Lost

Chapter 11 : Suspicious

Gwen and Gresham are both siblings with an amazing personality. Not only did they lend some of their best steeds to the trio, but they also provided a place to rest for them. Originally they are going to slept at the local inn but Gwen insisted that they rest at their guest bedrooms and their late parents pervious bed. Although the trio don't want to trouble the Fowler siblings, they also don't want to encounter much elf interaction either since one of their friends is an illegal human filled with prejudice. So, they stayed with the Fowler siblings for a night. They didn't had much trouble about it, especially Cyane. Cyane and Gresham are bonding really well. Their love for animals are the foundation of their budding romance and of course, they earned a vote from Gwen, Louise and Lycia. 

It's now a fresh sunny start to a new day. The trio and the Fowlers have had their fair share of good rest and are now gobbling down their breakfast heartily. Instead of using their usual feast spell, Gwen has been kind enough to offer her strength and skills  to make some freshly baked goods for breakfast. Though it's just some loaves of bread showered with seeds and spices, it's still a treat for the trio travelers. I mean since they started out the adventure, they haven't had a taste of homemade goods yet...until now. 

"Hmmh, these are delicious, Gwen!" Cyane commented through a full mouth. 

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full. You might spit some of them out." Lycia giggled as she emerged from the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel.

"You finished with the bathroom, Lycia?" Louise asks as he slung his towel on his shoulder.

"Yep. It's all yours." Lycia winked as she settled herself on one of the wooden chairs and help herself to a helping of homemade breakfast.

"Thanks." Louise winked back and proceeded towards the bathroom.

"Say, Lycia. Anything going on with you and that commoner? Like somewhat more than friends perhaps?" Gwen suggested as she slyly smirks.

At the question, Cyane spluttered water out from her nose but is able to clean it up as she excuses herself while Lycia choked on her hunk of bread. "Sorry to put your hope down but we're just friends."

"Bet you it's gonna evolve." Gwen muttered nonchalantly.

"No it won't!"

"Yes it will. I mean if humans can, why not a budding romance?"

"I-it's not a budding romance!"

"Yeah, yeah. Give it some time to expand and evolve. It'll work, trust me. It'll work alright."

~~~ 

After the trio has ate and showered, they began to explore the village. To make the work easier, the three separated ways and each has a different errand. Lycia went for food supplies - they can't eat in feast mode three times a day you know - Cyane going for clothing supplies and Louise for weapons. After bidding goodbye to the two, Lycia approached a nearby bakery and began to examine its goods. There's a lot of options to choose from! Yeast breads, sourdoughs, leavened and even flat breads! Just as Lycia put some loaves into her wicker basket, someone bumped into her from the side.

"OW!" Lycia winced as she rubbed her arm.

"Sorry." The elf grunted.

Lycia is both baffled and shocked at the elf's attitude. Normally elves will fall down to their knees or bow deeply like the Fowler siblings. But this guy did nothing but grunt and walk away. At least he had the decency to say sorry so it's not that bad. But still, this is such a weird thing for commoners to do. Even though Lycia wished people would treat her normally, she still didn't want to be treated like something unpleasant at the sole of one's shoes! That's completely crossing the line by a good hundred metres. Though his fists ached to strangle him alive for being super impolite to a royal, she recomposed herself and continued her search for goods.

Meanwhile, Louise exited a weapon shop looking pleased with himself. finally, all of Humbert's lessons are getting useful. He bought a handful of weapons that are lightweight and easy to carry and is not too hard to master on the spot. Though archery might not be easy to master on first try, if you do have a good aim, then all's well. Even without the bow, if you have a good throw arm. Daggers and swords are amongst the weapon pile too. It's easy to use them. Just one word. Stab. That's all Humbert's told him about 'how to use blades'. Just stab it onto something. Although he's not sure it'll be that easy to stab an enemy but nevertheless he trusted him.

Today's a pretty hot day. So it's quite an understatement why people began to remove their hats and cloak as sweat ran down their faces like rain drops. Vulnerable to the sweltering heat, Louise decided to hide in a dark alley for a while and took off the hood of his cloak. Taking care to make sure no one sees him, Louise settled in a dark alley and took off his hood. It's such an awesome feeling to let the wind brush through the narrow alleyways while fanning his face repeatedly to speed up the evaporation process.

"Oi! You there! Get out of the way would ya?!" A tall and burly elf thundered over him.

Letting out a surprised yelp, Louise flipped his hood back on and rushed out of the alley. As the elf emerged outside and under the sunlight, Louise carefully studied his physique. He has a thick and messy looking chocolate brown hair, a stubble, an unbuttoned vest and white shirt which reveals his chest hairs. Some more hairs can also be seen on his biceps. As he snarled at the young prince, he can see a set of yellow teeth and a golden one, perfectly disguised without the signature reflective glint. A bit shaken by the elf's rude and unfriendly reaction, Louise decided to run off to either of the trio. As he racked his brains, he noticed Lycia coming out of a bakery, her hands carrying a couple of brown paper bags. Tearing his gaze away from the creepy - not to mention suspicious - elf, Louise half jogged half walk towards his friend while hoping dearly that he and the foul one won't cross paths ever again.