Regardless of circumstances, there are things that Makoto doesn’t pass up on.

After a relatively long day of work at the library, he finds comfort in a quiet stroll around the park. The weather was still lovely and it would take a little while longer before it got dark, so he had enough time to indulge in a quick gaming session on his phone. Might as well get some fresh air and enjoy the last few rays of the sun of the day, rather than stay cooped up in his hotel-room; there wasn’t much left for him to do anyway, aside grabbing dinner at some point.

The phone has been retrieved from the pocket of his pants a couple of minutes ago and, in spite of walking, Makoto’s attention was cast downward towards the screen of the device. His fingers tapped or slid over the screen at a rapid tempo and his tongue poked out a slight at the corner of his mouth, signaling concentration.

Careful as he tried to be, with the occasional glance cast upward to try ensure he wouldn’t bump in another or encounter any obstacle, the inevitable happens. Makoto ends up bumping against another person and while the impact wasn’t hard enough to send either off balance, he finds himself stepping backward instantly, quickly tucking the phone away before doing a precise, 90-degree bow. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going and…-- Ah, I should be paying more attention!”

A set of caws draws his attention, so he straightens his position and lets his gaze lift up towards the person he’d bumped into. The attire of the other was peculiar at first sight, but the crows definitely took the cake there -- were they his companions?

“Uhm… Sorry?”

❇ “Tailmon! If you keep chasing the crows, you’ll scare them away!” She lightly scolded the feline Digimon, who sulked and climbed on her back. Hikari sighed softly and patted her. Tailmon couldn’t help her natural instincts, but Hikari needed to take a nice picture of flock of crows. 

It was nearing Halloween and she had offered to take spooky pictures to put up on the library’s bulletin board. But the job was harder than it seemed.

“Go on Cat, go get it!” Hawke laughed as she threw the small red ball again, Cat nearly tripping over himself to run after it. Business was quiet today and the weather was nice, so Hawke had closed her shop and taken Cat out for some fresh air by the riverside. 

Fetch wasn’t usually something she did- well, not normal fetch with a ball at least. Usually fetch was played as Hawke telling Cat to go tackle some poor guard or slaver or other such unlucky person that got in her way. Kirkwallers really had no idea how to react to a 200 pound war dog coming at them.

Well, to be fair, very few people outside of Ferelden did. So Hawke felt a pang of worry as Cat barreled after the ball; she’d thrown it rather hard, and unfortunately in the direction of a rather unlucky passer-by. It had landed right at their feet, and Cat showed no signs of slowing down.

Laurent walked out of the library, having finished another day’s long work at the desk - now he had time for himself, he wanted to finish the donut one of his sheep co-workers had given him (he’d shared some lunch with them a few days ago when they forgot, so they returned the favor, which was nice). Sitting down on the steps in front of the library: it was evident someone else had an eye on the sweet confectionery, as he heard a loud cawing.

Looking down, there was a crow, of course. That was the only animal that made such a noise, so he wasn’t surprised. “I am not sure if you will like the sweet too much. I do not mind sharing, however.” That said, Laurent broke some of what was left of the donut and tossed it to the noisy bird. Honestly, he didn’t know of what animals may like that well. One of the more experienced mages in the Sheperds, Ricken, would probably know more than him, or Henry.

The crow took the offered donut and flew off: but Laurent’s small leftovers were forgotten as he caught sight of where - no, who - the bird was flying to. Was it really him? Granted, Laurent supposed it might seem strange he was excited to see this mage, of all people: but there was hardly anyone he knew here in this strange realm, and the fact of the matter was that he’d felt a little lonely for it.

Someone: anyone from his home realm was a sight for sore eyes, and Laurent stood from the step to follow the crow to the person it had flown to.

“Henry...it is indeed a stroke of luck I should find you here. Have you come here only recently?”

Your request has been accepted. Welcome to the city, Henry! While your crows have arrived with you, it seems your tomes have disappeared. Apologies, you’ll do well without them, no worries!

I hope you’ll enjoy living in Hummingbird Hotel Room #208!