Here we are at Chapter 46. First, I think someone asked if I was doing other stories besides this one, and right now I'm not because I want to relax a bit and just focus on one, maybe two stories for right now, and I want to try and get this story done before RWBY volume 10 comes out and I have to work on my three main stories. Anyway, Time for a rest and relaxation chapter. I do not own Code Vein or Skeleton Knight. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 46. Enjoy.
Chapter 46: Fun in the City
After returning to Crystalglove from the royal capital, Fuyumi decided that now would be a good time to rest and relax for a little while. She had been away from home for a while, and Emilia and Anelia made that clear. She needed to spoil them a bit. Of course, Hikaru would be sticking around too after sending a letter to her father in the Dragon Alliance about how well the meeting with Anatolia's king went. At their home in Crystalglove, Fuyumi was having breakfast with Emilia and her family along with everyone else.
"So, the king didn't give you another mission during your meeting. That's good to hear. It would be nice for you to stay for a little while and rest. I know Emilia would enjoy that," Eleonora says.
"Mother!" Emilia blushes.
"Well, a change in pace can do one good every now and then. I have been away from home for a while, so I'd like to stick around this time," Fuyumi replies.
"In that case, maybe we could go shopping in the city later? I here there's a shop that sells magic items for mages like me," Anelia suggests.
"A few of my favorite clothing stores have some new items in stock. We can go there as well. Hikaru, Iris, Elane, will you be joining us?" Emilia asks.
"Sure, I'd love to come along. We can try on clothes together... plus I'd love to dress up Anelia," Hikaru mutters the last part.
"Um, maybe I'll tag along with Anelia to the magic item shop. I'm not exactly the most feminine person when it comes to clothing. A knight shouldn't waste time dressing up," Iris replies.
"Oh, come now, Iris. There's nothing wrong with dressing up a little every now and then. Besides, come the wedding day, you'll have to wear a dress. Wouldn't you want to impress Fuyumi with how beautiful you'll look in a white wedding dress?" Hikaru teases her.
Both Iris and Fuyumi freeze at this. Fuyumi starts getting images in her head involving Iris in different styles of wedding dresses. How they show off her beauty, or cling to her body nicely. How they make her hair glow. Ooh, she could enjoy that very much. As for Iris, she was just thinking about the moment at their wedding where they would exchange vows and then kiss in front of everyone. Both of them blush from their wild imaginations.
Fuyumi shakes her head first, "H-Hikaru, don't tease Iris like that,"
"Oooohh, but why are you blushing as well, Fuyumi?" Hikaru smirks.
"T-T-T-That is not important right now!" Fuyumi retorts before focusing back on her breakfast.
"Well, what about you, Elane?" Emilia asks.
"I think I'll pass. I'm not one for shopping," Elane declines.
"Oh, no you don't!" Iris grabs her arm. "If I have to suffer through dressing up like a doll, then so do you!" she whispers.
Elane looks over to Fuyumi for aid, but Fuyumi casually looks away while sipping tea. She's not getting involved in this mess.
With no other option, Elane sighs in defeat, "Alright, I'll come along,"
"Well, it sounds like we have our schedule planned for today. This is going to be so much fun," Emilia cheers.
The group finish their meal before making preparations for their little group date(?) in the city. It was decided that they would visit the magic item shop for Anelia first since that wouldn't take as long as their other stops for the day. During that time, they would also hit a bookstore for Fuyumi, a smith for Iris and Elane, and one of the local restaurants for lunch. Then, they would hit a few clothing stores for Emilia and Hikaru, for which the rest of the group had been forced to join in. Soon enough, the time came for them to head out for a day on the town. A carriage had been prepared for their departure and they leave in the mid-morning. Heading through the main street towards the shopping district, the city is still full of people wandering about.
"Hmmm, so this is what the shopping district looks like in an Anatolian city. It looks just as lively back home, though the items on the market are quite different," Hikaru notes, looking out the window.
"What kind of items do they sell in the Dragon Alliance, Hikaru?" Anelia asks.
"Oh, a number of things you couldn't find here. Maybe one day we can visit, and I'll show you. They might have something there to help with your spellcasting," Hikaru suggests.
"Do they have books on magic there?" Anelia is very interested now.
"I believe so. Dragons have strong magic to begin with, so I haven't read to many, but there should be. We have many different peoples there after all," Hikaru replies.
Anelia gets stars in her eyes, "Yes! Please, show me next time you go back home!"
The others giggle at Anelia's reaction, bring her back down to reality and making her blush in embarrassment.
"Oh, you are just too precious, Anelia! Here, let me hug you again!" Hikaru wraps her arms around Anelia.
"Ahh! Wait, Hikaru-mmph!" and Anelia gets her face shoved into Hikaru's very well-endowed chest again.
The rest of the ride goes smoothly after Iris and Fuyumi free Anelia from Hikaru's grasp. The youngest of the group stays as far away from Hikaru as she can from that point on, much to the dragon princess' dismay. When they reach their first stop, they disembark and quickly get eyes turning towards them. Here is the daughter of the duke who runs their city, followed by her fiance who has quickly become a celebrity of sorts in their kingdom. What's more, they are accompanied by a woman with a hood on, a female knight, a young mage, and a dragon princess. And all of them are total beauties. The younger men freeze and trip over each other as they stare with blushing faces while the girls gasp and awe at them like a bunch of fangirls.
"It's the duke's daughter and her fiance! Oh, they really do make a good couple," one girl coos.
"Dude, who's that girl in the armor that's with her. She's totally hot!" one boy nudges his friend.
"Oh my god, they have a cute mage with them and... is that a dragon girl with them?! They are total knockouts! Think I have a shot?" one guys nearly cheers.
"Are you kidding? There's no way she'd be interested in you. Me, on the other hand..." and a few boys start thinking about some dumb ideas.
Honestly, it was starting to annoy Fuyumi. The thought of these guys trying to make a move on HER girls is making her want to do something that she won't regret later, even if she ends up behind bars. Emilia notices the murderous aura flowing off of Fuyumi and quickly pulls them inside. Inside the magic item shop. A bell rings as they open the door and walk inside. Anelia gets stars in her eyes as she sprints around to check out all of the merchandise. A middle-aged man with a long beard walks out from the back.
"Oh, welcome to my humble shop. How may I-Ah, Lady Emilia! Forgive me for not tidying up the place. I had no idea you would be dropping by!" the old man gets some energy back upon seeing the duke's daughter.
Any good businessman that doesn't know the daughter of the man who runs the city they work in is a fool.
"A pleasure, good sir. We're just here so a good friend of mine can take a look at your stock. Mind if we look around as well?" Emilia smiles.
"P-Please, take as long as you like!" the old man stutters.
Iris sticks close to Anelia as she looks at the magic crystals they have on the shelves. She wouldn't mind getting a few light stones for her sword. Fuyumi looks around, but considering her abilities, she doesn't really need any of this stuff. And Emilia doesn't have the innate potential to use magic. Elane keeps her hood up to hide her ears. Even if she trusts their group and Emilia's family, she still has a hard time trusting other humans. As for Hikaru... yeah, she's good. No one would dare mess with a dragon.
"Wow, I've never seen some of these items before!" Anelia gazes in awe.
"Ah, a young mage, I presume. I take it from that staff of yours, you're quite gifted," the shopkeeper says.
"Are you a mage too?" Anelia asks.
"I was one. I was able to use fire and earth magic and worked as a mercenary. Then, I got to the point where I was too old for that sort of thing, so I decided to retire from that life and opened up my shop here. I've made a few connections that help get me merchandise to sell. When you've lived as long as I have, you pick up a thing or too, hahahaha!" the old man laughs.
"Hmmm, how much for these light magic stones?" Iris asks, pointing at a few of them.
"Ah, yes, give me a moment," and the shopkeeper gets to work.
The others watch as Anelia and Iris do some shopping before they get what they need and head out. After that, they board their carriage and head to their next stop. They find one of the local blacksmiths in the city and head inside.
"What do ya want?" A gruff man with a shaven face wipes off some sweat as he answers.
"Excuse me sir, can you work on my blade? Just some light polishing and treatment would be nice?" Iris shows her sword. "Oh, and you wouldn't happen to have arrowheads here, would you? My friend here would like to replenish her ammunition,"
The smith takes her sword and inspects it, " A long sword with a light magic crystal, eh. Guess you came from some money. Huh, this thing's been put through the wringer. What did you do to the poor lad? Wait here, I'll get it fixed up. As for your friend, there's some arrowheads over there, but you can't take the whole bunch. I have other customers that will want that stuff later and I haven't had the chance to make any new ones," he says before walking to the back with Iris's sword.
He didn't bat so much as an eye at the others, even Emilia and Hikaru. He didn't care that he did a dig at Iris's family either.
"Well, someone's in a fine mood this morning," Hikaru sarcastically mutters, hand on her hip.
"I hope you're not mad, Emilia," Fuyumi notes.
Emilia waves it off, "Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. If anything, his attitude is actually refreshing. When you have so many people trying to work their way into your good graces, it gets stifling. Individuals like him are actually more trustworthy,"
Seeing as how it would take a little while for the blacksmith to finish his work on Iris's blade, Fuyumi, Hikaru, Emilia, and Anelia decided to head to a local bookstore across the street while they wait. Iris and Elane stayed behind at the smith. Of course, any passerby stares at them before they enter the bookstore. The bookstore had a nice interior compared to the other places they've been to. A number of people in a world like this can't read, so this place most likely caters to nobles. Inside, they find a man with a brown mustache and a monocle reading through one novel before he hears the doorbell ring. He looks over and quickly puts the book away when he notices Emilia enter inside.
"Ah, Lady Emilia, what an honor to have you grace my store with your presence. How might I help you today?" The owner says before stopping at the sight of Hikaru. "Ah, um, uh, I see you brought a few friends with you. Is there anything you fine ladies might be looking for?" he recomposes himself.
Fuyumi can't tell if he lost himself for a moment there because Hikaru's a dragon in human form or because she's so damn beautiful. Honestly, it was probably both.
"My fiance here would like to look at some of your books. Ah, and my dear friend here was wondering if you have any books on magic," Emilia says.
"Preferably history books, if possible," Fuyumi asks.
The more she knows about the history of the land, the better. Plus, she's always been a history buff, even in her old world.
"Ah, your fiance. I heard the stories. Come, come, let me show you some of my best options," the man smiles.
He didn't say anything about them being both women. Hell, as long as it gets the duke's daughter and the rising star of the kingdom into his shop more often, he'll do whatever it takes. If they show up, others will follow.
"He's a merchant through and through," Fuyumi mutters.
The owner shows Fuyumi where he keeps a few history books. Scholars usually keep a tight hold on a number of them, but he's managed to get a few added to his store. As for Anelia, he didn't have many books on magic, but he did have a few on magic theory, which was fine for her. After finding a few choice items, they pay for the books and return to the smith. Luckily, Iris's sword is done, and Elane found some arrows for her bow. After paying for the smith's work, they take their leave and look for a spot to eat. Emilia knows just the place. Their carriage takes them to another part of the city, where more nobles tend to hang out in. There, they go to a restaurant that, to Fuyumi and Anelia, would probably cost an arm and a leg just for a salad dish.
"Um... Are you sure we can go into a place like this? My meager purse can't afford the water here," Anelia's shaking in her boots... literally.
"It's fine My family comes here all the time. Their food is top notch. Come along now," Emilia's reply does not calm Anelia's worries.
"No use fighting it. Besides, think about how delicious the food must be in there, Anelia," Fuyumi pats her heads.
"Well... I guess it'll be okay... As long as Emilia is buying," Anelia replies, making Fuyumi and Emilia giggle.
They head inside, where the receptionist nearly freezes in place upon seeing them. Emilia asks for a large table for her group, and the manager comes out a few seconds later, ready to escort them himself. They get a nice large table for the six of them towards the back. A waitress comes by to provide them with menus and glasses of water before leaving them be.
"Please, choose whatever you like, everyone. It's my treat," Emilia offers.
"Oh, don't mind if I do," Hikaru looks over the menu.
"Provided it's within reason. Not all of us have the stomach of a dragon after all," Emilia quickly says.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I thought you said this was your treat?" Hikaru pouts. Emilia then gives her an innocent smile, but there's a menacing aura behind it and Hikaru shivers in place. "On second thought, I'll just take you up on that offer and eat respectively," he quickly concedes.
She doesn't want a repeat of what happened back at the manor. They choose their drinks and meals and have a waiter take their orders. A moment later, their drinks come out while the kitchen prepares their meals. A number of the other guests give them glances and stares as they make mild conversation. A dragon girl, the duke's daughter, her fiance who's the talk of the town, and three other people who look like mercenaries... and out of place in this establishment. However, if they're allowed to sit with the duke's daughter and her fiance, a knight who has the king's favor, they must be some people of renown. No one would walk over to insult or look down on them. As for other reasons to talk to them, however...
"My, your beauty is truly a sight to behold. Maybe even to rival the goddess herself," they look up to see a young man in noble's clothes bow his head as he addresses Hikaru. "Forgive me for interrupting your meal. From the looks of things, are you a dragonewt, fair maiden?" the boy asks.
"No, I am a dragon. To whom do I have the pleasure?" Hikaru asks, looking board.
"My, a dragon. I've heard tales of your power to change your appearance, but they never spoke of how beautiful you are in human form. I am Lucius Tobalt, son and heir of Marquis Tobalt. Might I ask for your name, my dear?" he kneels before her, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it.
Elane notices the hand on Fuyumi's glass is shaking; Fuyumi using every ounce of control not to crush it within her grip. Hikaru notices as well and smirks.
"My, you are quite the smooth talker. Do you use that line on every cute girl you meet?" Hikaru replies, deciding to have a little fun.
"No, I could never be as rash or disrespectful as that. Especially when your noble visage outshines them all," Lucius replies, still holding Hikaru's hand.
The spoon in Fuyumi's hand suddenly bends from her thumb. How dare this playboy try and make a move on HER fiance! Sure, word of their engagement had yet to reach across the country, but still. If they weren't in public right now, she'd burn the little insect, then freeze him alive, then shock him into submission.
"Forgive me, but I still do not have your name. Might you honor me with it?" Lucius asks.
"Of course. I am Hikaru Akatsuki... Princess of the Dragon Alliance, daughter of the Dragon Emperor, and betrothed to the Sword Maiden, Fuyumi Kusanagi," Hikaru replies.
"Hikaru, what a marvelous-wait, what? The Dragon Princess... and you're... betrothed to Fuyumi Kusanagi?" Lucius says, realizing that said woman is sitting in front of him.
"Yes indeed. I am one of Fuyumi's fiances. I believe polygamy is accepted in your country as it is in mine, correct," Hikaru replies, politely retrieving her hand from his grasp.
"Well, yes it is, but..." Lucius glances at the rest of their table.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Lord Lucius. I am quite fine with the situation, as are the rest of us. Since we are all engaged to Fuyumi, except for Elane here, who stands as her mistress," Emilia gestures to the rest of them, who nod in agreement. "And, unless my eyes deceived me, you just tried to court one of her fiances... right in front of her no less," Emilia glances at Fuyumi.
Lucius looks at Fuyumi and sweat pores from his face. Fuyumi looks calm, but the look in her eyes screams bloody murder.
"Ah! Forgive me, I didn't know. Please, don't mind me. Enjoy your meal. I'll let myself out!" Lucius quickly bows his head, backs away, pays for his meal, and bolts out of the business before Fuyumi kills him.
Hikaru laughs, "Hahahaha! Oh, that was glorious. You are far too fun to tease, Fuyumi dear!" Hikaru wipes a tear away.
"That was not funny," Fuyumi pouts. "I didn't like how he was hitting on you,"
"Oh don't worry. As if I'd fall for simple sweet words like that. You are my mate, Fuyumi, and no one else," Hikaru replies, winking at her.
Fuyumi blushes while the others laugh at her expense. The rest of their lunch goes off without a hitch and they leave to head to their next destination. To Anelia's horror, Hikaru and Emilia trap her inside one clothing shop to dress her up like a doll. She looks to Fuyumi for aid, but finds the woman gone as she waits outside with the others in safety. Showing a look of betrayal, Anelia is left at the mercy of Emilia and Hikaru, for which they have none. After a long day of rest and relaxation, for the most part, the gang return home to the manor and call it a day.
And that's the chapter. Fuyumi and her lovers have some fun in the city, with the slight annoyances that inevitably come with it. But, who knows how long these peaceful days will last? Until then, please Read and Review.