“Why is my towel so crusty?”
Envy picked up the scrunched-up towel she normally used to wipe sweat after her morning workout. Sniffing it, her eyes widened in recognition, then disgust, throwing it at Exill’s still sleeping face.
“You think it is funny ruining someone’s towel? Did you get off on the thought I would wipe my face with this?”
Confused by the outburst, Exill sat up on the mat, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His mind slowly connected the dots, recognizing Envy’s workout towel in front of him. He quickly fumbled out an apology.
“I’m sorry… I thought it was mine.”
The Vampire had initially felt apologetic when she saw her eponymous master sleeping on the bedroll, but it had quickly turned to disgust when she saw what had been done to her towel, no doubt in revenge for taking his bed. She instead wiped herself down with Tsarra’s washcloth.
“You will buy me two new towels. Oh, and you will not touch anything in my room.” She clicked her tongue, turning away and wondering what she had done to encounter so many perverted people in her life. It was times like this that she had truly been forsaken by the World. Meanwhile, Exill hurriedly folded up the bedroll into a corner, chastened and embarrassed.
‘At least Tsarra is still asleep and didn’t see this… she would have been disappointed in me.’
Shielding his eyes from the morning rays, he stepped out into the dewy lawn and washed the towel using water from the rain barrel. The air was crisp, and the birdsong helped alleviate some of his mood. Returning to the Clinic, he found Envy already strapping on her boots, preparing to go out.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“We’re going out to buy my towels.”
Still slightly flustered he countered, “We should wait for Tsarra, I promised we would get her new clothes at the market.”
Envy’s eyebrows rose in surprise, her voice was slow and measured while stating the facts. “We are in danger, trying to pay our debts back. Yet here you are buying clay tablets and new clothes on top of her precious silver ring and freedom. Your treasured apprentice… why didn’t you mess up her towel instead?”
Sensing the bitterness in her words, Exill retorted, “I told you it was a mistake! Besides, I bought your clothes and hand crafted the mithril-”
“You made me pay for the mithril sword!” Her amber eyes flashed crimson in affront.
“Ah… so I did.” The Witchdoctor suddenly fell silent and realized just how differently he had been treating Envy. Unlike his gentle and somewhat timid apprentice, he knew Envy was wholly capable of thriving without his assistance. Perhaps that was why he never went out of his way to gift her anything, unlike with Tsarra.
Crouching down to tie his laces, he reluctantly apologised, “You are right… let’s go out, just the two of us.”
A note was left on the table for Tsarra when she awoke, and the front door was securely locked. The two ventured towards the steaming caldera towering above them and asked passerby’s for directions to the market, Exill slowly built up the courage to talk to Envy. It had been too long since they had walked together since Tsarra’s arrival.
“I’m really sorry about the towel. I just grabbed the first one and didn’t know you had unpacked in my room already.”
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“Mn. It’s my room now.” The Murderess wasn’t the type of woman who would let an opportunity slip away.
Exill felt exasperated by her insistence, but knew better than to argue a lost cause. Instead, he mumbled out a half-hearted apology: “You know… I think I’ve been treating you differently because… well, how strong you are. Apart from the starting equipment, I never felt the need to provide you anything.”
“You’re right. I don’t need anything, apart from the freedom you promised in the Contract.” She immediately responded, but he could see some of the tension in her shoulders relax.
‘Are you saying you don’t even need my blood?’ Exill light-heartedly prodded her.
“I don’t.” She glanced at him sharply before continuing, “The reason I starved when you were knocked out by the Behemoth was because I had to use all my money to pay Diallo’s instalment.”
Exill had so many questions regarding this, such as ‘how much would you pay someone for their blood,’ or ‘would it even sate your hunger when it’s dependent on the donor’s strength’. However all these questions only served to stroke his ego, and highlight how reliant she was on him. It was hardly appropriate, considering they were currently out to replace towels he had ruined.
The traffic on the streets steadily grew until they emerged into a medium sized square packed with stalls and vendors. They toured the market together and quickly picked up two fresh towels and some extra socks for both of them.
Envy hugged the bundle of red-dyed towels to her chest, but not before waving one of them in front of his face in a lecturing tone: “You see this? These are mine, and don’t you ever think of messing them up.”
“Fine, I get it! Keep your voice down…” He quickly looked around, afraid that his reputation would be ruined in this resort town so soon after arrival.
Afterwards, Exill was checking the prices of used clothes in a nearby stall, when he saw Envy pick up a comfortable black dress that barely covered her knees.
“I thought you didn’t like dresses?”
She looked askance at him, surprised he remembered such a detail. To tell the truth, her morning walks to the Guild with Iris had opened her eyes to the world of fashion. She was eager to try something different from the plain linen tunic and brown breeches she always wore.
“Can’t a person change?” She held it up against her body, pleased with the fit. “I can wear it at home.” She flicked away his hand that offered to pay, and instead purchased it with her own money.
They continued to wander around, taking in the sights amidst the refreshing morning air, and Exill searched for jamba spices and ingredients for their next meal. Sensing Envy stop momentarily to show rare interest in an item, he slowly backtracked to unobtrusively investigate what had caught her eye.
It was an accessory stall, with a tiered display of silver and gold rings and bracelets of various designs. Approaching closer he cast [Haste] followed by Gambler’s [Intuit Odds] and Scientist’s [Measure] to identify the trajectory of her eyes. With reasonable certainty he narrowed the selection down to a silver bracelet with an embedded firestone gem. [Appraise] revealed it was worth 400 Denars and had the [Luck+] enchantment.
Like the countless chastened men in history who had offended their women, he spontaneously picked it up. Asking the vendor the price, he fully intended to put it back down if she quoted over 400 Denar’s. The wizened old lady grinned while peering at the two of them.
“My aren’t you a cute couple! I normally sell this for 400, but for you, I can let it go for 350.”
Flustered by her comment, but sensing a good deal when he saw one, he forked over the 350 Denars to the old woman. Afraid his trembling fingers would betray him; the bracelet was quickly slipped onto Envy’s wrist without any ceremony. Then, he spoke words only she could hear in the bustling marketplace.
“The gem matches your eyes… and I hope this [Luck+] enchantment brings you better fortune in this life, than the one you left behind.”
It was simple, yet heartfelt; an implicit nod to their binding promise. He couldn’t fathom what she had gone through to end up so jaded and mistrustful, but he recognised her attempts to change. He truly wished the best for her, and this gesture had nothing to do with the towel he had amorously ruined the night before.
The Vendor let out a satisfied sigh as she witnessed what she thought was a proposal between two couples. She wagged her finger avidly in Exill’s direction.
“This handsome fellow is right. That engagement bracelet holds the [Luck+] enchantment and is said to bring fortune to lovers like yourself. Thank you for bringing such an endearing sight to my eyes…”
The two of them froze, Envy especially so.
As the sudden recipient of a proposal, she didn’t know how to respond or even react. Withdrawing her hand through his shocked fingers, she turned away and started walking, desperate to hide her frayed nerves.
Exill followed after her, trying to understand what he had just done.