Elden recognized the voice immediately and could envision the humanoid raccoon entering the shop by the sound of the door swinging open. It remained ajar, letting in the fresh air and sounds of the awakening town.

  One reason for this recognition, along with his overly enthusiastic entrances, he attracted a crowd of onlookers, each dispying a mix of expressions.

  This raccoon man had a prominent bck mask around his eyes and grayish-brown fur with reddish or bck tints.

  He was a short man with a thin build dress in a rge brown coat hood and a pair of goggles on his head.

  Elden knew he had to intervene to stop paying patrons from staring too long. “Ah, well, if it isn’t Ramon Irwin! Shut the damn door and come over here. My dear patrons are looking at you funny.”

  “That’s my name! Keep saying it; it helps grow my popurity among the people in this town and some business to make with anyone interested in what I have to offer,” Ramon said, acting a bit foolishly as a businessman.

  He let the door close behind him and walked over to the counter where Elden was standing.

  “A silly approach, given what you do. Don’t you want to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself, considering your line of work?” Elden pointed out, referencing how Ramon often provided information that certain individuals sought.

  Whether the information was good or bad; even a hint of falsehood could be impactful on another, but it is not the only source.

  For Ramon, it was all about making money to survive in this town, as he looked out for himself.

  “I don’t need to worry about that; I’m an expert at avoiding trouble.” Roman acts cocky about it, which Elden loves to undermine.

  “Yeah, and there were a few times when you got caught by some unfriendly people. Like that time some thugs spotted you trying to steal from them. Then there was the incident when you scammed a rich person and another time when you slept with a guy's wife. Oh, and let's not forget the time the guards caught you for stealing from someone who was selling food,” Elden said, shaking his head.

  Ramon quickly loses his cocky attitude when Elden uncovers some past mistakes he made that he will not soon forget.

  “Yeah, yeah, having fun with some silly mistakes makes you feel important,” Roman says, not liking it and pretending to act like his feelings are hurt.

  Elden isn't convinced by Roman's acting skills. "I'm still waiting for that thank you or repayment for bailing you out of jail."

  "Ah, there is a way to pay you back, Elden. It's one of the favors I owe you anyway regarding the information I gained st night from one of my local spots." Roman starts to become serious in his tone and expression.

  "Then go on and say what you have to say to me, how you look right now tells me my ears need to hear whatever it is," Elden says as he sees Roman use a finger to motion him to bend a bit closer to the guy.

  It is clear Roman doesn't want anyone nearby to overhear what he has to say. “While I loiter around the less reputable areas of Holsworthy, I was able to listen in on conversations that might provide useful information for selling."

  Roman pauses, his eyes scanning for anyone looking their way. He finds one inside the clothing shop who seems to care; Elden's handmade clothes around them capture more attention.

  "Two rge, intoxicated Bear men were walking together down the street on a nighttime stroll. They were loudly discussing an incident at the old tavern, The Good Empress Ale House." Roman's tone suggested that he was a bit concerned as he spoke.

  Quickly, a response came out of Elden: "WHAT!? Was Glenda, Dolly... wait, my sister, used that women's pce to stay while visiting Holsworthy? She said nothing about this when we spent a day together."

  "Yeah, there's no doubt that Este was involved in the trouble. The way they described her matched perfectly; she pulled a gun on their boss, ready to blow his head off. I doubt things would have gone smoothly afterward. Fortunately, a well-known mercenary, who goes by the nickname 'Grief Hunter,' was involved. It’s a weird name, and frankly, it’s quite scary. I definitely wouldn't want someone like that coming after me," Roman said, shaking his head at the thought.

  "Wait, no one was harmed, right? Roman, did you hear anything about that?" Elden asked urgently. He needed to know because his loved ones were caught up in a situation he suspected involved some thugs and their boss trying to muscle into Glenda's business.

  "Well, the bear guys weren't straightforward with their words, likely because they were influenced by alcohol. However, I did catch some important details. From what I gathered, Glenda received a nasty backhand from the boss of those bear men. In the next part, a random human was there at the time and came up with the idea that it was brave—yet incredibly foolish—to attack the boss on his own. Unfortunately, he ended up with a cut from the boss's cws. I still don't know if that guy is alive or if he could be dead." Roman says, shrugging his shoulders about that st part.

  Elden was shocked to hear the raccoon, Roman Irwin, tell him all this while his sister, Este, could have told him directly when the two were hanging out together.

  The frantic feeling in his body urged him to run out of this shop and head over to Glenda's pce to check on her well-being and that of the woman's daughter, Dolly, and Cory, who had taken the most damage.

  Elden hesitated, held in pce by the memory of his sister's calming and happy face time long at the start of the day. Since she had shown no signs of distress, he decided it was best to wait until ter to learn about what had happened the previous night at Glenda Tavern.

  Roman is a clever raccoon who picks up on things and points out, "I'm pretty sure your sister didn't mention anything about this to you today."

  "No, she did not. I'm sure Este had her reasons, but I won't be able to find out what they are since she has already left town. I'll have to get the whole story from the tavern pce ter," Elden said, feeling more at ease.

  "That sounds like a great idea; I'm getting hungry just thinking about some delicious food from Glenda. You wouldn't mind covering the bill for a good friend like me, would you?” Roman tries to py the friendship card with Elden.

  Elden has known this guy for a long time and is aware of the trick he's pying now, which made him throw a counter. "Friend? Do you even understand the meaning of that word? To me, it just means a freeloader who is cheap with money for a type of person like you."

  "Hey, a guy has to save money whenever he can. I'm looking to be rich one day, you know? I want to grow old and die in my sleep, leaving behind wealth for my future children to fight over. Or maybe I'll take all that money to my grave and hide it in a location no one can discover." Roman ughed when it was a joke or so it seemed that way.

  "That sounds like a suitable future for you. By the way, you didn't mention the name of this so-called boss of the bears." Elden was curious to know the person's name, as he intended to seek them out in the future.

  "The boss's name is Preston; those guys sometimes mention it before heading to a random brothel for typical male activities," Roman answers.

  Elden rubs his chin, as the name sounds familiar, but he can't recall where he heard it. Was it from a patron in his shop or someone walking the streets?

  "Preston is the name. Where did I hear that..." Before he could finish that sentence, the sound of the door being forcibly opened drew him, Roman, and anyone else in the shop to the front.

  "ROMAN! You little troublemaker of a raccoon, we finally found you. Do you think you can get away from us, rat boys, after double-crossing us?"