"Why go straight to City Hall, ma'am? I could show you the shoe shop on the way."

To be honest, it sounded tempting; no denying that, even if it meant paying Timmy ten coppers more as a result. I may have been far from being rich myself, but knowing how little the guides earned, I couldn't blame the little wolfkin for trying to drag out his services. He was just trying to survive.

‘Just like me.’

So, no! Although too forced for my taste, paying him extra wasn't the problem. The issue was time and - well, money.

"Can I find a pair of shoes for fifteen pieces of silver there, Timmy?" That was basically my entire fortune after paying the advance for the lesson with Instructor Deckard.

"Yes, you can. So, you want me to take you there? Follow me."

‘Shit! Couldn't he just say no and let it go?’

"Wait, Timmy! I mean decent shoes. Not some slippers or made of linen, but leather boots that will last me a while."

"Th-that, I'm not sure," said the young wolfkin, scratching behind his ear. "But it's possible they have one. We won't find out unless we look."

'True.'

However, there was still the question of the time it would take. Not to mention how the whole thing of him forcing me to go there was rubbing me the wrong way. I was done doing as others told me.

'Yeah, I know. A fucking lie.'

How long has it been since I followed instructions on a mere piece of paper? Not even an hour. That was part of my job as bait, though, something I willingly agreed to. It may not sit well with me, which it definitely didn't, but I wasn't doing it to indulge my shoe craving. No, my freedom and sanity were at stake.

"Maybe next time, Timmy," I said, making my decision. Not having to go barefoot would be nice, no doubt, but it might as well ruin my plan to find some books to read, hence learning to speak Standard, thus freeing up space for a more useful weave. Actually.... "I'd appreciate it more if you'd tell me how much it costs to borrow books. Is there a registration fee?"

"But..."

"Timmy!"

"Y-yes, ma'am?"

"I don't want to go there. Do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes," the young wolfkin stammered, obviously a little confused. I, on the other hand, was pissed with myself. I never intended to raise my voice like that at the kid. It was just... there was just something wrong with his insistence.

"Let's return to City Hall, okay?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't know what..."

"It's all right. Just... just tell me again what landmarks to navigate by along the way - and about those library fees."

"Uh, what fees?"

Well, it turned out that there were no fees at the library, neither for registering nor for borrowing books. In fact, as far as the young wolfkin knew, one could not take books home. If you wanted to read one, you had to do so in the library. A bit of a setback in my plan, but not exactly the end of the world. If true, it just meant all the more that I couldn't waste my time strolling the streets of Castiana and visiting its shops.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"See that ivy-covered house, ma'am? You must have it on your left when you pass by," the young wolfkin pointed out one of the landmarks for me to remember.

"I see - to have the house on my left," I repeated to engrave it in my memory. No easy feat when there was already so much to remember, like a strange bollard at the corner of two streets whose names I had already forgotten, a house with round windows, and an alehouse named [Donkey Dick].

'Seriously, who in their right mind would name their business like that? On second thought, it stood out.'

The sudden bristling of my hair, however, broke my train of thought. Instead of walking on, my young guide paused, pointing the opposite way from the ivy-covered house. "Actually, if we took that street, we'd get to that shoe store I was talking about, ma'am. It wouldn't take us that much longer to get to City Hall if we..."

'That again. Seriously, what the fuck?' Was that how all the guides were? Because my experience with Ria was a bit different. Yes, along the way, she talked about all the interesting things we had passed or could have seen if we had taken this street or that road. But she never pushed me to go somewhere I didn't want to - not once.

'Was it me?'

After all, whether I liked it or not, I was weak. But did he think I was some kind of pushover?

"...if we go that way..."

"That's enough, Timmy," I cut him off. "I'll give you the extra ten coppers as long as you let it go."

"But ma'am, going barefoot... huh? You will? I mean, it's not necessary for you to pay for - for s-something... I..."

"Are you okay? You look a little pale." Oddly enough,despite being covered in brown fur from head to toe, he looked - well, pale. It was weird, maybe a beast thing; however, I could tell he was unwell. Mostly, it was his eyes. They had this glossy tint to them.

"N-no. I... a-apologies, ma'am. I think... I think you're right. We should head right back."

And this time, much to my relief, we did - with no further interruptions along the way. Did I complain to Enola, then? No, there was no reason to make life harder for the young wolfkin when he was clearly feeling under the weather. On the contrary, I paid for two hours of his service, even though, according to the receptionist's watch, we managed to get there and back within an hour against all odds. It helped that I didn't have to wait in line with my guide for who knows how long, but could go straight to the desk.

The whole City Hall matter was actually a quick in and out. There was no need to push my luck and stay there any longer than I had to, only to have to deal with people wanting my spot in training with Instructor Deckard.

'And more importantly, Ria wasn't back yet.'

Thus, the only place I lingered was the steps outside the entrance on my way out to make sure Lieutenant Blaine was still out there. Unable to shake this strange feeling that something was just not right, I simply wanted to make sure that if something DID go wrong, I would not be left to fend for myself like last time - and the time before that - and prior to that, too.

‘Yeah, life sucked.’

Anyway, the lieutenant?

'Still there. Good.'

While ever annoying to have someone watching my ass all day long, feeling that familiar look on the back of my neck came as a relief. Even so, the walk back through the streets of Castiana to Imperial Square was more nerve-wracking than any before. So much so in fact that when two guys, at first glance from some seeker company, approached me, I just ran away.

Only at the square in front of the Imperial Library did I stop to catch my breath.

‘I hate this mind fuck shit!’ I breathed a sigh of relief at finding my way without having to ask for directions like the woman did. 'Her again! Why? Was it because I might find myself lost like her? Was that what was eating at me? Fucking stupid!’

Imperial Square lay before me. I wasn't like her. Proven when I found myself hesitating.

'Will it be as crowded as City Hall?' I wondered, eyeing the quiet square - by local standards - and the entrance to the library. Unlike at Seeker Square, no one seemed to be rushing in or out of the main entrance. In fact, none of the people milling about Imperial Square seemed at all interested in the library. It was as if someone had cast an invisible spell over the entire building. A bit unfair to the locals, I know. Even back on Earth, libraries weren't exactly hotspots, still - it would be nice to see I wasn't about to walk into some abandoned haunted library.

'Just a peek. At worst, all I have to do is ask about the books on the Eleaden Standard,' I reminded myself as I stood at the front door of the library, took another deep breath, reassured myself of Lieutenant Blaine's presence, straightened my clothes, and grabbed the door handle.