Chapter 18:
A Rest Well Earnt
They slept in the next morning, for the first time in what felt like an eternity for Izuku. It was nearly noon when they finally got up, and only then because it was getting too hot to stay in bed any longer.
"If I get much more relaxed I might actually transmogrify into one of those cat people." Izuku told her. "Or just a regular old house cat. Or just turn to jelly where I stand."
"Lacuni." Isendra corrected. "And we shall find out soon if your boast comes true, as today and tomorrow shall also consist of relaxation and comforts that we have earned."
Izuku liked the sound of that. And also disliked it. It was a strange feeling, a reward for his hard work sounding like a punishment due to it now taking him out of his comfort zone, which consisted entirely of hard work and dedication. Something about a day dedicated to rest and relaxation terrified him. His body and spirit were primed for a day of hyper-vigilance and training, and maybe even a fight. But with tall walls surrounding him and well-trained soldiers guarding said walls, such energy felt wasted.
Antsy. Antsy was the word to describe this feeling.
"Breakfast." Isendra said simply, as she changed from her sleepwear to her normal clothes and exited the room.
It must be nice to have a permanent set of clothes, instead of having to grow out of them constantly. He never knew how good things were in japan, where clothes were cheap and readily available and practically disposable. Out here, they were manually and meticulously created. From the shearing of the animals, to the creation of textiles, to the measurements and tailoring. All done to the exact specifications of the recipient. The clothes were superior, sure, but they were expensive too. Like everything else.
He finished getting redressed himself and followed her out only to find her waiting there. Her constant consideration to his cultural reticence to reveal his body to the opposite was a level of consideration on her part that he always forgot she showed, only to be reminded of the extra effort on her part on moments like this. He bowed slightly in appreciation.
Together they exited the hotel and reentered the busy streets of Lut Golemn and the cool ocean breeze which drove away the heat. It was oddly colder outside than inside. It made sense in a world without air conditioning.
How was there no magic air conditioning? There had to be a market for sorcerers who did nothing but that. After all, partially freezing water supplies was plenty desired during their travels.
They continued down the street along the same path from the night before, down to Atma's public house. He still had no clue who Atma was, and assumed she was with the other ladies of the evening that once stayed here but now remained in the palace.
They collected their food from the serving table, which amounted to a whole lot of rice and fish. Though both seemed to have a healthy dose of either lemon or orange juice. It seemed the people around these parts were familiar with scurvy and its remedy. He was impressed.
They wound their way to the same table from the day before and took a seat.
"So, what would you say is on the itinerary for the day?" Isendra asked.
Izuku swallowed his first mouthful before answering.
"Get new clothes, scout the area and its inhabitants, study runes." He summarized.
"New clothes and haircuts for both of us." Isendra corrected. "And you need a shave. The beginnings of scruff you have won't impress anybody, and we want to look our best for the palace."
Izuku blinked at her in confusion, then reached up to touch his face. He didn't feel any scuff, certainly nothing like the rough hairs he'd felt on his father's face or mother's legs on days when they weren't required to shave. Maybe you had to shave first to get the sandpaper feel? But his father was only ever able to grow a mustache, and Japanese men were rarely able to grow a full beard.
Maybe he had some Ainu on his mother's side? That, or he was finally developing a quirk and he was a mutant type. Wolf man, incoming!
But yeah, there was some soft peach fuzz all along his cheeks. It wasn't exactly thick, but it did have coverage. He wanted a mirror to see its color, but such things were rare and expensive treasures in ancient Japan, so they were surely the same here. Good thing he was going to a palace in two days.
"That means we will have to go to a luxury bathhouse, one with barbers and hairdressers. So eat up, we are having a girly day out." She said. "Shopping, trying on clothes and getting haircuts."
She downed her breakfast quickly and rushed him to do the same. He imagined that having girly days with an apprentice was something women of her order looked forward to, and that having a male apprentice wasn't going to stop her from enjoying such a rite of passage. And so, he followed her dejectedly like any red blooded man forced to go Shopping with an enthusiastic woman.
They walked in an entirely new direction, towards the palace which towered over all the buildings. They passed a bathhouse, one much nicer than the small one at the Desert Rain, towards an even more luxurious one. One that had men and women working inside. Or more accurately, sitting inside and waiting to work.
They walked inside and several jumped up, the boredom on their faces replaced by eagerness to work. The smiles they wore were clearly well-practiced, but genuine all the same. It was the difference between a service worker at a small, family owned place versus a large, chain corporation. They still had their souls.
""Welcome." Said a reception attendant. "Would you like a self-service area or traditional full service?"
"We would like two full-services please." Isendra said. "Hairdressing, shaves and massages." She replied. "We have a meeting with lord Jerhyn in two days."
The receptionist made an "oh!" face and motioned them back towards two screened off areas. Izuku was given a male worker while Isendra a female one. He had to wonder what kind of shaving she needed doing, as her legs seemed perpetually smooth. Hell, all of her seemed perpetually smooth, but he wouldn't pry. She likely just misspoke.
The small closed off area he was led to had a reclining chair, a bathing pool, and a lot of cutting implements. Scissors and straight edge razors chief among them. There were also pumice stones and smooth rocks he recognized as being for massages.
"Is this your first shave?" The man tending him asked.
"Yes sir." Izuku said.
"Well then, we should get you a mirror so you can watch me do it, in case you decide to be the one man who doesn't work in the industry to shave themselves." He said.
Izuku had to admit, there was an overabundance of men with full beards on Sanctuary. The only clean shaven men he'd seen was Gheed, and with him he suspected because he couldn't grow one in the first place.
The worker provided him with a large, square hand mirror and Izuku flinched at the reflection in it.
He wasn't far off when he thought he might look like a ganguro. The sun had started to bleach his hair, and the green sheen on it was now bright enough to readily seen in his dark hair even in the shade. And his skin was tanned and cracked. Widow's feet were beginning to form around his eyes from the constant squinting in the sunlight. That part he actually kind of liked.
"Do you feel lucky punk?" He said to himself in the mirror, before snorting.
"What?" Asked the man tending him.
"Something a guy with eyes like this once said. I didn't used to have the crows feet." Izuku said.
The beard, on the other hand, really was just peach fuzz, but it was a dark enough color to be noticeable. It definitely had to go.
"Well, I'm going to give you a haircut first, and then shave, then wash and massage you. You can hold the mirror for all of it if you like. I'm guessing you want it cropped short so it doesn't get sweat on your forehead and neck all the time?" The barber asked.
"Yes please." Izuku said. "Whatever you think is appropriate. I am not picky."
And so, for the next five minutes, Izuku watched in his reflection as the male attendant took scissors to his shoulder length hair. At first he just took off huge chunks willy nilly, then became more precise. Izuku recognized the haircut he was going for as a crop top, like what those jarhead guys from America had, but a little longer and messier, but that's just because even short his hair was too thick and soft to make into a perfectly flat top.
"I love it." Said Izuku. "It matches my scruff."
The attendant chuckled and retrieved a basket from the side.
"I am going to lather your face with a cream. It is made from milk, honey, soap and vodka, so it may sting your eyes or nose at first." He warned.
And indeed, he poured a creamy substance into a bowl and, with a lathering brush, whisked the liquid into what looked like whipped cream. He could already smell all of the ingredients he mentioned. Then he applied it evenly on Izukus face.
The barber opened a straight razor and examined it carefully. He turned it this way and that to examine it in the right light. Izuku hoped he was searching for blood, skin and other contaminants from past customers. He further hoped he cleaned them between customers regardless. He nodded to himself in satisfaction and turned the blade on Izuku.
"So, I need you to hold still and pay attention." He said. "You shave by pulling the blade down THIS way, not THIS way."
He demonstrated dragging the blade down by the flat side in the air, then did the same side to side like cutting a rope. Izuku nodded in the affirmative.
When the blade finally touched his skin Izuku tensed up and remained still for the rest of the demonstration. But then someone in the back began playing music on the flute and he relaxed.
"Oooh, I'm having trouble walking." Izuku admitted as they exited the bathhouse.
He had nearly fallen asleep after the nice man undressed him and laid him in the bath, only to then pour the steaming hot water onto him while he was in it. He might have actually passed out once he began to massage him with those smooth rocks, only to jolt awake again when he went to war with his feet using pumice stones.
He hadn't realized his toe nails had become so gnarly until the man went to war with those too.
"If you were a bit older, I would make a joke at your phrasing, but I'll let it slide this time." Isendra said teasingly. "But I do hope you never get into the habit of going to those kinds of bath houses."
Izuku didn't know what she meant by that. He also did not want to know.
"Time for some new clothes." She said.
They turned away from the main street, where food and spice stalls reigned supreme, and down into the most colorful alley Izuku had ever seen. Thick linens zigzagged across tent poles and window sills all along it. Each was a deep red, blue, yellow, green, orange and, most rarely of all, purple. The stalls out here weren't so much stalls, as open spaces with clothing racks.
And so, they shopped.
Isendra took center stage as she danced, literally and figuratively, between the racks. She took a liking to the baggy white pants that reminded Izuku of that animated movie with the genie. They were short enough to leave half her shins revealed and baggy enough to try on over her regular clothes. This was probably why she picked them, so she could use them as a reference for more form fitting clothes in a similar size.
In fact, that's exactly what she did next. Showing the pair of baggy white, and obviously comfortable, clothes, to another, more expensive, vendor to reference for fitting her with higher end formal clothes, which amounted to a shimmering yellow dress. He assumed she chose yellow so she could wear it outside during the day too. She also grabbed a pair of head coverings. One white to match the first set of clothes, one red to compliment the dress.
"That should just about do it. Just need a couple pairs of sandals and then we can get clothes for you." she said.
She then put Izuku in a gown she called a thawb. He had seen many men walking around in them, but they really were just linen gowns. It amounted to an oversized, white shirt. She also got him a baby blue one, both with matching pants that came down to his calves, just like hers. There was also a black set that looked like it belonged to a western priests and came with matching pants that Isendra was eyeing.
"I need this one tailored for my apprentice." Isendra said to the vendor, who nodded and advanced on Izuku.
"What are these?" He asked.
"They are called thobes or sometimes referred to as thawbs." Said the ancient man who was measuring him. "They will keep you nice and cool in the hot weather, and can be layered easily for unexpected cold snaps… And you can wear your armor underneath it too, so don't worry."
Hmm. The man must have noticed the chainmail under his shirt. Which also was a tighter fit.
Isendra paid the man and got his word to come back for the purchase the next day. Then they went around looking at hats.
"That way you don't have to squint so much." Isendra said.
But every hat she chose was too ornate for him, and the price tags made him blanch. Then he finally spotted it. It was a straw hat made into a perfect cone with a semicircle of linen flaps stitched around the rim.
"That one!" Izuku said, pointing to it.
Isendra looked at it and tilted her head questioningly at it. Then she tilted her head the other way. She settled for taking it off the rack and plopping it down on his head. It fit well enough.
"Huh. That does oddly suit you. We'll take it." She decided.
Then they picked up four pairs of sandals. The sandal maker or cordwainer there kept a good stock in most sizes. He was close to Isendra's foot size, maybe one or two less than hers. It was great to let his feet breathe.
All throughout the shopping trip Izuku was feeling… something. Every sight, smell and chit chat during their shopping felt like he was in a mall again. God he missed malls. He missed a lot of things. He could really go for a burger, like a really shitty one from golden arches. A milkshake too. That would hit the spot.
"All that's left is to get our equipment adjusted and repaired." Isendra said. "Let's go put our things away, get changed, and go find ourselves a blade and Armorsmith."
They found the premier Smith of Lut Gholein. As with the sisterhood, it was a she, and this one was wow. Wow was the word to describe her.
She looked like a buxom pirate with a mane of fiery red hair. She wore a similar pair of pants to what Isendra had bought, but brown, along with leather boots and a white blouse that she just let hang open. The cleavage was tantalizing enough, but he imagined you could practically see through the shirt if it were dry, but with her working outside in the heat of the sun and the forge it was drenched in sweat, making it completely transparent.
So yeah. Wow.
"Excuse me, we were told we could find a Fara here." Isendra greeted.
"I am she." Said the redheaded Smith. Izuku just couldn't get over the hair. "What can I do for you?"
On closer inspection he realized she was older than he thought at first, her face having taken as much damage by the sun as Izuku's had, times a hundred. She kind of reminded him of those guys who surfed all their lives and got that sun worn face. Old young people.
"We just need our equipment repaired and, in his case, adjusted." Isendra said. "Chainmail and hard leather mostly."
Fara nodded and went over to an empty workbench outside of her workshop. It didn't seem polite to call it a shack, as it was quite nice, but shack was the only word he had for it.
"Lay it all out and let me have a look. I'll write you an estimate. Do you have the boy's measurements?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am. We just had him measured. Here you go." She said, handing Fara the receipt from the tailor for her to copy down.
Izuku placed all of the equipment, which they had changed out of and into their new clothes, onto the workbench.
He then saw it. A strange crucifix. It was stitched into the cloth hanging in her shack, but it was unmistakable, if a little ornate. It almost looked like a hammer, but he had seen crucifixes with a circle around the top before. Christians weren't exactly common in Japan, but they were famously charitable and kind people. More So than buddhists, on account of their hard work ethic and the greater wealth they derived from working as valuable members of society. not to mention They had more to give.
This was the first sign of interpolation from his world that he'd seen since leaving the moors!
"You're a woman of faith?" Izuku asked, pointing to it.
Fara looked back to where he pointed then smiled.
"I was." She said. "I am a former paladin of Zakarum."
Zakarum? Was that the name of a christian sect he hadn't heard of?
"What's a Paladin of Zakarum?" He asked before slamming a hand over his own mouth.
He realized the idiocy and lunacy of the question and potential insult therein just as it exited his lips.
Fara stared blankly at him, then turned back to study their equipment as if pretending not to have heard him. Isendra was also looking off into space as if she hadn't heard his faux pass. He kept his hand over his mouth all the same.
When Fara finally handed Isendra the estimate, she winced but nodded. Izuku suspected the woman had added a bit to the price because of his rude question.
As they walked away they passed Deckard, who waved happily to Izuku. He returned the wave, but with much less aplomb than he usually would. Cain seemed to notice his dour mood and raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head.
"I will leave you here to think on what just happened during the negotiation of services." Isendra said. "You have gotten so good at not slipping up lately, and you were one second late on catching yourself that time. So, your punishment is to sit out here and think. Meet me for lunch when you have finished doing that."
She left him there, likely because Cane was in eyeshot, and he found a piece of wall rubble to sit on. He noticed that Cain watched him patiently as he did so.
He pulled out his regular notebook and wrote down Zakaram. Next to it he drew the special crucifix to the best of his ability, along with the word Christian surrounded by question marks. Below that he started listing off other major religions from his world. If any other people from his world came to this one, religious practices or symbols would be one of the most likely things to linger.
The idea that other people from his world, either recently or far in the past, may have come to sanctuary never occurred to him until now. If he could make the trip, surely others could? Hell, the people here were human. Was there some panspermia going on? How long did the history of this world go back? Would he find references to ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia? Hell, based on the cultural style he was tempted to believe a lost crusade or ancient Jihadic army may have all been transported here at some point. Possibly both at the same time. It would explain a lot that or he was looking too deep with things that are similar but are coincidental.
He wrote these questions and ideas down, then sighed.
Thinking didn't help. It never helped anymore. In fact, the happiness he'd eked out these last few months came from his business, of keeping his mind empty through work and training. All day he'd been in a weird kind of cheeriness he couldn't place, and now that he was alone it was gone.
It wasn't that his stupidity a minute ago had ruined his good mood. It was that it made him realize what the good mood was.
Nostalgia. He was feeling nostalgia for Japan. For a world where just going shopping and getting a haircut and trying on clothes was a normal day. No giant demonesses, no hordes of undead. No hot redheads taking part in solo wet t-shirt contests in public. Plenty of cat people though. That seemed to be common across worlds.
He sighed and got up, making to leave.
He looked to see Cain still looking at him. He tilted his head and made motions with his eyes, as if asking Izuku if he wanted to talk about it.
He refused the offer with a shake of his own head and began his walk back towards Atma's place. He let himself get lost in the crowd, trying to think about nothing. It was working, but only because the loud chatter of the crowd drowned out his thoughts like white noise.
"Hold the sniveling thief still! And get me something to chop the ax onto!" Izuku heard somebody yell.
That snapped him out of his malaise.
He looked to see a guard and a vendor at a bread stand wrestling a small, filthy child towards a barrel by the wrist. He watched in fascination as the boy, dressed in rags and barefoot, struggled to escape while the guard struggled to retrieve his ax.
Then he remembered he wasn't in Japan anymore, where thieves are usually punished with community service. Here, he realized the punishment might involve an ax and be a bit excessive.
"Whoa! Wait!" Izuku hollered as he ran forward with his hands out.
The trio actually stopped at his peace gesture. They looked him up and down, and the kid took special interest in his brand new clothes.
"Are you interfering with my duties?" Asked the guard.
"No sir, I would never. I'm just here to offer to pay for whatever the kid stole." Izuku said as he withdrew his coin purse and flashed some gold. "Right? If I buy it, then there's no harm done."
They all looked at him like he was insane, save for the merchant.
"I would prefer money to a dismembered hand, damaged barrel, and bloody clothes." He reasoned.
The two did not let go of the boy, who hadn't screamed or talked during all of this. His jaw was still firmly clenched as if in anticipation of pain. Tough guy.
"That's all well and good, but what the hell business is it of yours? He Kin or something?" The guard asked.
"No, it's just… Where I come from petty theft is usually punished with making the thief work for the victim for a day, or jail them for a week. We don't cut people's hands off. Seems a bit excessive. I'm willing to pay a few gold coins to NOT see that today." Izuku said. "And I want some bread myself. I get to have lunch, and not want to throw up my lunch. Win both benefit."
The merchant gave him a proper belly laugh at that one, while the guard shrugged at his reasoning and seemed to accept his logic. They released the boy, who stood in place, bread still clutched in his hand.
Izuku walked over to the vendor and offered him twenty gold pieces for two rolls based on the sign next to the bread rolls, which he accepted with a happy nod and then shooed them all away.
The guard turned around and walked towards the guard house. Izuku and the thief walked to the edge of the food stalls.
"Why?" The boy said so quietly it was almost a whisper.
"Weren't you paying attention?" Izuku asked. "I said I wanted some bread. Now give me my bread!"
He put out a hand and the boy actually gaped at him, but gratitude won the day and he obliged. When he handed the roll over, Izuku tore off a small piece of the crust and ate it, before making a face spitting it out.
"Uck! This is awful! Here! You have it. You look like you need it more than me." He said, handing the role back to the kid with a smile.
The boys' expression finally turned from suspicious and angry to mirthful at his antics and grateful at his kindness. Now that he could finally eat his misbegotten goods, he did so happily, and Izuku realized exactly how bad of a shape the kid was in. He could count his ribs, and the dirt and grime seemed to be caked on. Which was odd, considering the ocean was a short walk away.
"Do you, um. Need help?" Izuku asked.
The boy gave him a look.
"I mean. Like a job, maybe?" He offered.
The boy shrugged and motioned down at his small frame. Izuku got the message. He wasn't exactly up to the task of working on any of the ships around here.
"Well, let's see. I guess I could hire you to…" He had to actually pause and think about it. "Wash my clothes? Yeah! My mistress and I get into fights all the time. We would need the services of a Porter. In fact, I think tomorrow is a cleaning day. If you clean our clothes every few days, I'll pay you for saving me the work."
The child didn't respond. He just stared at Izuku. It was a strange stare, and the suspicion had definitely come back.
Then, he turned around and ran away.
Izuku watched as he disappeared around the corner. Then he shrugged and walked away. Best not to keep his mistress waiting.
This story was ghostwritten by NonsensicalRants as commissioned by Magikuser. You can hire NonsensicalRants to write your stories as well, all you have to do is provide him with a rough outline and contact him on his patron.
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