You hear shouts from inside the building. A moment later, the quarrel stops, and somebody shoves open the door and storms out. You barely manage a glance at them - a long, dark gray coat; deep blue feathers on their head, probably an Avelander - before they run around the block corner and out of site.

A few minutes afterwords, you see the door open again, but more gently this time; somebody walks out, slowly. He's clearly an Avelander, though dressed differently from the one you saw earlier. He's wearing a loose red shirt and orange-ish pants; his feathers are mostly red with gold-tinted tips, and his eyes are a pale greenish-blue. He has a sorrow, tired expression on his face.

He takes a short breath, then sits still on the nearby rocking chair. He gazes out at the rest of the town. It doesn't look like he's watching anything in particular.

You quietly walk towards the building. As the tired Avelander sees you approaching, he puts on a calmer face. "It's closed," he says, turning towards you, but not meeting your eyes. "I'm sorry." His tone of voice makes it obvious that he is.

"It - I'll get the shop going again, soon. But.. right now, I can't." He pauses. "..If you need a souvenir, I.. I can get you one from inside."

You tell him that it's fine (you notice he slightly adjusts his position as you say this), and that you aren't looking for a souvenir.

You ask what's bothering him. He coughs, and turns away. "You must've heard us."

You admit that you didn't catch what the two had been saying.

The Avelander lets out a breath. He turns back - only now looking at you, rather than in your direction.

"It's - I'm.. thanks. My friend - he's the one who's been working here, with me, since this place began - he just left me. He, ah.. he was pretty shocked when we were told of - of our dragon back at home having died.

"That was a week ago. Just today, he decided he had to leave, to find somewhere else to breathe for a while. Alone." He looks away. "I - I know he needs this.. it's just so hard for me to imagine working here, without him.

"I can't leave here. I don't want to - this shop is my home as much as anywhere else. And I need to get it running. But - I.. it'll take a while. Jole being gone.. that hurts me as much as it does him. And now he's away..

"I'll be fine, though. He.. he will be, too. And I don't want our shop to die, while he's gone.. I'll get to work soon." He glances towards the town again. "But.. I'm going to take a break, out here, for a short while, first. Clear out my head.. quickly.

"I doubt it matters much to you, but.. the store'll be open again, soon."

He stops talking. You tell him you'll be glad to see his shop when he has it running again - he takes a tired smile and thanks you - and that you might be able to be of help if he needs it. He pauses, then tells you he appreciates it. At the moment, he doesn't need anything from you; he's tired, and a break in the open air is all he's feeling for at the moment. You bid him well, then head on your way.