Fray read over the letter a second time and fished out what money he was saving. No matter how many times Art, the owner of the store, suggested it, Fray hadn't raised his prices. Hot stones, cold stones, glitters and chimes were all a pittance. Small pieces of flesh taken from his gut to imbue the otherwise normal quartz. Regenerated within the day. He hadn't used any raw materials to help him. Living with the small discomfort in his stomach that was his payment for such minor miracles.<br/><br/>His clothes were a few items taken right off the rack of the store downstairs and better left here. The armor that he came back with stored on a spare mannequin upstairs. He swiped a few of the tumbled smooth pieces of quartz into his pocket not sure what he'd do with them. Counting out no more than a few hundred dollars left over from half a year of selling his trinkets, he went upstairs and forced himself to look at the suit, hanging lopsided on the undersized and feminine figure. The reflections of posters in the room finding their own ways to look like Ameria in her many outfits.<br/><br/>Reaching out he lifted the breastplate off, the armor felt heavy. Not as bad as when he first put it on, but not the friendly weight of a second skin that it had often been. With a loose tshirt underneath, he ducked his head into the opening and set his shoulders in place. Looking back he saw the chainmail undershirt forgotten. He'd have to get used to this again.<br/><br/>With his armor on and spare stone and metal wrapped in twenty dollar bills, he went downstairs and out to the front. Fray waited for Art to finish a transaction before approaching him. "Thank you for everything, sir."<br/>Art did a double take as he saw Fray for the second time in his armor. "Now is that a thank you or a goodbye?"<br/>"Both. I've left a few score of hots and colds for you in my room. It's not as much as you deserve." Fray made a clanking half bow.<br/>"I'm the one indebted to you." Art popped open the cash register and pulled out a few hundred dollar bills and presented them. "For all your service."<br/>"I can't take that."<br/>"But I insist, I'll make more selling your remaining stones."<br/>Without Fray to contradict his pricing, it was sure to be true, and he took the paper between his fingers. "I hope we'll meet again."<br/>"I'll watch for you. Your ending doesn't have to stay sad. Make the best of things."<br/>"Yeah." Fray said lamely. "Well I have to go. I'll write."<br/>Art smiled as Fray walked out the door.<br/><br/>Fray fought his way through the crowd at the airport and purchased a ticket to Endorserat. Choosing to stand wait for the plane until it arrived while kids and others gawked at him, he brought the armor back in tune with him. Binding the joints to his flesh to magically burn as one. Something very few pieces of armor did and he was uniquely qualified to use.<br/><br/>Taking his economy class seat and its cramped dimensions, he spent away his arms and kept the magic just ready for him to refill their shape, as if he was holding one long breath the whole trip.<br/><br/>Conversations were hard for him. Many of the questions from tourists bringing long gaps of silence. Rekindled after a while and then blown out again as they found new ways to remind him of Halter.<br/><br/>Finally arriving on the island, he waited until he was outside before restoring the pent up magic to flesh and metal. Temporarily vanishing the metal plate in front of his pocket to fish out the letter he'd received and following a set of instructions to bring it with him to the tourist stop. They kindly directed him to the courtyard of the school where he stood. The warm summer sun slowly heating the glistening metal until he stuck a cold stone to help.