Charliette

After I finished chewing my meal, I thought it would be good to head back to my home and get a little more rest. Y’know, eating a lot made me want to lay down for a cat nap.

Despite the fiasco I went through with Christia, today seemed to be another mundane day. All I did was wake up, brush my hair, then get dragged by Christia all over Galligar. The next destination was my bed.

I pushed through dozens of local townspeople and tourists alike on my way home. They all flooded the street, laughing and dancing like maniacs. I was sure most of them were in a drunken stupor. That reminded me why I knew very little of the Autumn festival, I just didn’t go outside when it happened. I didn’t like crowded streets nor extremely drunk people. The Autumn festival attracted both of those dislikes of mine.

I finally slipped into an alley that led deeper into the heart of the city, where much less people roamed. The sun was now well over my head, shining right on top of my head and lighting up the otherwise dark alleyways.

I was in my ragged clothes, so I guess I looked poor enough to be a beggar, since I came across an actual beggar with a violent gaze. He sat against the wooden building, had a long gray beard and torn clothes, and shook a metal cup in his hands.

“Eh? Hey! Go beg somewhere else, missy! This is my turf!” he hissed at me. Even though I was fairly distant from him, I could still smell his rancid breath and see the gaps in his rotting teeth.

I didn’t say another word. I just fished through my pocket for a gold coin and tossed it to the beggar. The coin landed perfectly in his cup, jingling melodiously.

His jaw hit the floor in amazement. “But, but! You’re…”

“Keep the change,” I said. I always wanted to say that. Never thought I’d say it to a beggar of all people. He grinned from ear to ear, and so did I.

I was being quite generous with my money lately. I paid my cat quite a good salary for being my guard cat, and also paid for Christia’s meal too. This poor man was the third victim of my charity born of my newfound wealth.

It was nice to give things to people, but I did have to slow down. Don’t want to give everything, or else I’d end up like that man too. I doubt there’d be any more unclaimed territory to beg at, despite Galligar having a fairly low poverty rate. Even though some buildings look worn down and neglected, there were actually a surprisingly low number of people below the poverty threshold. I commend Kori Soaro for achieving such a feat.

I lived close to the main strip of Galligar, so it wasn’t far from the festival itself. After about five more minutes of walking, I ended up at the strip again, right at my front door.

My door was as gorgeous as ever, maybe even more so from the sun bearing down on it. Right next to my doorstep was a rather large pot with a wilted rose. I really tried to get into gardening, with that same rose as a practice run. Let’s just say I don’t have a green thumb. No matter what I did, the roses would always wilt. Yes, this rose wasn’t the first of its kind to become my victim. Maybe it was because I fed it too much water? I heard these things could actually have their roots drown, but I wasn’t too sure. I’ll experiment later when I buy another rose.

But now was my long awaited nap. I opened the door and dashed right in. I tore off my clothes and slipped on my nightgown. It was actually a little past noon, but I had every right to sleep when I felt like it.

Before getting into my bed, I stared back down at the clothes I had worn today, then back at my nightgown. Yeah, I really needed a wardrobe upgrade, I can’t rely on that mage robe forever, and I’d stupidly sold all my old clothes for extra cash when I was just starting out on my delivery business. I really needed the money. I guess that’ll be the next destination tomorrow, to buy new clothes.

As soon as I cleared my mind, I hopped in bed and yanked the covers over myself. This was the best way to spend the Autumn Festival, for me at least. It totally was.

I turned to my side and drifted off to sleep, curling into a cozy ball like the cat that slept right at my feet.

X X X

Thud, thud, thud!

Sharp knocks on the door woke me from my slumber, and they were loud. I was just getting into the good part of my dream. Did Christia finally come back? No, it couldn’t be her, she said she was running errands, no way she completed them that fast. Wait a second!

I pulled the curtain open and saw only pitch darkness. I slept way longer than I thought I was. It might actually be Chhristia then.

I groggily got to my feet again and headed to the door. I yawned as I did so. My full belly really did make me super sleepy. I’d definitely be ready to sleep again.

I opened the door and was met with a very familiar face. It was Master Lio, whose face was as red as a tomato.

“Master? What happened to your face?” No greetings were given. I reached out for his cheek, but he jolted backwards.

“I’m fine, I just felt like I wanted to give you something for your birthday tomorrow, Charliette.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. I’m perfectly content with what I have,” I told him, but that was a lie, of course. I just didn’t want it to seem that I was leeching off of others. “Still, you couldn’t wait until my actual birthday tomorrow?” My brain was still half asleep, so I was incapable of understanding why he came in the night.

“I can’t wait. I just wanted to give it to you as soon as I could.” He forced his eyes shut and shoved what looked like folded clothes into my hands. He was really bashful tonight.

I unfolded the clothing, and my heart nearly drowned with emotion. It was the most gorgeous dress I’d ever seen. I stared at it from all angles. It was so cute!!!

“Thank you so much, Lio!” I jumped in for a hug. My emotions got the better of me again, and I didn’t think twice to throw myself into his arms.

“You liked it?”

“Of course I did!”

I felt his shoulders relax, they were so stiff before. “Ah, I’m so glad!” Guess he had trouble finding a gift for me, I’d have to apologize to him later. I don’t know if I’d accidentally lead him to believe that he needed to give me a birthday gift. I was happy with anything, really. A good dinner is all I need to stay happy.

I still held the dress in my arms and sat down at the couch. The shock had made me wide awake, so I was full of energy now. Lio, with my permission, walked into my house and sat on the couch next to me.

“Actually, I got that dress from Fiar’s wife, Isla, so you should thank her the most,” Fiar said, gesturing to the dress that I held.

He was right, though. I had to show my gratitude, which was why I at once made the decision to take a trip to Fiar’s place to properly thank Isla.

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And that’s exactly what I did. I offered Lio to stay at my place, sleeping on the couch of course, and we’d head over to Fiar’s house first thing in the morning. I was ready to give my best speech to her, despite me not even meeting her.

Introducing myself in person and actually meeting her first should come first. Right!

X X X

“How does it look?” I came out of my room, dressed up in the dress that Lio, with the support of Isla and Fiar, had given me. It fit almost perfectly on me, maybe a tiny bit loose in some areas though. I stood in front of Lio and flaunted the beauty of this dress.

He had terrible bed hair, but he still stared back with wide, alert eyes. He gave a thumbs up and those eyes brightened in awe. “Perfect!”

“Thank you.”

Too bad there wasn’t a way to see how I looked, someone needs to invent something like that soon.

After I finished brushing my hair and patting down my dress for any wrinkles, we headed out the door to Fiar’s house.

It was in the beginning days of autumn, so it was still a bit warmer than I was used to, but this dress I wore was perfect for this weather. The gentle breeze blew and cooled me down, making the ends of the dress flutter. I felt nice, gone were the days of being mistaken for a beggar.

Lio followed behind me, even though he was the one to guide me to Fiar’s house. He was oddly silent, but his face was still a red hue. He has been like that ever since he woke up from my couch. Maybe he was hungry? Eh, I’ll treat him to breakfast after we’re done with this. He’ll be my fourth victim of charity.

The Autumn Festival unfortunately had ended, but there was still an abundance of drunk people roaming the streets even at this hour. There were bound to be people who didn't just stop partying after one day, they had to keep going even harder at the local taverns. They’re the reason why taverns do so well after festivals, so well that their profits double that day.

Lio and I passed by quite a few drunk people stammering to the next tavern. Some had friends to support them, while others went solo and took their chances on the streets despite their obvious lack of mobility. I never want to be these kinds of people. Every time we passed them, I grimaced. They were taking the festival’s motto to the extreme.

As luck would have it, Fiar’s place wasn’t too far. In no time, we were right at his front door, and I took the initiative in knocking. I wanted the first thing Fiar and his wife to see was the dress they gave me.

The door opened, and there Fiar was, with messy black hair and a stubble growing. “Charliette! Happy birthday!” He reached over and patted me on the shoulder. Not much you can do with only one free arm.

“Yeah, happy birthday, Charliette. I know I said this yesterday, but now it's actually your birthday, so I thought I should repeat it,” Lio said to me. Both were patting me.

We all sat down shoulder to shoulder at the couch in Fiar’s house. Fiar sat down with a heavy sigh, then glared at me. I was wearing the dress of his wife, hopefully I was doing it justice.

“I’m glad it looks well on you. Fits perfectly too, huh?”

“Like a glove.”

Fiar giggled. His eyes were glistening, I could see some tears coming out. “You know, my wife wore that same dress when I proposed to her. Treat it with care.”

I was bewildered, not knowing just how much sentimental value this dress was to them. My throat tightened and it took me a moment to speak up to Fiar. “Are you sure you guys will just let me have it? Even though it was very important to your wife?”

He looked me in the eyes and silently laughed. “You’re fine, keep it! My wife wanted you to have it, since she herself hadn’t worn it in quite a while. You’re the true successor to this dress.”

I looked at my body, wrapped in the beautiful fabric that made up the dress. It hugged my body just right, not too loose but not tight enough that it would crush my lungs. I really hoped I was the right person to have this.

Fiar had a cup of tea on the small table in front of us, and periodically sipped from it as we spoke. I didn’t forget why I’d come here.

“Where is your wife, now that I think of it? I want to thank the two of you together.” I stared all around the house, but she wasn’t in sight.

When I asked that question, he chugged the remainder of his tea and rose to his feet. “I’ll go get her. She’s in our bedroom.”

I felt bad, not because of the dress thing, but because I had to contain my laughter at the way he walked. He waddled like a duck as he kept balance with his crutch. The more I imagined a duck in my head, the more I wanted to burst out in laughter. Luckily I held it all in my cheeks, while getting weird stares from Lio. If only he knew what I was doing, I’d surely be scolded.

It was just Lio and I, alone together on the couch. We just sat in silence, not knowing the words to say. The atmosphere went from jolly to awkward in a matter of moments, with the absence of Fiar. It seemed that Lio noticed it too.

“Uh, so…” He scratched the back of his head. “I heard you got that tome finally.”

“I did, I only have about one hundred gold coins left to spare, so it turned out well in the end.”

“That’s good. Now we can officially start your magic training.” He nodded, then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked oddly troubled. “We can start your training tomorrow.”

“Yes Master, my robe should be out of the tailor shop by then.”

“There you go again, calling me master.” Although his interlaced fingers trembled, his face was gentle. It confused me.

What confused me more was how dry this conversation was. Usually my banters with Lio were never this barren, but the awkward environment, mixed with a relatively unfamiliar place, made us both uneasy. We couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why that was the case.

Then Fiar returned. He had his hand in the air hovering to his side, like he was putting his hands on the shoulder of a ghost.

“Here’s my wife, Isla.” He then giggled uncontrollably. “C’mon! Don’t be shy! Introduce yourself Isla. They’re good people!”

Me and Lio found the reason why. We looked at each other, seeing one another’s face turn snow white. Even I began trembling.

No one was standing next to him. His wife was nowhere to be seen. Fiar held his hand over thin air, lovingly caressing emptiness. It spooked me to my core.

“What’s wrong guys? Cat got your tongues? Or is Isla’s beauty making you speechless?” He continued talking, as if a person was there. There wasn’t. “Charliette here wanted to thank you for gifting her your dress. Go ahead, Charliette.” He gave me a nod.

There was no one there to thank, not a soul standing before me. I just couldn’t think at the moment. I was questioning whether his wife actually existed, or was a figment of his imagination… or something worse.

“Fiar, your wife… where is she?” I asked him. It had to be done. Someone had to say it.

“Charliette!” Lio wrapped his hands around my mouth. Perhaps I went too far, too soon. But it would bother me if I let it linger. This awkwards atmosphere would continue without stopping unless I unroot it at the source.

“What do you mean? She’s right here.” He pointed to thin air again.

I pulled Lio’s hands off my mouth. “I can’t see her.”

Fiar squinted in my direction, then turned to Lio. It was now his turn to decide what to do. He had better play his cards right. “Lio, is Charliette feeling alright? It seems she’s still sleepy.”

Lio clenched his fists. Nervous sweat dripped down his face, and he gulped in air like he was gasping for breath. He was as still as a statue, yet he had to choose.

He had to move.

He had to act.

He couldn’t run from this situation, he had to face it head on, no matter how strong he was.

He brought his face to the heavens and inhaled. His chest rose like a giant mountain ascending, then it fell back down. He opened his eyes once again, but they were sharper than any sword in town. Lio was resolute.

“Fiar, there is no wife there. We can’t see anything. Please just stop this.”

Fiar growled. His eyes had a burning fire in them, and for a moment he forgot his foot was broken entirely. It was like something in his mind snapped, causing him to scream as loud as he could and tackled Lio to the ground.

Hearing the truth made him feral. It made him deadly.

They say that a man who has nothing to lose is the most dangerous opponent. I’d never read a truer saying when it all proved itself true in front of me.

I fear a deathmatch has begun.