Coronascend

"Who said I was looking for money?" the person replied, still shamelessly gripping his bag and looking into his eyes without hesitation, just a hint of surprise.

"You're pretty fast..." they complimented, their golden yellow eyes having a slight sparkle that made them look like a golden sunset. Their voice sounded more like that of a boy, but with their small body and proportions, he wasn't sure.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" he asked simply. The question left the person stunned, but they still replied, "Boy".

He didn't sound much like a boy, but who cared?

"And are you going to let go of my wrist now?" the boy asked as he tried to wiggle his hand free.

"There's a map in there, see if you can read it." Dolffie let go of his hand and just looked at him expectantly. The boy was stunned again, this guy just let him take his bag, even if there was only a map in it, it was still sellable. 

"I'm not good at reading it," Dolffie added as the boy considered opening the bag. To him, the guy seemed strong, but far too stupid, which made him wonder if it was a trap. He felt the contents of the bag and they did indeed feel like a thick folded paper and although he didn't know why, he decided to open it and read it for this strange guy, after all, it was one of his many unrequited specialities.

Slowly but surely, he began to open the bag, dropping it nonchalantly to the ground when he had the supposed map in his hands. It looked and felt old and worn even before he unfolded it. But when he did, he froze. Dolffie didn't see his reaction as he was busy picking up the bag from the ground, but he could feel his body tense. He finally stood up and looked at the boy, whose eyes were now glued to the map, their twinkle and sparkle gone. He couldn't see the boy's face underneath his mask, but he guessed that the map was too difficult for him to read as well.

"It's okay if you don't understand it." He reached for the map, but the sneaky carrot moved aside, his eyes still glued to the map. Dolffie almost fell face first into the ground, but he caught himself. He quickly turned to the boy and shouted, "Hey! What's the matter with you? If you can't read it, give it back!"

"Where did you find this?" the boy asked, the atmosphere now a little tense and dark.

"Why do you care? And I'll tell you one last time, if you can't read it, give it back."

There was a brief silence before the boy replied, "I can."

It took Dolffie a while to process this, but when he did, his eyes lit up with excitement.

The boy looked at him and then at the map, wondering if he even knew the value of this map and what would happen if he decided to run with it.

"Do you know what this map is called?" he asked Dolffie, looking him straight in the eye.

Dolffie scratched his head awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you kidding me?! How the hell do you not know what your own map is called?! And why do you even have it if you don't know how to read it?!"

The boy was about to explode before Dolffie interrupted, "Look, Carrot, I don't care what this thing is called, as long as it helps me reach my destination and helps me find what I'm looking for."

The atmosphere grew dark and serious as the wind blew softly. The boy's hands fell to his sides and his eyes darkened before he asked.

"So you want to become the Crown?" he guessed.

Dolffie's eyes also went dark as he stepped closer to the boy and replied in a cold tone.

" So what if I am, you gonna stop, huh, Carrot?"

Small vine-like sparks of crimson slowly began to trace across his tattoo and faintly into his eyes.

The boy looked into his eyes without a hint of hesitation, the sunset-like sparkles reflecting once more in those golden eyes.

"Eye of the Land and Sea: that's what your map is called," the boy began to speak, his eyes not moving from Dolffie's.

"It's the map of the Crown which was stolen six months ago from the ancient archives of Doppio Island, the heart of the Dolly Sea."

"Are you going to report me then?"

"What good would it do a thief to report another thief? It's pointless, they'd just arrest and execute us both."

"Huh, then just pretend we don't know each other so we both get another chance to walk away with our heads attached to our bodies."

The little Carrot put some distance between them before pointing the rolled-up map at Dolffie.

"Or... we can help each other."

Dolffie raised an eyebrow with a puzzled expression before the boy continued, "You need someone to read the map for you, and I need someone who can steal an ancient, highly protected artefact from the infamous Doppio Island itself without getting caught."

"I fail to see what a common thief like you has to gain from this deal."

The boy's eyes narrowed as if he were smiling under the piece of cloth covering his face, before he answered.

"I gain much more than you think... Storm of the Calm Sea."

This was the nickname given to Dolffie by those who knew about the theft of the map. They saw him as a storm, a distraction to their calm and peaceful lives. 

"I have nothing to lose, Carrot. Becoming the Crown is my only purpose; I don't need extra deadweight for some stupid deal."

He snatched the map from the boy's hands before turning and continuing his journey.

"I'll be your jewel!"

He halted, wondering if he had heard wrong, had this little Carrot just offered to become one of his jewels?

Just as he turned to confirm what he had just heard, the boy was already standing before him, his eyes glowing as he looked into Dolffie's, the once beautiful golden sunset now a raging golden flame.

"Take me to the archives of Doppio Island and I'll do anything... I'll be your jewel... forever."