In the chap­ter titled “the Green­stone Fair,” we find the pro­tag­o­nist wak­ing up alone in his house by the lake, a place known for its tur­bu­lent nature—although on this day, it’s sur­pris­ing­ly calm. He reflects on the lake’s sen­tience, recall­ing past events includ­ing omi­nous clouds and ship­wrecks, while enjoy­ing the serene envi­ron­ment. After a brief inter­ac­tion with his house­mate Kel­lan, the pro­tag­o­nist pre­pares break­fast, acknowl­edg­ing Kel­lan’s reserved nature and his unique appearance—the fear­ful look in his eyes and his unusu­al hand.

Kel­lan, who has recent­ly made a sig­nif­i­cant book deliv­ery to Lark (the pro­tag­o­nist’s com­pan­ion), is depict­ed as ner­vous yet odd­ly famil­iar. They engage in con­ver­sa­tion while shar­ing break­fast, where Kel­lan hints at his uncer­tain plans— “farm” and “Ontario.” Their exchange reveals Kel­lan’s back­sto­ry, includ­ing a recent acqui­si­tion of an old Ford Ranchero in need of repairs.

The two decide to vis­it Green­stone to seek auto parts. As they dri­ve, Kel­lan shares anec­dotes about his eccen­tric fam­i­ly, reveal­ing a kid-broth­er-like dynam­ic between him and the pro­tag­o­nist, who feels a pro­tec­tive instinct toward Kel­lan. Through­out the ride, Kel­lan dis­cuss­es his aspi­ra­tions in micro­bi­ol­o­gy, par­tic­u­lar­ly want­i­ng to work in a more pres­ti­gious field relat­ed to astro­nauts, only to face dis­ap­point­ment when reveal­ing it’s a metaphor for the pow­er­ful elite.

Upon reach­ing Green­stone, the pro­tag­o­nist describes the vibrant mar­ket atmos­phere filled with col­or and activ­i­ty, con­trast­ing Kel­lan’s grow­ing anx­i­ety. They nav­i­gate through var­i­ous stalls, and as Kel­lan scours for parts, he inad­ver­tent­ly wit­ness­es a con­fronta­tion involv­ing a brutish offi­cer known as Apeknuck­le. This encounter esca­lates quick­ly when Grabo, a ven­dor, resists the offi­cer’s bul­ly­ing, show­cas­ing her strength and spark­ing a chaot­ic scene.

Despite the com­mo­tion, Kel­lan finds joy in a small com­pass he pur­chas­es, intend­ing to gift it to the pro­tag­o­nist. How­ev­er, his mood dims as they return home, hint­ing at his trou­bled past. Kel­lan reveals a bur­den of expec­ta­tions and con­tracts, sug­gest­ing he feels trapped and dis­con­tent­ed with his sit­u­a­tion. After a humor­ous mishap involv­ing heavy auto­mo­tive parts tucked away in his coat, Kel­lan requests the pro­tag­o­nist’s help to install the ball joints.

As the pro­tag­o­nist reflects on the day’s events and pre­pares for a music gig, he strug­gles with the com­plex feel­ings of attach­ment to Kel­lan, wor­ried about the direc­tion their rela­tion­ship may take, espe­cial­ly in light of Kel­lan’s cir­cum­stances. The chap­ter clos­es with a ten­der moment between the pro­tag­o­nist and Lark, empha­siz­ing Kel­lan’s artis­tic tal­ents that cap­ture their essence in his sketch­es, sig­ni­fy­ing the bud­ding con­nec­tion among them all.