Disclaimer: I don't own Bravely Default, all rights to the owners.
I was going to keep all these little story bites in chronological order, writing scenes as I play through the game, but I play way faster than I write (I'm at Chapter 2), so screw that, I'm throwing these story bites in whatever order I feel like as ideas cross my mind. This isn't supposed to be a cohesive narrative anyways, just whatever scenes I felt like writing thrown together into a collection.
So for today's bite… Florem. Unlike the last two chapters, I'm not just regurgitating party chats and main scenario scenes here.
"Tiz, oh, Tiz! It's wonderful, isn't it!?" Ringabel sniffs, dabbing the corner of his eyes dramatically with his shirt.
"I'm not sure I follow." Tiz says, shoulders hunched slightly as he walks directly behind Agnès, not making eye contact with anyone who stares at their little group.
"It's any man's dream Tiz!" Ringabel cries, and throws an arm around the shepherd's shoulder, pulling him into the metaphorical spotlight (what with Ringabel's loud proclamations drawing the eyes of people as they pass). "Lovely, lovely ladies as far as the eye can see! Not only that, but ladies who willingly dress in wonderful, wonderful outfits! It's enough to bring tears to my eyes!"
"Yuck." Edea says from behind them. "Seriously Ringabel?"
"But of course Edea! You must understand, this… this is heaven!"
"Uh, right." Tiz mumbles. "Can you let me go now?"
"So you can hide behind Agnès and miss out on this land of opportunity!? This town of plenty!? No!" Ringabel cries. "Tiz, I, your friend, will not allow you to deprive yourself like that! Our vestal is lovely, yes, but you must at least sample other options!"
"That's disgusting Ringabel." Edea says. She grabs his arm and yanks it off Tiz's shoulders. "And Tiz isn't interested, he has actual self-respect, now let go."
"But Tiz will be missing out!" Ringabel insists as the shepherd hides behind Agnès again, and the vestal shoots Ringabel a narrowed side-eye when he glances her way. "Edea, you must understand, it is like… like having a favourite food. You can appreciate your favourite all the more when you have sampled all the other delicacies available, and come to a fuller understanding as to why your favourite is just that good!"
"Yeah, for food." Edea snaps. "You don't 'sample' people."
"Sure you do! It's called dating, Edea; it's very normal." Ringabel says. He tries to pat Edea on the shoulder, but she swats him away. "You should try it."
"Dating is normal. Flirting with anything with two legs is not." Edea says. "So stop being gross, and leave Tiz out of this. You're going to traumatize him, not help him."
"Oh come now, there's no trauma to be gotten from dinner with a lovely lady." Ringabel scoffs.
"What about that time you got punched in the face?"
"That only happened once." Ringabel says. He preens his hair as a tall lady with dark green hair walks by. His eyes very obviously stick to her legs, and her eyes don't stick to him at all. She completely ignores him. "Once."
"Ah, right, you usually get kicked, I forgot." Edea says sarcastically. "And are we just going to brush over that time one of your dates stole your wallet?"
"Again, once."
"Once is one time too many." Agnès says. Her expression is less severe than Edea's but only minorly, and it might have something to do with her being distracted by Tiz's attempts to avoid the judging gaze of a short young woman in a shockingly short skirt by putting Agnès between him and her. "We were very fortunate you weren't carrying the group funds."
"I got my wallet back!" Ringabel says defensively. He tries to catch the eye of the woman looking at Tiz, but to absolutely no avail. "It wouldn't have mattered!"
"Hmm…" Edea hums disbelievingly. She outright glares at the woman eyeing Tiz, and that is enough to get the woman to move on. "Tiz."
"Yes?" The Shepherd asks anxiously.
"You really need to stop cowering. You're making yourself a target."
"A target?" Agnès asks, suddenly standing up straight and casting sharp eyes at everyone around them. "Are we in danger?"
"Not that sort of target Agnès." Ringabel says. "Remember how that woman threw water at you?"
"Ah, the cow." Edea huffs.
"Yes, I remember." Agnès frowns.
"Edea is implying such a thing might happen to Tiz. The ladies of Florem have very high standards of others, and so Tiz's obvious anxiety is painting a metaphorical target on his back." Ringabel explains. "And so all the more reason for him to gain some confidence by joining me in talking to some of the lovely ladies!"
"If you're so eager, just go on your own. We can talk to the matriarch without you." Edea snaps. "It'll probably go smoother without you making eyes at everyone anyways."
"And abandon my companions? Absolutely not!" Ringabel scoffs. "The ladies can wait for me for a few hours, I'm sure."
Edea throws up her hands in frustration.
Tiz makes a conscious effort to stand up straight and not constantly look about, but it's horrendously uncomfortable. He can still feel eyes boring into the back of his head, and can imagine every voice he hears is a whisper about him in some form or another.
He's never been comfortable with lots of eyes on him, much less unfriendly eyes.
"Perhaps I should cower and shuffle if it will attract some ladies…" Ringable muses, noticing how a pair of slightly older women follow Tiz with their eyes and whisper to each other. Tiz cringes a bit on hearing those words.
"You're an asshole Ringabel." Edea grumbles.
It's a relief to everyone (except Ringabel) when they find the Matriarch's house. Agnès introduces herself to a guard outside (one of the few women in the city who is not dressed in something flashy or skimpy or ostentatious, though she does sport dyed hair) and they're quickly ushered inside.
The tension finally leaves Tiz's shoulders when they step indoors. The handmaidens of the matriarch give the group only a cursory glance before stepping into the background and lowering their heads, becoming as invisible as possible.
The conversation with the Matriarch is informative, and explains much of Florem's radical change from what Agnès recalled of it. A new, insidious idea claiming purity was uniquely found in the beautiful took root in the city, and is largely responsible for the city's current state. Olivia's location is currently unknown, and the group determines that the Water Temple will have to be their next destination to find some sort of clue.
However, they've been travelling for a long time to get to Florem, and even Agnès isn't so keen on leaving immediately, so they agree a few days of rest are in order before they set out once more.
"Last chance Tiz." Ringabel says as they leave the Matriarch's house. "I am still willing to be your guide in this heavenly land!"
Tiz mutely shakes his head, and Edea barks "just go Ringabel" and so the philanderer eagerly locks eyes with the first women who will actually spare him a glance, and practically skips away from his companions.
Edea grumbles some unsavory things under her breath and moves up to walk on Tiz's other side. Both Tiz and to a lesser extent Agnès look like they'd rather be anywhere but out in the open, but the inn they checked into is an hour away, so they'll have to survive until they can make it back.
Except, they're not going straight back, because they have shopping to do, and now is as good a time as any. Edea needs new armor, Tiz needs a new sword, and Agnès… well Agnès could use a new rod (despite her protests otherwise), and they're going to need more food supplies and new clothes anyways, along with some other miscellaneous things. Besides, they can relax better tomorrow if they do everything today.
Getting their new weapons and armor isn't too much of a hassle, but that's partially because no one else is actually in the arms and armor store. The same can't be said of the other stops.
The group had split up in a clothing store. Their trek through the Miasma Woods was hell on their clothes with the thorns everywhere, the constant monster attacks, and the puddles of toxic water splashing and staining them. Tiz's stitching can only fix so much damage before it's simply more practical to get new clothes.
Agnès, to be fully honest, has no idea what she's looking for. She can't imagine wearing anything beyond her current attire while on the road and all the offerings here are far too drastic for her taste, and seeing as the shop does in fact offer tailoring services she decides it would be more practical to simply commission a copy of her current dress. Edea and Tiz are much less picky, but they're also not used to wearing the exact same one or two dresses every single day for their entire life. It's strange enough to put on dark or white mage attire when using an asterisk, she'll not give up her normal dress unless she absolutely has to.
This whole decision is also a reminder that she is currently wearing her stained, patched, old dress. The one that Tiz has needed to repair more than two dozen times since their adventure together started, with half of those times being during the last month thanks to the Miasma Woods. It is no longer an elegant sheet of white with black trim and gloves and such to go with it. No, it's been reduced to a whitish-grey patchwork with visible repair seams all around and more than a few faint stains that Tiz couldn't quite force out no matter how much he scrubbed. The fluffy black trim is outright missing in some spots, or oddly cut short, or not quite as fluffy or too thin or a million other minor imperfections that weren't there when she first left her temple.
Her dress looks a mess if she really stops to think about it, and while she doesn't horribly mind it would still be nice to have it be clean again and not look like it was dragged through rose bushes for fun on a daily basis.
The shop's owner, a middle-aged woman with extremely heavy makeup and a dress so intricate and decorated Agnès suspects it cost more money than the members of their group have combined, raises an eyebrow when Agnès approaches the counter with no purchases. Her eyes scan Agnès' tattered dress with poorly-hidden disdain before finally speaking. "Can I… help you, dear?"
Agnès decides to politely ignore the woman's tone. She is capable of being the bigger person. "Yes, I'd like to commission a replacement for my dress."
"You don't say." The woman mutters. She stands up straight and takes a quill out of its inwell. "What did you have in mind, such that my current selection wasn't enough?"
If Agnès isn't imagining things, she thinks she hears scorn in the woman's voice. She can't imagine what she did to deserve it, but then again she still doesn't quite understand why she got splashed earlier either, so maybe she's missing something obvious.
"You misunderstand, I wish this dress replaced. A copy." Agnès explains. "Erm, minus the patches and tears of course."
"I see." The woman says, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. "Well, I can do that, but are you sure you don't want something more… impressive?"
"I am quite sure." Agnès says. She doesn't see what's wrong with her dress. "Thank you."
"I'll need your measurements. I can give you a price estimate after that." The woman sighs. "So unless you know yours by heart, please step into the back…"
Thankfully measurements are a quick affair. The price is high, and Agnès isn't surprised. Considering Florem's new state, she and Edea and Tiz were all expecting prices on quality clothes to be somewhat unreasonable but they were prepared to pay anyway. It's not like they have anywhere else they can go for good clothes at the moment.
"Alright." The woman sighs once the order is placed. "Come back in… a week or so. I've got other, more colorful, orders to get through first."
Agnès isn't big on social nuances, but even she has an inkling that the woman's words are intended as an insult. "Is just black and white really that bad?" Agnès frets. She inclines her head politely and thanks the woman anyhow. No sense in angering the person making her new dress.
Agnès flees into the shop to find Tiz or Edea and not stand awkwardly near the counter or outside. She winds through the racks of clothing, ignoring the girls there who stare at her or audibly scoff as she passes by.
Florem really has become quite unpleasant since she last visited.
After a minute of trying and failing to find Edea, Agnès realizes she's being foolish and beelines for the men's area (which is tiny compared to the woman's area, seeing as this is a city of women, and so there's no way she can miss Tiz if he's there), and casts her gaze around for Tiz's familiar short hair peeking out above some of the clothing racks.
She finds him easily, but he's not alone.
"Norende? I've never heard of it." A girl says. She has long, bright red hair with yellow and orange accents, like fire. She leans against one the racks, playing with her hair as she talks. Her eyes almost lazily scan Tiz, not focusing on his face as she talks. Tiz is clutching a new shirt tightly to his chest as if it will protect him from the girl's attention.
"Well, it's not a notable place. It was just a farming village." Tiz says. He shuffles a step away from the girl. "So, uh, anyhow, I really should-"
"Does everyone dress like you in Norende?" The girl asks, ignoring whatever Tiz was going to say. She leans forward, ignoring Tiz's very obvious attempts to keep his personal space, and flicks at a small stain on his sleeve. "All rough cloth and… dirt?"
"We're only this dirty when we're working, I travelled-"
"And is everyone so basic too? Plain white shirt and grey pants?" The girl continues, cutting him off again. Her eyes still haven't strayed anywhere close to his face the entire conversation. "It's so… quaint."
Agnès is fairly sure that's not a compliment. She's also seen quite enough to not feel bad about marching up to Tiz, grabbing him by the arm, and pulling him away with only a curt "excuse us" to the girl as explanation.
Tiz's relief is palpable, and the tension in his shoulders quickly drains the further they get from the girl. "Thanks Agnès."
Agnès purses her lips. "It is quite alright. The people here are very… passionate… about clothing."
"I've noticed." Tiz nods. "She was talking to me for at least five minutes before you showed up. She kept asking where I got my clothes, what happened to them, why they were so dirty…"
"Whoever 'she' is sounds like an asshole." Edea's voice cuts in. The girl in question appears from behind a rack (being too short to be seen overtop it, which probably explains why Agnès couldn't find her) and falls into step next to Agnès and Tiz. To Agnès' surprise, she has almost an exact copy of her current outfit thrown over her shoulder. That must be an incredibly fortunate coincidence… or there's some other factor Agnès isn't aware of. Perhaps Edea's outfit is more common than she thought? "She was poking fun at you Tiz."
The shepherd boy winces. "Oh."
"The woman at the counter was more subtle, but I do not think she was much kinder." Agnès warns quietly. "She was unimpressed with my dress, I think."
"A whole city of assholes. Woo-hoo." Edea grumbles. "You know, I was actually sort of curious about this place, and now I can't wait to leave."
Agnès instinctively wants to defend Florem, she has good memories of this place, but she can't deny how different and unpleasant it is now. It isn't even that the people have strayed away from crystalism or taken an interest in fashion (the former is regrettable and the latter is odd but not necessarily bad), it's the condescending attitudes that bother Agnès the most.
"I wasn't spared either." Edea says, after they leave the store with what few new purchases they have. "You should have seen the look on the face of the sales assistant as I was talking to her. She wouldn't stop glancing at my arms. Actually, that's happened a few times since we got here. It's like no one has seen a girl with some muscle before."
Agnès and Tiz hadn't even considered that as a possibility, but upon reflection they realize almost everyone they've seen in Florem so far doesn't seem particularly concerned with athletics, so Edea would stand out because of that.
"I'm glad they had this though." Edea says, patting her new clothes. "I wasn't sure Florem would sell Eternian stuff seeing as Florem used to be heavily crystalist, but they do."
"Is your outfit common?" Agnès asks, remembering the question she wanted to ask.
"Not in this specific combination, but the individual pieces are common enough among young women." Edea shrugs. "It's not all custom and fancy like yours."
Agnès doesn't feel particularly fancy at the moment. She's been made painfully aware of just how rough her dress looks. "The lady at the counter implied my dress lacked color and was unimpressive."
"Well she's a bitch." Edea says bluntly. "Besides, I'm surprised you care."
"I…" Agnès wants to say she doesn't, and to a certain extent that's true, but she can't help but be a little self-conscious that her preferred dress is somehow subpar. "I suppose not."
"You look great Agnès." Tiz says and pats her on the shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with your look."
Well if Tiz says so it must be true. He's seldom wrong. "Thank you, Tiz."
"Now let's drop these off at the inn and go find something to eat. Agnès, please tell me you know Florem's specialty!" Edea says.
"I'm afraid not."
"Mrgrgr… okay, we're just going to have to try everything then!" Edea decides.
"I don't think we have the money for that." Tiz warns.
"Half of everything!" Edea cries, undiscouraged.
"No." Tiz says more firmly this time.
"Killjoy."
"I'm sure Ringabel will indulge you if you ask." Tiz says.
"Ew. No."
Edea and Agnès play "protect the shepherd" while getting scoffed at by everyone, Ringabel is Ringabel, and Tiz just doesn't know how to deal.