Chapter narrated by Lira:
15/14/95
Something was wrong with Sera. Something had been wrong with her for the past four days.
She had been waking up earlier these days, earlier than she normally did.
She had tried to make as little noise as possible, but her footsteps against the wooden floor had still awakened me over the past few days.
I appreciated the effort she was putting into being silent, though.
In the past few days, I had just turned around and continued sleeping. Today, I don't think I can do that. Sera was genuinely worrying me now.
She had been obsessively taking the book everywhere she went.
She read when we were going to a contract.
She read when we were coming back from one.
She even read when I crashed into a fruit stand.
She just laughed and said something about the stand being in a very aggressive position and continued reading.
Today, she woke up and went straight to the book on the table. I heard her flipping through pages with haste.
"Sera," I said.
Nothing.
"Sera."
Still nothing.
She worried me a bit, but I listened for a while, and her breathing seemed normal. She was just really focused.
What should I do today?
Sera did not appear to want to stop reading, so I probably couldn't count on her right now.
That did thin out my possibilities.
I could go to the guild and maybe try to do a contract.
It would be the first one I did alone. Could I really do one without Sera?
Come on, Lira. You have been in Vareth for more than a week. Surely a simple contract is something you can do without your partner, right?
Of course.
You have always been an independent girl.
Before Ali helped you, you still learned how to move in the church totally alone.
It just took some years and a lot of getting acquainted with the floor.
You can do a contract alone, Lira. Besides, you have Ali guiding you, so it shouldn't be too hard.
Right?
I got up, found my jacket on the chair by the door, and put it on. I picked up my bow and quiver.
"I am going to the guild," I said.
"Mm," said Sera.
It was the first sound she had made since I woke up. It confirmed she was alive. I decided that was sufficient and left her to it.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I arrived at the guild. It was extremely busy for early morning.
I moved across the people with the help of the warmth until I reached the board.
Now here comes the part I did not account for, and it makes me quite embarrassed.
I could not see the contracts.
The warmth told me how recently each one of these papers had been on the board by their warmth,
but it did not tell me their content at all.
How could I have forgotten that I needed Sera to read the contracts?
Now here I was, standing in front of the board, looking in its direction.
Just standing…
I wondered if other adventurers were staring at me right now.
The thought made me a bit anxious, to be honest.
So I decided to just stand there to keep the little amount of pride I had left.
I stood in front of it for longer than I wanted to admit.
"The rank one ones are on the right side, lower section."
A voice came from my right, male and young.
"Second from the bottom is a delivery contract — straightforward, reasonable pay for the distance. Above it is a pest removal job, which is exactly what it sounds like. The one at the very bottom has been there for five days."
I turned toward him.
"What is wrong with the bottom one?" I asked.
"The client lives on the far eastern edge of the city. The job itself is simple, but the walk back is long and the pay does not reflect the distance."
"How do you know where the client lives?"
"I looked into it when it was first posted. I was considering it at the time."
"And decided against it."
"The pay does not reflect the distance," he said again, simply, as though this completed the explanation without needing elaboration.
"The delivery," I said. "Where does it go?"
"Northern edge of the city. A package to a tailor. The client is the fabric merchant two streets from the guild — he posts regularly, always pays correctly, never complicates things."
"How many times have you seen his contracts posted?"
A brief pause.
"Many," he said. "He is reliable."
"That one," I said.
I heard his hand moving to take the contract.
"I will bring it to Mary," he said.
I followed him to reception.
His footsteps were very quiet, almost as if he had learned to walk making as little noise as possible.
Mary registered the contract and slid the signed copy back across the desk.
"Good luck," he said.
I began to walk to the exit and then stopped.
'Lira, where are your manners? I did not teach my little turnip to act like that!' I could almost hear Sister Mayreel screaming at me in my head.
I turned around.
"Thank you…" What was his name? I don't think I asked him. You are really distracted today, Lira. "Sorry, I feel a bit silly. I totally forgot to ask your name."
A brief pause.
"Fin," he said. "My name is Fin."
Fin!!!
Like the Fin in Sera's story…
"Thank you, Fin," I said.
I hope he did not notice that I reacted when he said his name. That would be a bit awkward.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The fabric merchant was efficient.
It took me more time—and more help with directions than I would admit—to get to him.
He made small talk, handed me the fabric, told me where I needed to go, and then my adventure began.
Now I was in the northern district, and to be honest, it was a bit disorienting. There were too many people in the streets.
A lot of noise too—merchants shouting, trying to get the attention of passersby.
I also heard a lot of gossip from people walking past me, talking about the economic situation.
The Church of Reval.
The weather.
How the price of featherfall potions had skyrocketed recently.
And other things.
I was feeling a bit nervous, to be honest. It was the first time I had been alone in the streets since I left the church.
It felt completely different from when I was with Sera.
Thankfully, a nice old lady noticed that I was a bit lost and gave me directions.
If I remembered correctly, I should be two streets away.
"Hey, you!!" I heard a voice as I was passing by.
"Hey, you, the white-haired elf. Don't ignore me while I'm talking to you."
I stopped walking and turned toward the voice.
"Yes, you," I heard the voice say. It was a girl with lots of energy. "Come over here a moment. You will want to see this."
"I'm sorry, I have to go to—"
"Nonsense, you can't miss this. It will take less than a minute."
I heard footsteps coming my way, and then my hand was grabbed.
Before I could say anything, I was being dragged.
"Here," she said, stopping. "Right in front of you."
I caught the shift in space, the faint sweetness in the air.
"My stand," she added, almost proudly. "Fresh this morning."
"I really can't see—"
"You don't need to," she cut in smoothly. "Smell that? That's Aelberry. Sweet, a little sharp at the end. It lingers." A brief pause. "Go on. Tell me you don't want one."
I hesitated.
"They're good?" I asked.
She let out a short laugh. "That's one way to put it. They're the kind of good people come back for. The kind that sells out before midday—when I'm not being generous."
"I don't think I—"
"Ten silver," she said. "For you."
"That's expensive for fruit."
"For fruit, yes," she agreed easily. "For Aelberries? Not even close. Especially these. I had a man buy three this morning and complain he didn't take five."
"That doesn't mean—"
"It means they're worth it," she said, not missing a beat. "And it means I don't usually stand here convincing people. They convince themselves."
I shifted slightly. The scent was stronger here.
"I should be going," I said. "I should be two streets away by now."
"Two streets," she repeated. "So you're not in a rush. Good."
"I am—"
"If you were in a rush, you wouldn't have stopped," she said lightly. "You would have ignored me and kept walking. You didn't."
I paused.
She softened her tone just a little.
"Look," she said, quieter now. "You've never had one, have you?"
"No."
"Then you don't even know what you're saying no to." A beat. "That's a terrible habit to have."
I almost smiled.
"Tell you what," she continued. "Nine silver. That's as low as I go, and I'm only saying it because you look like you'll actually appreciate it."
"I'm not sure—"
"You don't have to be sure," she said. "That's the point. You try one thing you're unsure about, and maybe it's nothing. Or maybe it's something you remember."
A small pause.
"And if it's nothing?" I asked.
"Then you lost nine silver," she said simply. "And learned something."
Another pause.
The scent lingered.
"…One," I said.
Her smile was audible.
"Good choice," she said.
I continued walking, the fruit in my hand.
It was round, almost the size of my palm.
When I was one street away, I decided to taste it.
It was sweet, but…
'This tastes just like any apple…'
I had paid nine silver for this. That was what I won in two contracts with Sera.
I felt scammed.
After some time, I got to the tailor.
I knocked on the door just once. I was not Sera.
"Coming," said a voice from inside.
The door opened.
"Delivery from Merchant Porvain. Package for Oshen."
"That is me." The sound of hands wiping on cloth. "Let me see it."
She checked the wrapping, seemed satisfied, and signed the receipt. She was already turning back inside before I had finished thanking her.
I began to walk back. It was difficult orienting myself in the northern streets—they were wider than the ones around the guild and the inn.
On my way back, I began to think about the church.
Had Brother Halven been stealing food, like always?
Was Dad well?
Did Ali feel lonely without me?
I was beginning to feel a bit homesick when I heard something that ruined my entire morning.
It was just a vendor—a street vendor shouting to get customers. But what he said…
"Aelberries at only 2 silver!"
Now I did not feel scammed.
I had been scammed.
I should have more positive thoughts.
You have almost completed your first contract alone without any problems, Lira.
You just have to take this receipt to the guild, and you are done.
So don't think about Aelberries.
Breathe in and breathe out Lira and you just have to.
Not.
Think.
About.
Aelberries.
Thud.
While I was not thinking about the berries, I also did not think about something else.
A hole in the floor that made me fall to the ground.
The impact was hard. I landed with my hands, but the stone floor was not kind to them. Still, I was fine.
I just needed to get up and get this receipt to the guild.
I had lost the receipt when I fell.
I began searching for it, but there was something strange.
There was no one near me.
I heard no footsteps, nor did I feel any warmth around. The only sounds were me searching for the receipt and the sound of…
A horse?
And it was getting closer…
I looked up and felt it—a huge warmth coming extremely fast in my direction.
I tried to stand, but I was not fast enough. It was about to hit me when I felt a hand grab my arm firmly and pull.
I barely dodged the sound of a cart passing just beside me—where I had been just a second ago.
"Are you alright?"
The voice of a man.
He sounded neither young nor old—just a bit tired, if anything—but there was some expectation in his voice. Nothing of fear or worry about what had just happened, though.
"I… Yes, I am… thank you." I was trying to catch my breath. I had almost been run over by a cart.
"You should be careful. You were in a cart street—they go full speed here. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, no one should use them for walking," he said. "If you didn't know that, then I assume it is your first time in Vareth?"
"I've been here for almost a week, but it is the first time I've traveled alone."
"I thought so. But you navigate well for someone who cannot see."
Most people, when they realize I am blind, do one of two things.
They become very careful with what they say, trying not to touch the topic.
Or
They become awkward and ask strange questions.
This man did not. He just mentioned it as if he were talking about the weather.
"I manage," I said. "Better during the day than at night."
"Really?" A pause. "I travel a lot for my work, and it is the first time a person with your condition has told me something like that. How interesting."
"Really? How is it—going to different places, meeting new people? It must be interesting."
"It is, at first. My work has taken me all over Reval's region. I've met a lot, seen a lot, but in the end, the homesickness always comes."
He made a small pause and then continued.
"Traveling makes you leave a lot of things behind, after all. Sometimes I wonder if my work is worth it."
I thought about everyone in the church.
About Ali.
Now I was a bit curious.
"What is your work?" I asked.
"I work for a church."
"Which church?"
"The Church of Valek. God of fortune."
Valek.
I had heard about it before.
"I have heard of it," I said. "It has been growing lately, from what I understand."
"Yes. Most churches have been growing lately with the number of followers that Reval is losing. More and more incidents happen, and people are blaming the new oracle. It must not be a very comfortable position."
"I imagine not," I said. "Though I do not know much about the politics between churches. I grew up in a smaller one."
A pause.
"The Church of Aelith," I said. "To the west of the city."
"How is it? The Church of Aelith."
I thought of Father Celdric at his desk, writing his careful entries. Sister Mayreel correcting the record. The chapel in the mornings.
"Small," I said. "But warm. It was a good place to grow up."
I thought about Ali.
"The goddess is young," I said. "But she is genuine. I think that matters more than size."
"You speak like someone very wise for such a young girl." A pause, quieter than the ones before. "I bet they are very proud of seeing the kind of person you have become."
Something about the way he said it made me pause. Not the words—the tone he used. Like he meant something else.
"I hope so," I said. "The ones who raised me deserve that much. They were there when it mattered."
He stayed quiet after that.
Completely silent. Then I realized the conversation had ended.
"I have to be going now," he said finally.
"Take care, young lady. If fortune allows it, I hope our paths cross again."
I heard his footsteps begin, then stop.
"The receipt is near your left foot."
I crouched and picked it up.
"Thank you," I said. "For the cart."
He did not answer. He was already gone.
I stood there for a moment.
I had not thought to ask his name.
I think I'm forming a bad habit.
-----------------------------------------------------------
After I took the reward at the guild, I returned to the inn.
It was still morning, but I felt exhausted. Maybe I could take a little nap.
"Lira!! I missed you," Sera said when I opened the door.
By the sound of it, she was on the floor.
"Sera, why are you there?"
"Oh, well, I decided that enough theory was enough theory."
"You used time magic?"
"I used time magic! Just a bit. Then I felt everything move at a pace I did not like—everything moved sooo slow."
"Sera, are you alright?" I got closer to her. She was making me worried.
"The birds, Lira! The birds!"
"The birds?" Now I was definitely worried. "Sera, what are you talking about?"
"They were so slow it was funny!"
I stepped closer.
"You're not fine."
"I'm fine," she said. "Just… my head feels like mush."
A pause.
"I think I overdid it a little."
It was then that I realized.
I sighed.
My nap was gone.
And so was any hope of a quiet day.