Aloe felt as if she was swimming in clouds as she waltzed across the streets. Parasol in one hand, Xochipilli in the other. The child was pouting since she had talked with the newspaper-selling boy, but the boy himself failed to realize that, and that greatly amused her.
Cottonpull clothes were genuinely fantastic; not only did they weigh nothing, but they were as comfortable if not more than the clothes she had had during her time as the scribe of commoners.
They said that clothes made the person, but never before she had felt that saying to be as true as now.
She just didn't feel beautiful, but comfortable.
Should she relay all her backlogged issues into just an attire? No, that was perhaps the worst of decisions, but she felt well, nonetheless. At some point, she should try to work on that but for now, being comfortable with herself was more than enough.
Curiously, the attention helped with that.
Yesterday she was cringing at every gaze she received, nauseous by the end of the day, but now that she was dressed that wasn't much of a problem anymore. In any case, it was a blessing.
Each gaze brimmed with jealousy filled her with life, though some of the gazes laden with lust utterly disgusted her.
And there were many.
It was a fine balance. The jealousy of women, the awe of children, and the lust of men. That last one was the one that troubled her the most, because she was also feeling lust from some ladies, but women were far better at hiding it, making it more into a genuine compliment than a flirt in poor taste.
The gazes of children like Xochipilli were the best of all as they were more innocent. They only saw beauty and were awed at it, deprived of the hideous debauchery of adults. Ah, what I would give to be a child again. To be free of the chains of lust…
She put a stop to her delusions once they reached the bank. It ended up being quite the recognizable building as it didn't have more floors than hands had fingers, and instead opted for a more wide and monolithic design.
Even though the bank didn't follow traditional Ydazi architecture – though it might be ancient architecture by now – and was built and supported by huge slabs of stone, mostly marble, it did conserve the tall and big windows that would have been expected of buildings of this size. Ydaz was the cradle of glasswork after all, and that legacy was shown as most of the glass was stained with rich and vivacious colors, making even a dull structure as a bank into something refreshing.
That brought Aloe a resemblance of comfort after having seen a kernel of familiar architecture.
They made their way inside the bank, and she was surprised by how little yet how much banks had changed in two centuries. The concept and the utilities remained the same, but now more people from all strata frequented it. It seems that even the humblest of workers now have business in a bank. What is the deal? Are they giving them predatory loans by dressing them as opportunities? That tale was old as time even when she was but an apprentice, but it seemed it went from a low-scope operation to a massive one.
Aloe walked around the bank for a while before asking a bodyguard where she could exchange old currency. She knew it was a bodyguard from his observant attitude and wide build, but she was surprised by the lack of weaponry, whether it was swords or spears. The world seems more civilized now from what I've seen in the streets. Except slavery. That has been forbidden since Aaliyah's coronation, so why go backward on that?
The clerk was manned by a young woman and Aloe couldn't help but see herself reflected on her. A future that had never been.
"Welcome to the Selen branch of the National Bank of Ydaz, what can I help you with?" The girl said with a practiced and tired tone, even if she did her best to hide that. Aloe had been able to detect such intricacies of behavior before her introduction to the vital arts, so with her enhanced senses, that child was an open book to her.
Child? Aloe, this girl must be at least eighteen. She's no child. Though at the same time… isn't everyone a child to me? She was suddenly confronted with something no woman wanted to think of: her age. I mean, I don't feel like a grandma. I don't even feel thirty, let alone two hundred and thirty. Hmm… The cultivator couldn't help but be interested in her warped perception of time, but the were more pressing matters at hand.
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"I would like to exchange some old, legacy currency I have for a more modern one if that would be possible." Aloe gave her a taste of what a true diplomatic smile was like.
In response, the girl blushed.
Huh, of all possible reactions, that wasn't the one I expected.
"B-by all means," the banker nodded with a pink hint all over her visage. "If you could place them here," she pushed a tray forward. "I must note beforehand that we do not accept all legacy currencies."
"I pray that mine are accepted then," the cultivator smiled, leaning a bit on her glamour as she physically leaned forward, showing off her bosom before the girl. It was… intoxicating to get such reactions from everyone.
She placed her silver and electrum coins on the tray as the copper ones seemed to work just fine only that now they were ten times as valuable. Which wasn't much, but never look a gift camel in the mouth.
"Oh, woah," the young clerk opened her mouth in surprise as she handled the coins, "Legacy alright, these coins are from the Sultanate and are old. This drupnarun is the oldest of them almost as it's from Kyra-al-Ydaz's time, so about three centuries. I can trade you the rest for bills if that is fine with you, but I would like to discuss with my manager about this drupnarun beforehand though."
"Of course, we will wait around," Aloe nodded at her.
Before sitting in the main open lobby of the bank, the banker exchanged her old coins for bills, and the conversion rate was way better than she had expected. Probably because the silver and the electrum of the coins were now more expensive than the value of the banknotes.
"We are quite set for now, Xochipilli," she said to the child once they sat in one of the many armchairs around.
"Yes?" His head snapped at her upon hearing his name.
"Between what I had already, what we got from that sad excuse of a man, and the leftover from the drupnarea I pawned, we should have enough liquid assets to go round for a while. Years if we don't have expenses like food or clothing, but I'm not going to force you to eat undergrowths, don't fret."
"I can do it," the child offered himself, nonetheless.
"I told you don't have to," Aloe ruffled his hair. "Truth be told, I'm interested in the cuisine of this age. We have seen many food shops whilst strolling – cafes, I think the newspaper called them – so we could visit one once we are done with today's business."
Xochipilli nodded enthusiastically at the idea.
Whilst they waited, Aloe started reading the newspaper she bought today. The information it provided was… insufficient at best, but it helped her adapt hastily to these new times. After all, there was no better way to learn than reading. Or experience it oneself, but she had too much experience for many lifetimes now.
Literally.
Xochipilli was a bit fidgety at being at such an expensive and populated place, so there was a bit of small talk here and there. He asked her why she was keeping her parasol open inside the bank, and she responded that it was to hide the plant on her head. The vegetable woman had covered the Aloe Veritas with a clean cloth, but it still stuck like a sore thumb, so having a parasol open indoors was preferable to letting anyone see the bulb on her head, even if it resembled some traditional Ydazi headwear. I could wear a cayora, but that would only hide the veritas, not the bulb.
One sight was more fashionable than the other and by much, so parasol it was.
It didn't take long for the banker to come to meet them at the spot they were resting, though this time she was accompanied by a suited man.
"A pleasant morning to you, fair lady," the man bowed before her. "I am Najib, manager of this bank's branch. I would like to speak with you about the Kyran drupnarun you have brought to this establishment."
The young banker had oozed practiced diplomacy, the one expected of a clerk, but this man was brimming with sweet diplomacy, the one that gallants or conmen used. Some would say that those were the same type of people.
Aloe said that.
The cultivator lazily stood up and was already having none of it. Basing one's behavior based on a single first impression was not a recommended exercise, but she was no longer playing by the same rules when she was young.
"Let us be done with courtesies, you want something, name it," her words were as sharp as a blade.
"Naturally," Najib's expression slightly twitched as he didn't expect such a cutting response, but he managed to remain collected. "Whilst we can indeed accept the Kyran drupnarun that you have brought, its value lays elsewhere. It is not every day that we find coins this ancient," those words irked her even if the coin itself was a handful of decades older than her, "and it would be better for the world if it were preserved rather than led to a foundry to recycle the electrum."
The man was as subtle as a dweller on an orchard.
"Name your price," Aloe said taciturnly.
The manager's eye twitched as his finesse fell on deaf ears. "A thousand drupnars."
It was obvious that he wanted the coin for his private collection.
"A drupnarea for a drupnarun, eh?" Aloe chuckled. "Sure, why not? It is too poetic to let it pass."
Najib frowned. "Are you completely sure?"
"Do you want your coin or not?" She stabbed him with her gaze.
The man sighed and took a handful of bills with '200 Drupnars' written on them. The fact that he casually carried them on a clip indicated how little this price was for him. Spare change, really.
Yes, she could have gotten a much better deal out of it, but as she had said, it was poetic, and it wasn't like she was pressed for money. She had seen some advertisements of shops selling day dresses at one ten drupnars a piece, so she was well served even if she had also to cover for Xochipilli's expenses.
And besides, if she wanted to make money, this new age was starving for resources that she alone could provide in industrial quantities.