The day had come to an end, and Starlight now sat dark. As Danniel locked the front door, Lily and Isabella exchanged phones and put their numbers in the other's device. After swapping them back, Isabella said her goodbyes and left the rabbit and wolf alone.
"Heck of a day, huh?" Danniel spoke as he turned to face Lily.
"Certainly wasn't boring," Lily gave her phone one last look before putting it away. A brief flash of sadness ran across her face before it returned to its previous upbeat, if not a bit tired, expression. "Would you believe it's only my second worst' first day'?
"Getting robbed doesn't top your list?"
“Nope,” Lily said with a shake of her head. “I’m still employed, and this place isn’t infested with dagger mites. A little bit of armed robbery is nothing.” The rabbit shifted her gaze down to the end of the street. There sat a grassy roundabout built around a fountain. From its center rose a brick clock tower. Standing around thirty feet in the air, the tower was topped by four illuminated clock faces. As the faces rolled over to seven, a bell from within the structure began to sound.
"Hmm. You take the train, right?." Danniel asked as the bell rang another six times. Lily looked back at him and nodded. "Well, I'm thirsty, and there's a Golden Leaf on the way to the train station. How about we walk together?" He got a shrug as a response, and the two started down the sidewalk.
The unlit wicks atop the lamps of the ornate street lights sparked to life as night began to settle in. They illuminated the darkening streets of Aldcrest as the twin crescent moons grew brighter overhead. The cobblestone streets were mostly empty, short of the stray bus or delivery vehicle. The citizens of the port town strolled the sidewalks, some visiting the restaurants and bars while others stopped and listened to street musicians or grabbed a bite from street vendors.
"That was an impressive kick you did earlier," Danniel remarked after a bit of walking.
The rabbit spun around and gave a proud grin while she walked backward. "It was pretty cool, wasn't it? That worm deserved it, calling me something as horrible as that.” Danniel laughed and agreed. She was informed It wasn’t the first time the store had been robbed, but the ending was certainly different.
Lily maintained her pace while walking in reverse, disregarding the people behind her. Her attention was on the hair curtain in front of the wolf's face. Lily's eyes narrowed the longer she stared at him. Then, without warning, Lily stopped dead in her tracks. Since he was already watching her, the wolf was able to stop just short of running into her.
"Why do you wear your hair like that? How can you see anything?" Lily asked while pointing at his face.
"Why did you just stop like that? I almost ran into you." Danniel snapped, taking a few steps back.
"Because I wanted to. Now answer the question."
The wolf stammered out of a mixture of frustration and confusion. He shook his head and sighed before giving her an answer. “I can see just fine. I don’t really have a reason for wearing it like this; I just do. Why?”
"I don't like it. You have nice eyes, and you shouldn't hide them."
“Noted.” was all Danniel could think to say back to her. Without another word back to him, the rabbit turned and started walking forward again. He didn’t join her immediately, instead watching his co-worker in confused silence. Eventually, the wolf started walking again and, with his longer stride, caught up without issue.
The pair stopped again as they turned the corner from Gropple to Amberdust. They were greeted by a gentle swaying sign above their heads. It was made of dark wood and hung from a metal bar. 'Goldenleaf' was spelled out in painted white letters. Under the sign floated a slowly spinning golden maple leaf. The door to the establishment slid open with a 'Ding dong' playing through a gently buzzing speaker. Once the sound ended, a bouncy pop song started again mid-lyric. To the left of the entrance was a uniformed male rabbit behind a waist-high counter. Above his head was a menu split into three categories: 'Hot drinks' to the right, 'Cold drinks' in the middle, and 'Food' on the left. On the right side of the store were three sets of booths. All three sat empty.
"Hey, Cecil." Danny greeted the worker while he approached the counter.
"Sup, Danny. What can I get you?"
"Hmm, a black mango juice for me and uh," Danniel glanced over his shoulder to Lily. She scanned the menu for things she would get with her first paycheck. "Hey."
"Hmm?" Lily looked back at Danniel.
"Do you want something?"
"Oh, I'm broke."
"That's not what I asked. It's my treat."
Lily stepped closer to the counter to get a better look at the menu. "Um, a black mango juice and a spicy cucumber wrap. If that's cool?"
The wolf nodded and paid for the items. Cecil headed through a nearby doorway behind the counter. He quickly returned with a glass bottle and a paper bag. Danny took the bottle and Lily the bag. Danniel said goodbye to the clerk before the two headed back out. They walked in silence until the train station came into view. Lily cleared her throat as she stopped walking at the base of the short set of stairs that led to the train platform.
"So, thanks for, well, dinner. I'll pay you back eventually." Lily said, gesturing with the bag. She glanced up at a large screen near the stairs that showed the times for the incoming trains.
At the top of the listings was 'Dustburrow' with 'Estimated arrival time: 10 minutes' listed beside it.
Danniel shook his head while opening the bottle of juice. "Don't worry about it. It was like fifteen credits." The wolf took a swig and almost immediately muffled a burp.
Lily snickered at the burp before fishing out her own bottle from the bag with her free hand. She gripped the cap between her teeth and twisted the bottle. Spitting the removed cap into the bag, the rabbit tipped the bottle and chugged half its contents. "Oh, that's good. So, Dreads, what do I have to do to get you to teach me some of that magic?
"Well, if you come back tomorrow, we can talk."
"What, you think I'm not coming back?" She asked before taking another swig of black mango juice.
"Well, working at Starlight is a bit intense. It's not meant for everybody. You would be surprised how many people don't come back after their first day. Just something I’m used to seeing. " Danniel said with a shrug.
Just then, speakers on the platform sprung to life and announced, 'The train to Dustburrow will be arriving shortly at platform B.' Lily hurried onto the platform with Danniel close behind. Once at the platform, she finished the bottle and pitched it into a nearby trash can.
“Listen. I got to hang out with a weird bat girl, snack on some of Sandra's cookies, watch you cast weird magic at a dude with a knife, and then I got to drop kick said knife-wielding dude. Let's not mention that I'm getting paid three times what my last regular job paid. I'd be crazy not to come back." Lily said excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she spoke. As she finished, the train to Dustburrow pulled into the station. While the door slid open, Lily flashed Danniel a smile while offering him her fist. “So, see you tomorrow then?”
"Understood," Danniel bumped her fist with his own, "No promises on the magic thing, though." He flashed her a smile before watching Lily vanish onto the train. He stepped back and watched as she moved to the rear of the car. As it pulled away, the two waved to each other until his new coworker was entirely out of sight.
Now alone, the wolf stared at where he last saw the rabbit. Her eyes were stuck in his head. Something about them stayed with him. The way they lit up while talking about her first day caused his cheeks to warm. While walking down the stairs and off the train platform, a sinking feeling began to settle in. Danniel took a deep breath and sighed, looking up at the twin moons high overhead.
Danniel hoped Lily would show up tomorrow. She seemed like a good fit for Starlight.
