I made several illustrations of this chapter! Search RileyTheWriteyDude on deviantart and you'll see the illustrations.
The rising dawn on the far east would only mean one thing for the residents of the Benbow inn; work. But, in this morning, a special occasion took place. The final guests have left, and no guests were expected to come anytime soon. And the best part, for the first time, the new member of the inn finally got to explore the town.
It's a burden that she had always wanted to ask. Not one person in the inn actually received the signal that she had always wanted to explore the town. Not even Sarah, who went to the town regularly, got the message. Jim thought she was content with everything in the inn. Silver, Morph, and Ben were too busy busying themselves with the work around the inn.
"Silver, will you look after them while they're in the town?" Sarah requested, which both Ariel and Jim overheard while putting their shoes on.
"I guess I have nothing better to do, eh?" Silver buckled his belt.
Both Jim and Ariel shared a glance, and both had the same mindset before Silver was told to tag along. Even though the word was never mentioned, the couple were thinking the trip as a date. However, it didn't seem to be happening right now.
"You two ready?" Silver asked, approaching the two on the entrance on the inn. Jim did a finishing move on his boot and nodded with a 'genuine' smile, and so did Ariel.
"Ready," Ariel replied.
"Extra, extra! Corpse found in recently!"
Hearing the headline from the boy, Ariel intriguingly pulled the sleeve of Jim's jacket. "Jim, that boy just said there's a corpse found!"
"That's just one of his tricks to arouse people's curiosity. What they actually mean is that there's a corpse in a funeral home, as usual," Jim explained.
"Funeral home?" Ariel asked.
"It's a house made for people whose beloved dead one to grieve over his or her death before buried," Jim scoffed in the end.
"Buried? In the ground?" She asked once again.
"You have a lot to teach, Jimbo," Silver pushed the boy, and received a scoff as a reply.
Here they were, in the plaza of Wildelight town. The early morning activity consisted of people heading off to work, paperboys and papergirls selling newspapers, aliens and humans sitting on floating benches while interacting, and many more. But it wasn't just the activity that mesmerized Ariel, as the interior of the plaza earned her attention as well.
The shape of the plaza was a hexagon, with a streetlamp sitting on each corner. Cobblestones decorated the floor of the plaza, with patterns resembling the sun up above adorning it. On the middle of the plaza, a statue of a solar ship being wrapped by tentacles from the base of the statue stood. Around the statue, placed a pond with fountains, with several people sitting on the edge while enjoying their breakfast.
It's certainly a sight that Ariel had never seen in her entire life, and both Jim and Silver were aware of the fact. So, the two walked very slowly, and stopped whenever Ariel fled herself to a direction where an interesting object lied. The males stopped walking when Ariel fled to an ice cream stand, and actually purchased an ice cream.
She was like a child in a carnival, and Silver & Jim were her parents. And Jim was about to have a taste of what it's like to be a single parent.
"Jimbo, I'll settle down here, off you two, but don't get too far," Silver said as he sat down by the fountain.
Jim cocked a brow. "Why so sudden?"
Silver merely shrugged. "Why not?"
Jim looked over to the direction where Ariel once again fled to. Seeing that she'd need constant supervision, Jim gave the old scalawag a nod before following her.
Soon, the sight of the boy and the girl was nowhere to be seen, as they disappeared into a corner. Jim's hustling phase made the old man chuckle a little, he knew how much the boy was into the girl. The sight rang a bell of him and his old lover who was long gone in the past. The reminded past turned that smile on Silver's face upside down, but it straightened again when a dove landed right in front of him.
Its feathers were white, its eyes were red, and Silver would be lying if he were to say to himself that the dove reminded him of his dead lover. However, he knew that there'd be no way that his wife had transformed into the shape of a dove, but that didn't mean he was not going to appreciate the coincidence.
Silver stood up and headed over to a stand where an alien was selling food; varying from bread, veggies, and meat. Silver purchased some breads, and returned to the previous spot, where the dove was patiently waiting for him.
"A patient one, eh?"
He took some bits from the bread, and dropped them in front of the dove. Instantly, the dove pecked the bits. The sight eventually brought a smile to his face.
While watching the bird feasting, a man sat down next to silver, a couple feet away. Silver didn't notice the presence of the man until he placed a mask right next to him. The object attracted Silver's attention, and his eyes widened when he saw the object.
It was the mask of a nemesis; an enemy from the past. It had been years since he last saw a glimpse of it, and never had he ever thought that he'd see it again. Silver looked up the owner, who was unfortunately looking at the other way. He could only see the man's brown hair from behind, along with the black cloak he had.
Out of the blue, the man tilted his head upwards, with his hand covering his mouth. It appeared that he was swallowing a pill or two, which Silver concluded after the man drank some water from his bottle. Silver cautiously watched his movement, but then he stood up, ran his hand across his mouth to wipe off the water, and left with the mask.
"Why do I have a bad feeling?"
He turned back to the dove in front of him, and it merely tilted its head curiously.
"I have to follow him, something's not good," Silver said, standing up and leaving the scene.
The old scalawag used his cybernetic eye to keep track of the man from behind, locking onto it constantly. The path that he followed soon took him to the market area of the town, where a crowd of merchants and buyers were acting as an obstacle. Every time somebody walked past the man, the lock on shut down, and Silver had to constantly lock on once again in order to keep on. It was a fuss.
The man was a couple of feet away from a part of the market where it was less crowded, which was good news for Silver. However, out of nowhere, he lost track of him.
"What the…"
The man's outfit was different from anybody else in the market, and it would be the first thing anyone would rely on if he/she were told to tail the man. However, there was no sign of a black cloak whatsoever.
Silver stopped on his track in the middle of the crowd, and scanned his surroundings as thoroughly as possible. He knew the longer he stood, the smaller the chances of him to spot his target once again. Little did he know, when the man put on his mask, he became someone else entirely. That someone else was a woman, carrying a basket of goods; a person whom anyone would suspect the least in a market. The 'woman' turned into a corner that led her to a small dark valley. She lifted her wrist, where there's a bracelet with a projector on it. She turned it on with a tap of a button, and a hologram was displayed in front of her. Two figures were seen; a red head and a brunette.
"Oh! What's that thing?"
Jim's eyes rolled up to see her, and then rolled to the direction of where her index finger was pointing. It was a sphere, with two wings on either side to keep it airborne. However, its particularly interesting circle on the sphere itself was… particularly interesting. Neither of the two had any idea that it was a lens, with someone on the other side of the town watching.
"I'm not sure if I can—oh"
Jim cut himself when the object flew away. It flew so high that it became a speck on the sky.
"Maybe it's a boy's toy or something, or perhaps even a living being," Jim said as he continued his walk.
"I bet it's a living being, since living beings in here vary diversely," Ariel crossed her arms in confidence, and the boy could only scoff at her attitude.
The two resumed their trip; both internally relieved to the fact that Silver gave them time and space for the rest of the day. Ariel and Jim visited the town's library, where Ariel made an embarrassment out of herself in front of the old gentleman who ran the place when she attempted to grab a book at a high spot and ended up dropping some. Luckily, Jim was there to catch them. The backpack Ariel had brought along could only fit two books in it, so Ariel took her time to choose which books to borrow.
Finished with the library, the two visited a local port where several solar boats were docked. Jim certainly had seen a better port up in the Montressor Spaceport, but for Ariel, it was one of the most magnificent sights she'd ever seen. Jim took her to a boat that was about to start up its engine, and its roaring engine sent vibration up her spine. It was so thunderous, that the two had to shut their ears to prevent them from bleeding. The two merely laughed at each other when they tried to speak to each other; but couldn't hear what they were on about as it took them several moments to gain their hearings once again.
"It's nearing lunch time, where should we head to before lunch?" Jim asked in the middle of his track. Pondering in her thoughts, she placed a finger on her chin. She mumbled, mumbled, and mumbled.
"I don't know. What do you think?" Ariel answered, stopping at a street lamp. Jim stopped too to think of another place to visit. While doing so, he noticed something that he hadn't really noticed; it's Ariel's attire. Of course, not having anything from the sea to wear apart from seashell bras, Ariel had no other choice but to wear Sarah's clothes. The one Ariel had put on this time was never really what would fit on her; a combination between dark and light brown with buttons on the belly area as decoration. However, it did make her look like a typical pretty girl from the other side of Wildelight Town, and it's something that he had to compliment.
"I like your outfit today," Jim complimented.
She blushed, like any other typical shy girl. "Thank you."
He scanned her attire from on top, and stopped at her footwear; a rugged-looking pair of brown boots. It's Sarah's old pair, and it didn't fit with the rest of Ariel's outfit.
"Let's get you some new footwear, shall we?" He tilted his head to signal the girl to follow him.
Ariel scoffed a little. "Why so sudden?"
"Why not?"
She gave him a little push. "What's wrong with this pair, Jim?"
"Take a look at it, Ari. It's only weeks away until they turn into dust. Are they even comfortable to wear?"
"Mm, I mean so far—" she was cut when she felt a sting on her left foot that halted her. It stung so bad, it made her bend her knees. When Jim realized the absence of her presence, he turned around to spot the girl.
"What's wrong?"
She didn't answer, because the sting was gone. Its brief presence was a question mark, what was that all about? Even though it was a question mark, Ariel didn't bother to search for an answer.
"Yeah, maybe you're right, I need new boots."
Clink-clink
The bell rang as the door opened, warning the presence of a customer. The owner of the shop turned to the source of the sound, and smiled brightly at the couple.
"Good afternoon, young ones! How can I help you?"
The owner of the shoe shop was an old bear-looking alien, standing on two feet and dressed in a fine white shirt and black trouser which were hung by suspenders. He wore big shoes which were possibly the shiniest looking shoes on the planet, which reflected his passion on footwears.
"We're looking for boots, her size," Jim turned to the female. "What's your size again?"
She merely shrugged. "You think I know?"
Jim pursed his lips. "Could you perhaps guess her size, Mr. Grizzly?"
"I know just perfect size for you, Miss!"
Mr. Grizzly's eyes rolled from the left side to the right side of the shelf that displayed his collection of shoes that were for sale. He stopped on one, took a closer look, pictured Ariel wearing it by glancing at her briefly, and returned the pair. He did the same thing to several other pairs until he grabbed one with confidence and gave it to Ariel.
"This is a perfect one for you, Missy!"
It was a black leathered pair, lasting up to the shinbone area with a small belt acting as an extra tightener which was asymmetrically placed. The soles were thick and hard, as Ariel ran her fingers on them. The thickness of them added more weight, which brought her to question it.
"They're… pretty heavy,"
"A lass like you will need extra weight in order to kick some bad guys," Mr. Grizzly replied. "Like him, for example," he nudged at Jim with a playful smile.
"Hmph, of course," the boy scoffed. "But, come to think, he has a point. Especially if you wanna go out there to see the world."
The female accepted the reason. She continued her observation from many other angles, and found nothing to complain of. The boots were charming to look at. Flower-inspired embroidery on the heel area which was done with golden stitching added more level of aesthetics, and being accompanied with the golden colored metal parts on the small belts, ultimately created an accent that went well with the main colour of the boots.
"I think I'll have these," Ariel said, "how much for these?"
"I'm just gonna pretend today is your birthday," Jim said, which earned confused looks from Ariel and Mr. Grizzly. His statement was indeed out of nowhere.
"That's one way for being nice to your girl, but I gotta say that it's too—"
"Oh hush hush—" Jim pulled the owner of the shop by his massive arm towards the counter. "You put them on right away, Ari."
So, she did, after chuckling at Jim's attitude. Ariel pulled off her old footwear, and caught in a dumbfounded state when she discovered something on her foot. A purple stain, almost like a bruise, was on her left foot. The same thing was discovered when she removed the footwear on her right foot. The purple stain was under her skin, and seemed to follow the pattern of a vein. When applied a certain pressure from her thumb, the same sting spread through her feet.
'Did I step on something pointy this morning? …'
Her hand crawled inside her old shoes to find something that could've caused such a pain, but found nothing.
'Perhaps it really is time for new shoes.'
Shaking her head a little, Ariel put on her new shoes, and immediately, her feet were welcomed. She took baby steps after wearing them on, and adult steps after a few successful baby ones. The ex-mermaid looked at herself through a nearby mirror, and she could say that Mr. Grizzly's taste in shoes was a brilliant one.
"Will you look at that grin," Mr. Grizzly's bass voice called out, as he approached the female. "I can't remember the last time I saw one that's as wide as that."
"Mr. Grizzly, I love it! Thank you! The name is Ariel, by the way," she gave her hand for a handshake, which was returned by Mr. Grizzly's paws.
"You're welcome, Ariel. You're new around here?"
The question nerved her. "I-I am! I'm from…" she eyed at Jim for an answer.
"Breyworth Town, she moved in months ago, but never really got the chance to explore Wildelight," Jim replied seamlessly, which raised no suspicion from the owner of the shop.
"Breyworth, huh? Rarely see anyone from there, let alone anyone who would move from there. But, welcome! Welcome to Wildelight Town, you're currently standing in the best shoe shop in the town, and quite possibly on the planet," Mr. Grizzly answered with proudness filling his tone.
"I can't agree more, but we gotta go, Mr. Grizzly," Jim said, walking to the entrance of the shop. "Thanks for the boots again."
"Oh no, thank you for the boots."
With that, the two left the shop after several waves of hands. Driven by hunger, Jim took Ariel to a street where culinary filled the atmosphere of the area. The street very much resembled a street market, but everything in the street was edible.
Jim's eyes were locked onto the endless options of culinary that stands, shops, and restaurants provided in the street, varying from the cheapest ones to the most exclusive ones. However, Ariel's eyes spotted someone peculiar; Silver!
"Hey, that's our old man," she pulled Jim's sleeve.
Initially, he didn't spot the 'old man' right away, but that pirate hat was something out of the planet. "Oh yeah, Silver!" Jim called.
The 'old man' never responded, and kept walking away from the two. Seeing so, Jim gestured at Ariel to follow her. With a speedy phase, they followed the figure whom they thought was Silver. However, in the middle of the track, Ariel's eyes once again caught something in particular; Silver, standing by a stand of foods at the edge of the street. To warn the male, she pulled him by the sleeve once again.
"Jim, that's Silver!" She said while pointing at a direction.
"I know, that's why we're going after him—"
"No, that's not him! He's right there!"
Jim turned his head to the direction where Ariel's index finger was pointing, and he stopped immediately.
"Yeah… that's him. But then, who's…"
The two looked at the previous direction in unison, and saw no one. No one wore a pirate hat, nor anything that resembled a pirate. They were both puzzled, where could he have gone to? Or more importantly, who was that person?
At this point, Jim was determined to find out, but Ariel was not.
"Oh well, perhaps it was someone else," she headed over to Silver. Seeing this, he dropped off the need to find out who the pirate was, and followed Ariel.
"Silver, hey!" The female greeted. The cyborg turned around, revealing two bags of foods in his arms, and… the previous dove, sitting casually on his shoulder.
"Oh hey!—" Silver was cut as the dove flew away. The three spectated its sudden departure for a moment, one with a slight frown; Silver.
"Aw, I was just making a new friend," the old scalawag complained.
"What was a dove doing on your shoulder?" Jim asked.
"I don't know! It wouldn't leave my side until you two showed up."
"Well, sorry, I guess?" Ariel shrugged.
The old man shook it off. "I was just about to head back to the plaza. You two hungry yet?"
"Yeah, we can totally grab a few bites for now," Jim rubbed his belly.
"That's the signal. Let's go, the boy won't behave if he's hungry."
Its shape was round, it had a lens on the middle with a pair of wings keeping it elevated from the ground. It's currently hovering above the eastern side of the plaza, spying in stealth at the trio; Jim, Ariel, and Silver, who were having lunch by the fountain of the plaza. The man who was watching the camera feed from the drone sat patiently in a spot in the town where he's not suspected. He lifted his hand to connect himself with his boss through the radio on his left ear.
"Report, time currently reads… half to one. The boy is having lunch, moment of interception doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. He's still guarded by his girl and an unknown cyborg."
His boss replied, and he nodded several times while listening.
"Understood, out."
With that, he controlled his drone to move out of the area, as he was called to call off the mission. It returned to his possession seconds later, and was tucked away in a pouch. The man proceeded to call it a day.
Meanwhile, at the northern side of the plaza, the previous dove hid itself. Little did anyone know, its red blood eyes were connected with another pair of red blood eyes by a connection that could only be described as 'magic'. No technology was involved in this spying action.
On the other side of the eyes, the spectator smiled.
"There you are, Silver… Who are your friends here?"
The spectator watched the trio having a leisurely chat while enjoying culinary from the locals. At some point, Ariel let out a laugh in response to Jim's corny joke, stomped the ground with her foot, and cut herself when she sensed that same sting on her foot.
"Ouch—"
The males turned to her. "What's wrong?" Silver asked.
Ariel savvied what it was, but decided to keep it as a secret for now.
"I might've stomped the ground too hard, haha."
She took a bite on her bagel, and smiled nonchalantly.
Probably not the most exciting chapter in the world, I know. But thanks for reading, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)