A New Journey

I'm starting with apologies . . . I honestly forgot all about this story after I had to reboot my computer three times and lost all of my information. Hopefully it won't happen again. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed before. And please read this.

The next morning we began the preparation for our journey. The most difficult part too, the shopping. I hated it. You have to try on all the equipment and try to bring down the prices if it seems too high. You have to stock up on Healing Potions, Angels Prayers, and magics if anyone ever chooses to use them. I always loved shopping with my father. He always had tons of stories with every item and every store. He's been so many places . . . part of me longs to do that, while another part dreads it.

"Shinara? Are you okay? You kind of dazed out on me for a minute or two. I was getting worried." Minia said genuinely concerned.

"No," I said, "I'm fine. Just I guess reminiscing about how me and my dad used to go shopping together all the time. It was fun. But come on, what accessories do you think we need?"

"Yeah the fake happiness is really working on me. I'm a pro at it. Stop. Now. But yeah lets go look at some accessories we may need." She said and began walking.

Damn, I thought. I have to be more hard to read. Have to hide my true feelings better. So we walked into some shop. It had a calming aura to it. I just paused for a minute and stood in the door. But something was drawing me to a certain section of the shop. I looked behind some Crystal ball thingy and it was some strange thing sort of like a dust except you could pick it up whole. I pocketed it and continued looking around.

"Oh Shin! You have to buy this! It repels most attacks but it will slow you down some. But if you equip this boots it will basically nullify that. And this necklace blocks seventy-five percent of all magic attack and reduces your magic attacks by half but you don't use magic so it will be perfect for you." She exclaimed. It was always good to see her happy. She was easier to deal with when she was happy.

"Listen, Minia. Calm down. Shopping for this kind of stuff is your forte, so just go for it," I said as I handed her a bag of coins, "anything we don't need we will sell. Just try to save us some so we can sleep at hotels and everything. Meet me back at the fountain when you're done."

With that covered I left the shop and walked around for a while. The sun will be going down soon, I thought. After she was done, we needed to find Hannan and Dali so we could get going. I didn't want to have another bad experience. After observing all the different kinds of people, I made my way to the fountain and just dazed out for a minute.

"What are you thinking right now?" A voice asked, startling me.

I jumped and looked to who surprised me, it was Hannan.

"Your kind of jumpy it seems, must have been a deep thought." He added with a smile.

I smiled back and thought about what I was thinking. Are any of us going to die? Will someone get hurt? Will I survive?

"Shinara? Are you okay?" He asked. His smile faded and his face was colored with concern.

"No I'm fine. I just keep getting bad vibes. And then I keep wondering . . ." I stopped.

"Wondering about what?" He inquired.

"If we will all make it. Will I die?" I finally admitted.

"But see you can't think about things like that. The future is just that, the future. You can't change it. It's already been laid out. There is nothing you can do about it now but go along."

"So what? Am I to just not try and change anything? So your saying if one of us is to die, I should just, for lack of better words, go with the flow? Huh?" I demanded of him.

"No, I wasn't saying that. I was trying to avoid you getting any more stressed out over things you can't change by not worrying about it! But you don't know how to appreciate advice! So I just will save my breath." He finished and turned his head, looking toward the sky. I looked at the water in the fountain. Studying how it changes the way some things look and doesn't change others.

"Minia is buying the accessories, she is good with things like that. Where is Dali?" I asked trying to get him to talk to me again.

"Dali is still looking at some equipment. He's kind of indecisive come to think of it. But it's good someone is good at buying accessories. They are the only things that I use that I don't make." He replied. At least he was speaking to me.

Hannan's POV

I can't stay mad at her, and I don't know why. Its something about her personality that stops me. I need to control my anger a little better though, so does she. It didn't surprise me that she looked a little puzzled when I told her I make my own things.

"Make? You make your own equipment?" She asked. Her eyes were bigger now that she was intrigued.

"Yes. I have two reasons for doing do. Some shop's equipment is faulty and why support someone who more than likely won't remember your face?" I told her whilelooking at my hands.

"Because if you were a blacksmith, you would want strangers to buy your supplies. Or would you prefer the six people who u know fight to buy your things? Which would give you more money to provide for your family? It is their profession to sell and to make, not to become lifelong friends with their customers. Only some do that." She replied.

That made me think a little bit.

"But I also enjoy making equipment . . . my father . . . oh here comes Dali!" I said. I was glad he came I was about to reveal things to her she doesn't need to know yet. We waved him over and all began talking. What's taking Minia so long?

Minions's POV

"So many accessories, so little money! I love buying things why couldn't we be richer." I exclaimed.

I loved shopping, even more for other people. I love seeing the smile on their faces when you got something that they love. I had a basket full of things. I used most of the money that Shinara gave me plus some of my own. I just thought we needed more.

"Going on a journey?" a strange man asked. He was dressed in all red and had orange hair. He looked kind of demented. But who was I to judge?

"Yes, as a matter of fact we are." I replied.

"We? Good I hoped no one would send a poor little girl like you all alone."

"No they love me too much. Its me and my friends, Dali, Hannan, and Shinara." I informed him.

If I was paying more attention I would have noticed the way his head jerked when I said Chinaware's name. But I didn't.

"Oh . . . that's great. But I must be going. Have a safe trip." And with that he walked off. What a strange guy . . . must not have had a loving family.

I made my way to the counter and began piling my things up there. The lady looked kind of annoyed but I didn't care at all. It was money in her pocket and out of mine.

"Are you sure you have enough to pay for all of this?" She asked smartly.

"If I didn't do, you think I would buy it? If not you will just have to put it back. Now . . . uh you can begin adding up my total. I do have things to do." I added smugly and turned my head.

She did her job and wow did it cost a lot. But I had it and I walked out of the store with six bags of item for four people. Hey, better too much than not enough, right?