"Ha~"
Shade yawned softly and stepped down from the carriage, wrapped in a black coat and utterly bored. The night had grown rather deep, and the city was still shrouded in hazy gray fog. Fine snowflakes drifted through the air, while the wind sweeping through the streets was more biting than usual.
There was not a soul beneath the gas street lamps lining both sides of the road. After collecting his fare, the coachman quickly departed as well. Shade let out a long breath, and white fog streamed from his mouth like a long dragon. He looked around once more before pushing open the door to Old John's pawnshop.
It was Friday night. After retrieving the fused dice that evening and bidding Daniste farewell, Shade had eaten dinner at home with the cat before coming here.
Now, only the tavern on the street corner and this pawnshop remained open on the whole street. It was said that the pawnshop did better business at night than during the day, because some customers did not want others to see them being forced to sell off their belongings.
Of course, Old John was not keeping the shop open so late tonight in hopes of business. Luvia was here to trade for information she wanted. She had mentioned beforehand that she would find some people to help, but Shade had not expected to see Priest Augustus, Doctor Schneider, and Dorothy all here the moment he entered the shop.
Luvia was discussing something with Old John at the counter. Dorothy was pointing at a very old-looking hat on the shelf and asking the priest about fashions from over thirty years ago. The blue-eyed middle-aged psychologist had his hands behind his back as he bent over to inspect a plaster human skull model, seeming very interested