Even though the day and night before was long and filled with rather deep thoughts Ethan was awoke with the rising of the sun. Perhaps his internal clock had reset itself with the knowledge he had a job to do, or maybe it was the smells of breakfast wafting up through the floor from the kitchen below. Either way it had taken him little time to get himself cleaned up and ready for the day, though he did manage to slow down a fair bit when eating his food. After all, an upset stomach wouldn't do him any favors while he was trying to move the rest of the debris. He excitedly weaved through the crowded sidewalk as he made his way to the sanctum in the old town area.
Just like the day before he stopped before the fountain and offered words of praise and thanks to the Keepers surrounding its edge. However, this time, he felt a warmth spread across his chest as he considered his words for the first time. Before he had simply stated them as a mantra of sorts, a result of repetitive behavior due to instruction. Of course he didn't mean any disrespect before this day, his words just didn't carry any weight. He paused for a split second to consider the change in his emotions related to his statement but then seemingly lost the thought as his body turned toward the door. He was greeted by Katarina who looked very much awake considering how early in the morning it still was. Ethan wondered if she got up before the sun began to rise or was simply a morning person. Despite her personality she was rather attractive in a no nonsense strict kind of way.
Considering he was there to complete a job her greeting was relatively acceptable and she held back on her typical combative sarcasm. She let him in and let him go to the back on his own as she returned to whatever she had been working on. He was quick to get started and remained hard at work until shortly afternoon. It was then he decided to take a break so that he could munch on the cheese and bread Ms. Badger had been so kind to provide. Of course she said she would put them on his tab, and he wouldn't dream of not paying for the food, but her gesture considering he didn't have any money yet was very much appreciated.
He planned on going to the bathhouse later that night but the day was rather hot so he had removed his shirt and splashed his upper body with a pale of water from the well. Even though the weather had begun to change the transition was between the Nurturing and Preparation months so there were still very warm days on the regular. As he sat down in the shadows of a half crumbled wall behind the sanctum he relaxed his body back against the cool stone surface and let the droplets of water cool his skin as they trailed down to the grass.
Unbeknownst to Ethan there was a group of girls watching him from a set of windows in a secondary wing. They were merely curious and he was rather enthralled in his food so he didn't pick up on their gazes. Despite the day being warm there was still a breeze that caused the leaves to dance in the air and the limbs to wave to-and-fro, the combination masking their occasional giggles and constant whispers. He wasn't overtly muscular, however, for a 13 year old boy his body was getting defined and its was clear he wasn't carrying a lot of fat. The fact he had been carrying heavy debris for so many hours and was an adventurer had the girls interested and excited. All that was missing from the scene was him holding some kind of bubbly drink and striking a pose as he swallowed the liquid.
Behind the girls the sound of someone clearing their throat made them all freeze and they all squealed before taking off in different directions. The head cleric sighed as she watched the group dispersed and simply shook her head while making her way in the direction that some of the older girls went for they knew better and weren't setting a good example. Before she began her search she took a second to look out at the boy and simply smiled despite herself as she certainly understood their curiosity. Ethan thought he heard something as the girls squealed but at that moment the wind conveniently picked up and he couldn't pinpoint the source.
Ethan had been able to finish his first job right as night began to take hold of the town of Cloudcrest. After making sure everything was in order he received the head cleric's signature on the work order and happily took off back to the guild to submit it. In fact, he was running back with such vigor he almost didn't see the three people look around before slipping down a small side street a few blocks away. He frowned thinking they didn't look very honest and shifted his gait to try and muffle his foot falls a bit more. Slowing to a walk a little ways off he carefully looked down the street from the edge of the building standing at the end. No one was there.
"Wha?"
He whispered to himself as he blinked to make sure he was seeing things correctly. The side street wasn't long enough that they should have been able to make it around the far end before he got there but sure enough no one was visible. He also didn't see any doors along the walls of the buildings on either side which confused him even more. He was contemplating whether or not to investigate further when he suddenly heard someone come up behind him. He didn't feel a presence before he heard the steps that announced their location and his breath caught in his throat as he jumped forward while spinning around to face the one who had sneaked up on him.
