Chapter 14: The Sweetness of Mornings

“Meow!”

A soft, plaintive cry was heard. A little wooden box with crescent moons carved out of the sides sat before the door of an inn room.

“Meow!”

A large green eye peered through the slit.

The door opened.

Vitreum stood, still in her little nightgown, rubbing her eyes. She looked down at the box. Her lip trembled.

“Meow!”

The girl couldn’t take it anymore.

She flipped open the lid to be greeted by a small bundle of white fluff, with two large green eyes.

“Meow!”

“A KITTY!”

She clapped her hands over her mouth. The kitten slowly blinked up at her. She squatted beside the box.

“Did I scare you? You seem good.”

She carefully reached down to pick the cat up, using the blanket it was on top of to hold it like a baby.

A stupid grin broke across Vitreum’s face.

“I’m gonna take the BEST care of you! From now on you’re my cat! You shall be called—ahem—his highness Snowfluffles!”

She got a little too excited as she lifted the kitten high at the end of her announcement.

His majesty, the small kitten, turned his head around a little to look at his new owner.

Vitreum let out an uncontrolled squeal and dashed back into her room.

———————————————————

Meanwhile, Aureum laid across her bed haphazardly, her burgundy cloak still laced up. Heavy snores echoed about her room.

Last night had been entirely sleepless.

When she finally woke up, she rose with wild hair all over the place. Some of it stuck to her face.

Today…

Even her thoughts dragged.

I will start with that letter… and then… I will have fun on my last day in Triviis.

She nodded to herself slowly.

No matter what.

The letter was easy enough to write.

In summary, it told Lord Maledic that Vitreum was being left too much to her own devices while her older brother went off in shady buildings trying to get contraband into Fluentem.

Easy to write, fold, and send. If it was easy to read was another question. She shrugged. It would reach him.

The key to reaching Maledic was the address written on the back. It was so flowery that Aureum remembered it, years later.

“To the golden flowers that bloom on the peaks.”

She rolled her eyes as she said it.

Most would assume it was some flowery language for a love letter, so Aureum wrote a fake address after the phrase. It was close enough to get the letter into the hands that would recognize who it needed to go to.

Seriously, if you want to hide from the world, hide. Only a workaholic would create such half-measures.

It did come in handy here.

She might have worried about gifting the problem of Vitreum to him, but he had one major point going for him. The reason he was so talked about in Nix’s parties was because they had wanted him as an ally. However, all their attempts ended in failure.

Also, it was his family.

Getting ready to leave was a rushed affair, but before Aureum knew it, she stood in a buffet-style restaurant, salivating over the meals. It was a large hall with a center table piled with food, and smaller tables dotted around it.

She took a bit of everything. A few fried chicken, honeyed rolls, slices of ham, some pie, and pudding. There's nothing like walking for about two weeks straight to work up an appetite, after all.

There were some moments of danger balancing everything as she found a place to sit. The restaurant was mostly empty during this time, so she could easily sit by herself, or with the only other people there, a large group having a great time.

Well, an intense-looking man sat in the corner as well But he looked best left undisturbed.

She approached the group of people.

“Hey, what’s the party about? Can I join in?”

Aureum had always been shameless, but years of parties while being a pariah had made her incorrigibly so.

“I’m Aureum. I’m just heading to Fluentem myself.”

She tacked on an introduction after a moment of silence.

Most of them seemed a little startled to see a stranger invite herself to their table, but a few smiled or nodded in her direction.

What motivated her was close to loneliness. She saw a group of people having fun, and after Vitreum and too much time alone, she sought to join them.

“Sure! Sit! We’re a group of travelers ourselves! We’re here to celebrate before we go our separate ways once more. I’m Pardus.”

One of the taller men spoke to her, and with his words everybody made way. He spoke loudly and with energy.

Aureum slid into a seat.

“There’s always students heading to Fluentem. Sitis over here wants to study there as well, but our Lacuna was born there.”

I’m not exactly a student of the school but close enough.

Sitis was another tall, broad-shouldered man, and Lacuna was a beautiful lady.

The lady looked at her intently. Aureum squinted in return.

“Oh, it’s—

“You’re the one who—

Both women spoke at the same time upon having the same realization.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“You know her, Lacuna?”

“She’s the one I spoke of, the one that helped me and that little girl over the candies.”

Lacuna was indeed the young lady from yesterday that Aureum had had to save from Vitreum.

“Really?”

The table went abuzz with murmurs.

“That’s great! It’s wonderful! I didn’t think I would get the chance to thank you in person! Have you tried the custards here?”

The man took a custard-covered biscuit from his plate and plopped it on hers.

And with that Aureum was welcomed at the table like she was an old friend.

Surprisingly, Aureum felt gratified to be treated so closely. It helped that the biscuit tasted fantastic.

It seemed the whole group was from Bonumbas, the only city-state that managed to exist in the wetlands of the west. It explained a bit of their behavior.

The residents had hard lives due to the environments and beasts there. Yet, the exports of those beasts’ muddy pearls and the finest fighters of Aeternitus had long been enough to place Bonumbas as one of the major city-states of Aeternitus, despite the area’s harsh conditions.

Much of the loud talk was tales of heroics. Aureum languished in the joyous cheers, not having much to add but enjoying listening nonetheless.

They aren’t doing much to fight the stereotypes of their people.

But she only wanted to smile as she thought it.

Lacuna found herself to Aureum, her softer voice distinctly different from the loud racket of the others.

“I’m sorry if they’re a bit much, they’re truly gentle at heart.”

Aureum side-eyed the men around the table, with the main thing they held in common being that they looked like they could wrestle a panther. Barehanded.

One mimed doing something similar, he was currently telling a story about how he took down a giant serpent.

“Riiiiiight. Gentle,” Aureum smiled. “I’m sure they’re kind.”

Lacuna hesitated, a bit unsure where the joking tone ended.

“I’m enjoying their company, it’s refreshing!”

Aureum reassured her.

“I’m glad!”

“How’d you end up traveling with them? You don’t seem to belong to the same circles.”

“Oh. Well, a lot of sorcerers from Bonumbas leave to make money and gain experience after a few years of training. My mentor didn’t want me traveling alone so we just waited until enough people wanted to leave,” she shrugged. “And off I went with them.”

“You weren’t worried?”

“I’ve known most of them for years, they wouldn’t hurt me.”

Here Lacuna glanced at Sitis. It was very admiring.

Guess she definitely trusts one completely.

“I wanted to say thanks personally,” Lacuna said. “Before I lost the chance!”

“You already said thanks. Remember?”

Lacuna had mouthed it before she fled. Aureum had gotten the message clear enough.

“Well, I’d like to say it this time. Since I wanted to go see the market anyway I hope I can invite you to join me? I don’t want to leave things just at words.”

“Is everyone coming along?”

The idea of these brawny men following this demure woman around as she went shopping made her want to chuckle.

“Just Sitis. He insisted after yesterday.”

Just Sitis, huh? Hmmmmm. I see how it is, Sitis.

Aureum laughed. She didn’t need anything more to carry, but it sounded like fun. She was also curious about what was going on between those two.

But.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. I can’t stay!”

“I meant tonight? Come with us.”

“Well… don’t mind if I do! But don’t get me anything! It would be a literal burden to carry!”

“I suppose I can’t insist,” Lacuna said, her voice well pleased.

They spent their time enjoying the meal. Sometimes they listened to the stories or conversations of the others, sometimes they chatted alone.

When the meal ended, there was a lot of hugging and cheering. Many of them were headed in the direction of Nix. Only Lacuna got a bit blurry-eyed, the rest were fierce smiles and firm handshakes.

“To glory!” Pardus, the man who had welcomed Aureum, clenched Sitis’ shoulder.

“To diligence.” But even Sitis gave a grin soon after the stern words.

After that, they went to the market. This was not the place for only fresh produce, but jewelry, toys, weapons and so much more.

Aureum and Lacuna had a maze of stalls to explore for clothes alone. The merchants who hadn’t left immediately after the Night of Lanterns still filled a small army’s worth of stalls. Not only was the sheer amount impressive but so was the variety on display. For clothes alone, there were dresses, tunics, leggings, and cloaks. All these came in different styles, materials, and colors. It was an amazing sight to see.

Sitis trailed a bit behind, as his eyes slowly glazed over. He was quiet and polite to Aureum.

Lacuna and Aureum were mostly involved in having female company.

They began seriously looking at the dresses, the cloaks, ribbons, and the shoes.

“I love how free your style looks,” Lacuna said. “I think that leafed pin might go well with it.”

The more amazing thing was how Aureum believed Lacuna meant it, even being as she was in her sister’s oversized clothes.

“I don’t need anything else that could stick me.” Aureum said, doing her best to politely decline. “You don’t have to compliment me! I’m just wearing what’s comfortable. I like how delicate your dresses are. Is that the style in Bonumbas?”

“Oh, the thin fabrics are great for the muggy weather, but you want to cover everything to protect from bites.”

She lifted her long skirt a bit, the fabric flowing.

“It’s practical?”

“Not this dress, the fabric is a bit too light. It tears easily. But it’s nice for parties!”

Of course, they went through piles worth of clothing. They’d hold them up against each other or themselves, making compliments and comments.

It was such a nice night that Aureum ultimately decided to buy one thing. Just to remember it by.

She chose a light blue ribbon to put her hair up. It nearly matched the swirls on her cloak. Lacuna could not be convinced not to pay for it, but luckily it was only a few laevus.

Troubles? Worries? There were numerous troubles going around, and many things to be worried about just a turn away. But Aureum managed to avoid them all for the moment.

Sometimes strangers are harmless, or even fast friends. Of course, it would take more than a fun night with someone to win Aureum’s full trust. But it was a nice start.

Lacuna's and Aureum's budding friendship wasn't the only relationship at play.

There were times when Aureum turned away and came back to Lacuna flustered. Her eyes fluttered rapidly, probably as fast as her heartbeats, as she looked at the walls, the ground, or the sky. Anything but Sitis.

It took a few beats for Aureum herself to figure out what was going on. It wasn't until she gathered what Lacuna wasn't looking at that she understood. The evening had been that enjoyable.

For Sitis' part, he stood as stiff as a block of granite. That could have been his expression of nervousness, but it could just be his normal behavior.

He hadn’t spared any special glances at Lacuna, so Aureum wondered if her immediate hunch was wrong.

Well, he seems to care for her as a friend at the very least. That’s a place to start.

Aureum laughed the first time, but the second time she sighed. It was less entertaining to watch this than she had imagined.

Aureum was satisfied she hadn't spent the entire night a third wheel.

Out of the entire evening, It was a minor, but Aureum wondered if it prompted Lacuna’s invitation.

“We’re both heading to Fluentem,” she said, as they left the market. “Why don’t you come with us? Though I might be assuming that you’re traveling alone...”

Rejection was on the tip of Aureum’s tongue. She knew Lacuna wasn’t imbuing her mana into her body just from how she moved, which meant traveling would be that much slower.

Aureum was already sick of the road. She wanted nice beds as quick as she could get them, and to go without them as little as possible.

But it was Lacuna who was asking. That wasn’t nothing. She was one of the few who’d treated her like a friend in the past weeks.

It’d be more pleasant to travel as a group.

“I’d love to go with you,” she found herself saying.

“Thank you,” Lacuna replied, cupping Aureum's hands.

After looking at those excited eyes, refusal was out of the question. She could only quietly roll up her planned timeline of arriving.