this dish, and was delighted by it. Being a true culinarian himself, he asked if he might be able to work under Ae to learn how to make it, as well as the other fare served at the inn.

Ae recognized at this point, a little after having turned 16, that things were going well. The memory of the hard times before this had not faded at all, but he noticed that it seemed to have from his parents. He was glad for them, that they no longer worried much, were proud of their son, and more in love with each other than they had been when they were first married. But what Ae really recognized was that this was still part of the loop, and it could at any moment start going the other direction.

He spent his days making sure that didn't happen. He made sure Lonka understood the menu items, and was happy continuing to work there under him, and was challenged enough by his position that he felt it was worthwhile. Ae did his best to ensure that all the staff at the inn were contented by their work, to confirm that they would be willing to consistently give the best service possible, something the Canopy was starting to build a reputation for. His parents chided him for working too hard, but he ignored it.

After two years of success, the Canopy had remodeled and grown larger. There were more staff members, more guests, more rooms, and Gil flowing in and out to match. Luckily, even though Ae and insisted on paying the staff who had been their longer substantially more, the Gil was mostly flowing in, not out. His parents had gotten used to the success, and were no longer as satisfied. They were eager to take risks now that they weren't struggling to make ends meet. Ae dissuaded them from making any sweeping changes to the Canopy, but in return had agreed to let them spend some time away from it. They wanted to do a little traveling of their own, before they get "too old", they said. Ae was reluctant, but saw no other way around it.

On a sunny morning, the 10th of the 3rd Astral moon, his parents set out to spend a few months away, and Ae was left in charge. He saw them off, and waved as they left through the Blue Badger gate of New Gridania. No tears were shed at their parting, only joyous smiles from Ae's parents, and a reluctant grin from Ae himself. Two days later, Ae's parents were brought back through the Blue Badger Gate as corpses, victims of an Iaxal attack.

Ae closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. The memory was still uncomfortable, especially now as he paused outside the door to his parents' old room at the inn. Remembering certainly did not make what he was about to do any easier. He unlocked the door and stepped in, lighting the lamp by the door. It revealed a room that had been untouched for years, and despite being closed off, a thin coat of dust lay across everything. Reluctantly, Ae closed the door behind him, locked it, and removed the top sheet from the bed and cast it aside. He did the same with the pillowcase, and, with a queasy feeling in his gut, climbed into bed and tried to sleep.



Upstairs, in Ae's room, L'ykke lay naked in Ae's bed, hating himself. He had agreed to the two conditions set by Ae for staying the night, that he bathe himself thoroughly and not wear his clothes to sleep, so as to keep the bedding clean. L'ykke was a little uncomfortable with the idea, until Ae gave him the only key to the room, and told him that it locked from the inside. L'ykke would have agreed anyway, after the meal he had been fed and being offered to stay in the owner's own room. But it was for that reason, he lay there, silently cursing himself.

How could he accept this hospitality, for no remuneration? He had nothing of value to give Ae in return, and he didn't know what tomorrow would bring. How could he find a way to repay him? L'ykke rolled over on his side, and tried to calm himself and stop worrying. He took a deep breath and resolved that he would wake up early tomorrow, and do whatever Ae asked to repay him for this. Slowly, the Miqo'te adventurer fell asleep.

He awoke the next day, sunlight filtering into the room from the large half moon window. L'ykke stretched and blinked his eyes several times, trying to discern his whereabouts. He slowly pieced together last night, coming to the inn, the owner Ae, the food, and Ae's offer to let him use his own bed. His thoughts solidified, as he took a deep breath and stretched once more before getting out of bed. The sun was just above the horizon, which meant he had manged to get up right around when he wanted. He put on his clothes, feeling much better than he had in several weeks, and opened the door.

He made his way down the stairs, but only made it to the landing before he bumped into Ae.

"Good morning," Ae said with a chuckle. "I was coming to knock and make sure you were alright," he said.

"Yes, I'm fine," L'ykke said, a bit confused. "Did something happen?"

"Well, no, not really," Ae said, now himself a bit puzzled. "Its just that, you've been sleeping since last night and it is nearly sundown."

The realization slowly dawned on L'ykke, his eyes grew wide as he thought back to when he got out of bed. He thought the sun should be elsewhere in the sky, but he figured he had his sense of direction had been thrown off by the new location. His face grew red.

"I'm so sorry!" He all but shouted at Ae. "I'm so sorry!" he repeated, and turned away

"Its ok, you must have been exhausted." Ae paused and smiled at the Miqo'te. "I'm glad you got some rest. But, being as it is nearly sundown, I'd recommend you hurry to the Archer's guild and seek admittance before they shut their doors. They probably won't let you test today, but you should be able to first thing tomorrow."

L'ykke turned back around. "I... I will. Thank you..." his voice trailed off. He looked up at Ae, still embarrassed. Ae was looking at him so warmly, so kind. L'ykke remembered his resolve to repay his debt, and he replaced his embarrassment with that resolve. Ae seemed to notice the change, and his face looked mildly puzzled. "I want to thank you for last night," L'ykke began, "you've been so kind to me, a complete stranger, and it is completely unwarranted. Please, if there is anything I can do to repay you, tell me and I will do it." L'ykke stared straight into Ae's eyes, determined.

"Anything?" Ae asked quizzically. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." came L'ykke's reply. He felt Ae searching, staring deep into his soul looking for his resolve, and L'ykke made sure Ae saw it. And then, for just a brief instant before Ae turned away, L'ykke saw something in Ae's eyes that froze him in place and halted his breath. He saw an ocean of sadness, unfathomably deep and unending in his eyes. It overwhelmed him, and he felt a soreness in his chest that paralyzed him. And then it was over.

"Alright," Ae said quietly, his gaze still averted. "I may have something for you, although I imagine it is far from what you were expecting. I'll think about it," he finished, his voice barely audible. He took a quick breath and turned back to L'ykke. "But, before that, you need to go to the Archers' Guild." L'ykke was a bit surprised at the sudden change had taken over Ae, and now he was back to his normal self.

"Ok, I'll go." L'ykke said. He started to walk away, when Ae called to him.

"Make sure you come back here after you're done. I'll have food and a bed for you again, you'll probably need it for at least one more night. I may not be around when you come back, so ask Cassia at the front to grab me," he said smiling.

"Ok," L'ykke nodded, and smiled back as he made his way to the front door. He made his way up the path, passing others and only vaguely aware that he was heading towards the Archer's Guild. Several times, he had to stop himself and backtrack because his mind was elsewhere. "Why is he doing this for me?" The words continued to repeat in his head. He would try to think, but the question would hit him again before he could try to draw an answer. Finally, the Archer's Guild was in sight, and momentarily, his focus shifted. Upon entering, L'ykke asked the quartermaster if he might meet with the captain of the guild. The woman, kindly in her old age and wrinkles, pointed through the doorway to the training room. L'ykke followed her gesture, and quickly determined who the captain of the guild was and made his way over to her.

L'ykke pushed open the door to the Canopy and scanned the common area for Ae. Only a few patrons were left, sitting at a table not far from where L'ykke had sat with Ae the previous night. He walked over to the counter where rooms at the inn were rented for the night. A woman with long, blonde hair and bright green eyes stood behind the counter, organizing keys in front of her and occasionally looking up to scan the common area. L'ykke assumed that this must be Cassia, and approached the counter.

"Excuse me," he began softly.

"Oh! You must be L'ykke!" the woman exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. L'ykke's face must have shown his confusion, as she continued a moment later, "Ae told me to watch for a Miqo'te coming in late at night, and you're the only one I've seen all day! Hang on," she said, making to move out from behind the counter, "I'll go find Ae for you, you just wait here," she finished with a smile. But before she had taken three steps away, a familiar voice called out.

"That won't be needed, Casssia, thank you though." L'ykke and Cassia both turned around to see Ae walking out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of food for two in one hand.

"Ae!" L'ykke exclaimed, a little louder than he intended. He realized instantly, and laid his ears flat and averted his gaze. After the encounter with Silvairre at the Archers' Guild, he was just glad to see the only friendly face he knew in Gridania.

"L'ykke, how are you? How did it go at the Archers' Guild?" Ae asked, stopping in front of the two of them. "Thanks for watching Cassia, you can retire for the night," Ae said, shifting his attention when L'ykke didn't answer right away.

"Alright, thanks honey!" Cassia called as she moved to lock the remaining keys up for the night and return to her own room.

"So, what happened?" Ae pressed, once Cassia was out of earshot. L'ykke looked up Ae, who was smiling warmly as always at him.

"Nothing, everything went fine," L'ykke lied. "I go back tomorrow to take the initiation test." He couldn't look Ae in the eyes as he was talking, but he returned his gaze once he finished. One look at Ae, and he could tell his lie had been seen through.

"Alright," Ae said, his skepticism subtle, but certainly present, "Lets head up to my room to eat. I hope you're hungry," he finished, smiling again. "I have something to tell you in private, as well," he said, softly. Ae turned and began towards the stairs. L'ykke waited a moment, then began to follow him. They walked in silence up to Ae's room. Once inside, Ae closed and locked the door behind them, and set the tray of food he had been carrying down on the small table next to the fountain in the room. Both L'ykke and Ae had a seat, and Ae began serving them. Dinner tonight was a simple grilled trout with a hard crusted bread coated in herb oil on the side, topped with sauteed kale.

"Thank you for dinner again..." L'ykke said. Clearly he still felt bad about receiving such hospitality.

"You're welcome, L'ykke" Ae said with a brief smile. "Now, tell me what happened at the Archers' Guild. I can tell it wasn't nothing," he finished, picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

"Its just... There was this guy, an Elezen named Silviarre... He's one of the top members of the guild," L'ykke paused, looking down at his plate but not seeing it. He looked up at Ae, pain in his eyes. "He said Miqo'te are scum and have no place learning the noble art of the bow."

Ae's eyes widened. "What?"

"I.. I wanted to leave, but the guild master told me to ignore him. But if I pass my initiation, then I'll have to be around him! I don't know what to do," L'ykke said, a little hopelessly.

"Easy," Ae said, after a moment, "Do as the guild master says and ignore him."

"But, he said he'll never recognize me as an Archer, because I'm a Miqo'te!"

"Then become better at it than him and make him recognize you as an Archer," Ae replied.

At this the Miqo'te was silent, and returned his gaze to the plate before him. After a few moments, he began to eat.

Ae relaxed a bit, then said softly, "You're not scum, and you can be a better Archer than this Elezen if you work at it. Just..."

The Miqo'te looked up, ears perked and eyes hopeful. "Just don't give up on your dreams because there's one racist prick standing in your way." Ae said, meeting L'ykke's gaze and holding it. L'ykke blushed and his ears laid forward.

"Thank you..." He said. "I just... Why are you doing this for me?" L'ykke asked desperately. "You've been so kind, but why?"

Ae finished chewing a bite of trout and set down his fork. He closed his eyes and sighed, then looked back up at the Miqo'te across from him. "Well," he began, "you wanted to repay me, right?"

L'ykke nodded.

"Well, me telling you why I'm doing this for you, and you paying me back are... related, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't... I don't know, really. Just listen, and I'll explain. Its a rather long story, I hope you're awake enough for it," Ae said, resting his elbows on the table. He looked L'ykke in the eyes, and seeing his curiosity and determination, began his story.

"First, you'll need a little background..." Ae related the story of the Canopy's past to the Miqo'te; about how it had been run down and it seemed like his family would never be able to get out from under it. How Ae had convinced his parents to put his cooking on the menu, and how over time, that became one of the main attractions of the inn. With more people coming in, the inn itself was able to improve its staff and functionality, and began to grow once more. By the time he got to the part where his parents died, both of them had since finished eating. L'ykke had pushed his plate to the side and was listening intently, while Ae absentmindedly played with the bones of his fish with his fork. Ae planned to pause after announcing his parents' murder, for dramatic effect. Ae had spent years listening to adventurers tell their stories, and he prided himself on being at least better than average at telling them himself. The pause lasted longer than he intended however, as he found himself unable to continue for a moment. This was not something he had told anyone else before, and here he was telling almost a complete stranger.

"I... I'm sorry," L'ykke said softly, not wanting to interrupt, but wanting to fill the silence left by Ae's declaration. Ae simply shook his head, and after one last deep breath, looked up and continued.

"In that moment, I knew I had a choice to make, and quickly. In my parents' will, they said that they would leave ownership of the Canopy up to me. I could either take it on myself, or appoint one of the staff as the owner. There was one worker who had been with us since I was young, and he knew that I could give it to him should something happen to my parents. If I did, I would be given a sum of money that would essentially allow me to never have to work again, but I would not be a part of the Canopy anymore. But, I couldn't do it. I couldn't let go, couldn't trust anyone to run the Canopy in my stead."

Ae paused a moment for another deep breath, then began again. "So I took over, knowing that I would be unable to grieve the loss of my parents. I would simply be too busy to do so if I wanted to maintain the Canopy. So I didn't. Instead, I grew the Canopy to what it is today, the most popular inn in Gridania. The best staff, food, accommodations, et cetera. So," Ae sat up in his seat and leaned forward, "Now that you know all of that, do you understand why I'm doing this for you?"

L'ykke shook his head.

Ae smiled, "I didn't expect you to. But, there are a number of reasons." Ae leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling. "The first of which is because of loops. At least, that's what I call them. But we were in a negative one when the inn was dying, and my adding salt cod puffs to the menu was the start of a positive one that has continued until today." Ae sighed and looked back at L'ykke, and the Miqo'te could tell something had changed in his expression. It reminded him of how he had looked before he was sent of to the Archer's guild, that sadness was coming back. "I feel like almost no one else recognizes loops. They blame the Gods, fate, or luck, but never their actions that have resulted in their situation. In order to get out of a negative loop, there has to be some additional... strength that comes from outside to catalyze the beginning of a positive loop. Sometimes, its adding a new menu item. Other times, its letting a stranger stay the night and rest, so they're able to make good decisions the following day. If I can be that strength for anyone, and get them on the right track, I want to do that for them."

Ae buried his face in his hands for a moment, then took a drink of his water. "Having contact with as many adventurers as I do, I feel like there is a very prevalent mentality of, and excuse me for being crass, "Fuck you, I've got mine". In that, successful adventurers attribute their success to nothing but their own hard work and determination. Sure, those play a part, but it is the system we have in place as a society that allows them to function in the first place! And without inns and culinarians and leather workers and all other Disciples of Hand and Land, they would not have what they do!" Ae realized he had been getting louder, but had failed to realize just how loud based on the expression L'ykke was wearing.

"I'm sorry," Ae said softly, "Its just very frustrating. But anyway, I know that I am successful, and I want to share it with others if I can, but only if they're willing to work towards it too. I can't just give away wealth or give people jobs, they have to put fourth their own effort and I try to match it for them. So, that's the first reason." Ae took a long drink from the glass in front of him, and sighed as he set it down.

"I understand," L'ykke replied. "That makes sense."

"The second reason," Ae began, "is that I feel... As I said before, this is the most successful and reputable inn in Gridania. That success doesn't come without a cost, however." Ae paused, and looked hard at L'ykke for a moment before continuing. "Part of that is monetary. In order to create an incentive for a hard working, happy staff, I pay them better than anyone else, and I can afford to because of how carefully I have cultivated the Canopy. But it isn't the money that is the true cost, it is the responsibility that comes with it. The people I employ are able to enjoy a higher quality of life because I pay them well, and many of them have started to raise a family on that wage. As the owner, it is my job to make the decisions that ensure I am able to continue to pay them that wage, and like I said, I can't trust anyone to run the canopy in my stead. So, I am bound here by that responsibility to the families of my staff." Ae paused, his eyes looking towards L'ykke, but not seeing him. They were focused far off in the distance on something only Ae make out.

And then L'ykke saw it. He saw Ae, sitting on a small island of sand in the middle of an ocean. The island was maybe as long across as Ae was tall, with very little vegetation. A small bush with red berries and a bit of patchy green ground cover was all. And there Ae sat. He smiled weakly to himself, as birds circled overhead and occasionally landed. Ae would feed them a berry or two, and they would caw happily and fly off. He would dip his feet in the water and play with the small fish that swam in the shallows. And then, all the fish swam away and the birds flew off towards the horizon and Ae was left alone. In front of Ae, off in the distance, there rose a wave. It grew as it came closer to the island, and grew more until it was easily four or five times greater than Ae's height. Ae simply sat there, watching the wave smiling hopelessly to himself.

L'ykke blinked and found Ae staring now at him. "You alright?" Ae asked.

L'ykke nodded, embarrassed.

"Good," he said, and began to continue,"you seemed scared for a moment. Anyway, because I'm bound here, I like to live vicariously through the adventurers that stay here. Its why I asked you pay me in stories, because I very rarely get to leave the Canopy, much less go anywhere outside Gridania."

"I'm sorry," L'ykke said, his concern evident in his tone.

"Nothing for you to be sorry about, L'ykke," Ae returned. "You're paying me just fine by listening, and I'm not done talking yet, unfortunately for you," he finished with a playful smile at L'ykke. It faded quickly, however, as he continued. "So I am doing this for you because I want to be that catalyst for things start falling into place in your life, and also for my own selfish want to experience the life you've lived. I'm also helping you because, and I want you to know I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but it is a much less significant reason that the other two; and that is because it is good marketing."

L'ykke sat up, surprised. "Marketing? What are you marketing?"

"Our reputation," Ae answered. "Please don't take offense to this, but you're not special. I mean, you are, but you're also not. Remember, I've helped many adventurers in similar ways to how I am helping you. A fair amount, but not all, do go on be moderately successful. Those that do spread the word of how the "generous owner of the Canopy in Gridania" helped them in their time of need, and those tales spread. As they spread, more people come visit us." Ae watched as L'ykke realized the implications, watched his eyes narrow and ears lay back.

"I see," L'ykke, said, "You're very cleaver."

Ae held up his hand, "Like I said, it isn't even really a reason why I do this, more of just a benefit of doing so."

"So, what do you mean? That I'm not special, but I am?" L'ykke asked, still a little suspicious.

Ae sighed briefly, then began, "You aren't special because I've done this sort of thing for many other adventurers over the last few years. But you are special because never before have I let an adventurer sleep in my own bed. Or stay several nights in a row. Nor have I ever reveled as much about myself to any other adventurer, or really anyone else aside from my parents or my head culinarian." Ae paused to let his last statement sink in, and he saw the Miqo'te's eyes widen. "So, you are special. To me."

L'ykke looked puzzled. "I..." L'ykke began softly, "I listened carefully to all that you've said, but I don't know if understand any better now than I did before. You told me the reasons why you're doing this for me, and I don't want to offend you. The last thing I want to do is offend you, you've been so kind to me. But..." the Miqo'te paused, and then looked into Ae's eyes. Ae motioned for him to continue. "But... I don't believe you. Is that really it? Is that really why you're doing this for me? I mean, me, not the other adventurers."

Ae slowly slid closed his eyes and sighed deeply. After a long pause, he replied, "No, thats not it."

"Tell me, truthfully... Why?" L'ykke asked earnestly, leaning forward.

Ae chuckled a chuckle that could have just as easily been a sob. After a few moments, quietly, he said, "Well, the last reason can be summed up by a saying you've probably heard at least once or twice growing up." Ae paused and looked L'ykke directly in the eyes.

Now L'ykke was on the island with Ae, standing next to him as Ae watched the wave, towering in front of them.

"They say that, the people who are the kindest, are the people who are the loneliest. And L'ykke-"

The wave began to fall, and L'ykke knew he had to do something. They would both be drowned if he didn't. L'ykke grabbed Ae in his arms and braced for the wave to fall.

"I am so lonely."

Both of them were underneath the sea at once. L'ykke held Ae tightly, as they were thrown from the island. Painfully, L'ykke opened his eyes under the water. He looked around panicked, trying to determine which way the surface was. A tiny glimmer of light caught his eye, and he began kicking frantically, swimming towards it. He broke the surface, pulling Ae above the water, holding him close to his chest. L'ykke laid and floated on his back, making sure Ae's head was in the air.

L'ykke's chair lay on its back, knocked over by the sudden movement. L'ykke had his arms wrapped tightly around Ae, who sat silently, tears rolling down his face, still at the table. The Miqo'te noticed his arm was wet, and looked up from where his head had been pressed on Ae's shoulder to see tears dropping onto it.

"Please, L'ykke," came a voice struggling not to break, "If you want to repay me, please... Just for tonight, make the loneliness go away..."

L'ykke kicked and kicked, swimming in any direction. They had to get out of the ocean quickly, he wouldn't be able to support the both of them for long. L'ykke kicked as hard as he could, face up holding onto Ae. The Miqo'te's head bushed something, then came into full contact with the sandy beach of the island. He struggled to stand up in the wet sand, dragging Ae onto the beach. Ae's chest rose and fell, but just barely. L'ykke held him close, the two of them alone on the island.



"Alright," the Miqo'te said softly, as he held Ae, who's head laid on the Miqo'te's chest in Ae's bed. "If that is what you need protection from, then I, L'ykke Yvo, as an adventurer, swear to not let it near you tonight." Ae heard a tinge of pride in the Miqo'te's voice, and through the tears, managed a smile.

"Thank you," Ae whispered. He did not try to stop the tears that came. He knew, even in the warm embrace of L'ykke, that he wouldn't be able to stop them if he tried. All of the grief of the loss of his parents, the deep and abiding loneliness he had experienced in the years since, and the comfort of being held in the strong arms of an adventurer all competed and clashed with each other, and Ae was simply helpless to do anything other than observe and wait for it to end.

L'ykke continued to hold Ae, gently stroking his back and doing his best to calm him. The Miqo'te now wore the same, weak, smile that Ae had through parts of his story. He understood the mixed emotion now; being glad to help and feel needed, and being empathetic towards Ae. He laughed a single, ironic laugh that caused Ae to look up at him.

"Its funny," L'ykke said softly, more to himself than to Ae, "When I decided to become an adventurer, I always imaged helping people by defending them from the Iaxl, or whatever threat there was. And when you told me your parents had been killed by them, I thought for sure you were going to ask me to bring you some Iaxl heads." He paused and looked at Ae, who had calmed down significantly, but still had red eyes and tears running down his face. "But, you were right. I was not expecting for this to be the way I would repay you. And..." He paused again and smiled warmly at Ae, "I'm alright with this."

Ae managed a little smile, and wiped at the tears in his eyes. "There's... There is something I need to tell you, though," L'ykke said.

Ae sat up and did his best to look dignified. "Whats that?" He asked, his voice rough.

"I.. You've been so honest with me, and I feel guilty. I... I need to tell you the truth, about why I left home."

"Alright," Ae nodded.

"My father does leather work for Fen Yll, as I told you. We have a good relationship, our families. My father and I were paid well to do leather working for them, and they were happy to make use of our skill. But one day, someone sought out my father to do leather work for themselves. He agreed, and produced a set of leather armor for this adventurer that did not bear the Fen Yll name. It was fine, until the head of the Fen Yll family, Fenhaer found out."

"What happened?" Ae asked, now concerned.

L'ykke took a deep breath and continued. "Fenhaer told him that he had two choices: He could loose his home and income, or wed his son, me, to their eldest daughter and join our families."

"That's... a strange ultimatum to give someone," Ae said

"It wasn't, really," L'ykke said, "Our home was on their land, and they paid us handsomely. My father broke the agreement they had, that he would only do work for Fen Yll. Fenhaer only needed two things; skilled leather workers to craft for him, and men to marry his daughters to. So, the offer to marry me to one of their daughters was very attractive compared to the other option."

"Ah," Ae agreed. "So, you ran off to avoid being wed to this woman?"

L'ykke paused, eyes averted for a moment before answering. "Kind of... I tried to talk my father out of it before my 18th birthday, but he wouldn't listen. I just..." L'ykke paused a moment and looked away. He turned back to face Ae, a pained expression on his face. "It was his decision to break the agreement he had, and he was so quick to sign my life away if it meant he suffered no consequences."

"When you told me how you came to be an adventurer the other night," Ae began, "you said you told him you wanted to travel, and he said that he never wanted to see you again, and that your mother would be ashamed of you, or something like that."

L'ykke nodded.

"Why?"

The question hung in the air for long moments. Ae, still a mess from earlier, started into the Miqo'te's eys, searching. Finally, L'ykke took a deep breath and sighed. "It wasn't because I wanted to travel, it was because I would have been miserable for the rest of my life if I married her. I-" L'ykke's voice broke off, and his eyes welled with tears. He looked at Ae uncertainly, desperation in his gaze, and said, "I could never love a woman the same way I want to love another man." The tears began rolling down the Miqo'te's delicate cheeks, his cat-like ears pressed forward, almost flat against his head.

Ae looked at L'ykke for a moment, a deep understanding penetrating to his core. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around L'ykke once more, laying his head on L'ykke's chest. "Its fine," he whispered. "I'm the same as you." Ae felt L'ykke chest convulse as sobs wrecked his body. Through it, Ae held him tightly, trying calm him. L'ykke kept on trying to form words, but the sounds broke apart and scattered as they left his mouth.

"Shh," Ae said as he sat up, and looked the Miqo'te in the eyes once more. Ae smiled warmly, though his eyes were still red, "You don't have to say anything."

L'ykke nodded.

"Just remember the promise you made to me,"

L'ykke took a quick breath and hardened his expression, determination returning to his eyes.

"Good," Ae said. He reached out a hand and, gently, with the back of his finger, wiped the Miqo'te's tears away. "More importantly, you need to remember you have a test tomorrow at the Archer's Guild."

The Miqo'te's eyes widened, "By Menphina, you're right!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Ae reassured him, "lets just get some rest. I don't know about you, but I have a terrible headache, and I am barely able to stay awake right now."

L'ykke relaxed, and smiled quietly at Ae. His eyes widened again, remembering something else. "Oh," he said, making a move to get up, "I should take a bath before sleeping, right?"

Ae grabbed the Miqo'te by the arm and pulled him back into bed with him. "No, not tonight. You slept all day and only went out briefly to the Archer's guild." Ae smiled, and rested his head back on L'ykke's chest and said, "Besides... you smell good."

L'ykke beamed, and gently stroked Ae's back. "Hey," he said softly.

Ae looked up.

"Sit up for just a moment," L'ykke asked.

Ae did, looking puzzled.

L'ykke undid the ties on his black leather vest, and removed it. "Here," L'ykke patted the bed next to him. "Lay down again."

Once again, Ae did as he was asked to.

L'ykke smiled, and laid his vest over Ae's back, and laid himself down next to him. Then, he reached and pulled Ae close to him, and said, "Just to make sure you're protected from the loneliness tonight."

Ae blushed visibly, and held L'ykke close. "Thank you, L'ykke Yvo" came Ae's muffled reply.

The lamps in the room continued to burn awhile after the two had fallen asleep, and then their own fuel exhausted, burnt out and the room was dark.

Ae awoke the next morning, dim gray light filtering into the room through the windows. He opened his eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. He stared in disbelief at the Miqo'te man sleeping not but inches from where he lay. It wasn't a dream, he told himself. He was really there. Ae gently stroked L'ykke's side, feeling a deep warmth form inside his chest and expand outward. It registered deep within him that right now, he was not alone. A smile formed on his lips, a stupid, goofy smile, and for the first time in a very long time, Ae was genuinely happy.

For long moments, Ae lay there, gently caressing the sleeping Miqo'te. It was quiet, but Ae noticed the soft patter of rain on the window. He sat up a little, curious to see how rainy it was. As he stirred however, he woke L'ykke. The Miqo'te slowly opened his eyes, and blinked.

"Good morning," Ae said softly.

L'ykke looked confused for a moment, then realized his current situation. He looked at Ae and, obviously a little embarrassed, replied, "Good morning..."

Ae hugged the Miqo'te close to him, and whispered into his ear a word of thanks, and then let go. L'ykke lay there, grinning at Ae. For awhile, the only movement in the room was the blinking of their eyes, as they shared a moment of safety, comfort, and togetherness. Then, suddenly, the Miqo'te sat upright.

"How long has the sun be up?!" He asked, panicked.

"Not long, I think," Ae managed, after he recovered from the sudden movement.

The Miqo'te climbed out of bed and hurriedly putt on his boots that had manged their way to the floor sometime last night, "I need to make it to the Archer's guild, quickly!" L'ykke said. Ae watched, sitting upright, smiling quietly. After his boots were on, L'ykke spun around, scanning the room, looking for something. He made it all the way around, back to Ae. "There! oh.." L'ykke's eyes had landed on his vest, still covering Ae. He made a move toward the bed and held out his hand to Ae.

Ae looked at him quizzically for a moment, then down at his shoulder and realized.

"I...," L'ykke began

After a moments hesitation, Ae grabbed the vest and a bit reluctantly handed it to L'ykke.

L'ykke almost pulled has hand back, not wanting to take it from Ae.

"Its alright," Ae said, seeing the Miqo'te's hesitation.

L'ykke took the vest from Ae and put it on, and began to walk towards the door.

"Wait," Ae said, still sitting in bed. L'ykke turned around and looked at him. "Its raining out, take one of my cloaks from the armoire," Ae pointed.

"Thanks," L'ykke said, and pulled a very nice waxed cotton cloak out. He carefully wrapped himself in it and fastened it in place, and once more made his way toward the door.

"One more thing," Ae said quietly. Again, L'ykke stopped at the door and turned around to face Ae. Ae sat upright and cleared his throat, and began, "L'ykke Yvo, you have done exactly as I have asked. If you considered yourself indebted to me for the room and food, that debt has now been repaid."

L'ykke smiled and nodded towards Ae, who reciprocated the smile. "If you're going to be in Gridania for awhile," Ae continued, more quietly this time, "I'd like to offer you temporary residence here, if you want." L'ykke said nothing, but nodded again and made a move to open the door. "Good luck," Ae said quietly as the Miqo'te walked out, and closed the door behind him.

Ae's room was still again, almost silent, save for the rain. For long moments, Ae sat in bed, staring at the door. He wondered why L'ykke hadn't seemed happier about his offer. Eventually, he closed his eyes and laid back down. The sheets next to him still faintly carried L'ykke's scent, and Ae found himself holding them close, remembering the Miqo'te that not minutes ago lay right there. After a few minutes, Ae opened his eyes and stared out at the room. He, too had things to attend to today. Despite his longing to, he knew that he was unable to lay here until L'ykke returned. He took a deep breath and steeled his will, beginning yet another long day at The Canopy.



L'ykke was a mess. He had so many thoughts swimming in his head at once he didn't know which ones to think. He walked quickly down the path towards the Archer's guild, not wanting to show up late for his test. But he found himself missing turns as he thought back to last night and this morning. He loved Ae. He knew it down in his heart of hearts, but he couldn't let himself. "Love can't happen this fast," he told himself, but again, he knew it was a lie. He had told Ae that he liked other men, and not only had Ae accepted him, he liked other men too! L'ykke had only dreamed of finding some else like him, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would be the first person he talked to in Gridania. The other part of L'ykke's mind pulled him back to his present situation. He hadn't slept much, he wasn't focused, and yet he had arrived at the Archer's Guild. He stood outside, the gentle rain pattering and rolling off the cloak Ae had lent him. Inside, he knew there would really be two tests; the entrance test, and the test of dealing with Silviarre. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes before slowly breathing out, making one last attempt to calm his thoughts. That accomplished, he walked to the door, opened it, and stepped inside out of the rain.



Ae finished wiping down the last of the tables in the common area and stood back a moment to look at his work. The area was empty, the last patrons having either retired to their rooms for the night, or left altogether. Ae sighed heavily, and for the first moment since he got out of bed this morning, he allowed himself a moment of respite. One of the staff that attended to customers in the common area had been very sick, and unable to work. Ae, being the owner, had the option of sending for another one of his employees on their day off to cover, but Ae had another plan. Instead, he took their responsibilities on in addition to his own. He knew that it was important for his workers to see that he was willing to do the work he asked of them, and to lead by example. However, now finally being able to relax for a moment, all the stress and exhaustion of the day caught up with him. He didn't want to get up from the table where he had seated himself unless it was to drag his exhausted self to the bath and then to bed. There was more work to be done though, before he could excuse himself for the night. The gil needed to be counted and sorted, the books adjusted, and the kitchen prepped for the next day.

Ae buried his face in his hands and sighed again. He wanted to see L'ykke again. He missed the Miqo'te, and he had kept himself busy all day so as not to distract himself with thoughts of him. Now, they were unstoppable. His light reddish-brown hair, his bright blue eyes, his cute cat-like ears, his smell. Ae concentrated hard and finally managed to bring himself back to reality. He stood up and walked over to the door to lock it. He stood in the doorway for a moment, and noticed that the rain had finally stopped. The night air was cool on his face, calming Ae as he breathed it in deeply. Off in the night, he heard the sound of footsteps, someone running very quickly towards the Canopy. Ae's heart skipped a beat. "L'ykke?" he asked himself quietly. He strained his eyes, trying to make out the figure. It ran by a street light, and Ae saw for a brief instant the cloak he had lent L'ykke.

Ae didn't know whether he should run out to meet him, or wait for L'ykke to come to him. Before he had the chance to think on his decision, L'ykke had arrived at the porch, still running full speed. One, two, three long lunges and L'ykke was less than a foot away from Ae. L'ykke tackled Ae to the ground, shooting them both back inside the common area. Ae's head hit the wood floor with a thunk, and he cried out sharply in pain. L'ykke sat up, straddling Ae's mid-section, red in the face and panting. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.

Ae slowly propped himself up on his elbow and rubbed the back of his head with his other arm. "Its alright," he winced. Ae looked up at the concerned Miqo'te's face, and felt the pain lessen. He reached up with the hand he had used to check the back of his head and used it to guide L'ykke's chin toward him. Ae closed his eyes and met L'ykke's lips with his, and kissed him gently. He pulled away, and locked his gaze with the Miqo'te.

L'ykke looked at him, stunned, unable to speak. Ae grinned coyly back at him, waiting to see what the Miqo'te would do. L'ykke reached out and hugged Ae tightly, so much so Ae could hardly breath, but he wrapped his arms around L'ykke all the same. L'ykke let go, and smiled broadly at Ae. "I passed the test!" he exclaimed, doing his best not to shout at Ae who was less than a foot from him.

"Congratulations!," Ae replied, hugging him again.

"Lucianne, the Guild Master said I will need train there for awhile before I can start adventuring outside of Gridania, though. Is... can I still... stay with you?" L'ykke finished, meekly.

"Hmm..." Ae said, and tried to look serious. After a moment, he looked at L'ykke, who was obviously now very concerned. Ae was reminded of how L'ykke had looked when he first told him he wasn't allowed to stay in the common area, how sincere and honest he was. Ae cracked a smile at L'ykke, and said, 'Yes, of course you can!" He hugged him again, and added, "Now, get off of me, I need to finish up some work before I go to bed."

L'ykke looked down at him for a moment, and then, realizing he had been straddling him this whole time, made a move to get up. But the he stopped. "Not yet," he said, a coy smile now forming on his face. He grabbed both of Ae's arms and pinned them to the floor behind his head and leaned in and kissed Ae deeply. After a few moments, L'ykke pulled away, still pinning Ae to the ground. "That's what you get for making me worry," he said.

Ae looked up at L'ykke over him and chuckled. "I'm sorry," he said. L'ykke stood up, still holding onto Ae, helping him to stand. "Go ahead up to my room," Ae began, "and have a bath tonight. I'll be up in an hour or so when I'm done with work, alright?"

L'ykke held Ae's hands and kissed him on the cheek. "Alright, I'll be waiting," L'ykke said, and after holding onto Ae a moment longer, ran up the staircase towards Ae's room. Ae watched him depart, and shook his head, smiling. He moved back to the door, closing and locking it before heading to the desk to take care of the accounting for the night.

Ae had never been one to work slowly, he was always very quick and very accurate in his accounting. It had become second nature by this point, and it was quickly approaching being equal to his ability to cook. But tonight, Ae worked faster than he ever had. The gill was counted and sorted without delay, the numbers logged and adjusted, and then he was off to the kitchen. Ae deftly diced large chunks of onion, potato and beef and placed it in an enormous pot, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove. He fed the fire enough to last it through the night, and literally ran out to the common area. He checked the doors and windows and made sure they were locked, snuffed all but 2 lamps, and bounded up the stairs to his room.

As he approached his room, Ae slowed and then stopped in front of his door for a moment. He was giddy. The newest addition to his life that had vanquished his loneliness as if it was never there in the first place was on the other side of the door. The Hyur took a moment, in vain, to calm himself before throwing it open.

"L'ykke-" Ae called as he opened the door, and then was immediately cut short. The excitement was drained from him by what he saw. He was calm now.

Inside the room, L'ykke stood, mouth gaping, staring at the inside of Ae's closet. It took him a moment, but he turned to face Ae, astonished. Ae sighed deeply, his head sinking. Quietly, he closed the door behind him. After another moment of silence, Ae looked up at L'ykke, "I see you found my collection," he spoke at last. L'ykke nodded.

"Why?" L'ykke asked.

"Why do I have so many suits of armor?" Ae replied.

"I thought you never left the canopy..." L'ykke's gaze was drawn back to the closet. Inside, each on there own stand, was a suit of High Mythril Armor for paladins, a suit of Wolf Scale Mail that dragoons wore, a set of Raptorskin leathers, from Fen Yll no less. There were more too, various sets of plate and chainmail, and different leathers.

"I rarely get to, and if I do, its usually for an hour or less," Ae responded, advancing towards L'ykke. "As I mentioned the other night, I am the owner of the most successful inn in Gridania. Even though I pay my employees well, I still have quite a bit of money. And," Ae continued, now standing next to L'ykke, looking in on his collection, "since I don't spend it on travel or really anything else since I'm so busy most of the time, I spend it this. Suits of armor. Some of the finest in Gridania, even Ezoria."

Ae smiled softly at L'ykke and met his gaze, taking L'ykke's hand in his own. "But that doesn't answer your question," Ae continued. "I've always dreamed of being an adventurer. Dreamed of leaving The Canopy and exploring new places, helping those in need, and fighting to protect those that need protection. These last few years since my parents died have only increased my desire to do so, and finally I broke down and bought a suit of armor and planned to go off on an adventure of my own." Ae let go of L'ykke's hand and moved towards the open closet.

"But, as you can imagine, I never did." He reached out and touched a fine iron scale breastplate, stroked it lovingly. "I continued to buy the variety that I have, should the occasion arise that I am actually able to leave. So that no matter what art I decide to follow, I will be well equipped to do so. In reality, however, they just sit here in my closet most of the time. Every now and then, I'll put one on before I go to sleep and stomp around in it, or even try to sleep in it, pretending I'm anywhere else." Ae's voice trailed off.

"I don't see any weapons, though," L'ykke said softly, moving to stand beside Ae, still looking at his collection.

"No," Ae said, "no, I never bought any weapons. I decided I would begin training first, it would be too easy to hurt myself playing with them like I would, or worse, fall into a habit of mishandling them that would make re-learning it correctly very difficult."

"I see," L'ykke said. After a moment he turned to Ae, tail swaying gently to and fro, waiting for him to meet his gaze. A few seconds later, Ae turned and gazed back at the Miqo'te.

"I'm sorry for searching your room without asking," L'ykke said quietly. "Will you forgive me?"

Ae smiled, "Yes, of course I forgive you." He pulled L'ykke close and hugged him tightly.

"Ae, I-" L'ykke began, and then stopped.

The Hyur looked at L'ykke, puzzled. "Yes?"

"I don't know..." L'ykke began again. "I mean, I think... it's just that, it's too soon, but..."

Ae held the Miqo'te's shoulders at an arms lengh, and looked him square in the eyes. "Just tell me whats on your mind, and tell it to me straight."

L'ykke took a deep breath, and after a moment replied, "I think... I think I love you."

Ae blinked, but said nothing.

"I'm mean, but how could I?" L'ykke backpedaled. "We just met a few nights ago, love can't happen that quickly, right? Of course I don't-"

The Hyur held a finger to the Miqo'te's mouth, cutting him off and shushing him. Ae looked the Miqo'te in the eyes and smiled the same weary smile he had last night. He sighed and said, "Come sit down," motioning to the bed. Ae kept one arm around L'ykke, and guided him to the bed. "I need you to listen to a story, one more time. Please, before you say anything, listen to the whole thing, alright?

L'ykke nodded. Tears had welled up in his eyes, and he was doing his best to keep them from rolling down his cheeks. Ae took L'ykke's hands in his own once they were seated, and began his story.

"Thank you," he said. "Its about my head cook, Lonka. As I told you, he sought me out to apprentice himself to me to learn my cooking. As such, he and I spent a lot of time together in the kitchen, with no one else around. After a year or so, we were getting along quite well. My parents were still alive at this point, and The Canopy's success was just starting to really soar. One night, after quite a long day, I confided in him that I was attracted to other men. He was the first person I had ever told. I had only recently come to realize it myself, and I needed someone to tell. I just couldn't keep it inside anymore, but I was terrified to tell my parents. But I told Lonka. And Lonka, he... He didn't care. "To each, their own," he told me." Ae paused and smiled at L'ykke. "And for the next few moons... I loved Lonka. I had come to him, vulnerable, and exposed that in front of him and he was accepting of it. But Lonka... He likes women, the same as most men. I fought internally those few months, trying to reign in my emotions. It took an enormous amount of effort, but I finally gave up my love for him. I had to beat it into my skull that he and I could never have a relationship beyond the one that we did. "

"So..." Ae looked at L'ykke helplessly, and squeezed his hands tightly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I understand how you feel. I know that you love me, and your love is true. And to be the recipient of your love is more than I could ever ask for, but..." Ae paused, and winced in pain.

"But...?" L'ykke asked softly.

"But I'm going to ask for something more. I really like you, L'ykke Yvo," Ae began, holding L'ykke in his gaze, "You're kind, honest almost to a fault, and both handsome and beautiful. I want to love you in return. I just... don't, yet. I ask you to please, please be patient with me. Don't give up loving me, just give me some time to grow to love you."

L'ykke grabbed Ae in his arms and tackled him onto the bed, and laid atop him, tears dripping down his face. "Of course," he said softly before kissing Ae's cheek.

"Thank you, thank you L'ykke," Ae said softly, returning the embrace. The two lay there for awhile, caressing each other.

L'ykke sat up, straddling Ae's midsection much like he had when he burst through the front door to The Canopy not but a few hours ago. He smiled at Ae, who in turn was smiling back at him. "If I help you to find a way to leave The Canopy, will you come with me on my adventure?" the Miqo'te asked solemnly.

"I'd like that."