The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
Noelle and Galen have been traveling with the chimp Fangor now for a little while.
Within the fifteen minutes they were riding with him, he was chatting with them on and off. So far, he seemed to be a rather nice ape to talk to and quite polite.
"So, Kaylan, what settlement are you from?" Fangor asks Galen.
"Originally, from Central City." Galen replied.
"Really? That's quite a way from here. If I recall, it's on the other side of Cairn River in a separate district. You must've traveled quite far. To cross that river means to mainly go all the way around it. Seeing, as most would deem it suicide to try and cross those ancient bridges." Fangor stated.
"Yeah, you're not wrong there. It was very dangerous. Unfortunately, we kind of did brave one of the bridges. Though we had to rush across it when it started to give a little." Noelle said.
Fangor gave them an incredulous look.
"Truly? You two should consider yourself lucky to be alive if that's the case!" He told them, clearly surprised.
"Yes, we are. If we had remained on that bridge any longer, we fear it would've collapsed completely. That's for sure." Galen added.
"And what made you want to travel to these lands? Did you have a destination in mind? Or you simply travelers?" Fangor asks.
"We're travelers. Got a bit bored with city life and wanted to see more of the open country. So, I left home and took my most trusted servant with me. So far, it's been a rather pleasant journey to say the least." Galen replied.
He was a little hesitant if he should mention whether or not that there were two more out there and that they became separated. But Galen was unsure it was a good idea and may involve more story fabricating.
"Yes, the countryside can be an ideal place to live. I myself was born and raised in the small village of Kepsie. But moved to Ansel when I was in my late teens. I met my wife there and now we still currently reside there with our three children." Fangor says with a smile.
"It certainly sounds like a nice town. What are the people there like?" Noelle inquires.
"They are all quite the friendly folk. It has a steady population of apes and humans. The town itself is rather large with many homes and some small shops and shop stands. Everyone there knows one another, and we all seem to get along fine with all." Fangor told her.
'Kind of reminds me of home. Sounds pretty similar to Ocean City.' She thought.
"Sounds great. Makes us look even more forward to visit it." She says.
"Yes, and you'd be visiting at a great time too. We're about to have our harvest festival later this evening. There will be a lot of fun activities during this festival. A lot of good food, music, and some games." Fangor informed them.
"Really, now? Well, guess we did time our traveling right then." Galen teased, lightheartedly.
"Indeed, you did. It's probably our biggest festival. We have it twice a year. At the end of the Autumn Season and again in late Spring/Early Summer. We don't usually have many festivities. So, we tend to make a point to have a couple good big ones, and these are usually it." Fangor said.
"It does sound like a lot of fun." Noelle says.
"We are also one of the rare towns that actually has an inn with some rooms. You two can stay in one of the rooms there." Fangor tells them.
"That's perfect. Thank you." Galen replied.
"Yeah, thanks." Noelle added.
"Of course. Least I can do for you two helping me out. Because let's face it, I'm unsure I could've gotten that wheel back on myself and am certain I would've been stranded. While I could unhitch my horse and take it back to town, I'd still be leaving behind some of the supplies in my cart in doing so. And some of these supplies were going to be for the festival." Fangor explained.
"You're welcome. We're glad to have helped. My servant and I know what it's like to be stranded. It has happened to us once before. Certainly, is no fun." Galen says.
Fangor nodded, "How long do you plan on traveling for?"
The pair were silent for a moment, thinking about a good answer to give him.
"Oh, I'd say for a little while longer. As we said before, we haven't been to this district and would like to see a little more of it before going back." Galen stated.
"There are a lot of great spots here to travel to. I recommend Gaynor Lake and Bellows Falls. Then there are villages like Milner, Corsca, and Quinton to name a few." Fangor suggested.
"Thank you for the suggestions." Noelle said.
"Yes, would like to visit these places. Are they far from Ansel?" Galen asks.
"Some can be quite a travel to get to. Others are not too far from Ansel. Milner and Quinton are not far from Ansel. Though you would have to do some more traveling and camping to get to Corsca Village, Gaynor Lake and Bellows Falls. In fact, it may be best you take a horse to those places." Fangor informed them.
"I see, thanks for letting us know." Galen told him.
It was another couple hours or so, by the time they finally made it to Ansel.
Fangor wasn't kidding when he said the town was rather huge. It was tucked away near the foot of a massif or large cluster of mountains. Many dwellings littered the area. Both big and small.
As they drew closer, they noticed it was a rather lively place with both a large number of humans and apes milling about.
Fangor made it to the outskirts and started driving his small cart through the town. Many waved and greeted him in passing. Some apes and some humans. He must've been a pretty popular ape or had a lot of friends.
Galen and Noelle looked around their new surroundings as Fangor walked his horse drawn cart through the large village on what looked like a main dirt road that ran through its center.
"Wow, this place seems very lively, that's for sure." Noelle said aloud as she looked around.
Fangor chuckled a little, "Yes, it always is. Though I'm sure many are running about, trying to prepare for the harvest festival tonight."
"Where'd this festival to take place?" Galen inquired.
"It usually takes place in the large village square. Where we tend to set up most of the stands and vendors. Then there is a spot for those who play instruments and a separate area for games.
Though the games are mainly for the children. While the adults tend to find their fun indulging themselves with various foods and some pastries along with some alcoholic drinks. Though some of the adults do engage in some card games and other similar games themselves.
Either way, the activities never disappoint, and we do try to change them up and make them a little different with each festival. That way, it's never really the same. Because like I said, we rarely have festivals or other fun daily events. So, we try to pack as many fun festivities into these festivals as much as we can, seeing as they do only happen twice a year." Fangor explained.
He eventually stopped his cart near this one decent size home.
Not long after, the front door open and not one, but three someones came running out of the home. It was three young chimp children, two girls and a boy by the looks of it, and they came rushing right to his cart.
"Daddy! You're finally here! What took you so long!?" One of them asked.
"I'm sorry my darlings. But I hit some wheel trouble on the road. It delayed me a little. But as luck would have it, these two wonderful travelers came along and assisted me in getting the wheel back on." Fangor explained to his three children.
This is the first time Noelle ever saw ape children. In truth, she found them to be utterly adorable. The eldest looked like she was around ten years old. The middle child, possibly between seven-eight years old. The youngest looked to maybe be around five years old.
The ape children's gaze went from their father to the two new people taking up residence in the back of his cart.
"Hi." Noelle said, waving at the kids with a soft smile.
They didn't say anything at first. Except for the youngest one who waved back and said hello with a big smile.
"This is Kaylan and his servant Nica. They are travelers, from across the Cairn River. They were traveling along the main road when they came across me and helped me fix the wheel." Fangor told his children.
The kids exchanged looks between each other and their father. Before their gaze settled once more on Galen and Noelle.
The eldest stepped forward and smiled at them.
"Thank you so much for helping father." The eldest said.
"You're welcome. Though we should be the ones thanking him. We really don't know our way around these parts, and he was generous enough to give us a ride." Noelle answered with a smile.
"Yes, so in a way, he saved us just as much as we saved him." Galen said, with a smile.
He too couldn't help but find the young children to be utterly adorable.
"Are you going to stay for the harvest festival? You should, it will be a lot of fun. Daddy can introduce you to some of his best friends." The middle child said.
"Yes, your father told us all about the festival. And we would love to stay. It certainly sounds like a lot of fun." Galen told them.
"Yes, though before then, I think I should escort them to Namor's Inn to get settled in first. But before I do, can you three help unload the supplies in the back of the cart please?" Fangor asked his children.
"Yes, father." The oldest one said.
Then they three of them went to the back of his cart and started to take the supplies out. Thankfully, the sacks weren't very heavy. Most of the supplies were grain and seeds. While one sack contained some fruits.
Noelle even helped them out a little. She found it cute when the youngest tried to take on the heavier sack. But she made sure to help the little girl, so she didn't end up hurting herself.
"Thank you, Miss." She said, in a cute, tiny voice.
"You're welcome, sweetie." Noelle said with a soft smile.
Whether it be human or ape, Noelle just always had a soft spot for kids. It's why she became a teacher after all.
"What's your name again?" The little one asks.
"Nica. And what's your name?" Noelle asks.
A part of her feels bad for lying to the small child. She wished she could use her real name. But knew it was for safety reasons and just had to go along with it.
"I'm Cami. And that over there is my older sister Mara and my brother Axton." She said, pointing at her elder siblings.
Afterwards, the ape children started to bring the sacks inside the home.
It wasn't long before another person made themself known when they came to the open door.
Galen and Noelle shifted their gaze to surprisingly see a human woman standing in the doorway. She looked to be in her late twenties/early thirties. She had long black hair and dark brown eyes, and a very fair complexion. Most would say she was rather pretty in appearance.
"Darling, how was your travel to Benton?" She asks.
Noelle and Galen quickly snapped their attention to each other. Both of them sporting surprised looks on their faces.
'Darling!?' They both thought.
Fangor smiled at her.
"It went well. Until I hit cart troubles on the way back. That pesky right wheel came loose again. Luckily, these two lovely people were here to offer their assistance. Otherwise, I may have not made it back. At least not with the cart." He admitted.
The young woman's gaze shifted to Galen and Noelle, and she smiled at them.
"Thank you so much for helping him. Though I told him at least twice before to have Luthor look at that wheel. But of course, with Fangor, it sometimes goes in one ear and out the other." The young woman joked.
Fangor just rolled his eyes and grumbled.
She then shifted her gaze to Fangor.
"What? You know it's true. That wheel's screw has been loose for quite some time. It was only a matter of time it would come loose, and that wheel would come off." She stated as a matter of fact.
"Yes, yes, I know. I should've listened from the start. I'll send the cart over to Luthor first thing in the morning." Fangor told her.
"Good. And remember, don't say I didn't tell you so." The young woman teased with an amused grin.
Fangor snorted but couldn't keep the smile off of his face.
"Yes, you always do, apparently." He replied.
They shared a smile at that. Then her gaze went back to the new chimp and the human woman with him.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Delilah." She said, introducing herself.
"Very nice to meet you. I'm Kaylan and this is my servant Nica." Galen replied.
"Nice to meet you as well. And thank you for helping Fangor out. I swear, if I weren't around, I truly believe he'd forget to tie his own shoes before leaving the home." She teased.
Fangor arched an eye ridge at that remark.
"I doubt I'm that bad, Darling." He told her.
Delilah just giggled with a knowing smirk.
Galen and Noelle were still a little baffled by the way these two interacted.
"I'm...I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. But...are you Fangor's servant?" Noelle asked, with some hesitation in her voice.
She hopes she didn't come off as rude asking such a question.
The couple shared a look. Delilah lightly bit her lip and looked away briefly while Fangor was silent for a moment as if he were contemplating what to say next.
"Uhh, well, you see, it's a little difficult to explain but..." Fangor trailed off.
Galen tilted his head and wrinkled his nose.
"But what?" He asks.
"Well..." Fangor trailed off again, awkwardly.
Noelle didn't take long to put it together though. When she did, she was still pretty shocked in doing so.
"You're...his wife...aren't you?" Noelle hesitantly points out.
Galen's gaze quickly snapped to Noelle in surprise before quickly going back to Fangor and Delilah.
"Well...yes." Fangor finally said.
It was very strange, and for the most part taboo. At least in ape culture, as far as Galen knew. But he still never would've thought to believe it actually happens. Until now, that is.
While it was a lot to take in, Noelle was never really one to judge. It was quite clear; these apes were nothing like the apes she was used to seeing in her time. They may have been animals in her time. But here, they definitely were more closer to humans in intellect than anyone could ever imagine.
In the end, Noelle gave the pair a soft smile.
"It's ok, we understand." She assured them.
The pair exchanged looks before shifting their gaze back to Galen and Noelle.
"Really? Because...well, we tend to worry about outsiders finding out about us. Mainly for the fact, it can be dangerous for us if many others were to find out." Delilah says, with some anxiety in her voice.
"You have nothing to worry about. We won't say anything. It's not our place or business to do so. And the last thing we want, is for anyone to get hurt. Your secret is safe with us. We promise." Noelle told them.
When Galen got over his initial shock, he spoke.
"Yes, we will not say anything. It is clear, you are good people. We certainly wouldn't want to do anything that will place you and your family in danger." Galen says.
Fangor and Delilah were silent for a moment, before they seemed to let out sighs of relief.
"Thank you." Fangor said.
"Of course." Galen replied.
It was strange, but at the same time, Galen found it to be rather interesting. He can only wonder why or how any ape would come to find a human attractive enough to take them for a mate. But perhaps, there is more to it that meets the eye for all he knew.
"I was going to take Kaylan and his servant to Namor's Inn to get situated. They are travelers from another district. From Central City to be exact. They came here wanting to travel through our district and see new places but are not too familiar with the area.
So, as thank you for them helping me, I offered them a ride here. They will be staying for at least one night. I suggested they stay long enough for the harvest festival." Fangor informed his wife.
Delilah smiled, "Oh, that's great to hear. You will have a very good visit here. Especially, with the festival going on. I can tell you right now, it never disappoints."
"Yeah, your husband told us all about it. It certainly sounds like a lot of fun, and we look forward to it. Especially, since we have been on the road for a while with hardly any contact from others." Noelle says.
"Good, it will be starting within the next hour or so. In the meantime, Fangor can escort you to the Inn. Namor is a longtime friend of ours. You'll like him and I'm sure he will have a room for you two for the night." Delilah assured them.
"Sounds great, it be nice to sleep in a bed again, instead of on the ground for a change." Galen said.
Delilah giggled, "Yes, while camping overnight can be fun, I still can't imagine doing it for several nights at a time in the woods. The rooms at his inn from what I hear are very cozy."
"Great to know." Noelle replied.
"Well, if you're both ready, I can walk you there. It's actually not very far from here or from the village square for that matter. So, you should have no trouble finding your way to the festival." Fangor informed them.
"Thank you. We are ready." Galen told him.
Fangor nodded, "Alright then, it's this way."
Before they left, the pair turned back to Fangor's wife, Delilah.
"It was very nice meeting you and your kids. Hope to see you again at the festival later." Noelle told her.
Delilah nodded, "Yes, it was nice meeting you both as well. And welcome to Ansel. I hope your stay is a pleasant one in our lively village."
"Thank you." Galen says to her, with a small nod.
Then the two of them follow Fangor.
He led them on for the next five minutes or so through the bustling streets to the inn. It amazed Noelle seeing so many people like they did as they walked through the busy streets.
There were just so many humans and apes around.
She would often see chimps, gorillas, and even what looked to be a few orangutans here and there as they went. Not only that, but humans weren't just sticking with each other and conversing with one another. Both humans and apes appeared to be conversing and interacting with one another, as if they were all friends here.
'Well, Fangor did say everyone pretty much knew everyone here and many were friends with one another.' She thought.
Still, it was an odd sight to see. Considering the fact Galen told her a typical human ape relationship was along the lines of servant/master.
Yet, it didn't seem like that here from what they could see. It didn't seem like apes here treated the humans in a servant/master capacity. To her, it looked more like friendship and understanding between the two species.
She almost went as far as to say it looked like a shining example of what apes and humans were capable of if they could learn to work together and get along with one another in the process.
It wasn't long, until Fangor stopped right in front of a rather large dwelling. The place was fairly big. Even for a one-story building.
On the outer wall near the front door was a wooden sign. It said Ansel Inn on it in big bold letters. Fangor led them to the front door and opened it. He walked inside the place, Galen and Noelle followed in behind him.
The front door led into what looked like a medium size lobby of sorts.
Several feet away in front of them, was a thick oak desk. An older chimp sat behind the desk, and was writing something down on paper when they walked in. He lifted his gaze from the paper to see who it was.
He smiled when he saw Fangor.
"Fangor, my friend. Welcome. What brings you to my inn though?" The other chimp asked.
"Hello, Namor. I have some knew friends with me. They are travelers and have been traveling a long way. They will need one of your rooms for the night." Fangor said, addressing his old friend.
That is when Galen and Noelle stepped out from behind Fangor and eyed the new chimp before them.
The older chimp smiled and nodded, "Of course, I have a couple vacant rooms ready to be used."
He then turned around and went to an assorted wooden cubby behind him on the wall. He reached into one of the small compartments and pulled something small and thin out of it.
"Follow me please." Namor said, politely to the pair.
Galen and Noelle shared a brief glance at Fangor. He nodded and gestured for them to follow.
So, the pair followed behind this older chimp. He walked down one hall that appeared to have four doors. Two on each side. He stopped at the second one on the right and opened the door.
He then gestured for them to go in and have a look.
Galen went in first, followed by Noelle. They looked around and noted the room was quite spacious. There was a rather large and comfortable bed in the back right side of the room against the wall.
It had a very small wooden stand by the side that wasn't pressed up against the wall that appeared to be some kind of nightstand. There were a couple small but comfortable looking wooden chairs in the other corner with soft cushions on them.
Not far from the chairs, was another door.
"What's that other door lead to over there?" Noelle asks, curious.
"That is the bathroom." Namor informed her.
"It is perfect, thank you very much." Galen said, with a nod.
"You're welcome, and here, this is your number. Just make sure it is placed on the handle of the door outside. It shows that the room is occupied. It helps us keep track of both occupied and vacant rooms." Namor said as he handed Galen the thin, wooden piece.
To Noelle it looked like a wooden keycard. Though all it had on it was a number, and that number was seven.
"If you would like to know what activities we have here in Ansel during your stay, I'll advise you that we actually have an upcoming festival that starts tonight. You are more than welcome to come, seeing as it is a public event for all." Namor informed them.
"Yes, Fangor and his wife told us all about it. It certainly sounds very entertaining and fun. And we would love to attend to it." Galen replied, in a polite manner.
"Oh, good. Well, I'll leave you to settle in then." Namor said, before leaving the room.
Galen closed the door behind him. Then he turned his attention to Noelle.
"Well, it definitely looks like we lucked out. That's for sure." She said.
He was silent for a moment, then a small smile touched his face.
"Yes, we certainly did." He replied.
She smiled then started looking around again. Her eyes landed on the bed, and she headed over to it.
Noelle stopped before it and knelt down a little, placing one of her hands on the soft looking pelts that lay upon it. The pelts were just as soft and comfortable as they looked.
She almost couldn't wait to be able to sleep tonight in an actual bed, especially one that appears to be as comfortable as this one.
Galen walked over and stood next to her. He too was thinking the same thing. Though, it was still too early yet to even think of turning in. They may as well enjoy the upcoming festivities and whatever variety of foods that will be served there.
Then he remembered something else. He shifted his gaze back to Noelle.
"I think before we go to this festival, we should find you a change of clothes while we are here." He told her.
"Ok, we should probably start with the village square, right?" She inquires.
Galen nodded, "Yes, usually with goods, they tend to be sold in the center of town where the largest areas are situated."
He then gestured for her to come with him. The pair then headed back to the door.
Before they left, Galen placed the number card on the door handle outside. Then the two were off. They headed back down the small hall to the lobby. Namor was back at his desk going over paperwork. He looked up briefly and nodded at the pair before shifting his gaze back down to the papers in front of him on his large desk.
Galen and Noelle then left the inn and headed for the village square. They knew where to go, because they could literally see it from their position. It was merely down the street from the inn.
The chimp and young woman headed down that way. Already it was quite busy, so many people filled this large square.
They could see a variety of vendors and stands lining the large square. Galen and Noelle looked around, trying to see if they could spot at least one that sold clothing.
He spotted a rather large one to their left. Galen lightly nudged her arm to gain her attention then he gestured over to the stand.
Noelle followed his line of sight and after a few moments, she too saw it. Afterwards, they started heading over to this stand. Of course, thy had to walk around a few people to get there.
When they did, they saw three large tables set up in a semi square with tons of articles of clothing on it. The area was large enough that there were no less than four people behind it manning it. Two of them were humans while the other two were apes.
Noelle started to look through the various sets of clothes. They really did have quite the selection.
"Anything in particular you may be looking for?" Galen asks.
"I'm hoping to find a pair of shorts and possibly a sleeveless shirt, seeing as it's been rather hot out here." She replied.
He nodded, then started to help her look.
It took a few minutes, because there were so many different kinds of clothes from dresses to skirts, to shirts, pants, and shorts. Of course, many of the shorts she did come across were clearly for men and would be too big on her.
Odds are, she will have to look in the adolescent section. No surprise there, considering at home, majority of her clothes were from the junior's section because of her petite stature and build.
It's why she hated shopping to begin with. It was hard finding clothes that fit properly because most adult clothes were rather big and baggy on her and didn't fit right.
Eventually, she did find what appeared to be a woman's sleeveless shirt. It was a tad baggy but looked doable. The color of it was a dusky pink/grey color or mauve. In the end, she went with it. She even found another similar in style that was a greenish grey color.
Afterwards, she continued down the tables. Until she finally came to what looked like the adolescent/kid section.
Noelle weeded through the selection of clothes, until she finally found what she was looking for. She finally found a pair of shorts that looked to be for a kid between the ages of twelve to fifteen years of age.
She picked them up and placed them against herself. It looked like they would fit her and appeared to come down to mid-thigh on her.
She grabbed a grey color pair and a green colored pair. Then she turned to Galen.
"I found some shorts that look like they could fit." Noelle informed him.
He eyed the articles of clothing in her hands and nodded.
"Alright, are you ready to go then?" He asks.
She furrowed her eyebrows, "Umm, don't we have to pay for these first?"
Galen tilted his head at her, wondering what she meant. Then he remembered what Pete and Alan told him.
"Oh no, it's not like your time. We don't really exchange any form of currency here for goods. Everyone plays their role in society, and everyone contributes one way or another." He told her.
Noelle was silent for a moment, before speaking.
"So, you're what? Basically, saying we can just walk off with this stuff and not get in trouble?" She inquired, though it felt weird saying it and asking that.
"Yes." He replied.
"Umm, ok. Though it still kind of feels weird doing so. Like stealing." She said awkwardly.
"I know it all seems strange to you and I understand why you would think that. But it's not. The people in these villages provides services for one another and don't really expect anything back in return. Sure, some may exchange goods but that's not all the time." Galen informed her.
"Alright, just as long as we don't get in trouble for walking off with this stuff." Noelle said.
He just smiled at her.
"Look around you, Noelle. Everyone else here is doing it." Galen told her.
Her gaze went from him to all the other people at the large tables going through the piles of clothing. She saw one older human man grab a pair of pants, inspected them, and then walked off with them without a word.
Then she saw a female orangutan looking at a couple dresses. She two eventually just took them and left the area. Without informing the people running the clothing tables.
"Ok, I see your point." She said, turning her light blue gaze back to the chimp standing before her.
Galen nodded, the smile had yet to leave his face.
"Now, that we have that all squared away, feel free to take as many pairs of clothes as you need. Though just make sure you can fit them all in your bag." He says.
An amused grin appeared on her face.
"Or I can simply just get a bigger bag to put them all in while here." She joked.
Galen chuckled at that.
"That's fine too, just don't expect me to carry it for you the whole time we're on the road." He teased.
She huffed, "Fine, I won't get that many then."
In the end, Noelle only got three outfits. All of the tops were sleeveless ones, and all the bottoms were shorts. Then she remembered something.
"Umm, do I need to replace my shoes too?" She asks.
Galen looked down at what she was wearing. The shoes were rather dark in color and plain looking.
"No, I think they will be fine." He says.
"But I just remembered; you may want to grab a blanket while you're here and..." He trailed off.
"And what?" She asked.
Galen fidgeted on his feet a little and awkwardly coughed into his hand.
"Uhh, how do I put this. There are these...absorbent cloths that you can umm, place in... your under garments there supposed to be uhh...for that 'special' time of month." He awkwardly states.
It didn't take long at all to figure out what he was telling her. She almost laughed a little at how uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassed he was while explaining it to her.
'It's funny, how easily embarrassed he gets at times.' She thought.
"Oh, and where can I get these 'special' cloths from?" Noelle asked.
"They...may have them here. You can ask one of the women behind the tables." He said.
Noelle turned her attention to those working behind the three large, interconnected tables. She spotted one of the human women working behind them and made her way over to her.
Once she stood in front of her, she spoke.
"Excuse me, do you happen to sell absorbent cloths for menstrual cycles?" Noelle politely asks.
The woman looked up and smiled.
"Yes, we do. They are right over here." The woman said and gestured for her to follow her down the end of one of the tables.
Noelle followed her all the way around the front table to one of the side tables. She stopped about halfway down that one and pointed them out to her right there folded up on the table in a few sets of neat piles.
"Take as many as you need." The woman said.
"Thank you." Noelle replied.
The woman nodded with a small smile, then walked away and started to assist another customer at the front table.
Noelle grabbed probably about six to seven of these absorbent cloths. She wanted enough to switch out while washing the others out to reuse for the next time. She is assuming that is how it works seeing as the material doesn't seem like something you use once and throw out.
She returned to Galen who was waiting for her at the corner of the tables.
"Are these reusable?" She asks him.
"I believe so. The material is valuable and not something you merely throw out. Or so I heard." He told her.
Though Noelle could tell he really didn't want to talk about it any longer. But that was enough. She ended up shoving them into her large cinch sack along with the clothing she picked out.
Galen then motioned over to another table close by. From what she can see, it looked like they sold different kinds of blankets.
They went over and she looked through them all. She eventually settled on this really pretty one that had these pretty floral patterns on it. They kind of looked like hibiscus flowers, which were some of her favorite flowers back home.
Noelle picked up the light greyish/pink blanket with the brightly colored flowers on it, folded it up and bagged it.
Afterwards, she asked if they should grab some food for themselves to restock their supplies. Galen told her they definitely should pack all the food they can while here.
They made a few more stops to some different vendors. In the end they ended up with various fruits and vegetables and even some dried meats that strongly resembled jerky.
That joke Noelle made earlier about needing a bigger bag, may have ended up being true. Because her cinch sack was starting to really bulge, and she could barely fit anymore within it.
She asked one of the vendors if they sold travel packs around here. They directed her to another stand across the way that does sell those things.
Noelle ended up getting a fairly large bag that resembled a duffel bag. It was made out of a thin leather material and had two shoulder straps on it like a backpack. She ended up stuffing just about everything in that bag instead.
Once finished, the pair headed back to their room at the inn for a little while. Just to sit and relax before leaving again in a little bit to return back to the village square for the festival.
Until Next Time ;)