"And as she walked into the unknown, the rustling faded, until all that remained was the sound of her own steady footsteps, and the quiet of the night." Grandfather Trafalgar said before closing his storybook, signifying to his audience that the story was finished. The end of the Ćororo storyteller's tale was met with applause from the audience, especially from the children who had gathered at Grandfather Trafalgar's feet.
"Another one! Another one!" One of the children cried out then. And soon enough, every child sat before the old man was clamoring to have him read another story.
"Ho ho. Oh as much as I would enjoy reading another story, it seems like the sun is preparing to make its final descent." Grandfather Trafalgar said with a gesture towards the shining orb in the sky. "I imagine for some of you, your time would be better spent preparing for the trials ahead."
Predictably, the children let loose a disheartened chorus of "Awww" in response to this.
"Now now. No need to be like that." Grandfather Trafalgar said with a reassuring smile. "Once the rite is complete, I'm sure there will be plenty of time for some more stories."
After a moment, the children either deemed these words of placation to be sufficient appeasement and ambled off elsewhere or were led away by their parents if they proved too stubborn to move.
Once the audience had left, Grandfather Trafalgar picked up his hat and counted the Zenit that had been left within by some of the more generous listeners. Once the counting was done, the old man gave a satisfied nod, pocketed the currency, donned his hat, and looked to the one child who had remained. "Well Miloh, it appears we have some free time on our hands now." Grandfather Trafalgar said to his recently acquired traveling companion. "Any thoughts on how we should spend it?"