Twisted Wonderland 2

Time to Hit The Road

Idia sighs. "Fieldwork is just a fancy term for unstructured wandering time. Absolutely terrible for loners. Still, it's better than when teachers go, 'Okay, time to make your own groups!' ...but not by much. Anyway, the Team Star members are-"

"Oui!"

Idia jumps.

"Greetings, Roi de sa Chambre!" Rook says cheerfully. "Team Star consists of yourself, Silver, Ruggie, and moi."

Idia groans, shielding himself from Rook. "Such a bright smile... That sheer extrovert aura is no joke... If only Azul were here to balance it out with some shadiness..."

"Oh, you think it's too bright out?" Silver tilts his head. "I guess the brim of your hat isn't all that wide."

"That won't do at all. Would you like to borrow my hat?" Rook offers.

Ruggie chuckles. "Wow, Rook. You're just as oblivious as Kalim. Reminds me of our good ol' Facepalm Brigade."

Idia glances to the hyena. "Oh, hey... Ruggie's got some shade going on underneath his athletic exterior... But is it just me, or are we all talking on different wavelengths? What are we, an adventuring party from an isekai transmigration light novel?"

Ruggie scratches at his ear. "I can't make heads or tails of what you say either, y'know. I've gotten a feelin' this group's a trainwreck in progress."

"Well, what would everyone like to see in the city?" Rook asks.

"I wanna check out some local handicrafts and specialty goods!" Ruggie grins. "After all, we're having a free meal, I mean, a feast tonight."

"Are you looking for souvenirs?" Silver says. "I was hoping to buy one for Lilia, myself."

Rook hums. "Perusing popular products could provide an insight to Fleur City itself. I like that idea."

"Yeah, uh.... I'd like to pick up something for Ortho while we're exploring too." Idia agrees. "I wanna get to the main quest outta the way fast. That way our job here will basically be done."

"Uh, our 'job' is attending the social." Ruggie scoffs.

"The social's already begun for me..." Idia groans. "Sounds like we've got a consensus, so let's get questing. Time to hit the road!"

The boys journey into town. People pass by as they shop and music can be heard from street performers.

"Oh, how stunning." Rook admires. "You can just FEEL the history emanating from the city streets. Not to mention there are flowers growing everywhere, how fragrant Fleur City is!"

Idia glances around with wide eyes. "Beauty! Flowers! Colors! Light! Festivities! The sheer sparkliness is overwhelming!"

Silver nods. "Yes, it truly puts me in a lively mood."

"Pretty much everyone around here's dressed like us." Ruggie observes. "I thought we'd stick out like sore thumbs, but nope. We look right at home."

"I DESPERATELY wanna get this walk over with as fast as humanly possible..." Idia mutters. "So, uh, hey... The map says there's a flea market in this area. That could cover all our needs."

"Interesting." Silver says. "We should check it out."

"Ah, what a lovely flea market!" Rook smiles brightly. "The splendor of the colorful tents makes my heart go pitter-patter!"

Ruggie rubs his hands together. "Aw yeah, wonder what kinda finds I can dig up." He stops short when he spots something. "Oh hey, someone dropped their hat... Whoa! It's filled with coins!"