Fate and the story of blood

Chapter 79: Celebration Party

The sounds of carriages pushing and hawkers yelling, followed by tantalizing smells coming from stalls, the marketplace was teaming with life as it always does. There is never a day when the market is comprised of people conducting business and carrying out work for the kingdom and as a particular group walked down the streets of the brimming landscape of citizens, Jackie ran up ahead of everyone, seeking out whatever she could of the many stores that were open wide right before her.

"Wait up there Jackie! We shouldn't separate, you'll get lost in this mess you know? It'll be a hassle finding you later on if you actually get yourselves lost in these crowds. That said, any clue of anything yet? It's much harder than I thought to find a gift, I'm usually at the receiving ends of things, hence why I'm clueless about these things..." She admitted as she walked alongside Elder Maruvel while Bismuth turned his gaze to examine the unique products of the kingdom that managed to catch his eye.

"Not sure either, I don't think Vendrick's the type to really keep things, usually he tries to sell or give away anything he doesn't find too useful. If there comes a time he'd keep an item that manages to captivate him enough, which is quite rare in itself, he'd put it on a shelf. Yet I've never seen that shelf of his carry more than four items at once, I haven't had the slightest clue on what to get either..." Jackie said as she played around with the passing-by children who were drawn in by her unique beastly appearance.

"Not the materialistic type then... Perhaps something more akin to a daily appliance would be suitable for him. Either that or things he may find more than one use of. I have met friends that resemble cases similar to that of Vendrick, they'd typically favor such items..." The elder added her opinion as she turned toward one of the many stores selling quality-of-life items.

"You all have it wrong you know, it's Vendrick we're talking about! Of course, we'll have to get him something cool, like an enchanted breastplate or hand-guards crafted by a master blacksmith! He's a warrior, is he not?" An ecstatic voice sounded out and as everyone turned to see, there Xernes emerged from one of the buildings carrying large piles of top-notch equipment with him while his assistant, Amber, and Yurem sighed behind him.

The three had joined up with the group of four after spotting them from a distance at a nearby restaurant and after being told of what they were doing, Xernes didn't hesitate to hop on the wagon to help out with their plan to buy gifts for their friend. Varissa, standing a distance away from the critically acclaimed King of Thar with a look of disparity as she recalled the scene when she was blinded by the shining glint of the king's eyes. Never in her life did she expect someone of such high status and nobility would be acting in the manner Xernes was displaying right before her very eyes.

"What are you saying Xernes? Stop giving such useless suggestions to them while they're looking. You're clearly not helping them in the slightest, besides, do you really think that Vendrick of all people would want something like this?" Amber asked of the King of Thar, questioning his odd manner of thinking as everyone watched the charade occur.

"Is it really? Perhaps it may be because of the people I grew up around with... You see I have a lot of siblings and one of the things they all always ask for as a present is weaponry and equipment they can use. They really have a knack for fighting, yet they've never managed to overpower me!" Xernes boasted as Amber recalled the oldest sibling who was second to him had an age gap reaching that half a decade.

"Is that so... We should've reached out to Gardenia first for these types of things, she's spent the most time around him, no? Surely she'll be able to pick out something perfect for him." Bismuth added as he set down a piece of jewelry with a look of defeat in his eyes; his failure to find something suitable hit him deep as he continued to browse around the market to no avail.