He could tell when they were nearly at Sólstaður just by the way it got oddly cold compared to the rest of the trip. Matteo still wanted to stand outside, though, so he bundled up the best he could to watch the other nation actually come into view.
Once they were in sight of a dock and some buildings, they were practically there. He waved Hannah down as she passed.
“Is that building right off the dock?” Sure, maybe a dumb question, but he was curious nonetheless. He’s asked more obvious questions in the days traveling. Hannah never seemed to really mind.
“It is,” she replied, nodding. “Partly for documentation purposes—gives less ways people can enter and go unseen—and partly for people like you who might not be entirely prepared for the cold.”
Hannah looked out at the approaching port, then back at Matteo.
“At any rate, we’ll be there pretty soon—go ahead and grab your sister. I’ll make sure you’ll be warm, then we can stop by my house for the night.”
Matteo nodded, going back down to let Tara know.
She had most of her things ready since Hannah warned them earlier in the day that they would be leaving soon. The only thing she brought with her that wasn’t in a bag was her drawing stuff, but considering they would be around strangers he fully believed she would keep hold on it.
He got all his stuff together, which was enough for Tara to understand without actually needing to be told. He silently offered to carry her things—the one time it wasn’t thrown in there haphazardly, and thus the one time he could actually feel confident in being responsible for it—and she let him, giving him an almost grateful smile. This way, at least, she could focus on just following him and drawing.
By the time they went back up the ship was in the process of entering the dock. They waited, Hannah left for a few minutes to talk to someone just outside the building, then the crew started leaving. Hannah waited by the building for Matteo and Tara, simply gesturing for them to follow her around.
Matteo didn’t exactly expect the place to be quiet, but there were slightly more people than he expected. General paths across the place were relatively clear, but people huddled near the walls or in groups in the open area; a good majority of them were Sólstaðuric, as expected, and a few of them seemed to be talking in Sólstaður’s native tongue rather than the one it shared with the first island and Dakari.
Hannah kept up some conversation as she led them through the building, glancing back every now and then to make sure they were still behind her.
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“You guys should only really need a coat,” she said. “At least for the more civilized portions of Sólstaður—anything incredibly north and you’ll probably have to get more stuff, but you shouldn’t have to travel anywhere outside of where the trains reach.”
Matteo murmured some agreement, going on to idly entertain some chatter with the ship captain while they walked. This was…kind of fascinating, actually. Despite the differences—in appearance, in how they held themselves, in their use of language—no one here really seemed out of place, including him. No one bat an eye about Tara’s pink hair either, even if she tensed at the slightest movement around them.
Eventually they reached the left corner of the building, which mostly consisted of stores. Hannah stopped in front of one selling coats; further down the line there were stalls for gloves, hats, tourist trinkets, and food. More people were around here, noticeably bothering Tara.
“Hello!” the shopkeeper chirped. She nodded towards Hannah. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Are these kids your friends?”
“Kids of friends,” Hannah replied. “The warm-summer kids need cold-winter clothes.”
“Gotcha!” She turned to smile at Matteo and Tara, the latter of which just scribbled on her drawing more firmly. “We definitely have something that fits you, just give me a minute to find it. It’ll be half off thanks to Miss Hannah over here.”
“That’s very much appreciated,” Matteo replied.
The shopkeeper went a bit further back to look through the racks of coats, taking out a few. Hannah kept watch of the area around them; he wondered if she was looking out for anyone she might recognize, or trying to figure out which direction her crew went in.
The shopkeeper returned and held four jackets up in total, offering them to Matteo and Tara.
“Try these on,” she said. “They should be about the right size, but let me know if it seems too lose or tight.”
Matteo nodded, taking the two meant for him—Hannah offered to take Tara’s drawing things so she could try on her jackets. Tara hesitated another second before flipping the sketchbook closed and giving it to Hannah, then took the shopkeeper’s offering.
The first one he tried fit well; judging by Tara’s look the first nor second quite fit—they were either too large or too small—so Matteo paid for his and the shopkeeper returned to find another coat for Tara.
Hannah spoke up when Tara’s expression shifted to a deeper frown, not quite panic but definitely something close. She said it nicer than Matteo would have expected.
”Asedattir’s really good with coats; the next one should be good,” Hannah said. “Sólstaðuric clothes just tend to be tailored towards our body types—you just happen to be a mix of Sólstaður’s minorities. The same thing happened to me.”
”Will our next stop have less people?” Matteo asked in Tara’s stead.
”It’s just me and my partner at home,” Hannah replied, “So it should be more manageable.”
Tara relaxed a little before tensing again as soon as the shopkeeper returned.
”Okay! Sorry for the wait, but try this one on.”
The shopkeeper handed Tara the coat, already wandering back towards her other stock as Tara tried it on. It took three more attempts, but eventually Tara either found one that fit or really wanted to leave, giving a silent murmur to Matteo so he could pay. After they had that all settled and done, Hannah led the way back out.