Inmo's emerald eyes wandered over the beanies, noticing the subtle deflation in them. A soft smile graced her lips as she reassured the group, "You've all still done a great job."

As she meticulously packed the last few pieces of trash into her bag, she looked up and spotted Goody standing at the edge of the puddle. Curiosity and concern prompted Inmo to stride over quickly, aware of the potential damage water could cause.

A bright, genuine smile lit up her face as she neared Goody's discovery. "Here, I've got it." Inmo leaned down gracefully, her movements deliberate and careful as she picked up the ring and wiped it off on her outfit to ensure it was dry before handing it to Goody. "Seems like you have quite the keen eye there, well done."

Inmo glanced at her bulging bag, feeling the heft of the litter she had gathered during her excursion. Her gaze then shifted to the beanies.

"I'm ready to offload this bag and share my find with the taskmaster. What about you three?" she asked, her voice exuding eagerness and excitement, with the anxieties caused by not being able to wear her cloak washed away by the presence of her new friends.

The Beanies felt a slight wave of warm fuzzies as Inmo praised them for their work today, enough to cheer them up somewhat.

"Thanks Ms. Inmo!" Goody gave their thanks and blushed happily as Inmo praised them, little lines of red appearing along the approximate area of their cheeks before fading away as though they were never there. They then took the ring and slid it onto their covered arm.

"We're ready as well!" Star would chime in, not relenting in their watchful gaze directed at Demony until they were far enough that it could not employ the water puddle.

After summarily sorting out their trash and dumping them accordingly, the Beanies would head back to the taskmaster alongside Inmo.
"""Hello!""" The Beanies hopped over excitedly to the taskmaster.
"Done for the day, I'm guessing?" The taskmaster shot a glance at one of the plainsclothes observers on standby, and they gave an 'OK' sign.
"Yes! Oh, and we found this." Goody removed the ring they were wearing as a bracelet and handed it over to the taskmaster, who would appraise it closely.
"Well, it does indeed appear to be one of the missing items on our list. Good job, you three!" The taskmaster gave them a thumbs up as she moved to store the ring in a mini vault.
"""Yay!!!""" The Beanies rejoiced and gave each other high-fives.
"Here's your pay, my little Fae folk." The taskmaster would extend a pouch of coins to the Beanies, which Star would come over to take. "Now then, moving on to you, miss." The taskmaster turned to Inmo and the Beanies would watch the conversation between the two unfold.

Once Inmo was done with her affairs with the taskmaster, the Beanies would come up to her.
"Thanks for everything today, Ms. Inmo!" Star said cheerfully.
"We're sorry about Demony," Goody, ever the responsible Beanie, apologized on behalf of their meanie.
"We're going to buy some food and then go back to our wagon for dinner," Chili was back to foodie mode now that they had money again. "Would Ms. Inmo like to join us?"

Demony was annoyed once more. What the heck were those blasted Beanies doing, inviting people over for dinner? Was it a conspiracy to punish it by force-feeding it wholesome emotions by way of friendly interactions? Argh.

Inmo carefully removes the necklace from around her neck and sets it down on the taskmaster's polished desk. "Is this on your list as well?" she asks, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

The taskmaster shuffles through a stack of papers before triumphantly declaring, "Ah, here we are. It certainly is." With a swift motion, she replaces the necklace with a small pouch. "Your pay, as agreed," she confirms.

Inmo's face breaks into a relieved smile as she accepts the pouch. "How is my cloak doing, by the way...?" she inquires anxiously, eager to be reunited with her cherished garment.

The taskmaster responds with a reassuring smile. "Just a moment," she says before disappearing into another room. She returns shortly, presenting Inmo with her freshly dried cloak. "Had it on the windowsill while you were on the job," she explains.

Inmo exhales in relief, murmuring, "Oh, thank goodness." She nods gratefully at the taskmaster and the others before excusing herself, "Back in a moment, everyone."

Once in the dressing room, Inmo eagerly slips back into her cloak, savouring the familiar comfort it provides. After a brief moment, she returns to the group, a warm smile gracing her lips as she addresses Star, "You're quite welcome. It was truly a pleasure to meet you three," she says diplomatically, mindful of their... less-than-amiable companion.

Turning to Goody, she offers a gentle smile, "It's alright, I'm just relieved I could be of help. What was an annoyance for me could've been a dangerous situation for you."

Inmo's eyes light up at Chili's invitation, "After the day we've had, that sounds delightful."

"Dinnerrrrrrrrrr!" Chili sprung off and dashed ahead like a goofball, heading towards the night markets.
"Chili-plush, wait!" Star would be running and chasing after Chili, but they couldn't possibly leave Goody alone, even if Ms. Inmo was with them. Goody was surprisingly easy to lose even under a watchful eye. Demony saw this as an opportunity to possibly Beanienap Chili to see how Star and Goody would respond, and so it descended down to ground level and attempted to ambush Chili by hiding in a side alley, pouncing out just as Chili passed by. Unfortunately for Demony, however, Chili was just slightly off from its predicted trajectory since the goofball hopping was not the usual Chili running. Worse, Star and Goody spotted Demony too, and the three Beanies would swiftly converge on their meanie frenemy.
"De-mo-nyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Star roared angrily as they stamped the ground as hard as they could, which was to say, making just slightly more noise and-
"""Beanie hug!""" The trio surrounded and hugged Demony as hard and lovingly as they could, and it could do nothing but stand there and take it. For some mysterious reason, this 'Beanie hug' was inescapable once the Beanies decided they would do it, and the indescribable fear induced unto Demony by the agonizing wholesomeness would leave it uncharacteristically docile for some hours.

Anyway, the Beanies soon reached the night market, whereby Star had Demony carrying Chili by the nape of their neck so they don't incur unnecessary expenses out of their gluttonous foodie impulses as they surveyed the stalls, concluding the trip with a haul of pastries for Star and Goody, and some kebab skewers for Chili.

With that, the Beanies headed towards the exit leading outside the city and to their wagon.

Inmo found herself unable to contain her amusement at Chili's spontaneous and impulsive nature. She observed Demony's reaction to the Beanie Hug with great interest, knowing that there was a way to temporarily mitigate its effects if needed. It seemed that the large concentration of positive Beanie emotions put it in a sort of daze.

As they leisurely walked through the bustling market, Inmo's eyes gleamed with joy as she carefully handpicked various fresh fruits, meticulously examining each one for its perfect ripeness. She took her time, enjoying the vibrant colours and the sweet aroma of the ripe fruits.

The market although loud and crowded was a delight of various smells. Inmo's keen eye spotted a rare variety of golden mangoes, and she couldn't resist adding a couple to her basket. She also decided to grab a loaf of artisanal, crusty bread to complement her upcoming meal. The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, drawing her to a quaint bakery nestled in a corner of the market. The bread, with its golden crust and soft interior, promised to be the perfect accompaniment to the succulent fruits she had carefully selected.

Despite her earnest attempts, Inmo struggled to stifle another giggle as she witnessed the beanie's unconventional method of reining in Chili's impulses. She followed behind them, glad to leave the hustle and bustle of the market behind as they made their way back to the wagon.

The Beanies' wagon was hilariously oversized even by wagon standards, currently nailed to the earth through stakes that ran deep into the floor to ground it in place and prevent theft. The Beanies hopped in and checked that everything inside was intact before coming out with some firewood to start a campfire. The sun was setting now, and the Beanies had no other sources of light.

The campfire now crackling in a satisfactory manner, the Beanies would bring out a chair for Inmo to sit on, and mini benches for themselves. Star and Goody would be sitting a respectful distance away from the fire (because fire), while Chili would be standing dangerously close trying to garnish their kebabs closer to culinary perfection. Star wondered if they should buy some fire-retardant garments for Chili before pushing that thought away as it sounded like some form of enabling.

"So, where is Ms. Inmo from?" Star started the conversation, genuinely curious.
"We came from a portal in um, Goody think it was called King's Valley?" Goody chimed in with a little more information of their 'origins'.
"That portal was foodie heaven~" Chili sounded entirely nonsensical without proper context. "The juiciest steak, the crabbiest crustaeceans... Oh Chili wished Chili could be back in that dining hall..." Chili was now a depressed Chili. Goody joined Chili in feeling deflated as they recalled the most majestic gingerbread castle they had ever beheld in their life.

Demony was back to normal by now, but it didn't seem like there was anything for it to do, really, so it climbed to the top of the wagon and laid flat on the arch at the entrance.

Inmo's smile widened, her eyes sparkling with appreciation as she watched the friendly beanies bring out a beautifully carved wooden chair for her, expressing her gratitude with a warm and polite "thank you kindly." She positioned the chair with care, ensuring it was closer to the crackling fire, relishing in its comforting warmth while also keeping a watchful eye on Chili to ensure their safety.

"I hail from the lush Bamboo woods of the Crescent Isles," Inmo replied to Star, her smile bright and warm.

"King's Valley," she murmured to herself, her eyes reflecting a distant nostalgia as she tried to recollect the memories associated with that place, slowly remembering the valleys and fields of the area.

"Ah, yes, south of here, isn't it? The skittermaus in that region are truly fascinating," she remarked, sharing her knowledge of the local wildlife. "And Sunshine Glade was gorgeous."

Inmo tilted her head in curiosity as Chili recounted their adventure through the portal, offering them and Goody a reassuring pat on the head.

She then changes to a hopefully more pleasant subject, telling the beanies about her adventure through the picturesque forest of Sunshine Glade and her rare sighting of a Pheonix-like Tia-xin.

"""Ooh...""" The Beanies collectively echoed, their storybook character natures helping their proclivity towards synchronisation as they imagined forests of tall bamboos.
"What kind of place is the Crescent Isles?" Star asked, piqued both by the star-adjacent name and just in general. The Beanies hadn't been anywhere outside Sol City at this point, really.

Maybe the Beanies ought to visit King's Valley proper one of these days. They had been brought to Sol City as part of investigation results into a portal so there wasn't much sightseeing to be had by them back when they first arrived. The Beanies looked in the general direction of south when Inmo brought up the word; except Goody that is, they'd looked entirely elsewhere before realising Star and Chili were looking in a different direction and frantically looked towards the same direction as them to hide their mistake.
"Skittermaus?" Chili wondered what a skittermaus is. It sounded like an animal and so it must be edible, right?

Goody and Chili felt a spark of joy as they were patted, and the Beanies would listen to Inmo's tale intently, taking in all the words that were used and rendering different imagined canvases in their minds about the events in the story, the actions taken, and the emotions that must have been felt amidst the adventure.

Inmo's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she shared her love for her native land. "The crescent isles consist of a group of stunning tropical islands in the southern region, with the main island resembling a unique crescent moon. The local community is tightly bonded and provides unwavering support for one another, yet they cautiously approach outsiders."

She then turned to Chili to answer their curiosity about the skittermaus.
"Their birds have a fascinating song; it sounds like a horse's hooves on pavement. Local legend says that following their song will lead you to safety." Inmo beamed as she imparted her fascinating knowledge of Kings Valley's wildlife.

Inmo captured the attention of the beanies with an enchanting story of her time in Kings Valley before eagerly savouring the delightful dinner she had acquired from the lively market. She was overjoyed to discover the most perfect, succulent golden mangoes, their sweet fragrance wafting through the air as she relished every delicious mouthful.

As she gazes at the darkening sky, she murmurs to herself, "Oh my, I seem to have lost track of time." Retrieving her neatly rolled tent[1] from beside the wagon, she proceeds to pitch it nearby. "I hope it's okay if I spend the night here?"

---

[1] tent

The Beanies were undoubtedly outsiders everywhere they went be it Charon... or anywhere else, really. The extent of their rarity was even cited in their own storybook, though there would be nothing you could have gleaned about their fictional origins, neither in text nor in art.
"Sounds like a nice place!" Star responded, blissfully unaware of the political machinations at play in the Crescent Isles even as they spoke. "Maybe we'll go there someday!" With that, they took another nibble at the buttery and textured pain au chocolat they had bought. Goody, in the meantime, was helping themselves to a cinnamon roll covered in sweet lemon icing.

Birds with a song that sound like a horse's hooves on pavement are strange, to say the least, but the Beanies were definitely in no position to judge them, being literal animated plush toys that outright defied common sense and who knows how many laws of 'nature'. Chili still wanted to eat the skittermaus, but knew better than to suggest it with how Inmo's eyes lit up as she described them.

Chili's eyes stared longingly at the delicious fruits and its juices dripping down the surfaces as Inmo took bite after bite at the undoubtedly succulent flesh. Chili kind of wished they'd bought fruit now, but oh well. There will always be other opportunities, Chili thought to themselves as they chowed down on their meaty kebab skewers interspersed with some good old roasted vegetables.

"Sure, that's fine!" Star replied in regards to the question about the tent. Never a bad thing to have more people around for the night! The day must come to an end though, and eventually the Beanies greeted good night to Inmo and went inside their wagon to snooze in their dollhouse beds. Demony was just glad those ingrates were finally hitting the bed so they would stop emitting starstruck joy.