Vini’s home was a small one. Off a beaten path in one of the many repurposed abandoned buildings which lined the streets of Scorch Mark was the small, decorated home. It had come evening by the time they had managed to make their way over there and the sun had just dipped past the horizon. The darkened sky helped the colourful lights and murals stand out in the streets which appeared in bulk the further they travelled into the residential sector.
“Not too far now,” Vini said leading them forward. Her hobbling had meant that it had taken quite a while to reach where they had, but it wasn’t for nought. Galis enjoyed talking with the two, despite the earlier fuss. He even had the time to catch them up on the events that had transpired.
As they trekked the streets somehow became more claustrophobic than midday, although not due to an abundance of people. Instead, the walls and buildings around them seemed to become more plentiful as they winded their way through the heart of the town, forcing them into long narrow alleys just to get past others.
“Wow, I’ve never been this far in.” Marina whistled, gazing at the orange street lights and colourfully painted exteriors.
“You live right outside the merchant district, right?” Galis asked.
“Yup, I’ve never had a real reason to go this deep into Scorch, it’s pretty amazing how you can live somewhere nearly all your life and still not see all there is to see.”
“You don’t know any clients that live in the residential district? That’s surprising.”
Marina scratched her cheek sheepishly, “Well, I mean, outside you and a couple of other customers who frequent my shop all the people I’ve known my whole life have been other merchants. So I’spose it's not that surprising I’ve never been here.”
“Don’t you know Vini?”
“I’ve talked to her from time to time, but not enough to be more than an acquaintance if I’m being honest. Actually, I don’t think you’ve ever told me how you two met either.”
Galis thought about the question while rubbing his hands together for warmth. It had been getting chillier as the seasons passed, and it wouldn’t be long before he had to worry about winter on top of all his current troubles.
“I know her husband pretty well because he’s a security guard who works border control on the southern quadrant of the city. Since I’m one of the only people passing in and out constantly, we became familiar with each other fast.”
“Makes sense.” She mumbled, staring at the older woman in front of them. “She’s pretty nice for a crazy booth owner.”
“I wouldn’t call her crazy, it’s impolite.”
They then rounded a corner and came to a stop in front of a small concrete wall, which was paired with a large oak door. A large number 70 stood out in cast iron, welded directly onto the doorframe which hung above the door itself. Other similar numbers could be seen moving down the right of the wall in ascending order, but their walls were plain white, unlike the one they found themselves facing.
“We have made it.” Vini cackled.
Galis’ entire vision was encompassed by possibly thousands of unique talismans, each different from the last. It practically blotted out the wall itself leaving not even an inch uncovered, all the way until the next number shown.
“What do you call that then?” The merchant girl whispered, nudging his arm with her elbow.
“Eccentric.” He whispered back.
She rolled her eyes at him and walked towards Vini. “Hey Vini, why do you have all these…things, around your house anyway? You know most of the talismans and Idols sold at Scorch are just shams right?”
The older woman gave her a disapproving glance, “They are not from this land, all Eundra come from my Kukuin.”
“In a language we can understand?”
“I bring these talismans from my home.” Vini sniffed, tracing a finger over the many sigils hung outside her door, “Each of them, handmade.”
“That’s a lot of commitment,” Marina said, walking up and holding one of the objects closer to her face for inspection. “If these are all handmade, I know a few people who would be more than willing to pay quite a bit for even just one of these, I trade mostly in foreign goods anyway.”
Vini smacked her hand away from the talisman with her cane, causing the merchant to jump back. “They are not to be sold.”
“Damn, fine!” Marina exclaimed, rubbing her stinging hand. “Didn’t have to hit me.”
Vini then picked up the talisman she had been holding and handed it over to her, “However, you may take this one.”
The merchant girl’s face quickly changed from one of annoyance to curiosity, “Really?”
Galis moved in closer to see what Vini was holding, in her palm he saw a small, flat silver disk. Etched deeply into the metal was an incredibly detailed drawing of an adult man’s face. The face was grizzled and held a large scar across the cheek, but more interestingly it was both crying and smiling. The eyes were scrunched shut, showing suffering with tears streaming down the sides of his face, yet the mouth showed the cheesiest most joyful grin Galis had ever seen on another human being.
“The Veteran, or Bel Rakumjo.” Vini stated, “A pendant, symbolising both the hiding of pain and the projection of it.”
“Wow, Vini, I don’t know what to say.”
“Accept it with grace. I had planned to give you one alongside Galis but did not find the right moment, please take care of it for me.”
“Don’t sell it,” Galis looming ominously over Marina’s shoulder. To which she gave him a flat stare, What? It wasn’t like he didn’t think she wasn’t capable of it. He’d seen her make more ruthless sale decisions in the past.
“I’m not going to sell it, dumbass. Who sells a gift?”
“I mean I have.”
“What?! Seriously man?” Marina exclaimed, “Why would you do that?”
“I mean why else would they give me the gift receipt? I figured I could just return it and get some cash I could use.”
“That’s different from selling something.”
“But you still get money in both transactions, correct?”
Marina threw her hands up in exasperation, “Vini can we just go inside and get this dinner over with, I’m starting to regret not just staying home.”
The older lady put a hand up, her other searching the many pockets that were somehow conspicuously hidden on her person. Various jingling metal sounds could be heard as she rummaged through them.
“Can I take your silence as acceptance of your defeat?” Galis asked.
“Any time soon would be nice,” Marina said, ignoring him.
Rude.
After several more minutes of searching, Vini finally pulled out an almost comically large, black iron key which slotted straight into the large metal lock. With a little effort, the shopkeeper popped open the door and herded them inside like sheep.
The interior of the home was cramped with the furniture and knickknacks that filled every nook and cranny. Just turning around was enough to frazzle his senses, as the colour changes hit him harder than a spinning kaleidoscope. In each corner, there were sets of ceramics in red, blue, and yellow each surrounded by expressive face masks which lined the walls. Plush chairs could be found dotted around the house, although most were congregated near a fireplace on the far wall. A deep, rich brown dining table took up a large amount of space in the centre of the room, covered in a white and spotless tablecloth.
Galis could only see two doorways, one of which was closed and the other leading to an area that looked like the kitchen.
“Please sit, sit!” Vini shooed them further in, closing the door behind her. “The children should already be asleep, so try not to make too much noise.”
“You have kids?” Marina whispered to her.
“Yes, as such there will be no throwing any tantrums under my roof. Go sit by the table I will have the food ready in but a moment.”
“We’re both adults Vini, you don’t need to lecture us as if we were children” Galis said.
“I would believe you, if not for the fact that the two of you have a tendency to bicker when left to your own devices”
“We don’t do that! It’s just friendly banter, right Galis?” Marina complained. Which earned her a hard look from the older lady.
“To be fair, you hit me twice, I don’t know if that counts as banter.” He replied
“Roma above, it's like you're allergic to backing me up in conversation.” She turned to him incredulously. Galis quickly put his hands up in a gesture of peace and surrender.
“Alright, fine.” He said, “Let’s just sit down and enjoy some food.”
They turned to Vini, but the booth keeper had already disappeared into the now-closed kitchen. Behind the door, they heard the faint sound of pots rattling and singing in a language they couldn’t understand. Galis eventually just shrugged his shoulders and sat at the table, Marina followed suit and they both sat in silence. The sound of a large grandfather clock could be heard audibly ticking amidst the calm.
“Sorry about earlier by the way,” Marina spoke up after some time.
“Could you elaborate?” he replied.
She took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, “I’ve been thinking about it the entire time we were walking, and I shouldn’t have stopped you like that. It wasn’t my business to stop you from helping somebody else.”
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“I see.”
Marina stretched lazily, “I’d like to think I’m a good person, but when push comes to shove, I mostly just look out for my interests. When you rushed over to help a stranger, I couldn’t help but think that you were an idiot for doing so.”
“Is this still an apology?”
“Let me finish Galis.”
“Sorry.”
The merchant girl took a deep breath, “What I meant to say is sorry, you shouldn’t be taking my advice, it would’ve worsened the outcome.”
Galis didn’t know how to respond. He felt as though he should accept but couldn’t find the right words in his mind.
After hearing no reply from him, Marina leaned across the table, resting her head on her arm and looking at him. “Remember all those late nights you spent helping me deliver goods? Back when I couldn’t even afford to hire help?”
“…I do.”
“I’d talk a big game, always teeing myself up for the next big client who I was going to use to make it out. To become some international trader, so that I wouldn’t be stuck hiding outside this stupid city. Praying every day that I wouldn’t wake up in some afterlife because the enemy got just a bit too close.”
“But after all that talk, I’m still here.” She continued, glumly. “And I’m probably still going to be here even after everybody I know has moved on. You were right not to listen to somebody like me.”
Galis rubbed the inside of his palm with the thumb of his other hand. Silently thinking about her words. Her situation was much brighter than his could ever be, but she still carried the same fears that had been haunting her since the day he met her.
“I think you should fight a little harder.” He said after some consideration, “While I don’t agree with what you said earlier today, at the very least you should have a little more faith in your ideals. Like I do in mine.”
He continued to talk, his voice gaining more confidence as he spoke.
“You’re one of the best merchants in Scorch, and I’d go as far as to say probably in Valtsomu too. I doubt even the best of them have as many connections as you do.” Galis continued, “I mean, surely you can’t just sit there and let your brother end up more successful than you are?”
She scoffed at him, “That bumbling idiot couldn’t sell even a quarter of what I do even if the whole market loved him.”
Galis smiled, “So I take it you haven’t given up then?”
“I never gave up; I was just saying…” She muttered, “Man, look at this guy, can’t even accept a simple apology.”
Marina did eventually return his smile.
“Whatever, thanks Galis.”
“Not a problem.”
After that, they spent an hour on random topics of conversation waiting for the food to arrive. Vini finally emerged from the kitchen, holding a large pot and wearing two oversized floral oven mittens. She quickly set the pot at the centre, wasting no time divvying the portions into small wooden bowls and handing them to the two seated.
“Eat before the broth gets cold,” Vini said while taking a seat opposite them.
Before long, the three of them had begun eating, and only the clinking of silverware could be heard for quite some time. Although calling it silverware was generous, the somehow bendy spoons felt as though they were the only survivors in a cataclysmic disaster. Threatening to fall apart every time Galis took a bite.
As for the meal itself, it was rich and filling. Every sip carried a tangy twist from a vegetable Galis wasn’t familiar with that lightly zapped his tongue, almost like static electricity. Despite its odd combination of fruit and vegetables, he was more than happy with the meal, although that enjoyment was likely derived from the fact that it was the first thing he had eaten that day. This also meant that he could barely stop himself once he had started, almost wolfing down the whole meal in one go, only slowing down after Marina looked at him with concern.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it young Galis” Vini chuckled upon watching him eat.
“I’d slow down if I were you, it sucks getting an upset stomach.” Marina chimed in.
“I know.” He replied, waving her off.
‘Maybe coming down to Scorch wasn’t such a bad idea.’ Galis thought while slowly sipping the last quarter of his meal. It should have been given that the Watchmen would take longer than two days to search the entire city, for all their power it was impossible to search that big of a city in such a small period. For the time being he was completely safe.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a soft and soothing melody that reverberated around the room. In response, Vini stood up almost immediately and began to hobble toward the kitchen.
“That would be my husband, the two of you must finish the meal, I will check the radio.” The booth keeper said.
Marina quickly glanced at him.
“Hey, you said you know her husband pretty well, right?”
“…Yes?”
“Does he usually call?”
Galis took a moment to ponder the question. He had never seen Nole use his radio to contact anybody, at the very least not while on duty. That being said, the man rarely went home either, working as a border guard meant he was almost always on duty since the job was extremely understaffed, especially in the southern quadrant. So, he always figured that Nole called home whenever he had free time, to talk to his family and such.
“I’m not too sure.” He eventually replied, “I’ve never seen him call whenever we talk, but I don’t think it’s anything strange. Why do you ask?”
Marina turned away from him, staring at the grandfather clock opposite her. “Just got a bad feeling, I suppose.” She mumbled, her mouth full of food.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
“Get off my ass, Galis.”
They then waited patiently for Vini to return. She had closed the door, and they could only hear faint muffling emanating from behind it. There were a few unintelligible shouts, but otherwise, the conversation was barely audible. After a few minutes, they heard the creaking of the door hinge, and Vini walked back out donning a solemn expression. In her arms was a small metal box with a speaker attached to the front, which she cradled like a newborn child.
“Galis, are ye there lad?” A familiar voice echoed from the speaker.
“Nole? I’m here, what happened?”
“Are ye some kind o’ terrorist?”
Galis felt his blood run cold.
“Roma’s wake, what the hell are you saying Nole? Where did this come from?”
“You tell me kid.” The speaker replied, the rough quality of the call making it tough to tell whether the man talking through it was angry or sad. “All I know is that only three hours after ye come beggin’ for me tae let ye out o’ Valtsomu, suddenly there’s a full city lockdown and nae one is allowed in or out. I’ve been stuck gettin’ grilled the whole day o’er a list o’ people I let out the city the past week.”
“Nole, I’m not sure what kind of opinion you hold of me but I’m not some criminal mastermind, in fact, I’m probably the last person you should think of that way.”
“I know, I know, but I had tae check anyway. Yer a good kid, Galis, but any officer wi’ half a brain’s gonna think that flein’ the city just hours after some apparent act o’ terrorism is suspicious.”
Galis unconsciously gripped his cutlery a bit harder. That’s what they were calling a simple robbery? An act of terrorism? He would be lucky if they gave up searching for him for years, let alone weeks. Somebody at the top didn’t like what happened if these many resources were being poured into finding him.
“…Did you tell them that I left?” He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.
The speaker relayed a split second of static before Nole spoke again, “-Course not, Galis, are ye kiddin’ me? Those nutters’ll string ye up even if yer innocent. Besides, I’d rather not send them kickin’ doon the door tae ma wife’s house and traumatisin’ ma kids just tae get tae ye.”
“What if they find out you’re lying?”
“I’ll just say it slipped ma mind in the moment, which ain’t a lie considerin’ I had more pressin’ issues when one o’ them had me held up by ma windpipe.”
“I see.” Galis felt a bit of the tension drain from his body. They didn’t know he was out here, he still had time.
"That bein’ said, ye should still be prepared tae answer some questions this evenin’."Nole continued.
And with that, the little hope he had was dashed with extreme prejudice. Galis resisted the urge to punch a nearby wall and scream.
“Why’s that Nole?” He asked, his voice straining slightly.
"I caught wind o’ one o’ the Watchmen sayin’ that they were gonna do a sweep o’ Scorch this evenin’ and that they had just finished scouring most o’ the city that mornin’. They hadn’t rested since the announcement."
“It should be fine, Galis, don’t worry,” Marina commented, “The Watchmen are only ever a threat if you're guilty, they’re pretty good at finding criminals. Not that it makes them any less ruthless.”
"I gotta agree wi’ the girlie, Galis. I’m sure ye’re worried about how ye might look suspicious and yer ‘less than legal’ exits in the past, but they won’t care, trust me. These fellas never sweat the small stuff." Nole said
“Pfft, Galis is essentially a walking moral compass, with how much he preaches. They’ll probably take one look at him and laugh at the fact that they thought this guy might be some sort of ruthless terrorist” Marina giggled.
“She has a point lad.”
Despite their words, he felt his face begin to bead with sweat, which he hurriedly wiped away so as not to attract any attention. Even if he was innocent, which he wasn’t, he would still be worried. That’s how terrifying the Watchmen were.
“How long until they get here?” he asked.
"I’m nae sure, but just sit tight and ye’ll all be fine. Just make sure ye don’t get ma family in trouble, Galis. I’m willin’ tae take one for ye, but if ma wife and kids get involved, the Watchmen’ll be the least o’ yer problems."
“…I understand, Nole.”
“Good.”
The speaker promptly shut off, leaving him to have his internal panic attack in heavy silence. Galis cradles his head in his hands, feeling the surge of an incoming headache. He had to act and fast, there was no time to waste.
He dropped his spoon into the plate of unfinished food as a wave of nausea swept through him. The delicious meal was suddenly no longer even remotely appetising.
“Are you well?” He looked up to see Vini staring at him with a mixture of concern and worry. She had been silent through the entire previous conversation, seemingly contemplating something.
“No need to worry about me,” Galis replied. The words felt dry and itchy as they crawled out of his throat. “Although, from the sounds of it I really should get going.”
“What?” Marina stood up from her chair violently. “Did you not hear what Nole just said!?”
“I heard that I would be fine as long as I was innocent.”
“Did you also hear him say we should stay put? Or are you just deaf?”
Galis stood up from the table, staring at the merchant girl unflinchingly. Or at least he would love to believe he did, in reality, his stomach had already begun to twist itself into multiple knots and he was simply putting on a front.
“There’s no reason why I should stay; I meant to get home earlier this afternoon anyway. I’ve overstayed my welcome here.”
He had forgotten. Reuniting with the people he used to know again had been comforting in a way that alleviated stress he hadn’t even known was there. But it had also lowered his guard. Galis knew he was a wanted man, but he had severely underestimated the value of what he had stolen. In just under two days, they had already searched the entire city, and it was only due to sheer luck that he hadn’t been caught already.
“Galis, are you out of your mind? I’m sure Vini wouldn’t stop you from waiting it out in her house. I mean, Roma above, the towns going to be raided any minute now, and you think leaving is a good idea?” The merchant girl slammed a hand down on the table.
“Marina, please, I need to go.”
She then threw her hands in the air, looking around the room as if searching for the punchline to a poorly told joke.
“Every time I think I’m getting through to you…” She muttered, “Know what, it's your damned funeral.”
“Enough with the fighting,” Vini ordered in a calm voice.
“No.” Marina spoke over her, “Not this time. I can’t keep arguing for the sake of this blockhead who can’t even give us a good reason as to why he’s leaving.”
Galis had to catch himself from flinching at her words. He truly felt sick, and the feeling hadn’t abated since Nole had given him the news of the coming storm. A small voice whispered in his head that the right thing to do would be to simply turn himself in, but he just couldn’t bring himself to listen to it.
‘Walking moral compass, my ass.’ He thought, bitingly. Galis would always try to make sacrifices for the greater good, but he wasn’t his father. Past a certain point, there wasn’t any way he could put others' needs above his own and it would be the same this time.
“Hey. Blockhead. Aren’t you going to say something?” Marina lightly flicked his forehead with a finger.
“I’m sorry.”
Marina’s eyes widened; whatever she was expecting it clearly wasn’t an apology.
“I can’t give a good reason right now… But I promise you that if I don’t leave now, things will only get worse.”
“…That’s a half-baked excuse.”
“I said that was enough.” Vini cut in, grabbing Marina’s hand. The merchant girl looked down at the older woman in surprise.
“Can you not see young Galis is troubled?” Vini continued, “He is not a foolish person, we both know this. Slightly reckless, perhaps, but not idiotic. There must be a warrant for his actions, and as his friend, you should aid him rather than wishing him ill.”
“Come on Vini, you can’t seriously be siding with him?”
“I believe you should place more trust in him.” The booth keeper said stubbornly. “A friend must help prevent bad decisions, yes. But they must also know when to trust the other.”
Marina fell silent, just clicking her teeth and averting her gaze.
“Thanks, Vini” Galis said, but the older woman simply shooed him away with one hand.
“Go if you must,” She said, “But know that you must have a proper explanation by the time you return.”
“I understand.”
Vini nodded at him and watched as he turned around to face the door. Galis quickly rattled the doorknob, ready to sprint outside. He was working with a limited time scale since he didn't know when the Watchmen were going to sweep through Scorch, and even though he wasn’t in any direct danger, he had already begun sweating nervously.
He turned the handle, but just before he could push the door open, he heard a voice speak from behind him.
“…Galis?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not in any kind of serious trouble, are you? With the Watchmen?” Marina asked in a quiet voice. “Because if you are, you know you can always tell me, right?”
Like hell, he could never tell anybody.
“…I’m fine, Marina, thanks for the concern,” Galis replied after a beat.
Then he pushed the door open and stepped out.