Melanchton opened his eyes to adventure. To his first day in the biggest city of the human lands. He had been the first to fall asleep the previous evening and everyone else from their little expedition had cozied up around him, which made a warm feeling in his heart. He extricated himself from Megaira and Demetrius who lay closest and stood. The humans had given them a luxurious guest house with enough bedrooms that everyone might have their own. Apparently humans liked sleeping alone, which had not been yesterday's first surprise. In his people's understanding there was exactly one thing a separate sleeping place might be needed for. Therefore the Hylimoi had grabbed all the matraces, cushions and blankets they could find and occupied the meeting room with the nicest view over the city.
He stepped over Valeria and in the moonlight coming through the open windows he took in the remaining ten, no eight, sleepers. Bellon and Alcantis apparently had taken to those separate sleeping arrangements. Good for them. They had been circling one another like the earth and the moon for the last several weeks. Sotiria, he noted, lay a distance of. She had joined their group only the day their boat left Red and Cursed Isle. Miron had fallen ill before boarding, but eleven living people were a lucky number, so Sotiria to the rescue. He showed his fangs decisively and nodded. He would make sure she got to sleep in the middle next night.
Happy with his decision, he left the sleeping area for the corridor. On the opposite wall sat the portable altar that housed Uncle Aftonion and Uncle Epiktetos. Aftonion was out, probably scouting the human city unseen, and Epiktetos was resting. Melanchton knelt down to light a new candle for them. They would need a proper altar soon. One year was way too long to stay in a portable, although, he suspected, the two of them would rather die again before complaining. Megaira was probably planning already. She loved doing altars.
Melanchton continued to the washing room, cleaned his face, superficially combed his mane, then grabbed a new skirt, his bag with notebook and stylus and from the kitchen two strips of dried meat. The humans had interesting spices and used them aplenty. He left through the front door without meeting any soul, living or dead. While the door had a strong bar, the Hylimoi hadn't locked their guest house. It would be quite inconsiderate towards their hosts. Also Melanchton doubted that anyone could get past their guardians unseen.
The guest house was part of the palace area which housed the royal couple, the chancellor's office and most of the realm's administration. It also included a major temple, but that one would likely be included in the official tour later that day, so Melanchton had other targets. On their way up from the harbor, they had passed at least a dozen temples, shrines and cemeteries. And by his calculations, there was enough time to visit one or two before sunrise proper.
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The first shrine, right on the outside of the palace district's gate, belonged to the Last Goddess whose holy city was on the east coast of the continent beyond the mountains. Melanchton nodded to the two guards at the gates, both military mages as identified by their vests. Melanchton spoke the polite greetings he had learned in the Realm's language, but they didn't reply. He clicked his tongue, but didn't give it much thought otherwise. They were probably sunk into their magic. He might ask Valeria later. Despite ever intensifying trade relations over the last years, the humans weren't forthcoming when it came to their magic.
The Goddess' temples only closed around noon, so Melanchton had no problem entering. The shrine was but a single little room with the statue. Unlike the guest house, its ceiling was rather low, though probably still comfortable for most humans. Melanchton had to crouch. He put a coin in the box and shattered a clay figurine, that was provided for just that purpose, in front of the Goddess' feet. The Goddess was dressed in what was fashionable in this city, as far as he could tell, while her depictions in her home temple were usually wrapped in unstitched cloth. He noted the apparent difference in the wax of his notebook, then left walking backwards.
Two horse-drawn carts filled with crates and boxes moved past him. The horses were long-eared variant, and one of the drivers stared at him. Melanchton waved and made sure not to smile with teeth. Humans got twitchy easily. The driver was young, maybe the first driver's son? He waved back after a moment and jerked at the wagon's jump as it passed the paid gate. Melanchton made a note of what he believed to be a local swear.
Melanchton walked through the streets. People were coming out in greater numbers. Many wore magistrates' robes. That made sense. The palace area was probably too small to accommodate everyone who worked there during the day. Several wore the elaborate ritual headgear of the Serpent's Siblings, each unique, made from paper, cloth, and wood, depicting flowers, animals, especially serpents, of course. They were surely on their way to do their morning dance before going on with their routine. They did it everyday, and a small community lived on the Scattered Isles, where Melanchton had grown up. The Serpentines were somehow better in withstanding the strange sickness that afflicted humans on long sea voyages.
Melanchton was therefore looking for another target. He felt for the slight shivering of the hair in his arms. The small cemetery he had seen from his guest house was nearby, and cemeteries were the best. He quickened his steps and passed a number of blocks without giving much thought in how the colorations on the walls changed in composition. The graveyard was more like a single crypt on a patch of grass, with two and three storied living houses on three sides. He took his time studying the murals on the crypt's outside. The right side showed buildings and people of various professions, the style of architecture and fashion very different from this city's. He was just starting to make sketches, when he heard a voice.
"Hello, can I help you?"