As they walked through the streets of the town, Crow found that he was starting to like Younisian culture. Everyone they passed seemed to be relatively happy, unlike the peasants of Brerra. There were trade shops on every corner, bustling inns, children playing outside of homes, and even a public bath house. The wealth in their surroundings was physically tangible. He realized he was beginning to toy with the idea of moving to Younis after he left the others. The kingdom was in much better condition than Brerra, after all.

[i]Then again,[/i] he cast a group of peasant men a sideways glance. [i]Being a thief seems a lot more difficult here.[/i] With the way the people of Younis seemed united against criminals, he would have to watch his back more than he did in Brerra. It was obviously possible to make it by stealing, since Hartley seemed to be doing just fine for himself, but he would have to break a lot of old habits and learn new ones.

Crow watched as a young man and woman walked by with their arms linked together. He exhaled despondently, [i]I doubt any of the women in this kingdom would want to be with a thief, too.[/i] The more he thought about it, the more unrealistic it was sounding for him to uproot his life in the outer villages of Brerra and move to Younis. Even though he liked the culture, it just wasn’t for him. He had to live in a place where he could act as he pleased, and Younis wasn’t somewhere he could do that.

[color=fdc68a][b]“Uh, hey guys,”[/b][/color] Hartley’s nervous voice drew Crow from his internal battle. [color=fdc68a][b]“I just got an idea. Let’s go down this other way; I think there’s a short cut.”[/b][/color]

Crow was about to question the boy with Penelope when he heard a new voice speak up from farther down the road, [color=fdc68a][b]“Hartley?”[/b][/color] He turned to see a middle-aged man walking towards them. The stranger had a dark complexion with curly, ebony hair and deep brown eyes. His jaw was lined with a short, well-groomed beard that indicated a concern for his appearance that was unlike most of the other peasants they had passed by.

Hartley froze when the man said his name. He turned around slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground rather than meeting the other Younisian’s gaze. The boy shuffled his feet uncomfortably, “Hey… father.”

Crow looked between the two, suddenly noticing the resemblance: the similar curve of their jaws, their tall foreheads, the shape of their torsos… They were definitely related, but why then had Hartley tried to get away from his father? He turned to the older man curiously, awaiting his response.

“It’s been a while, son,” the man said, stepping forward. His eyes darted briefly to Crow and Penelope before returning to Hartley. “So, have you made an honest living for yourself, or are you still hopping between apprenticeships?”

“While it’s none of your business,” Hartley said defensively. “I have a job.”

“Oh, really?” the man seemed surprised. “And what job might that be?”

“Look, I’d love to stay and chat,” Hartley said with a fierce air of sarcasm. “But we’re in a hurry.” He turned to head down the alley. “See you around.”

“Don’t you want to see your mother before you go?”

Hartley stopped at that. His father noticed and took another step towards him, “She wants to see you, Hartley. You haven’t come back to visit us once, since…” His eyes flickered to Crow and Penelope once more. “Since you left.”

“You mean, since you kicked me to the street?” Hartley corrected, shooting the man a bitter glare.

“Come on, son,” his father continued. “You know I just want what’s best for you. Sending you out on your own was tough love.”

“Yeah, right. You just didn’t want my extra mouth to feed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’ll stop being ridiculous when you start showing some respect to your own son!” Hartley snapped suddenly, causing his father to flinch. He sighed, calming down before he went on. “Yeah, I lost my apprenticeship, but it wasn’t because I didn’t try. I just—” he shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m trying to explain myself to you. Come on, guys. Let’s go.” He gestured to Crow and Penelope as he walked towards the alleyway. “We’ve wasted enough time talking to [i]him[/i].”