Kei watched as a group of construction workers started to make plans for the house that his grandfather lived in. It was customary to erect a grave for someone where they had passed, which would mean taking out the floor and ceiling, so that the tombstone would be directly connected to the ground and sky. Unfortunately that would also mean that the house would no longer be usable, so the current plan was to try and preserve it as it was, that way his grandfather could easily access all of his belongings if he wished. 

After watching them take out the ceiling, and make preparations for the floor, Kei decided he’d stayed for a long enough time. As he walked back home he thought about the thing his grandfather had given him. He had never seen anything like it before, though he had seen people wearing similar things that they called necklaces.

He didn’t have time to worry about that though, he still had some work to do.

He found Strik where he usually found him, at the main gate to the town, leaning against a wall with his hat over his eyes. Strik wasn’t from the town, but he was there enough that everyone knew him. He was one of the only people who could get things from the town without having to pay, though in return he’d help buy supplies from the bigger towns that were somewhat far away.

“Kei,” Strik said, lifting his hat up to look at him, “I should have guessed you’d be the one to be sent out to get the ‘groceries’.”

“Yeah, though of course by sent out you mean-”

“Volunteer, yep, though I never know entirely why.”

“It's fun helping people, and besides, the feeling I get from it is far better than any reward I could be given.”

“I know that, it's just,” He seemed to sink down farther along the wall, “you know what people are like out there. I never know why it is that you want to go out there, there’s no one likely to thank you for helping them. In fact, they’d probably be more likely to get angry at you for helping them than if you were to be rude to them.”

“I, just like seeing something new, and different every so often.”

Strik smiled at him, “Even paradise gets boring after a while I suppose.”

Kei smiled back, “Yeah.”

Strik finally stood up from the wall, “Come on,” he said, motioning backwards with his head, “Cruisers this way.”