The late afternoon sun stretched long golden shadows across Solmere's merchant district while festival crowds drifted through the streets in waves of noise and color.
Vendors shouted over one another.
Music floated between buildings.
The scent of grilled meat, spices, oil, and fresh bread hung thick in the warm summer air.
Beside Jax, Bunny looked absolutely radiant.
Not that she realized it.
That was part of the problem.
Or maybe the charm.
Her summer outfit showed slightly more skin than usual—light fabric, short skirt, soft blue accents that matched her hair and eyes perfectly.
And everywhere they walked—
people stared.
Men.
Women.
Beastkin.
Everyone.
Bunny noticed approximately none of it.
She was too busy trying to casually hold Jax's hand every thirty seconds.
"Oops," she said for the fourth time after grabbing his wrist again. "Crowded street."
Jax looked around at the nearly empty road they were currently walking down.
"…Dangerous conditions."
"Very dangerous."
Jax laughed softly.
Bunny immediately smiled wider hearing it.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
They wandered through market stalls together while Bunny excitedly pointed out:
snacks
dresses
enchanted hair clips
oversized plush animals
and one deeply horrifying decorative lamp shaped like a screaming fish
Jax stared at the lamp.
"…Why does it have teeth?"
"Art."
"That feels incorrect."
Bunny giggled happily.
Then—
a small group of demi-human children emerged carefully from a nearby alleyway.
Fox ears.
Tiny horns.
Dust-covered clothes.
Thin faces.
Hungry eyes.
The oldest boy stepped forward nervously.
"Spare a few coins, sir?"
Bunny's ears drooped immediately.
Her hand instinctively moved toward her pouch.
"I have a little bit we can—"
Jax gently touched her wrist.
"Wait."
The children immediately started backing away.
Used to rejection.
Used to disappointment.
Jax crouched down instead.
Then smiled slowly.
"You kids," he said quietly, "look like professionals."
The children blinked.
Bunny immediately recognized the expression on Jax's face.
Oh no.
He was planning something.
Jax lowered his voice dramatically.
"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."
Bunny snorted immediately.
She had absolutely no idea what reference he was making—
but the voice alone was ridiculous enough.
The children leaned closer instinctively.
"What kind of offer?" asked a rabbit-eared boy.
Jax glanced around theatrically before lowering his voice further.
"I need runners."
The kids exchanged glances.
"Fast ones," Jax continued. "Smart ones. Kids who know these streets well enough not to get caught."
The oldest boy straightened slightly.
"Caught doing what?"
"Deliveries."
Jax flicked a silver coin into the air.
Caught it cleanly.
Then flicked it again without looking.
"You can beg for copper all afternoon…"
The silver coin vanished into his palm.
"…or you can work for silver."
He opened his hand.
Five silver coins rested there.
The children froze completely.
One silver coin could feed a family for over a week.
Maybe longer.
The smallest girl gasped softly.
The system really DID make simple tricks look magical sometimes.
The oldest boy swallowed hard.
"What kind of deliveries?"
Jax pulled out three sealed scrolls wrapped in black wax.
"Simple jobs. No opening them. No talking about them. No letting anyone follow you."
The bunny-eared boy whispered nervously:
"…Is this illegal?"
Jax leaned closer conspiratorially.
"You didn't hear that from me."
Bunny nearly choked trying not to laugh.
The children immediately huddled together whispering intensely like tiny criminal masterminds.
Then finally—
they nodded together.
"We're in."
Jax handed over the scrolls carefully.
"Excellent."
The oldest boy took them with shocking seriousness.
"What if someone stops us?"
Jax paused dramatically.
"…Then you know nothing."
The kids looked genuinely nervous now.
Jax almost broke character laughing.
Almost.
Then he slowly extended one hand.
"But if you aren't ready for this level of responsibility…"
The bunny boy immediately stood taller.
"We can do it."
That confidence made Jax grin.
"Good answer."
Then they scattered.
Absolutely vanished.
Vaulting fences.
Sliding beneath carts.
Disappearing through alleyways.
Fast.
Very fast.
Bunny stared after them.
"…You just recruited street children into a fake underground delivery network."
"I'm creating jobs."
"You're creating tiny criminals."
"Entrepreneurs."
"That sounds worse somehow."
Jax laughed again.
And Bunny found herself staring at him a little too long afterward.
Because that was the thing about Jax.
He didn't just hand people money.
He gave them dignity with it.
That mattered.
More than he probably realized.
The next hour passed peacefully.
They wandered together through quieter sections of town while Jax occasionally stopped to buy supplies or ask questions about businesses around Solmere.
Then eventually—
he stopped in front of an old theater.
The building looked worn but charming beneath the evening lanterns.
Faded banners hung above the entrance while soft music drifted faintly from inside.
Bunny tilted her head.
"…Theater?"
Jax smiled slightly.
"I have an idea."
Oh no.
That smile meant plotting.
Inside, Jax purchased two private balcony tickets for that evening's performance.
Then:
boxes
envelopes
ribbon
sealing wax
and several sheets of paper
Bunny watched the growing pile suspiciously.
"…What exactly are we doing?"
"Social engineering."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It probably is."
They settled together in a nearby alley afterward while Jax carefully wrapped the tickets inside elegant little boxes.
Each contained:
one private balcony ticket
one silver coin
and a sealed note
Bunny peeked over his shoulder.
"Brannic?"
Jax nodded.
Then held up another.
"Merriweather."
Bunny blinked.
"…Wait."
Then her eyes widened.
"Ohhhhh."
Now she understood.
"You're trying to get them together!"
"I'm trying to get two stubborn geniuses in the same room."
"That's romantic."
"That's strategic."
"Same thing."
Fair point.
Eventually the children returned one by one looking triumphant and exhausted.
"We did it!" the bunny boy announced proudly.
Jax stood slowly.
Then narrowed his eyes dramatically.
"…Did you open the scrolls?"
The children shook their heads violently.
"No sir!"
Jax slowly looked around the street suspiciously.
"…Were you followed?"
The children immediately started checking around themselves nervously.
The oldest boy swallowed hard.
"I… don't think so?"
Jax's expression sharpened instantly.
"You don't THINK so?"
The kids looked horrified.
Then the bunny-eared boy stepped forward confidently.
"We weren't followed."
Jax raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know?"
"We cut through alleyways. Changed routes twice. Went through Mister Seaver's bakery back door."
Jax slowly nodded.
Good instincts.
Very good instincts.
Then he looked toward Bunny proudly.
"See? Smart kids."
Bunny covered her mouth trying not to laugh.
The children straightened proudly under the praise.
Jax handed over the wrapped boxes carefully.
"Round two."
The kids accepted them reverently.
"Special delivery."
He pointed toward the labels.
"One goes to Brannic."
"Other goes to Merriweather."
The bunny boy squinted suspiciously.
"…This feels less illegal."
"Don't ruin the atmosphere."
Bunny burst out laughing.
The children scattered again through the streets carrying their mysterious packages while festival lanterns slowly began illuminating Solmere around them.
And for a while—
Jax and Bunny simply watched them go together.
Side by side beneath the growing evening lights.
Bunny slowly slipped her hand into his.
This time without pretending it was accidental.
Jax glanced toward her.
She smiled warmly.
"…You really do change things wherever you go."
Jax looked back out toward the city.
The lights.
The people.
The movement.
The possibility.
"…Maybe," he admitted quietly.
Then Bunny squeezed his hand gently.
And together they continued walking through the glowing streets of Solmere while somewhere ahead—
the future quietly kept unfolding.