“I’m back! I’ve brought everything you asked for, Mark!”

“Good,” Mark replied, not even looking up as he quickly assembled two sandwiches at his stall. “Can you set them up right over there, behind the stall? Thanks.”

“No problem!” Danielle offered a casual salute before turning towards the spot that Mark had just indicated and beginning to setup a small oven and fryer. On the other side of the stall — the front side — remained the last few individuals from a once-long lunch line. Nearly an hour straight of assembling sandwiches and handing out chips and cookies left Mark low on supplies and goods, so when Danielle showed up during her lunch break, he had asked her to retrieve his unused ingredients from the dorms. Once she returned, she also created a small fryer and oven on the spot, allowing Mark to bake more cookies and fry more chips without even leaving his stall — if only he could find a lull, first.

“Here you go,” Mark commented, handing off two sandwiches and immediately turning to prepare bread for the next customer. “Next!”

“Wow, you sure look busy, huh?”

“Huh…?” Mark glanced across his stall, where his eyes soon laid on Colonel Saito and Major Hackett. Upon noticing them, Mark quickly straightened up and offered them a salute. “Oh, sir! Didn’t expect to see you, here.”

“No need to be so stiff,” Saito replied. “Our lunch break started not too long ago, so we just decided to drop by to see how things are going.”

“And to get lunch,” Hackett quickly added.

“I can make you both a sandwich, but I’m afraid I’m out of chips and cookies,” Mark reported, his attention returning to sandwich preparations. “And I really hate to rush you, but the line’s long. What do you want on your sandwich?”

“Long line?” Danielle questioned cluelessly, “but Mark, Saito and Hackett are the only ones left!”

“What…?” Mark paused to look across the counter again. Sure enough, Saito and Hackett were the only ones remaining across the stall; the long line had finally come to an end. “Oh…”

“Been a busy day, eh?” Saito remarked with a smirk as he watched Mark heave a sigh of relief.

“That was certainly a long line,” Hackett stated. “We got here 20 minutes ago.”

“Ah ha… sorry for the wait,” Mark apologized.

“Hardly your fault,” Saito replied. “Seems like the locals sure took a liking to your sandwiches, huh?”

“And the chips, and the cookies, too!” Danielle exclaimed.

“More like it’s mostly the chips and cookies,” Mark corrected. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the line ended almost as soon as I ran out.”

“True, the general lunch rush doesn’t seem to be over yet…” Hackett mused as she looked out over the street. Dozens of other food stalls lined the street, all of them receiving varying levels of attention in the waning lunch hour.

“It stands to reason, though,” Mark said. “Sandwiches are hardly new to the Tresédians. It’s the novelty of the chips and the cookies that’s drawn in most people.”

“Can’t say I ever really thought of chips as ‘novel’,” Saito remarked.

“We are on an alien planet, sir,” Hackett replied. “Sandwiches are simple enough — you just put stuff between two pieces of bread. But making potato chips requires more dedicated, specific effort.”

“And a specific ingredient!” Danielle added.

“Nimalian eudaks are a serviceable replacement for potatoes,” Mark pointed out. “They’re smaller, and they aren’t quite as crisp when you fry them, but they taste about the same.”

“Shame we couldn’t try any of them, though,” Saito said.

“If you come back later, we should have more!” Danielle exclaimed as she pointed at the fryer and oven she had fabricated for Mark. “Mark said that he’s gonna make some more right here, so people can watch the whole process!”

“Well, it’s meant more to expedite the whole process, really…” Mark amended.

“You’re just one man, and you’re trying to do all of this on your own?” Saito questioned incredulously. “Sounds like you should get someone to make the sandwiches for you!”

“I presume that’s why you enlisted Danielle’s help,” Hackett suggested.

“Nah, I’m just here for my lunch break,” Danielle declared. “I mean, I’d like to help, but—“

“But you have another commitment,” Mark insisted. “You shouldn’t blow off the others just to help me.”

“True, but Saito’s right, you really look like you could use some help…”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. I’m used to cooking under pressure.”

“You make it sound so intense!” Saito remarked.

“But it does bring up another issue I wanted to talk about,” Hackett said, crossing her arms as she looked down at Danielle. “…What’s this I hear about a dragon terrorizing the Compound?”

“Tee hee…” Danielle giggled sheepishly. “I, uh… may have gotten a little carried away…”

“Carried away? You spooked the entire Defense Force! We thought there was a Critical Infection outbreak until Spike thought to let people know what was happening!”

“It’s alright, Major,” Saito interjected. “I’m told that Selind already gave her a tongue-lashing.”

“Yeah…” Danielle responded, her gaze cast downwards. “I’m really sorry… I guess I should’ve said something before, but I wanted to keep it a secret, you know?”

“…Well, so long as you keep your transformation under control,” Hackett said. “Remember, today is a holiday, but the Defense Force is still on high alert. There’s still threats out there to watch for.”

“Right… sorry…”

“Turning into a dragon should still be fine,” Saito added, “just stay on the campus grounds, instead of flying off over the city.”

“I know! That’s what Selind suggested, too. I haven’t flown away since!”

“Good to hear.”

“I must admit, I was a little spooked to see a dragon in the skies, myself…” Mark said, only to then smile at Danielle. “But you finally found your excuse to become a dragon, huh?”

“Yep!” Danielle immediately returned the smile with an excited grin. “It’s great, isn’t it?! And it’s so fun, too!”

“Working with the recruits, you mean?” Hackett asked.

“On Austin’s game, yeah! Unfortunately, he said I couldn’t actually play a dragon in a fight, but I still get to act as one!”

“I hope you don’t mean an actual, physical fight,” Saito replied.

“No, no, it’s just a game!” Danielle corrected. “With lots of dice, and everything!”

“I see. Well, it’s good to hear you’re having fun.”

“Creators’ Day as a whole seems quite interesting, I have to say,” Mark commented. “Now, admittedly, I’ve spent the whole day at my stall, so I haven’t seen much, but… from what I can see from here, and from what I hear, it sounds like there’s plenty of fun things to see. I kind of wish we had a holiday like this on Earth.”

“I agree with you, honestly,” Hackett said. “And this is just what the day looks like here, in Treséd. I wonder how the rest of Nimalia celebrates Creators’ Day…”

“A creative excursion that I’d love to join you on… if not for work,” Saito stated. “Although, if we’re lucky, we’ll have more free time for next year’s Creators’ Day.”

“If we’re lucky…?” Mark echoed uneasily.

“That sounds so ominous!” Danielle remarked.

“It wasn’t meant to, but I suppose you could see it that way,” Saito replied. “But it does bring me to something important. Mark, Danielle, we’re being called back to Eana for a mission. We need to leave tomorrow morning, so make sure you have your things packed.”

“Another mission? Really?” Danielle questioned.

“Will we be coming back here, afterwards…?” Mark asked warily.

“You and Travis will be, at least,” Saito replied. “But I can’t be sure for the rest of us. It all depends on how the mission goes down.”

“What is the mission?” Danielle asked. “Is it about E—?”

“I can’t explain here; not in the middle of the street,” Saito cut in. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow morning. Just know that you should probably bring your best for this one.”

“…I see,” Mark commented, his expression growing serious. “Understood, sir. I’ll be ready.”

“Me, too!” Danielle added, only to frown. “Still… this place is still in danger, right? And now we have to leave…”

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s just how the cards fell,” Saito responded. “I’ve already informed Selind about our impending absence. With any luck, we’ll wrap up our mission quickly and be back to help for any Bleeder attack — assuming they even attack at all.”

“They attacked on Hunger’s Bane,” Mark pointed out. “Do you think it’s likely that they’ll attack today?”

“I doubt it, honestly. Even if they did, there are no potential saboteurs around to sabotage the Compound’s shields. And with a Materiatechnic like Dean Densalin around, those shields are never going down. A Bleeder attack would be futile.”

“I see. Then I suppose there’s nothing to it but to enjoy the rest of the day, huh?”

“Agreed,” Hackett replied. “…Now, I don’t mean to be rude. But could you get the Colonel and I some sandwiches?”

“Oh! Right!” Mark offered the Major an apologetic smile as he returned his attention to making sandwiches. “Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“Ha ha, it’s no problem, Mark!” Saito replied with a grin. “After all, today’s a holiday! Let’s do our best to enjoy our time, here!”

---

A Couple Hours Later

“…Ooooh, look at this one! This is a cute design!”

“…Mm…” Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment as she turned to look in the direction Phoenix was pointing. “…Big.”

“Well of course it’s big, it’s a shawl!” Phoenix remarked. “It’s supposed to drape over your whole upper body. That can be a lot of fabric, especially for taller people.”

Kestrel didn’t respond; instead, she swept her level gaze across the shawls before her, all of them featuring a variety of textured designs woven into the fabric. This particular stall appeared to be entirely dedicated to shawls, and several of the hangars and shelves were empty — indicating that much of the selection had already been taken in the several hours since the day’s opening.

“Any of them catch your eye?”

Kestrel glanced toward Phoenix again, only to look down and lightly tug at the white and light gray shawl that she was already wearing. “…Already have one.”

“Well, yeah, and I’m glad you like it,” Phoenix replied, “but it’ll still do you well to have more than just the one. What if it gets dirty, or beat up? Or if you just want to try a new style?”

“…”

Phoenix shrugged in response to Kestrel’s silence. “…Alright, whatever floats your boat, I guess. I suppose that rounding out a summer outfit would be more practical for you than getting a second shawl, anyways.”

“…Mm?”

“Just think about it,” Phoenix prodded, while poking Kestrel in the side. The white and light gray shawl that adorned Kestrel’s chest fully covered her torso, and was clearly constructed from light, breathable fabric — a dual-purpose must for hot days in the desert. However, under the shawl, Kestrel was wearing a normal white shirt and a gray skirt, both made of thick cotton. “…The colors of the local clothing might not fit you the best, but as much as I hate to say it, you really need to consider your outfit’s function before you get into the style. Looking nice won’t matter if you get hit with heatstroke because of it.”

“What do I need?”

“Depends. The Tresédians have a couple of different styles — some of them wear pants and jackets, while others wear long robes and shawls. And then there’s the in-between, the people who wear pants and shawls together. Though, shawls seem to be mostly a womens’ thing — think Kaoné and Selind. Relia, too, honestly. The men seem to wear scarves instead, like Davídrius.”

“Kaoné isn’t Tresédian.”

“Well, no. Shawls seem to be a part of general Nimalian fashion, but most are just that — fashion. You can tell Kaoné’s is like that because her shawl is smaller than most Tresédian shawls. It only covers part of her upper arms and chest. Tresédian shawls, on the other hand, cover the entire upper body, so as to protect from the sun and the elements.”

“…?” Kestrel simply stared back at Phoenix, as if prompting her to continue.

“…So, you already have a shawl,” Phoenix continued. “Now, the question is: do you want pants, or a long robe?”

“…Hmm…”

“Normally, I’d say that a long robe wouldn’t be conducive to physical activity, but given how you can control air, I think it wouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“Still needs effort…”

“Well, true. Can’t deny that. Pants are the pretty straight-forward solution, then.”

“…Waist cloaks?”

“…Heh.” Phoenix broke into an amused grin. “You still want a waist cloak, huh?”

Kestrel looked blankly at Phoenix before glancing away and giving a barely perceptible  shrug. “…Maybe.”

“…I see. Well, they don’t seem to be too common in Treséd, I’m afraid, so I don’t think we can pick one up today, anyways. A waist cloak might look a little weird with a full shawl, too, so if you end up wanting to go that route, I suppose you should look for a jacket to go with it.”

“Kaoné?”

“She has a smaller shawl, remember? Those go just fine with waist cloaks. It’s the fuller, Tresédian shawls that I think would look weird. …Although, that is just my opinion. If you still want to give it a shot, you’re certainly free to.”

“Mm…”

“But, having said that, I think you’d be better off waiting to get a jacket or waist cloak until you can get both at once. It’ll be a lot easier to match them if you get them at the same time, after all. So for now, just think about what you want to go with that shawl of yours.”

Kestrel looked down at her shawl again. After a moment of silence, she looked back to Phoenix and nodded once. “…Pants.”

“I wondered if you might say that,” Phoenix replied with a wink as she began leading her friend to another stall. “The shawl-pants combo sure seems like the ‘modern’ Tresédian look, too, so you’ll fit right in!”

“And you?”

“I do like the look… but I have to say that I’ve always preferred jackets. That’s why I got this,” Phoenix replied as she hefted a bag in her left hand, containing some kind of white fabric within. “Maybe one of these shawls could be re-purposed as a waist cloak, though, now that I think about it… hmm, now that’s an idea…”

“You want a waist cloak?”

“They do look pretty neat. And they aren’t very common here in Treséd, so it would stand out, too. It’d be a useful way of distinguishing an outfit when the only colors to pick from are beige, white, light gray, and more fucking beige.”

“Mm…”

“Well, either way…” Phoenix glanced skyward; almost two hours had passed since the sun had passed its zenith and begun its march downwards through the sky. “…We still have a few hours before we need to meet up for Sky’s performance, so we have time to look around a bit more and check out whatever you want to look at.”

Kestrel passed Phoenix a look. “…Me?”

“Well, yeah! I’ve been dragging you through all of these fashion stalls since before lunch. It’s only fair that we spend some time looking into whatever interests you.”

A moment of silence passed as Kestrel continued staring at Phoenix, only to then look around them — at the crowds of people that filled the street in both directions.

“…Some time away from the crowds, then, huh?” Phoenix remarked with a smirk. “Fair enough. Give me just a little bit more time to grab some pants for you and then we can go find your favorite rooftop to pass the time.”

“…?”

“Oh don’t give me that, I’ve seen you hanging out on roofs all alone. I know you like it up there!”

“…True.”

“Ha! I knew it. Now let’s go find you some nice pants, shall we?”

“Mm.” Kestrel nodded once as she followed in Phoenix’s footsteps, the both of them disappearing into the crowds of Creators’ Day.