Aisha swapped her attention between her brother and Ellar. Do they know each other? Curious as to their relationship, Aisha stepped back discreetly and watched the event unfold in front of her. Where would it go? She had no clue as to how they were related. Ellar, the nice girl she had just met, was shy and meek while her brother was far more outgoing and confident.
Silently, she signaled for the guards and Hilda to stay away.
"So did you come to talk about what happened yesterday?" Rainen asked, while rubbing the back of his hand. His demeanor he displayed while in the Green City was far different now, Aisha could sense it. Something about this girl made him a little off. He still stood proud and strong, unwilling to bow to the whims of gravity, but the tone of his voice was different. He didn't shift legs nor did he falter in his posture, everything that Aisha could feel came from his voice and eyes only.
"N-No." Ellar said. "I-I was just showing your sister around...." she pointed towards Aisha who nodded.
"You didn't want to speak then? Didn't you have a feeling we'd meet if you showed her around?" the skin atop his forehead wrinkled.
"I didn't know she was y-your sister." she clasped her hands together and stared at the ground. "G-Good job winning by the way. I-I'm glad that you were able to w-win." she forced it out.
What happened? Aisha blinked several times, shifting her gaze back and forth like a servant being constantly called by his masters. It was clear to her that these two were more than mere acquaintances. Their speech wasn't formal, like a stranger's, but it wasn't friendly either. A minimal amount of distance was kept and neither made any gestures.
"Yeah... are you okay? Feel any pain from the match?"
She shook her head, "I'm f-fine." it wasn't hard for Aisha to tell she was hiding something. Rainen seemed to be bothered by her answer and couldn't find the next words to say.
"Ummmm. What's your relationship?" Aisha inquired. She broke in between them to diffuse the atmosphere.
"We're partners." Rainen answered, sneaking a glance at the blue haired girl.
"Mhm." Ellar confirmed, letting her eyes dart around.
Aisha frowned. The information was helpful but she wanted to know a bit more than that. Why were they acting this way? As partners, they should either be very professional or very friendly, however, these two tread the finely established line many would've set.
Estranged from the situation, Aisha quickly switched out the topic as both showed odd behavior when answering, "What were you doing in the market Ellar?"
"L-Looking for a present...." she trailed off.
"O-Oh." Dondan was right around the corner, it made sense that one would be shopping for it. Though she had not quite enjoyed her life at the Yurfray house, Dondan was the only day she felt acknowledged by her relatives. Aisha too, would be searching for a gift at this time, however, she had agreed she would not buy a present for her brother. A small pang of guilt assaulted her. Was it rude to have interrupted someone who was looking to buy something for her friends or family when the day was so near? "I apologize for breaking you away from your activity."
Ellar threw up her hands, "Ah, n-no. Please don't feel that way. It's not a problem for me. I-I still have the day to search for them."
A brilliant idea struck Aisha upside the dome as Ellar stepped forward and crunched the snow. A puff of visible air released from her mouth, the sun still gleamed off the snow reflecting it's blinding rays. The cold which had been milder made it a perfect opportunity.
Before Ellar could dismiss herself, Aisha made a request, "W-We can help you look. I-I want to help you look." she said in a way that she knew would force the older girl to accept. Aisha understood that it caused the roluk trouble, it bothered her. Ellar shifted from side to side and stroked the hanging braid.
Pondering her response for more than a moment, Ellar reluctantly agreed, "I-If you w-want to...." a slight semblance of guilt and relief washed over Aisha. Sorry, she said in her head. Recognizing Ellar's weak person skills, she had taken advantage and pressured her to accept her request.
"Let us leave right now then. The sooner we're able to start searching the better." Aisha grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him along.
"H-Hey," he said. "Why are you taking me along?"
"Hmm?" Aisha feigned ignorance. "I thought that you'd be more than happy to help your partner, unless she was getting a gift for you."
The student froze up, "I-I wasn't planning to... s-"
"Don't worry about it." Rainen held up his hand, "I wasn't planning to get you one either."
Aisha's face dropped in horror. What an insensitive comment! She could not believe the words her brother spewed. Her mouth almost fell agape as she tried to process what he had said. His relationship with his partner hardly gave Aisha the impression that they were close, it certainly stood to reason that they wouldn't go out of their way to buy each other gifts, however, that didn't dismiss her brother's matter-of-fact attitude.
Ellar responded with an, "O-Oh." and Aisha felt like more was lost than gained so far with her suggestion. The roluk toyed with her hands a few seconds before turning around and leading the way. Aisha followed, still pulling along her brother.
Passing by her escort, Aisha motioned for them to follow, but at a distance.
She immediately catches up with Ellar and they begin to search through the shops. They often encounter young boys and girls outside of shops who try and entice them, items and trinkets are offered at discounted prices, food stands are filled with long lines as they cook up the meat in front for everyone to see.
Ellar picks up several interesting things but always indecisively puts them down. She glazes over the more expensive tools and wear like staffs and necklaces, instead choosing to linger on warm clothing and simple but useful things. Aisha watched with mild interest, could she not afford those gifts or did she simply not wish to buy them? The thought did not come to her until much later that Ellar's friends most likely did not need those as they were able to get into the academy. Magical ability between peasants were hard to find so getting in because of that was unlikely.
Eventually, inside of an uncrowded well insulated shop, with dozens of racks for holding clothing anywhere from frilly dresses to light leather armor, the blue haired girl was scanning over a few pairs of gloves stashed away from the seemingly randomly placed circular clothing racks.
Resting atop wooden shelves in the back were an array of heavier clothing, perfectly set for those looking to brave the Winter. Underneath held multiple pairs of warm looking fur boots and socks. The shop was a larger space than it had seemed from the outside. The randomly placed clothing racks from before were able to leave enough room for three to five people to fit in between. The desk manned, by the shopkeeper, rested in the furthest corner of the store diagonal of the door.
A good amount of clothes were displayed by the window for those searching, that's how their interest was initially caught. With a decent chunk of the window still open, the rays of the sun shone through, illuminating the shop. A few torches lined the walls but were unlit.
Twirling her way over, Aisha asked, "Anything here you think would be good for your friends?"
"I-I'm not sure." Ellar said.
"Could you tell me a little about them?" Aisha stepped closer to listen. With perked ears and a calm gaze, Aisha listened intently.
"Ummm. W-Who do I start with first?" she asked herself. "I-Iris, she's smart and really straight forward at times like Elis. Ah, Elis is my other friend who I'm shopping for. She and Iris bought me this scarf here." she held it up for Aisha to see, not that Aisha couldn't see it already. "Umm. Elis, I-I mean Iris. Iris is interested in people, she always asks questions and doesn't push too hard. She knows when to stop and when to move forward."
"Like a military commander." Aisha interjected, something akin to envy danced within the shadow of her heart but was quickly erased by the girl's continual ramblings.
"I-I don't know, m-maybe." Ellar lowered her gaze for a moment before raising her head again to speak. "Iris, sh-she likes sweets and isn't very serious although she seems that way sometimes. Iris tends to be a little more relaxed and calm than Elis, she doesn't like going into situations without knowing something about it first. L-Like an official, she'll pull out a pen and a notepad, taking notes about whatever o-or whoever seems interesting." Ellar wrapped her arms around herself as if she had suffered from Iris' questions.
"She always wears a hair pin and really likes flowers. Ah, by the way, Elis' favorite is the Pink Carnation. She tells us that she sometimes dreams about them when she sleeps. Her mom apparently had them around the house a lot. I-Iris told me that. Well, Elis, though she likes flowers... she's a bit of a tomboy, not that she isn't girly, she really pretty!"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Ellar raised her hand and scratched her cheek, "The thing you see, Elis is constantly looking to battle. She's strong but doesn't ever hurt them, brash but very straight forward. I kinda think she'd be nice as a teddy bear, hehe."
Aisha covered her mouth to stifle her laugh, "Really? Then I'd love to meet them soon."
"Y-Yeah!" Ellar said, a bright expression showing itself. "D-Don't tell Elis I called her a teddy bear though."
"Hehe. Of course I wouldn't." Aisha's expression became one of fondness like one recalling a memory. The edges of her mouth lightly curled up and she held her head in a slight tilt. Eagerness, shyness, joy, all of these radiated from the young roluk who continued to speak about her friends with fervor.
Done with her explanation of her friends, Aisha spotted her brother who was also browsing along with them as she had dragged him along. "Over here!" she called out to him.
"Hmm?"
Aisha couldn't stop her efforts to bring the two closer together so, as he neared, she said, "Do you know Iris and Elis?"
He nodded.
Perfect. This was just the perfect opportunity.
"Here." she placed him where she once stood and started to leave. "Since you know about those two, help Ellar out for me. I still have to unpack."
"Wai-"
Too late, Aisha shut the door and was out with a wide grin.
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I quietly turn around and begin looking through the clothing items like Rainen isn't there. It's rude but what do I say to him? "Hey big guy," That's about as far as I can think and it already sounds pretty horrible. Gosh, my face is going red just from thinking that.
Going about my business and trying to divert his attention from speaking with me, I quickly lift up items and examine them. I'm no judge on clothes but these scarves don't look like they've been made with the best care. The sides are frayed and pieces of the fabric stick out, easily able to be stuck on a nail hanging out of the wall.
"Not sure if that'd be the best gift."
"Huh?" I turn around to see his arm reach over and snatch it away from my hands. He lays it down and picks up a hat.
"How about this?" he places it on his head and pulls the sides down. "Does it look good?"
"Ehe." I quickly cover my mouth in an attempt to stifle my laughter.
"I'll take that as a yes?"
"N-No." I decide to say.
He smiles, "Hmph. Glad that I finally got you to laugh a little."
Turning away slightly I glance up at him, "You look a lot like your sister."
"Oh? So you're saying my sweet little sister wouldn't look cute in this hat?" He pulls it down again and leans forward.
"I-I'm not saying that." I vehemently deny. Aisha would probably look great in the hat.
"How come I don't then?"
"B-Because it looks better for a gi-" I stop midway as a pair of yellow and pink gloves catch my eye. Diverting my attention, I instantly hold the two pairs up to my face for a better look.
"Those look pretty good," Rainen says. "Why don't you try them on and see if they fit you. If it fits you they should probably fit Iris and Elis' hands. Go ahead."
With his prompt prompting, I slide the gloves over my hands, one yellow, one pink. They fit perfectly, just enough to cover the skin not protected by the uniform or other clothes. Both are made with a soft and thin fabric making it easy to move my fingers like blades of grass in the wind.
"How are they? Seem like a good fit."
"Yeah, they're nice," I say while blowing at them. "M-Might not be good for really cold places but here should be fine. Eh?" Rainen suddenly grabs hold of my hand and starts feeling the tips of my fingers. W-What's he doing?
"Hmm. They fit well. Are you going to buy them?" he asks, oblivious to his own actions.
"Mhm," I say meekly. "L-Let's go check them out...." I don't know whether or not he has my best interest in mind nor do I know if I even trust him, but I can't stop feeling that he isn't a bad person despite what's happened so far. What does he want from me? Is he just being nice because his sister seems to like me? Why didn't he help me during the match?
So many things to ask but no strength nor courage to do so. I'm also curious as to why Aisha looks like she has a few burns.
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"Leaving so soon?" Anne walked up to Garret who was readying a horse.
"I told you I'd be leaving like a week before Anne," Garret said while mounting the horse. "I'm taking the shortcut so I won't be gone for long."
"How long was it again, four days even with snow?" Anne rubbed her chin and stared off past the opening gates that were opening for more than just them. A caravan was making its way through.
"Magic is great isn't it," Garret let out a hardy laugh, "Tell Carlyle I said thanks for letting me use it. I'll see you later Anne, keep things safe here."
"Got it sparky. Make sure to say hi to your mom for me and bring back one of her casseroles too!" she yelled as he began to leave.
"It'll be cold by the time I come back!" he shouted back.
"Who cares!"
Garret broke into a grin and settled comfortably back into the saddle. Things had become pretty quiet and calm once again in the city so he felt no trouble leaving it alone to the rest of the Twelve. After the aftermath of the attack a few weeks ago, thugs took it as their chance to strike it big and burglary sprees began popping up. With a much lesser force of guards, these actually grew the next few days until finally the Twelve started to become more active.
The Thirteenth was the most active, he hunted almost obsessively at night, quickly and harshly dealing with those who sought to harm the good citizens of the city. Garret and the others were also sent out by Carlyle for the time being to deal with the problem but the Thirteenth handled most of it.
"I worry about you sometimes kid." Garret said to himself. He knew that the Thirteenth, despite his taller stature was someone very young. Out of everyone, Carlyle only called the Thirteenth a kid. During the small scale invasion, the Thirteenth was hit the hardest as he stumbled upon Henry's corpse.
"Telling it to us must've been hard for him. Heh, and here I am, looking to go visit some family." he let out a deep sigh as the gates closed behind him.
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"Sir!"
"Enter." Athen Caldor spoke with authority.
"We are ready to depart for the Green City."
"Good," the old man and official of the Twelve said. "Make sure to bring the members of the Yurfray family into questioning. Do it discreetly. I do not wish for this to become an issue. Despite their lowered influence over the years with their child running away, this will still cause waves if not handled correctly."
"Understood. Will five knights be adequate?" the man stayed bowing.
"Yes. If you sense anything suspicious, report it to me immediately. Also, give me the details of this Aisha Weaver."
From his back pocket, the messenger pulled out a scroll and began reading, "As far as the information goes, she's daughter of Rowan and Ayleth Weaver, youngest and only daughter out of the three children in the family."
"Where is her family?" Athen asked, resting his chin atop his fingers.
"Dead. Record says that they all died in a fire around eight years ago- wait," the man scanned the scroll again. "Apologies. She has an older brother who is living with their uncle from their father's side. Both were in the fire and survived. The young girl survived with a few scarring burns."
"I see, that is unfortunate for her." he glanced over at this bookshelf. "Is there a reason as to why the boy is not living with the Yurfrays?"
"Unknown sir. Shall we gather intelligence on him?" the messenger asked looking up.
With a dismissive wave Athen said, "No need. What we're looking for has to do with this Aisha Weaver. Make sure to bring them to me quickly."
"Do we have permission to use the gate?" the messenger asked with uncertain eyes.
"Yes. The sooner we get our hands on any vital information the better. Their incident may have something to do with the recent attack on Aurora City."