The town of Kizun was, as usual, at peace. A calm breeze drifting through the air, the leaves on the trees dotting the area shook quietly, the early morning dew on them all dripping down lightly. With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, the residents of this quiet place were only barely waking. It was, after all, late autumn; with the crops already harvested, many of those who worked the fields had the rare luxury to rest easy. That was merely an option, though; of course, not everyone would choose to be lazy at a time like this. Though the crops had been harvested, there was still work to be done in making it last the winter or processing it for other goods.
To Mamoru, though, none of this really mattered much. Though he had chosen to wake up early, this was only done to watch the sun rise way over yonder. The sight of it all was always something calming, in a sense; though not the most peculiar way to bask in the morning sunlight, lying down on the roof of his house was, admittedly, not the most normal of places to watch from. But considering how quaint it had been since the first time he had done so, well... There was no reason to stop now. It had become a routine of sorts, and though he wasn't enough of a stickler (or an idiot) to do something like this when there was rain or snow or something of the sort, doing as he did... Well, it was nothing he had qualms about.
With the sunrise over, though, Mamoru climbed to his feet and casually hopped off his roof, landing on his feet as he touched down on the ground. The first few times he had done this, the results were... Less than savory, to be quite frank, but by now he had gotten used to it all.
"Those two are probably sleeping in a bit later, though, huh...? Well, that's fine, I guess. Maybe I'll go check out the tavern for now, then. Need to grab some pocket money for the winter," he mused to himself, placing his right hand on the hilt at his side. "Those fanged bears get a bit more aggressive around this time of year, if I recall correctly. Really don't want to deal with them, though. Last time, one of the adventurers tagging along lost an eye. Ugh."
A noticeable frown on his face, the purple-eyed swordsman brushed himself off and promptly walked off into town. Though he didn't much like odd jobs, if it came down to it, he'd take those up too.
...
But then the thought of bears wandering near town popped into his head again. Hell if he'd let those things get near his family.
The walk over to the tavern from his home had taken a decent while, and the town was now abuzz with activity. People were milling about and the markets and shops had all opened by now, which gave Mamoru a chance to soak in all the atmosphere of the place. Waving hello towards one of the local tailors (the other had only moved in a year or so ago, leading to a blooming rivalry between the two), the young man stood leisurely in front of his destination.
Though it did have a name, the locals seldom called it anything other than 'the tavern', mainly because it was the only place that could be considered a tavern in the entire area. Eventually, the owners themselves had given up selling the name, opting to just call it as such themselves. It was a bit of a strange phenomenon, but it worked for the townspeople, and so it worked for him as well.
The smell of alcohol that usually permeated the location at night was all but gone, now replaced by the smell of rice steaming in the kitchen and assorted meats and vegetables being cooked every which way across the board. It was inviting, and to be honest, the tavern felt more like an inn than anything else right now.
Which was, well, fitting, considering that it was meant to cater from those rare few who decided to journey all the way here. There were other places to go to and such, but food wasn't the priority here. It was the job listing, of course. His growling stomach, however, made Mamoru reconsider a bit. Maybe some food was important. Probably was, actually. Walking up to the counter, the swordsman casually asked for a small vegetable bao, which he was given (and he paid for) in short order. Snacking on the food as he walked back to the board, Mamoru slowly began to read the assorted help requests plastered all over it.
"...Ah, damn. Bears. Of course this'd happen...."
To Mamoru, though, none of this really mattered much. Though he had chosen to wake up early, this was only done to watch the sun rise way over yonder. The sight of it all was always something calming, in a sense; though not the most peculiar way to bask in the morning sunlight, lying down on the roof of his house was, admittedly, not the most normal of places to watch from. But considering how quaint it had been since the first time he had done so, well... There was no reason to stop now. It had become a routine of sorts, and though he wasn't enough of a stickler (or an idiot) to do something like this when there was rain or snow or something of the sort, doing as he did... Well, it was nothing he had qualms about.
With the sunrise over, though, Mamoru climbed to his feet and casually hopped off his roof, landing on his feet as he touched down on the ground. The first few times he had done this, the results were... Less than savory, to be quite frank, but by now he had gotten used to it all.
"Those two are probably sleeping in a bit later, though, huh...? Well, that's fine, I guess. Maybe I'll go check out the tavern for now, then. Need to grab some pocket money for the winter," he mused to himself, placing his right hand on the hilt at his side. "Those fanged bears get a bit more aggressive around this time of year, if I recall correctly. Really don't want to deal with them, though. Last time, one of the adventurers tagging along lost an eye. Ugh."
A noticeable frown on his face, the purple-eyed swordsman brushed himself off and promptly walked off into town. Though he didn't much like odd jobs, if it came down to it, he'd take those up too.
...
But then the thought of bears wandering near town popped into his head again. Hell if he'd let those things get near his family.
The walk over to the tavern from his home had taken a decent while, and the town was now abuzz with activity. People were milling about and the markets and shops had all opened by now, which gave Mamoru a chance to soak in all the atmosphere of the place. Waving hello towards one of the local tailors (the other had only moved in a year or so ago, leading to a blooming rivalry between the two), the young man stood leisurely in front of his destination.
Though it did have a name, the locals seldom called it anything other than 'the tavern', mainly because it was the only place that could be considered a tavern in the entire area. Eventually, the owners themselves had given up selling the name, opting to just call it as such themselves. It was a bit of a strange phenomenon, but it worked for the townspeople, and so it worked for him as well.
The smell of alcohol that usually permeated the location at night was all but gone, now replaced by the smell of rice steaming in the kitchen and assorted meats and vegetables being cooked every which way across the board. It was inviting, and to be honest, the tavern felt more like an inn than anything else right now.
Which was, well, fitting, considering that it was meant to cater from those rare few who decided to journey all the way here. There were other places to go to and such, but food wasn't the priority here. It was the job listing, of course. His growling stomach, however, made Mamoru reconsider a bit. Maybe some food was important. Probably was, actually. Walking up to the counter, the swordsman casually asked for a small vegetable bao, which he was given (and he paid for) in short order. Snacking on the food as he walked back to the board, Mamoru slowly began to read the assorted help requests plastered all over it.
"...Ah, damn. Bears. Of course this'd happen...."
