July 2023 ver.

Devin was sour even though it was days ago. A week actually. She could still feel the thick coat of blood on her hands despite washing them multiple times by this point. When she had returned with her rabbit, she asked Rowan for his knife to skin it. Only for him to reply, “What knife?” Stupid idiot. Even after all these years he still refused to touch anything with a blade. How did he manage traveling around without such a basic essential? But she wasn’t going to waste the poor animal so she had resorted to skinning it bare-handed. Starting wasn’t easy to say the least. They could evoke as much water as they wanted, but it never felt like enough.

She was festering over that for the billionth time, scowling at the ground, when Avery pointed out, “Is that an actual road?” Devin looked up. Sure enough there was a cobbled gray surface they were closing in on. There were even people in the distance.

“Yup! This road connects Marion to the southwestern sister cities. I angled us toward it even though cutting it out would technically be more direct. Frankly, it’s better and safer to travel on.” It was easier to walk the even ground. He addressed Avery, “Although maybe I should cool it on your training so you don’t get hit by a wagon.” The boy pumped a fist. Devin wasn’t so sure they should be excited he still wasn’t quite able to fend off the spells after a week and change under such an intense regime. She was also certain it wasn’t supposed to take an actual full week to reach Marion from Rallen. His training was slowing them down.

In a relatively short amount of time they were part of the mass of people. All of them constantly joining or departing on side paths. Devin glanced around all the faces passing and felt compelled to switch places, putting herself on the exterior of the road to avoid them. When her attention returned ahead of them, she noted the distant structures gaining evermore detail. “Is that a wall?”

“Almost all of Marion is enclosed in walls. They actually had a big project recently to extend the city limits and build new ones. There’s probably some parts still under construction. The old walls are definitely under deconstruction.”

“Deconstruction?”

“Yeah, the lady of the city wasn’t just a pretty face. She’s smart and I heard it was her suggestion that they take some of the materials from the old walls to build other stuff. They’re leaving the watch towers though.”

Of course Avery had more to ask, “Wouldn’t that be more work? You’d have to chip off all the old mortar wouldn’t you? And assess if the material is still sound to use, right?”

“More work than sending people to a quarry to bring back fresh stone to cut?”

“Good point.”

“Keeps the new jobs more firmly in house too.”

The walls grew higher and higher. She was starting to wonder at what point they’d stop. They stopped at about where one would definitely die if they fell off. Emeran or not. Well. Maybe just break their spine. They entered its shadow. The gate was like a gaping maw with a row of sharp teeth ready to slam down on them. Her eyes grew wide and both her ears and head tipped back. Her attention was enraptured by what was, to her, a grandiose structure swooping over their heads compared to the incomplete wooden walls around Terring.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one distracted as Avery collided with someone. “S-sorry!” A hulking beast stood in front of him with a bag slung over its shoulder. A large lizard… man? Easily seven foot, though with slightly slouched posture. He had a head that was wide and spiked. His eyes were more forward facing unlike other species of lizards. His thick, less fine motored, tail whipped over the roadway behind him as he glared daggers at Avery. His body was a massive hunk of muscle that could rival a bear wrapped in pleasantly colored soft green scales.

“What’re you staring at? Never seen a zefiil before?” They were both staring, but his aggression and booming voice were directed at Avery.

“I’m sorry, sir! I-I actually haven’t.” A third transparent eyelid flicked closed across the zefiil’s eyes as he stared back like this wasn’t the response he expected.

Rowan put an arm around either cousin and squashed them to his sides, “We’re from a small human town. A little overwhelmed by the sight of a city. Please forgive our carelessness.”

The lizard burst into equally booming laughter, “Marion is something to behold these days. You little pussycats be careful you don’t get your tails stepped on while you gawk.” He brushed past them, jollier than when they ran into him.

Avery stammered at Rowan, “P-pussycats?”

“Don’t pay it any mind. We’re losing daylight and there’s someone I’d really like you to meet.” He pulled them along.

They were crammed together on the street by the thicket of cityfolk. Vendors were soon at either side, some shouting for attention. She was going to suffocate in the crowd. Go deaf in the noise. Rowan eventually saw where he wanted to go and grasped their shoulders again to steer them across through the crush of pedestrians onto a side street. The buildings were much closer, but not quite as many individuals dotted the path. They spread out.

She breathed easier, “I thought we were going to get separated.”

Her cousin gave her a reassuring pat in reply, “Just stick close and it’ll be fine. Don’t dawdle at any one thing too long.” Eventually the area transitioned to mostly be residential, and it stayed that way a while, with Rowan weaving them through expertly. Then it changed again. She wasn’t quite sure what the hell one would call this type of area. The streets were dead. So dead that when there was movement her eyes snapped to it immediately. Some men were moving stuff out of a building. A warehouse? This part of the city looked older too.

“Uh, Rowan, are we supposed to be here?”

“Hm? Why do you say that?”

She raked her view over some of the surroundings again, “There’s almost no one here. The buildings are all kind of beat up too. I feel like this is the type of place where people get robbed. Simply because there’s no one around to help.”

“We’re in a group; we’ll be fine. Besides our destination is just up ahead.” Close enough that he gestured to a two story wooden building coming up on their left. The build kind of made her think of the shop back home with the big window out front. Was it a tavern? She squinted as they drew closer.

A sign stuck out from the top of the doorway to dangle over the street. A picture of an owl and text she read aloud, “‘The Night Owl Inn’?” Not a bar. For some reason that name struck a chord with her too. There seemed to be a counter immediately across from the door looking in through the window. Someone was bent over it examining a book. Her peering was cut off by their entering.

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“Rowan, darling! How delightful to see you again!” A feminine voice called the second he entered. They followed to be greeted with an, “Oh-ho~! And who are these sweet little things with you?”

The speaker had lifted her head, but remained leaned onto her counter with one limb. The other was on her hip. She had a gorgeous cascade of platinum blonde locks. Though her styling was odd. Her loose hair was past her shoulders, but there was an even longer braided portion underneath. Considerably longer, and it was pulled around from the back to drape over a shoulder and down her front. She was also a rare breed of emeran with long fur. Even longer than Rowan’s mother’s had been. The tips of her ears had extra little tufts sticking off of them. Her tail waving luxuriously behind her may as well been stolen from a snow fox. She was wearing some style of robe that Devin had never seen before either, completely different than Avery’s. It showed off the pale skin of her delicate shoulders. But these weren’t her most notable features.

Her entire presence was overwhelming as she towered over them. She was unprecedentedly tall for a woman. Inches taller than Rowan who wasn’t short by any means. Her eyes were the same brownish red as their grandfather’s, but the way they stared into Devin above the woman’s sharply toothed grin made her feel she was more interested in eating her than conversing.

“Good to see you too, Pheebs! These are-” Rowan lifted a hand to introduce them.

“No! No! Let me guess.” The woman was stroking over her chin. “Two half-breed emerans… one girl, one boy, they must be your cousins!”

“H-how did you know we’re half-breeds?” And why did she feel so offended that this woman could tell?

“Oh, sweetie, can you not tell?” She extended a hand gingerly and wiggled her fingers at them, “Your nails. Pure bloods grow in differently than ours.” A shrug, “Our tails are shorter too.”

Avery certainly warmed up to her as he connected the pieces she laid out for them, “You’re only half emeran too?”

“Indeed! Half emeran, half elf, all gorgeous.” She had straightened and basically struck a pose for them. Her fingers combed into her hair at one side of her face as she gave them a soft, beautiful smile. “Nice to meet me, isn’t it darlings? I’m Mistress Phoebe Lucia, owner of the Night Owl.” It hit Devin like an Immobilize spell. That name sounded like something lame her father would have cooked up.

“I, uh…” the innkeeper was intimidating, but not scary, yet Devin found she couldn’t spit out her name. Instead her face flushed and she looked away.

Her frustrations grew when her brother had to swoop in to save her, “She’s Devin and I’m Avery Chanoix. It is nice to meet you Mrs. Lucia.”

The woman laughed heartily, “Oh heavens, sweet little Avery, I am far from a misses. Please, call me Miss Phoebe.” She gave his nose a little tap with an index finger. “I’m so happy to meet you both. Your big cousin Rowan has been staying at my prestigious establishment on and off for years now. I’ve heard quite a lot about both of you.”

“You have?” Her brother was elated that Rowan talked about them to his acquaintances in the outside world.

Miss Phoebe nodded as she leaned onto her counter as she had been before, “I’ve heard you’ve quite a head on your shoulders. Practically run half the shop at home. If you’re ever looking for some pocket change I could always use better eyes to check my numbers.” She felt Avery’s tail accidentally smack her leg as he relished the compliment. The innkeeper’s attention slid over to the uncharacteristically silent Devin. “You, I was told, are chock full of sass and could throw a man twice your size across the room should they cross you. So what’s the matter, sweetheart? This is a safe space here. No judgments.”

Devin still didn’t look at her and gave a curt, “Nothing. I’m fine.” Phoebe looked to Rowan and he shrugged. Why was it so hard to talk? Her heart was going faster than if she were fighting for her life.

The adults moved on, Phoebe exclaiming, “Ah! I’ve something for you, Rowan. I’ve guarded it closely.” Her fingers went to her chest and dove into where the two halves of her robe crossed over. Devin couldn’t help noticing that the woman was completely flat chested after such an action. Her hand popped out with a letter bearing Rowan’s name and the address of the Night Owl. “I thought perhaps I should forward it to your grandfather since it arrived shortly after the last I saw of you, but quite glad I didn’t. I had a hunch.”

“Hey! Thanks, Pheebs.” Their cousin looked at both sides then started tearing into the seal to open it right there.

She winked, “As per our arrangement, darling. I expect a tip later.” Devin really didn’t like how everything came off flirtatiously from this woman. Wasn’t she a little old for Rowan? To be half elf and look like an adult could easily have her at several decades. “I haven’t been able to help noticing they’re all to and from the same girl.” Also was she just carrying around his mail this whole time in her clothes?

Rowan didn’t seem to mind the prying into his personal life, “They are. They’re all from Frani. I’ve- actually,” he glanced to his cousins, “we’ve known her since we were young. She’s been trying to help me out.” A toss of the shoulders, “It also feels right to keep in contact with her.” The young man set about the contents of the letter.

Devin finally forgot her inhibitions at the mention of the name, “You mean that crazy girl that used to live with us?” She couldn’t remember much of her other than that little fact.

It was Rowan’s turn to laugh, “I know why that’s your view of her, but it’s still funny to hear that’s how you remember her. She wasn’t crazy; she was determined and needed help saving her best friend at the time and gramps couldn’t turn her away.”

“Who?” Avery was a lost kitten in regards to this exchange.

“Franziska Kelter. You wouldn’t remember her, Avery. Since it was from before. She’s older than me. She showed up from no where half starved to ask gramps to train her. Something bad happened to her people too so our family helped her save her friend, at the time.”

“You keep saying that.” Devin was compelled to point it out, “Are they not friends any more even though she saved them?”

“Well, I mean, I assume they’re still best friends too.” Her cousin blinked at her, letter lowered, “They’re the equivalent of married in her culture.”

“O-oh.” So that’s what he meant. “What did she write you?”

“Mostly a thank you and what she’s planning with the materials I sent her. I sent her a bigger chunk of what’s in Avery’s ring. She’s pretty gifted with magic like gramps is. Though I’m actually not sure if it’s talent or bullheadedness.” He finished reading and folded it back up. “I’m not even sure how to update her this time there’s so much. Maybe we should even visit. Anyway.”

Rowan fished out some coins from his pack, placed them on the counter, and slid them over to Phoebe. She slowly placed her hand over top his with a smile. “How many rooms can I get you? Or perhaps you’d like to bunk with me?”

These two smiled at each other like it was some inside joke, Rowan replying, “Only in my dreams, right?”

A new chortle of amusement rose out of the innkeeper, “Oh, you~!” More grinning.

No one took notice of Devin’s furtive glances between the two as the exchange had her wondering about the nature of their relationship. Had they actually… done things? She hated them both a little for making these thoughts rear their ugly heads in her mind. The world continued without her in the meantime.

“Whatever arrangements you have with two beds.” Phoebe let him remove his hand so she could count through the money, circling a finger around each coin as she went. “Hmm, well the only rooms with two beds are one body a piece beds. So I’ll give you one of those and a regular. I assume one for the boys and one for the girls.” She said that like there were more than one of Devin.

“Works for me.” Keys were supplied off of the wall behind her. The teen noted that no other keys were missing.

“I can even give you the ones right next to each other. Should I expect you three for dinner?”

“Dinner!?” Avery couldn’t contain his excitement, “Like actual food? Not nuts and dried fruit?”

“Why of course, sweetie. Shall I take that as a yes?”

“Yes!” Her brother’s attitude seemed to bring Phoebe endless amusement.

Rowan hooked a thumb at the stairs to the left, “Let’s get settled in for now.” They followed obediently and their cousin threw another wave with a thank you attached to Phoebe.

Once they were well into the hall upstairs, Rowan informed them quietly, “Don’t get your hopes too high. It’s not terrible, but cooking isn’t part of her skill set.” Her brother wore clear disappointment on his face before they split into their rooms.