The Secrets of Lore Seymour

80. Lies and More Lies

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask, sitting next to Lore in the car.

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" He asks.

I glance at our "chaperones" in the front seat. Two more were sent with Draven and Cyan after Lore discussed our plans for the day with Draven. The butler decided to head to the nellore factory in Lore's stead to continue his investigations. Of course Cyan was excited to see the factory. Draven will have his hands full preventing the mad scientist from ripping everything apart to see what makes it tick. Then again, Cyan may become flustered once he realizes it's kinda like they went on another date.

While they do that, Lore and I head into town to go shopping, basically. Trying to find what Seren Farshine likes. I don't even know where to begin. How am I incapable of determining what I like? Shouldn't I just know? That isn't why I'm concerned though; spending time together with our chaperones always watching, their presence puts me on edge. I keep thinking of Valyork, of Roemithia and the plans I no doubt accidentally set in motion.

"Relax, that is the point of today," Lore says. The car comes to a stop. He steps out, waiting for me to exit before closing the door.

"How chivalrous," I tease. Lore gives an exaggerated bow. "So, where are we going first?"

"Let's walk down this street and see what catches your interest," he says, nodding at the line of shops.

We meander down the street. I glance at the windows, not sure what I'm meant to be interested in. I never had much; the clothes on my back, my trusty axe, and the Three Mother's Doctrine. I don't know what I want. But then I came to a stop in front of a toy store.

"We should get the kids something while we're here," I say, stepping through the front doors.

"While I do agree, we're meant to be shopping for you." Lore chuckles, following me.

The workers gape as if they've never laid eyes on a human before, although it's more like they've never seen one unchained and without a bag suffocating them. The girl at the counter forces a congenial smile that borders on physically painful to gaze upon. The man beside her averts his gaze. At least they leave us alone, allowing Lore and I to search the store, grabbing a gift for everyone, which reminds me.

"Oliver told me that he wants a dog."

Lore sighs like the father who has heard this request a hundred times. "Did he?"

"I said I would try to convince you." I hold up a stuffed animal, waving the dog's paw at Lore. "Personally, I think it would do all the children some good to have a dog."

"Do you know what will happen if we get a dog?" Lore argues, picking up a stuffed animal cat, rabbit, and horse to point at me. "All the kids will ask for an individual pet. Before you know it, we will have a zoo."

"...you have the space for one."

"Seren--"

"When we get to Nosa, we can stop at an animal shelter."

"No--"

"I like dogs. I wouldn't mind a cat either and we're meant to be discovering things that I like, right?" I smile at the light leaving Lore's eyes. "We should probably make plans to stop at a pet store too."

Setting aside the stuffed animals, he sighs. "You're opening the floodgates and you will regret it."

"Is that a yes to the dog?"

He doesn't answer, snatching one last gift before heading for the counter. Laughing, I follow behind him, checking that the guards aren't looking prior to linking our fingers for a brief moment. Standing behind him, I press a quick kiss to his shoulder. The girl at the counter doesn't notice as she bags our items. She didn't even have to check the price tags. The number appeared on the counter as if the tabletop knew what they were simply by being set on top of it. The technology here continues to baffle me. After placing our purchases in the car, Lore and I continue down the street. I don't know where to go, so I randomly step into a suit shop. It would probably be a good idea to purchase more rather than switching between the same three.