The moon was absolutely beautiful that night. The majority of the passengers were fast asleep,except for the night owls, who enjoyed the nightly festivities that the train had to offer. Humanity was split into two camps: the early risers, those who made sure that mankind could function when the sun reigned over the daytime, and those who could function when the moon shone its lunar light.

As a guardian, Elyn preferred the night, mainly because she couldn’t sleep. There was no other way to describe her problem: lack of sleep. Sure, naps were a thing, but getting a full eight hours of sleep with dreams

Elyn glanced at the moon and stars; she almost wanted to wake up Toll Keeper and his companion so they could witness this beautiful sight. Toll Keeper didn’t need to sleep or eat for that matter, but Elyn knew how much he was fond of the nocturnal activity,plus good food was always appreciated even if one didn’t need the nutrients. Stretching her body and taking a deep breath, Elyn gets up from her seat, takes one last look at her traveling companions, and then walks out of the train car they were staying in.

"What can I get for you, lad?" A voice cheerfully asked, accompanied by the jolly sounds of music and joyous laughter.

Creatures of all kinds, from humans to gnomes, from trolls to werewolves, all converse with smiles on their faces. Surprisingly, Elyn even saw a couple of elves join in the fun.

"Would you like to join us, Missy?" The voice chuckled, gently pulling the young woman into the car.

" Wow." Elyn whispered, taking everything in sight. She took a good look at her so-called hostess, a tall, slender woman with long red curls. She wore a gorgeous green blouse and a long yellow skirt; strangely enough, there were no shoes, but even more odd was the strange mechanical contraption on the lady’s back; it gave her the appearance of an animal with six extra limbs. Elyn, of course, who has seen some wonderful and strange things, has never seen a six-limbed human before.

"Ahh, me little helpers." The lady laughed once again; it wasn’t quite uncommon for her to receive such a look. "I’m Sairey, your residential barwaitress and owner of this humble abode.

"Are you from Mica?" Elyn asked as she followed Sairey inside the slightly crowded car.

"Yep, born and raised in good ole Mica. What about you, laddie?"

"A small village called HoneyShade." Elyn answered back, taking a seat at the bar in front of her.

"Ooo Honey Shade, the customers are in love with your ale,as am I with the sweet honey mixed in with, dare I say, the best ale in all of Adamas." Sairey said with a laugh.

It’s been years since Elyn had a cup of delicious ale, and it was even more of a treat since it was her favorite variant, sweet apple ale with honey. The taste automatically reminded her of home.

"Ah, one cup, one cup only," said their father as both Elias and Elyn giddily took the cups and slowly savored the drink. It was a rule that during the night of the new year,the pair could enjoy one cup of ale,mainly because their father, who was big enough to scare any man, had a soft spot for his kids and loved to spoil them.

"Just as delicious as ever." Elyn smiled, taking another sip just as before to savor the taste and moment.

"Ahh, a fellow guardian before me—a rare sight indeed." A loud voice boomed, taking Elyn out of her thoughts. She took a good look at the man; he was large and jolly, and like most others in their field, he wore a long, colorful cloak that was a splendid bright lavender color. under a simple pair of trousers and a colorful silk shirt. If it weren’t for the horns sticking out from his bald head,Elyn would have thought he was human.

"I’m Elyn," she said, reaching her right arm out to firmly shake the man’s hand.

"Nice to meet you, Elyn. My name is Costaark." He said it eagerly, shaking her hand back.

"I can say the same." Elyn said, which was true—meeting another guardian was quite a delightful moment.

"Headed to Mica, a job I presume?" Costaark asked, taking the seat next to her.

Elyn nodded yes as she took another sip of ale.

"Hmm, two guardians headed to Mica—that's quite the conundrum." He said he was stroking his horns.

"I heard back in the old days, when the guardians first began, they were in pairs." Elyn said 

"You are correct, little one. Personally,  I say we might have to go back to the olden days." Costaark said, waving Sairey down.

"Cosy, my boy, what can I get for you?" Sairey asked about helping other patrons along the way.

"The usual Sairey."

"Ahh, Infinte Brusier, only you could handle this drink." Sairey giggled as she poured a shot.

"Yes, the drink of the mighty orcs!" Costaark cheered.

"Mighty orcs!" A couple of fellow orcs yelled back.

Elyn and the other customers laughed; it was like Loor during the Harvest Moon. Seeing so many different creatures all getting along together,it was hard for a smile not to appear on her face.

I’m bringing Toll Keeper," she thought gleefully.