EMPIRE | j. fernandes

Chapter Twelve: Memory Lane

Sitting at the campfire, Jellal continued to gawk at the paper. The perfume stains had faded overtime, though because of the grease, there had been discolouration. With a sigh, he lowered his head. How on earth were they supposed to find someone they had little to no information on? The jewelry Sorano found, it might've not even been the bounties at all. Someone could've very well lost it, and well, there was a good chance that was the case.

"How the fuck are we supposed to find this girl?" Jellal would question himself; his eyebrows furrowed, heels digging into the grass. He dropped his head into the palm of his hand, dragging his hand down over his face. He took one more look at the paper.

There was something noticeable.

He lifted the paper a bit, allowing the light from the fire to come through the scented stains. There was nothing. What was he thinking? Why was he looking for something that wasn't there? Jellal just stared at the fire through the soiled paper, the heat emphasizing the scent of the perfume.

Wait.

The perfume was an oil. Almost all perfume that is manufactured is with a water-base, which means this isn't any kind of perfume, it was a scented body oil. Yes, this had probably been the body oil rubbed off from the person who wrote the commission, but if the bounty came from the Alvarez Empire, what if she used the same brand? There was only one place near the Alvarez Empire that had sold high-quality scented body oil. If the bounty lived in upper class, why would they bother purchasing a body oil that wasn't a luxury brand?

"Meredy."

"Yes?" The girl sat across from him at the other side of the campfire. She peered up from her book, waiting for a response.

"The stains on the paper are still there, they feel odd, they are oil stains. Do you know any high-end luxury fragrance brands that sell scented body oil?"

"The only way to get a body oil would be from a store that sells bath and self-care stuff. You know, like— " Meredy was cut off.

"Yeah, yeah. Do you know any places near Alvarez Empire?"

There was silence, and then Meredy closed her book.

"I think there's this place called Amora, I heard it's pretty expensive. Like, seventy thousand jewel for a face mask made from snail muck and gold or something I don't know."

A grin crept onto Jellal's face. They had gotten somewhere, they have actually gotten a clue. He couldn't believe it. After all of this time, they finally had a clue and Jellal was satisfied.

"You are so smart," Jellal hummed, now standing. He took a few steps, running a hand through Meredy's pink locks of hair. The way Jellal smiled, his birthmark had been disfigured; he had been so happy, his cheeks began to hurt. "You are so beautiful and smart and I am very lucky to have you."

Where did all of this come from? Meredy glanced up at the man, unsure of how to take the compliment. She cringed silently to herself. Though, when she looked up to see his gaze, there had been something unfamiliar about him that didn't sit quite right with her. She forced a small smile, now avoiding eye contact.

"Come on, we have a place to be." Jellal hummed, now grabbing Meredy's wrist, tugging her up. The fire had already been put out from the dirt Jellal kicked into it. He folded up the paper and shoved it into his pockets, excited that they now had a place they could go to for information. The sun would be rising soon, and that meant that the stores would be opening. Why not make it there first before there's a crowd?

The duo began to walk, and Meredy had forgotten all about Jellal's attempt to flatter her. Instead, she decided to bring up another topic.

"What are you hoping the bounty will be like?" She asked, watching as the sun began to rise. One by one, the stars went to bed. The Alvarez empire had been quite the walk, but then again, they had been relatively close to the borders of Alakitasia. They made their way into a friendly neighbourhood, watching as the people sold their crop. What a lovely sight, it reminded him of his childhood.