Directly tossing aside his coat and wearing only a vest and shirt, Cromwell and Sifa arrived at the bar on Iron Gate Street.
Outside the heavy blackwood doors stood a brawny man nearly two meters tall, his arms folded across his chest.
He nodded at Cromwell, then took the initiative to push open the heavy doors.
It was the bar's busiest time of day, and cheers and toasts constantly rang out from within.
The atmosphere of ordinary human life made Sifa feel that the Humanity within him had quietly grown a little firmer.
When he and Cromwell entered, they saw two platforms in the center of the bar.
There was a dog-and-mouse-catching contest on one of them, but the platform was empty at the moment.
On the other platform, two boxers were fighting. They traded punch for punch, attacking fiercely and landing every blow solidly. The spectators' adrenaline surged as they cheered for the boxers they had bet on and loudly cursed their opponents.
The smell of alcohol mingled with sweat and filled the air.
Sifa gently stirred a breeze around himself, accelerating the dispersal of the odors without anyone else noticing.
As they headed for the bar, he plucked away a small hand reaching toward his pocket and continued forward as if he had seen nothing.
By the time they finally sat down on the high stools beside the bar, Cromwell had already ordered two Southville Beers.
"Where have you been all this time? I thought we'd never get the chance to see each other again."
He pushed one of the constantly bubbling beers in front of Sifa.
Sifa watched Cromwell take out a handful of pennies, count out ten, and hand them to the bartender.
He lifted the large wooden mug filled with golden liquor and took a