Of Wyverns and Brands
Chapter 28
So Sienne is pretty big. I've lived in some decent sized cities, but Sienne is rather large. Several towers and cathedrals stand like skyscrapers near the center of the city, creating what is considered the 'Noble District' where the high class, or 'sainted', live. As expected of any rich neighborhood, it is well kept, heavily guarded, and rather isolated from the lower class citizens. The innermost wall of the city seems to just happen to surround them as well, making it an effectual gated community. Of stuck-ups.
Despite how much I hate the thought of being surrounded by high-browed aristocrats, though, it might be better than the crowds that swarm the market here just outside the walls. There are supposedly several markets all over Sienne, but the closer one is to the center, the nicer and less dangerous they were. Not that that meant there were no pickpockets or shady merchants, just less.
In fact, I'm walking next to a legitimate one now as we visit the closest one to the Noble District. Sothe was dressed up somewhat from his usual street urchin appearance. We all were, actually. I have on a nice pair of brown pants with a cream shirt, and probably couldn't look more like a well-to-do NPC. Though my gold pouch didn't match my higher class look. We had been given a few sets of everyday clothes to be 'presentable' for the public. I kind of felt vulnerable without my trusty armor on, though. At least I got to keep my sword with me within the city limits.
The rest of the group was dressed down in simple, yet high-class clothing, according to them at least, that would help to blend in with the people here and not draw attention to Elincia. A white cloth donned on her head was helping keep eyes away from her striking hair.
Currently, we're in the Artisan District, where the higher class commoners and craftsmen lived and worked. The city had over twenty so-called 'districts', but all I could hope for was that we could get this shopping done with just this stop.
"What are we shopping for again?" I ask Titania discreetly as Elincia and Mist headed our party.
"Just a few sundries," Titania replies, giving me a motherly smile. That…doesn't help. What are sundries? Bath stuff? "I believe you're thinking about this all wrong, though, Drake. You seem all tense and jumpy. This is mainly to relax and unwind some. Trust me, you won't be able to during our meetings with the Apostle and other members of the Senate. When's the last time you actually took time to take it easy?"
Uh… "A while?" I reply, trying to remember. The boat ride I spent trying to train myself, and I'd been marching up until then, so…before I even got here?
"See? Just try to enjoy yourself for now," Titania gently chides. She gives off a completely different vibe when she's not in her armor like now.
Which is another thing. None of us are fully prepared to fight. I have my sword, and I'm sure Sothe has a few knives on him since he seems paranoid, too, but what about if we end up in a fight here? This is Fire Emblem, people! Fights happen everywhere! Maybe it was because of the crowd of people or numerous voices trying to be heard, but I didn't feel like I could relax at all.
"There are a lot more guards here than in Nevassa," Sothe comments, appearing to be on edge as well. Probably for a whole different reason.
"Which is why you better be on your best behavior," Titania says, growing stern.
"Y-yes, ma'am," Sothe nervously replies.
"Hey! Look at this!" Mist calls, having veered off with Elincia to one of the many stalls lining the street.
Walking up to the stand, I notice that it is full of strange fruit. By strange, I mean really strange. Purple fruit, green fruit, even turquoise fruit. At least…I assume it's all fruit. I only recognize apples and oranges in the variety.
"I see you fine people haven't seen some of these before," the stall keep says, finishing with another customer. "Just ask, and I'll tell you all you need to know about these wonderful items. I have fruit from all over. I even have some of the rare berries that can only be harvested at the tops of Kilvas and Phoenicis. Cheapest price around, too!"
To me, it sounds sketchy. Then again, I've never been to an open air market before. Not even a proper farmer's market even. Do they haggle as well here? And how does one haggle exactly? All of the shopping is going to have to rely on the others. All I have to go on is two books I bought from Anna, and I'm pretty sure I overpaid on those. I have no clue what the standards are, nor what would count as a 'good buy'.
"If I may, good sir, what are these here?" Elincia asks. She was pointing at a bin of strange green fruit. A dark green, they are shaped like a spider with seven legs. And now that that disturbing analogy has crossed my mind, I suddenly do not want any.
"Dacos fruit, one of my favorite!" the merchant exclaims. "You must have a good eye for these things! Dacos is definitely one of my best selling items. It has a sour taste at first, but has a nice, soft, sweet aftertaste that fills the mouth and stomach like none other. In fact, I have a sell going on with them. Two of them for only a gold coin."
"How about it. What would all of you like?" Elincia asks, turning to us.
"I think I would like to try one," Mist replies.
"I'll like a borrigo. I quite enjoy them," Titania says, pointing toward a purple fruit bin. The fruit was like an peapod in shape, though about as large as an apple.
"I'll take one of those dacos things," Sothe adds.
After looking at the variety of strange fruit, I decide to play it safe this time. "I'll stick with an apple."
Nodding, Elincia began to place her order. The two began to haggle the price for a minute, though both were polite and wore smiles the whole time. A few exaggerations and playful jabs, but otherwise, this form of haggling seemed almost like an enjoyable pastime.
"What's an apple?" Mist asks meanwhile.
Sothe scoffs at the question, though Titania seems curious as well. "How can you not know what an apple is?" Sothe asks back.
"How should I know things I don't know?" Mist shoots back with a slight pout.
"I have heard of them, but the markets in the small towns of Crimea do not have quite a variety," Titania comments.
"There are lots of apple orchards near Nevassa," Sothe explains. "You have to pick them just right, though, or they're really sour and make your stomach ache. If you wait till they're ripe, though, they're really juicy and sweet."
"I enjoy apples," I add. "They're probably my third favorite fruit after cantaloupe and starfruit." Now all of them seem confused, even Elincia as she hands out the order.
"I have not heard of those before," Elincia says. "What kind of fruit are they?"
Does this mean they don't exist here? How else will this world differ from Earth? "They're both sweet fruit that are soft on the inside once you cut away the outer shell."
"So you like sweet things, then, huh?" Mist points out before taking a large bite of her fruit. Her face immediately puckers up as though she had taken a bite of a lemon.
I chuckle as I take a bite of my apple. This one is good quality. "I guess. I usually will eat just about anything, though."
"I must admit," Elincia states, her face all scrunched up. "This fruit does carry quite a sour taste to it." Her face begins to relax. "It does become sweet afterward, though."
"I'm used to eating whatever I could get my hands on," Sothe explains. "Being a street urchin isn't easy."
Elincia pauses at his comment, but swiftly moves on as if to hide it. I guess she's still not used to having to face the reality of the poor. At least I'm not the only one facing some cultural shock here.
Following our food stand adventure, we stop at several stalls and even a few proper shops down this long strip of sellers. I found out that 'sundries' meant a bunch of random items as they would buy a few small items here and there. Personally, I did buy one item, being a nice shirt of chainmail. Despite what Daren and Jill thought, I will feel much safer with a more solid form of protection.
Being the man of the shopping group, I obligingly held onto the purchases, mostly because my mother drilled as such into me. Besides, that's the man's job, right? Sothe begrudging helped when Mist pointed out that he was technically the 'errand' boy. Unfortunately for us guys, this wasn't turning out to be a short trip, either.
"I don't see why you guys can't hold your own stuff," Sothe complains at one point, lifting the two sacks he had for emphasis.
"That's your job," Mist retorts. "You're our errand boy."
"I'm a thief," Sothe says. "You just handed everything you bought to a thief. How does that make sense." I laugh with Titania at that. He actually has a good point there. Like mature adults, Titania and I simple listen in as they argue. This…this is almost like having a family again. My eyes begin to suddenly water, but I look away and subtly wipe them dry.
"You're younger so you should listen to your elders," Mist orders, using the same line she always gave to Rolf to get her way.
"Hey! Don't look down on me because I'm short," Sothe says, trying to make himself appear taller, though Mist still had a few inches on him. "I'm already fourteen this year. Too bad."
"Hah!" Mist shoots back, looking proud. "I turned sixteen last week."
Sothe looks devastated and grumbles to himself as he gives up.
"Wait, you turned sixteen last week? Shouldn't we have…like, have a party for that?" I question, confused.
Titania and Mist look at me strangely. "Why?" Mist asks.
"It's your birthday, of course," I reply. Do they not celebrate birthdays here? "And sixteen is usually a special one, at least where I'm from."
And they're still confused. "I have heard of such a custom among some of the nobles, but I am not familiar with it," Titania says.
"Oh? We celebrated my birthday each year," Elincia says, joining in. "It was just a small affair, of course, but my parents and closest friends would attend, and we'd have a small feast. I do not know about a special one for turning sixteen, though." So…birthdays are for nobles here?
"Well, where I'm from, everyone celebrates their birthdays each year," I explain. "A good meal with cake and presents."
"We do something like that on festival days," Mist says. "In fact, the summer solstice festival was just a month ago, but we couldn't do anything because we were on that boat."
"Now that you mention it, I don't remember Lucia and Geoffrey ever celebrating their birthdays either," Elincia comments, lost in her thoughts as we continue on.
At noon, we finally stop to find something to eat. After hours of shopping. Never again. I will probably never go shopping again after today. Before, I was just joking as I bemoaned the idea of shopping like any guy, mostly since I've not actually gone shopping in a group or with a girl before. Now, I can say that I really do dislike it. Seeing all this new stuff was kind of interesting, and I wasn't holding that much, but hours worth of it? Come on.
"This place seems to have a good reputation," Titania comments, leading us out of the market area to a side street.
The place in question was a large, two-story building that probably served as both a house and shop as it didn't appear to be an inn. A sign hung from the front with a rearing unicorn on it that read 'Nico's Diner'. Several tables sat in front of it, while a counter on the front of the building served as the spot to place orders. An outdoor diner, then?
Only one table is still open with the lunch rush, so Sothe guards it while we approach the counter. A rotund man notices us and comes up to greet us. "Good afternoon, my fair friends. Welcome to Nico's Diner. I'm Nico, the owner of this fine establishment. How may I help you on this fair day?" You know, my world could probably do with a few lessons on customer service from these people. Every single place we've been to so far have used every bit of flattery and friendliness they could to get our gold. These people truly work for their paycheck.
After hearing a long list of strange dishes, I chose one that sounded like meatloaf from the description. Simple, tasty, and filling, I guess even Tellius had something like it. The sauce was different and a bit tangy, but almost as good as Earth quality for once.
"Are we still shopping after this?" Sothe questions as we begin to eat.
"I was hoping to visit a few more stands that I heard of, but if you're tired we can always head back," Elincia says, a bit disappointed. While I want to say yes, even I wouldn't force them to stop. Despite the long waits and walking, the three girls appeared to be having a fun time, especially since Mist and Elincia would had never got to do this sort of thing before. I will make every excuse to escape beforehand next time, though.
Out of Elincia's immediate line of sight as she looks at Sothe, Titania sends Sothe a quick look of disapproval. Sothe nervously clear his throat and goes, "Oh, not that at all! I just…was wondering where else we planned to hit…I guess."
Elincia perks up and begin a list of places that others had recommended to her. …A whole list. The temptation to go back is growing.
A lull appears once Elincia finishes her list, and I focus on the food in front of me for a while. Then, Elincia decides to bring up another topic.
"My lord Drake," she starts, getting my attention. It seems I must continue to be called that, especially with my new role as a minor noble. "I beg your pardon if I am intruding upon your personal matters…" Okay, nothing good can come of starting a question that way. I mentally brace myself for whatever is coming and wait for her to finish. "Is there a quarrel between you and my lord Ike?"
Oh…okay, not that bad, but still an awkward question, especially since Mist and Titania seem quite interested now.
"Um…I guess? Maybe? Probably?"
"Brother has definitely been avoiding you," Mist affirms. "Something is definitely going on, and it's been a while now."
"Even I've noticed that he doesn't seem to approach you at all, and Ike is usually trying to speak to everyone on occasion," Titania adds.
What should I say? I don't want to bring up the actual reason, but I don't really want to outright lie, especially if this gets back to Ike. "We're just…not talking right now," I finally say. "For personal reasons?" I add on, though my voice ends in more of a questioning tone than a statement.
"That's not good, my lord Drake," Elincia says, looking worried now. "I do not wish to see the two of you fighting." Well, neither do I, really, but what can I do?
"You need to talk to him," Mists says. "Brother might look scary, but he's real easy to talk to. You won't get anywhere if you guys don't talk, though."
Titania nods in agreement. "It would be best to talk it out now, before it becomes an issue on the battlefield."
"Real men don't talk," Sothe objects. This is coming from the youngest of the group. Is he even a teenager yet?
"That's why you guys end up fighting all the time. Girls know how to talk things out," Mist argues. And how many cat fights have I witnessed? Those seem more vicious than any fight between guys I've seen.
"I've tried, but Ike just doesn't want to talk right now," I say, trying to push it off for now. "Soren said it was probably best to give it time."
"Soren said that?" Titania asks, looking rather surprised. "I never thought he'd be one to give advice on such a situation."
Elincia still looks worried, but apparently doesn't know what to say to help. Mist is muttering to herself, and from what I can hear, I think she's trying to figure out why we're not on talking terms.
"Well, I suggest trying to fix it when the others get back," Titania states.
I give a slight nod, but don't say anything. After a moment of silence, I almost let myself think I got away. Almost.
"Oh!" Mist's eyes open fully as she finishes thinking. I'm guessing she came to a conclusion by her expression, and probably the wrong one with the way she's now darting looks at me from the corner of her eyes.
Everyone's attention is now on her, of course, and Sothe finally asks, "What is it?"
Mist fidgets nervously for a bit before asking, "Um, Drake? …Do you, um…like girls?"
What? "What?" I repeat out loud, definitely not expecting that question. No one else was, either, from the sound of it. Everyone's gaze moves to me now, and I scoot back slightly as I try to figure out what's going on. "Yes?" I hesitantly reply.
Mist looks both relieved and confused, and I slowly grasp what she meant. If not girls then…guys. Me and Ike…together. No way. No way at all. Nope. Not a chance. Where in the world did she come to that conclusion? How did that even enter her mind as a possibility?
Mist is watching me carefully, and suddenly seems to come to another conclusion. I really have a bad feeling about this. This time, though, Mist gets up and whispers it to the other girls instead of asking me a question. Elincia is now looking at me strangely and appearing a little confused. Titania shakes her head in denial, but slowly stops as she starts ponder whatever Mist said. Yeah, whatever it is, it definitely isn't good.
"What is it?" Sothe asks Mist as she sits back down, the curiosity eating at him. I'm not sure I even want to know. I'm at odds at whether I should find out and deny it, or try to forget that a strange rumor is now beginning to circulate about me and Ike.
Mist shakes her head at Sothe. "It's a secret." This is going to bother me for a while, isn't it?
The rest of the meal becomes quite awkward as Sothe begs to be let in on the secret, while the others give me looks of confusion, pity, and something else that I can't quite pick out.
Yeah. This is definitely going to bother me for a while.
After finishing our meal, I actually enjoyed getting back to shopping. After only a few minutes back in the market, the attention was off of me once more, thankfully.
We stop at several more shops and stalls. Though they made a few more purchases, Sothe and I weren't even carrying five sacks apiece. A lot of it seemed to just be window shopping for the girls. For hours. Again.
"This shop looks interesting," Elincia comments, pointing out a nice looking shop with actual window panes along the front. Most shops only had a few shuttered windows without glass. The hanging sign simply showed a sword and feathered pen crossing each other with no name. "We'll make this the last stop for today," she adds, glancing at the lowering sun. We probably had only an hour or two left before sunset.
Which means we spent a whole day shopping. A whole day.
Me and Sothe catch our second wind, though at her announcement. One more place and then we can go. At least I had an actual bed to look forward to after this.
The inside of the shop is filled with miscellaneous junk. Seriously. I look around in confusion as I try to figure the place out. There was a few potted plants next to a pile of dusty books; jars of preserved goods sat next to a collection of marbles; small, carved, wooden figures were positioned next to a…
Is that a Roman helm!? I pick the dusty helmet up and look it over. The feathering on top is black, but it otherwise looks just like a Roman helmet. "How in the world do they have one of these?" I mutter.
"Is it a rare item?" I jump as Titania suddenly speaks up from next to me.
"Oh, well…it just looks identical to an item from my home, is all. I didn't think to see something like this," I explain.
"I think I've seen this helm with a few Begnion mercenaries before," Titania comments, thinking aloud. "Never saw the point in it, though. It just seems like useless décor to me. In battle, it would probably just draw someone's attention. Maybe even make a target out of the wearer. Wonder why it's here."
Now that she mentions it, I think there might be a little blood crusted on the inside. Okay, carefully setting it down now. Don't panic. Let's be more careful about what we touch here, okay Drake? Okay.
"Oh, look at this, Titania!" We turn and see Mist holding up a fancy yet modest dress. Mostly white with brown trimming, it seems to actually suit her…though it seems a little too long. "Isn't it nice?"
"It is a beautiful dress, Mist," Titania comments going over to her.
As they begin to talk, I start to look around the shop again, curious about what this shop is actually about now. I think it's mainly just random. Like a Goodwill, almost. Actually…with these prices, it probably is safe to call it a Goodwill. A hundred gold for…a preserved frog? I think. Really?
A few other items catch my attention for a moment, but I pass up on buying anything. I want to save up my money for now. I'm rather tight when it comes to money. A quality that helped me get through college…or at least part of it. Will I ever go to college again?
I jump as I finally notice the shop keep. He's just leaning there against the wall behind a counter as he just watches us without moving at all, possibly this whole time. No hello, or welcome, or anything. It feels a little creepy after all the other vendors, and it's probably why there are no other customers in here.
"Alright, we're finished, so we'll wait outside," Mist says, following after the princess.
Wait. "What about the dress?" I question, noticing it still hanging up. It's kind of obvious being the only dress in the shop. Another random item, really.
"Nah. I don't need it. I was just looking," Mist says, heading out.
And that is another reason why I don't like this kind of shopping. When I go to buy something, I find out where it is, buy it, and go. But girls look around, go through every item in a store, and either come out with everything or nothing no matter what was on the list. Though I guess the ones that don't use up all the money are a lot better in the end. I just don't understand it, but I guess as a guy I'm not supposed to.
"Girls," Sothe comments next to me, apparently thinking the same thing. Putting down the small trinket he was looking over, he heads over and begins studying a few of the stranger preservatives in the shop.
I glance at the price tag and see that it costs fifty gold. Wait. Fifty? A blank book costs twenty, armful of fruit five, a dead frog a hundred, but a dress fifty? I just don't understand these prices. Then again, it must just be the supply-and-demand of the area. It's going to be a while before I'll be able to adjust to these standards…if those even are the standards. I'll let the others do the grocery shopping until then.
Adjusting my sacks of stuff, I realize something. Mist hasn't bought anything. Most of the stuff we're carrying is Elincia's, but Titania had bought a few items, I had grabbed a chainmail shirt, and even Sothe had bought a fancy throwing knife. Our earlier conversations about birthdays was also coming back to me. She didn't even celebrate her sixteenth birthday. And even if that's the norm here, it wasn't sitting well with me.
I don't like spending money…but I'll regret not doing this if I don't. I know it. Even if there is no reason to, I know I will. And it's only fifty gold, so…
Deciding to just give in, I start to grab the dress just as another hand does. We both let go as I look over and see Titania. "Oh, sorry," I say, taking a step back. "Go ahead."
Titania takes a step back as well, about to probably say something along the same line. "You were thinking it as well," she finally says.
"Hmm?"
"Getting it for Mist," she explains, smiling a little.
"Oh…well…m-maybe," I stutter as I rub the back of my neck, feeling rather embarrassed now for some reason. "I just…wanted to do something, since she doesn't seem to get anything for herself," I explain, not really sure why I am explaining myself.
"You should get it, then," Titania says, gesturing toward it. "I'm sure she'll enjoy receiving it from you more." I go to protest, but she's already beginning to walk past me toward the exit. As she does, she whispers, "Good luck."
Good luck? I'm still trying to figure that out as she leaves. Wait…I literally slap myself on the forehead as I realize what this looks like to others. I hear Sothe suddenly cracking up, but ignore him for now. A guy getting a girl a gift. Why didn't that occur to me before. Of course anyone would start to assume something if that happened.
I just want to disappear right now from the embarrassment I'm already beginning to feel. I'm sure my face is red from how hot it seems, and Sothe's laughter isn't helping. Now Titania and Sothe both think that I- and Mist- and no. Just no.
This is now the second large misunderstanding to happen to me today. Why? Why, oh why? Right now, the other mercenaries are probably marching along and having a good time while I'm stuck here and quickly becoming a laughingstock. This is another reason I dislike socializing. Sure, reading or seeing this kind of situation is funny, but having to actually experience it is not. Why me?
The worse part is, I can't even go out and get Titania to buy it now, because it would raise too many questions, and not buying it would raise even more, and…
I sigh into the palm that I still haven't pulled away from my face. Sothe is still laughing behind me. Maybe I'll calm down if I punch him? No, Drake. Don't take your anger out on him. It's your fault. You need to learn to think before you act. As if that will ever happen.
After thinking to myself in the third person for a bit, I manage to calm down. The others are waiting, so I need to make a decision. Thinking quickly, I take the dress up to the counter.
"I'll want this," I state, not sure how to approach the silent man behind the counter.
The stoic man nods and pushes himself off the wall slowly, as though a man of much girth. Then I realize he is. I don't know how he made himself look so small, but now that he's standing straight, he must be at least seven feet tall. At the least.
The man steps up to the counter, places his elbows on it, cups his face with his hands, and suddenly beams a huge, toothy grin at me. Which is actually a bit creepy after his previously stoic position. Even bent over, he still somehow is managing to have a few inches on me. "Will that be all, my fine man?" Though gruff and rough, he suddenly seems very polite and open, as though he had only been waiting for someone to initiate the encounter.
…Okay, focus, Drake. The weird man asked you a question. And why are you still referring to yourself in the third person. No, focus.
"Uh, no…" I state, looking around real quick. I don't want to walk out with just this dress. I need something else. Anything else.
A weapon leaning against the wall nearby catches my attention. A lance with a curved blade instead of a spearhead o the end. …A glaive. I think, anyway. My knowledge tended toward swords, not polearms. But it's the price that catches my attention, though. Fifty gold. For a weapon? Any weapon? Cheap, and I can just say it was a good deal. Especially since the weapon looks newish.
"I'll take that, too," I say, putting it on the counter.
The man blinks, appearing confused. "Are you sure about that, my little man? This isn't no toy."
"I know," I reply, tapping the hilt of my sword to draw his attention. "I'm used to combat."
The man shakes his head, dropping his hands as he leans back to his full height. "That is not what I mean, my man." Is he going to refer to me that why the whole time? "This here is not normal. This be a cursed weapon, my man."
"Cursed?" Sothe repeats, suddenly interested. "What's cursed?"
"This weapon, my other little man," the shop keep says. Sothe scowls at the title, but doesn't interrupt him. "This here be real cursed. People say it speaks to them, and causes nightmares. Some even say it float at night and attack them. No one want this weapon, my little man and man." I'm tempted to think that English is his second language, but he is obviously…well, a normal Begnion person from appearance, and he doesn't have even a trace of an accent. He's like he's reading a Jamaican script with no knowledge of the accent. So I'm just classifying him as a weirdo.
"I think that would be cool," Sothe replies, studying the glaive.
I study it as well, but it looks normal…from what I know, at least. Actually, it looks really well made. Plus, the guy hasn't even called it by name yet, so he is probably making this all up. Probably going to up the price and do some sort of scam. My suspicion meter is going up by the second.
"Nope, nope, nope, my little man. What my man needs is this here," the shop keep says, proudly gesturing at a sword mounted on the wall behind him. My jaw drops at the price. A thousand gold. For a sword. What in the world is that thing made of to be so expensive? "This here is best weapon in shop. Good, strong blade. Nice, covered handle. Scare all enemies away with one look. This be what my man needs. Not cursed weapon."
Ah. I see now. The scam was to try and get me to buy something more expensive. So the truth was that the glaive was lower priced because he didn't know it was a proper weapon or whatever. The sword was higher priced because of a fancy hilt that people without knowing would think was worth it.
"I'll just take these," I reply, dropping the full amount for them in gold. I didn't want to waste anymore time, and not wanting to try my first haggling attempt with some crazy guy. "A hundred gold."
The man quickly counts and takes the coins, then shrugs. "My man's funeral, but what can this man say? Let my man go and have a nice day, you know, my man? Goodbye."
Hiding the dress in one of the sacks, I walk out with the glaive, much to the others' surprise. I shrug as they question it. "It's a glaive. A older weapon from where I'm from. Haven't seen one in a long time." I hope I'm getting that name right.
"I've seen a few polearms like that before, but never up close," Titania comments, while giving me a questioning look. I shrug and gesture for us to go.
As we walk, Sothe immediately begins to press Mist. "I have a secret! I have a secret!" He better not. He really better not.
"And what's that?" Mist questions, looking doubtful.
"I'll only tell you if you tell me what you said earlier," Sothe says, clamming up as he suddenly switches gears.
"Oh, okay," Mist replies, acting uninterested now.
"Wait…what!?" Sothe exclaims, not expecting that response as he literally stops in his tracks for a moment. "Come on! You'll really want to know!"
"Nope," Mist says, not budging.
I let out the air I'd been holding. Good. Though I'm still ready to threaten the little kid. He really better not try to make a big deal out of nothing. I already have Titania beside me doing the same.
I'm never going shopping again. Ever.
-o-
AN: Culture clash! And…woah. 0_0 That's my longest chapter, I think. Wow. Anyway, during the medieval times, commoners rarely ever celebrated birthdays, and even then, the off occasions was coming of age celebrations, which were usually done for a group of young people. Commoners usually just celebrated festivals and name days with the rest of the village/town. Birthdays were even rare for nobles, so I thought I would put that in here, as well as a few other things that Drake is starting to clash with.
Well, this took up a lot of my writing time, but I got it done. Hope you enjoy. I think I have about…yeah, not going to count. I just have a lot of things planned for this, so get ready. Not sure if this chapter is an example, but if the chapters start getting this long, there might be less updates because of the longer length (so the same as normal, just compacted chapter wise).
Finally, I'm thinking of changing the name of my story. I've got the major plot points worked out, so I know more or less what the story is focused on now (normally, the title is the last thing I plan, so). The title I'm thinking of is Path of the Branded, with three 'Acts' or parts. Act 1 – Of Wyverns and Brands would cover the Mad King's War segment, so the part we're reading now. I have a poll up, so please vote if you care and let me know what you guys think of this! (Because titles are important…in my mind, at least.) I plan on leaving it up for a few weeks at least to get a general opinion, but try to vote sooner rather than later. Please? For Drakie and Midnight?
Update: A few error corrections and general proofreading.