For the remainder of the morning I sat behind my desk, working on anything I could find from the mess on my floor. The worst of it was cleaned up and carefully disposed of, but it would be a few days before I could get the window replaced. A bigger problem now was that Kuri was only going to be around for nights and the massive hole in my wall happened in the morning. I would need at least two people to secure the place, if not more depending on how big these mobs were getting. I hadn't seen how many people had been involved in this attack, but given the previous day it really could be any number.

Periodically I would look outside from my desk and work on straightening out the stockroom when the road seemed clear. I didn't want to risk the possibility of a second attempt and, as much as it crushed me, I had Riv stay in one of the common areas instead of staying with me in the lobby. He was a target and having him out here felt like waving a red flag in front of an angry bull. His absence made me irritable and nervous, but as I could still hear him wander around the house I could be somewhat at ease.

After several back-and-forth attempts I managed to get the stockroom mostly in order again. Fortunately the documents had not been destroyed, only scattered about. It seemed more like an attempt to scare us out than a legitimate attempt at hurting what I was doing here, and this strange feeling nagged at me for quite a while. After all, if they truly hate us -- whoever "they" are in this case -- why wouldn't they do more damage than this? They certainly seemed angry enough before.

I suppose it didn't really matter at the end of the day.

As I left the stockroom and closed the door I heard the familiar tapping of hooves outside my house. For a brief moment the pace slowed to a stop before turning into a full sprint, growing louder and louder. Before I could prepare myself the front door swung open, Kuri holding the handle in a white-knuckle grip and looking all around until he saw me.

"What the hell happened to your window?" he asked, alarmed.

I looked down and away as I scratched the back of my head.

"When Riv and I were taking our showers there was some strange noise," I recalled. "When we were finished I heard more noises in the lobby and came out to see my window shattered, Riv's table missing a leg, and his chair missing entirely. There were a bunch of stones scrawled with threats and slurs, which I assume is what broke the window. Someone even went through my paperwork and supplies to throw them about the lobby, even breaking into the stockroom to do more of the same."

"I...I don't know what to say," Kuri said, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I did manage to clean up the worst of it," I said, waving my hand over the empty floor, "but I don't...know how I'm going to afford replacing the window. If I do I'll be almost completely spent, and with power bills and groceries while the townspeople won't bother with my services anymore it won't be long before we're both just..."

"Well, hopefully this will help you out a bit," he said, placing a handful of bills in my palm. "I did buy some food and such which you're more than welcome to, just that until the buyout is finalized or I get my next payment I don't have much else I can offer at this time."

"No, no, that you'd even entertain my work to begin with means a lot to me," I said, folding the bills into my wallet.

"Thing is, before all this crazy shit started you had a pretty solid reputation for what you do," he said, looking right at me. "You haven't been here very long, but from what little we heard most people were fine with you and liked your work. You were known for meticulousness and people were quite impressed with how much you could get done in such a short amount of time. It's sad that taking care of a child is what brought that to a halt."

I just sighed, not knowing what to do, say, or think.

"Do you...regret taking him in?" he asked.

"What?"

"Just that: Do you regret taking him into your home?" he reiterated.

I turned to face him dead on, grabbing both of his big hands in my small ones, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Not on your life."

He chuckled and pat my head.

"Good answer," he said. "If you said otherwise I'd have taken him myself and left."

"I assure you he means everything to me," I said quietly. "The only reason we haven't up and left is because I just...I just don't have the money. I don't want to make a six year old follow me on foot through towns that likely won't accept him, especially not for several days. That's just inhumane."

"Mm, I understand," he nodded. "His age does make this a lot harder than it needs to be, and what with loans..."

"Believe me, I've thought of everything," I rubbed the back of my neck, "but there's always something in the way. There's always...something keeping us here, whether it's a matter of money or a matter of safety. I can't...I can't sacrifice his safety just because it's cheaper, just because it's easier. That's...disgusting."

"Hm, well, there is a little more I can do for you if you'd like," he thought aloud. "Since I typically work during the day I could take your finished work for you into town and collect your payments, then give them to you when I get back. It wouldn't make a difference to me and it looks like you don't really have any other way to deliver your work."

"W...Would you really?"

"Of course," he assured. "Plus someone was pretty eager to buy my home so I'll be able to move here tomorrow, once everything is turned in. Thought it would take longer but thankfully not. I'm more than capable of covering my food and what utilities I use so don't worry about those things, alright?"

"...Alright, I'll...try not to."

"I hate to leave you here but I'm gonna need to head back out," Kuri said, taking the paperwork. "Tamani'll be back later tonight for a little bit so you can eat and such. I can't stay the night yet but that'll change come tomorrow. I know this is hard but please keep your chin up-- should something happen you got us at the shop."

"Y-Yes, thank you, Kuri..." I trailed off.

"Thanks for filling all of this out; there's no way I'd have done that on my own so quickly," he continued, grabbing my other folders. "I'll make sure these get to their destinations before the night's up and you'll get your compensation tomorrow. Just hang on 'til then."

"Yes, o-of course," I said, opening the front door. "Please have a good day."

"Likewise," he said, stepping onto the porch and trotting off toward town.

I turned around back to my desk to continue working on anything, regardless how insignificant, if only to pass the time.

---

Come the usual dinnertime I was greeted by Tamani and Ulimi, both surprised-but-not-really with the condition of my window. The two of them came with food to cook for us, with Riv's help, as I stayed behind in the lobby, watching out for anything unusual.

After about an hour the three of them presented me with a plate of what looked to be a large pepper, batter-fried and crispy on the outside atop a layer of red rice. Over the top had been poured a fragrant red sauce, and cutting into the pepper revealed a trove of cheese. The aroma was strong with a bit of a sour smell and a very satisfying, complex flavor.

Normally I wouldn't eat behind my desk but I hadn't much choice today. The three of them decided to join me out in the lobby instead of eating in the lounge, allowing me a little time to ease my tension and unwind. I was more relaxed with Riv out here as long as he was accompanied by the other two. Riv was fascinated by these recent additions to his palate and, from the sounds of it, greatly enjoyed helping the two ramiotrans make it. We even had his favorite "green drink", or limeade as it was called.

After dinner Ulimi and Riv collected the dishes and headed back to wash them while Tamani looked at Riv's table.

"Yanno, replacing a leg wouldn't be too hard," he said. "We often make several of them as replacement parts since shit happens. No point in replacing an entire table over a single leg."

"I could maybe afford that tomorrow," I said, "but until this window is replaced I'm not sure how much I'll really be able to spare."

"Nah just take it," he said. "It's just a leg, man. We have, like, a pile of them in the shop for things like this. The only sorta annoying thing is installing it because it's supposed to fold, but it looks like the folding base is still there. I could have it replaced in just a few minutes."

"...Well..."

"We're not going to miss a single leg out of an entire repository of 'em," he laughed. "The only issue is that I might not be able to match the leg style. If you don't care, though, that makes life a lot easier. I'd just need to know the length and bring some simple tools."

I just looked away in silence. From the corner of my eye I could see his expression change to one of concern. He stood up and tapped his way over to my desk where I sit, just staring outside.

"Hey."

I looked up at him, my tension written all over my face.

"You're doing good things in the face of some pretty ridiculous trends," he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Not many people would do what you're doing, putting their neck out for someone like you have. I admire it and we'd like to do whatever we can to make this all a little easier on you, okay?"

"...Okay," I mumbled.

"I'm sorry I can't stay much longer tonight, but we got deliveries and stuff tomorrow," Tamani said, standing akimbo. "Dunno what's up but a handful of people in town are moving and I guess that's our problem for the next few days. Suddenly an interest in some of our stock furniture. Oh well, it pays, so works for me."

I gave a slight chuckle as he shrugged, taking himself to the door.

"I'll drop by tomorrow though if I get time, so just keep hanging on," he said, pulling the door closed behind him.

A while later Ulimi and Riv would come back to the lobby, though it was getting closer to Riv's bedtime.

"Ulimi, would you mind sitting the lobby for a moment so I can take Riv upstairs to bed?" I requested.

"Sure, no problem," he said, messing Riv's hair. "'Night, kid. See you tomorrow."

Both of us smiled as I released myself from the box-like desk, taking the boy's hand and heading upstairs. Once we got there I bent down slightly to give him a hug for all the time we'd missed that day. He returned it happily, seemingly appreciative of the compensation. It hurt that this is what we'd been reduced to, but I would make it work.

...I had to make it work.

I tucked the small boy into bed, patting his head before departing his room and closing the door how he liked. I stood just outside the door in a brief pause, looking down to the floor and trying to untangle my thoughts. With a heavy sigh and shake of my head I continued my way, returning to my front desk as Ulimi stood where I'd left him.

"Thank you for doing that," I said. "I hadn't gotten to spend any time with him today thanks to all of this."

"Oh yeah, it's no problem," he said. "Really sorry about all of this, though can't help but think it's a little weird they didn't destroy more than they had. I mean, you got people's records in here and they just kinda chucked them around instead of tearing them up or something."

"That...is something I thought of, too," I said, recalling the earlier morning. "Something about this..."

"...Feels like they're trying to scare you into something," Ulimi continued. "I'm not sure what, though. Nothing really comes to mind. Scaring you into leaving seems too obvious and I'm not sure why they'd do that when they could just...yanno."

I dreaded the thought.

"I'm really not sure, either," I said, puzzled. "I've not been here long enough to know anyone or pick up on anything. Maybe some of them are...remorseful?"

He just laughed.

"Either way, whatever happens, I'm around all the time if I'm needed," he said, heading to the door. "I know I'm in the shitty part of town but if you can get in touch with any of the others that's just as good. I got your back. We all do."

"...Th-Thank you," I stuttered.

"I'm gonna head out but I won't be terribly far," he said, fidgeting with the doorknob. "I'm gonna hang out downtown and keep an eye out for anything that seems off. Not tired enough to sleep yet anyway."

"You don't have to--"

"Nah, I want to," he assured. "This is buggin' me too, man. I'll see you later if anything seems weird, otherwise I'll be back tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you...please have a good night," I said quietly.

He just looked to me with a determined smile and took his leave back into town.

I returned to my work, whatever little remained. Mostly now it was just sorting things or checking things over for the umpteenth time, whatever it took to distract myself. I knew I couldn't stay awake forever but I would try to stay up as long as I could.

The night continued, the eerie silence and black sky feeling like the world around me had stopped. I felt myself growing more tired, having not slept well sat at my desk, but...

...maybe if I just...rest my eyes for a minute...

---

A knock on the door startled me back awake. I rubbed my heavy eyes as the cold night air sent a shiver down my torso.

Another knock.

"...One...moment, please..." I muttered.

Blinking awake the best that I could I stood up to leave my desk, going briefly dizzy and lightheaded. I tried to shake it off and continued to the door, grabbing the handle and opening it as slowly as I could as my other hand held my tired, dizzy head.

Once I fully came to I was greeted by a familiar man standing on my porch.

"Good evening," Morissey said with a small smile. "Might we talk?"