Tressa had proven herself an interesting companion. Since the moment the trio set out, the merchant had more than compensated for Olberic's lack of talking. Primrose preferred it to awkward silence, but Olberic didn't believe silence could be anything other than pleasant, so he was not fond of the shift in dynamic. The warrior had to concede that Tressa had value though. They had ran into groups of monsters and it was apparent that the young one may have been able handle them on her own.
As impressed as Olberic was, he was mostly appreciative of the effect she must have had on her hometown. He knew that nothing humbled young boys like learning that conviction is what makes you strong – not gender.
Primrose was just happy that Tressa's peaceful morality didn't extend to mindless beasts.
What stood out most about the eager girl from Rippletide became apparent when they had stopped in the large city of Atlasdam and that was that she asked
Every.
Single.
Person.
If they had anything for sale.
The charm in this quirk probably should have lasted more than ten seconds from when they entered town, but that was not to be. They ascended the stairs of the city's main point of entry, passed unhindered through the gate of the towering stone walls and before Olberic and Primrose could even get their bearings, Tressa had already purchased a jar of warm milk.
It took her talking to only three more people before Olberic politely offered to ditch them. "I shall make for the provisioner to get supplies. We may need more than milk on the road ahead." Tressa had no opinion about this as she fluttered away from them like a pesky bird but Primrose did have words for their quiet companion.
"You can't leave her with me. It's your fault she's here."
Olberic raised one brow in a flurry of emotions. "My fault?"
"You could have turned her down when she said she was coming with us. Instead, you said it was up to her parents."
"Between the two of us, you're the only one that gave her permission to join our quest."
In all his technical correctness, Olberic had every right to be smug, but for Primrose, him not taking advantage of it was the most frustrating part of this exchange. "Fine," she huffed. The girl was in their care the moment they took her on and as Primrose turned back to Tressa only see a blank space, it was clear that wandering off was something the merchant would become notorious for.
The girl hadn't gotten far – likely slowed by various wheelings and dealings and she was fortunately easy enough to spot. The entrance to the city had been a stiflingly dense combination of homes, defences, businesses and people, but this opened up once Primrose reached the university district. The buildings were several times larger, but the old structures stood by themselves and it was midday, so few students were out of class.
Primrose pulled Tressa away from her latest transaction to scold her. "We can't have you distracted by every person we come across."
Tressa did not see Primrose's side of things. "I was in the middle of a business deal!"
"You were talking to a ten year old!"
Tressa leaned in to whisper a most important secret. "She was going to give me a really great deal on a feather." When Primrose seemed unimpressed by this reveal, the merchant clarified, "it was a big feather."
"You shouldn't take life too seriously, Tressa. Girls your age should..." Primrose trailed off, suddenly lost in her own thoughts – so lost that she hadn't heard Tressa telling her that she was 18. What should girls her age be doing, Primrose asked herself. Her quest for revenge began when she was only 13 and on that day, she had ceased being a girl and became nothing more than a hunter – an arrow taken from Draefendi's quiver and turned into a human.
Primrose may not have known what girlhood should be, but it must be as far away from whatever she was and, in Tressa, she saw a similar, unhealthy and unbending focus.
"Girls your age should be exploring as many facets of the world they can." Primrose preached as they strolled closer to the school – a place she would likely been sent had her life gone according to plan. "Just look around you. People come to Atlasdam from all over the continent with the chance to learn hundreds of new things and meet hundreds of new people."
The idea of what could have been was beginning to excite Primrose and she began talking to herself more than anything. "The library is full of knowledge and the university contains bright minds to teach you. History, literature, sociology, it could all help you in your trade."
That finally got Tressa's attention. "Maybe you're on to something, Primrose, but who would want to sit around in a stuffy building all day when I could be learning that on the road with you guys?"
"My point is that you should make time for the wonders of the world while you can," Primrose responded. "While you're with us, maybe stop pestering every person you see and take some time to appreciate what's going on around you."
"I'll give it a try!"
"And stop trying to buy stuff from children." Tressa was less receptive to this, but her whine sounded like a form of agreement.
"Maybe you should consider actually talking to people." Socializing – if you could call it that – had been a bane to Primrose's existence the minute her feet touched the trail to Sunshade, but Tressa may have been able to make good with it. "Making friends, maybe even a special connection."
The young merchant's eyes sparked with intrigue. The best Primrose was hoping for from the suggestive suggestion was an immature glare. "You really think I should be making special connections?"
"Well...". She was supposed so shoot that down and meet in the middle like talking to a librarian about books. "Nothing too special, but some friendly, maybe even feathery words between two people couldn't hurt."
It was clear from how her eyes darted back and forth that Tressa was calculating quicker than any math student. "I don't know. What would ma and pa would say?"
Primrose scanned around, her eyes capable of their own unique calculations, saw a man so beautiful that it was almost suspicious that he didn't have company. It seemed cruel to pit Tressa up against such a force, but Primrose could vaguely remember the feeling of melting and thought it healthy now and again. The only real concern was the man getting too fresh but Primrose's scumbag sixth sense was silent and she was ready to disarm him if her instincts proved to be wrong which, so far, had never happened.
Primrose whispered to make the experience more exciting, "I think you should go say hello to that gentleman over there. Your parents will never know. We'll keep it a secret just between us girls."
Tressa shook herself straight and quietly yelled, "I'll do it! Even if nothing comes of it. That's what this journey is all about."
As the excitement began to unfold, Primrose heard someone sneaking around behind her.
"Hey, mister," Tressa said, sly as could be. "Do you have anything you want to sell?"
Tressa was excited that Primrose knew the merchant was smart enough to read between the lines. Her suggestive words could have only meant one thing – that this man was an easy mark and it might be fun to play the part of con artist. It wasn't the idealistic young merchant's style to rip someone off but it might provide some insight to see what it felt like. She wouldn't actually take him for a ride.
The supposed sap looked softer than any of the men from Tressa's hometown, like out of a painting. His dark hair tied back exposed his face that was as youthful as any of the students walking past them but his intense attire of a long robe held together by a subtle yet beautiful stone and a fine combination of silks and leather all the way down to his heeled boots was something only a man of experience could pull off.
It was quickly apparent that the man had not heard her despite only being a meter apart. Even if he was trying to ignore her, there would have been some reaction, but not even a blink. Tressa loudly cleared her throat, but it seemed the stranger may have been deaf. Something so easily solved would not hold off her entrepreneurial spirit, but she decided to try one last time.
"Hey, mister!"
A blink! The mark had snapped out of his trance and beamed with curiosity. "Pray forgive me, my dear. I was lost in an array of thoughts. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm a travelling merchant and was wondering if you had an interest in selling anything."
The excitable man's eyes widened like he had been waiting for this moment his entire life. "What an astute question." He was back to not blinking, now in an entirely different way and he grasped Tressa's shoulder. "A merchant lives to seek out value and you stumble upon me as I am after something of immense value myself."
"Hmmm, is that so?" Tressa was doubting Primrose's business instincts. This man may not have been as dumb as her companion believed him to be, but things were turning out better than she could have hoped. "How valuable are we talkin' here?"
The question awoke something in the man's eyes. He was looking over the moon with excitement as if these words are what broke the curse keeping him stuck in place. "What I'm searching for is worth more than any kings coffers." The robed figure snapped his finger in realization. "If you're curious, you could help me track it down."
Tressa wasn't naive enough to think this wasn't an exaggeration, but if this treasure was worth even a tenth of this account, the young merchant knew it would be foolish to ignore it. "If I do, you'll share it with me?"
"Yes!" The older man vigorously spun, turning his back to Tressa and began walking away. "Nothing would bring me greater joy, but we must make haste."
Tressa stomped proudly after him, excited for her first business partnership.
"I'll be back in a bit, Primrose!"
Primrose and Tressa were both completely unaware of the other. The dancer had no idea her young friend had wondered off. To the side of what Primrose assumed was an awkward attempt at harmless flirting was a white-stone staircase, and hiding behind that was an unseen figure.
As someone whose job it had been to get people to watch her, Primrose had a seventh sense for shy spies.
The dancer readied her dagger, but before she could get the drop on the culprit, she was robbed of the satisfaction when a girl about Tressa's age ran out of hiding and the two nearly collided.
"I'm sorry!" The flustered girl looked like neither a spy nor a voyeur in her elegant white dress and well-styled flowing silver hair.
Obviously the dagger wasn't necessary. This girl was the kind that would impale herself if you ordered it loudly (though nervous enough that she'd likely fail the task). Primrose still had questions though. "Why were you watching us?"
"I wasn't." The girl was breathing harder than someone that had been standing idle should be. "Well, I was but I wasn't..." She was also changing to a darker shade of red by the second.
Primrose chuckled at what should have been the obvious. "You were staring at him." This made the nervous girl's face redder than any drunk. "There's nothing you need to worry about. Tressa isn't your competition."
The girl's jittery finger pointed behind Primrose. "But they've left together."
