RWBY: Remnant's Blond Bard

Chapter 31

One of the first things to strike Jaune in Vacuo was the smell – and in a far better way than he'd initially imagined. He'd known Vacuo was a poorer kingdom and uncharitably assumed it would smell bad because of it, with the extreme heat and sand creating a stifling stench of sweat and camels.

He'd been so wrong.

The aroma of spices and oils permeated the air, and the people themselves carried the scent of oranges of all things, a citrusy fresh scent that, combined with pepper and cinnamon and sandalwood, tickled the senses. It reminded him of the rare times when he was younger and his mom or sisters would make him stand by as they sampled perfumes in a boutique, the mixture of aromas that at times could be overpowering, but which here, in the open air, were far less so.

A market had sprung up around the docks to welcome and fleece travellers, with brightly coloured fabrics in shades of purple and gold strung out between wooden poles. Beneath them, peddlers wrapped in exotic cloths and headdresses and in some cases bedecked with gold earrings and chains held out samples of jewellery, bone carvings, strings of beads, bolts of satin and velvet, and thin glass jars of exotic spices. They were doing good business, travellers on their way out of Vacuo crowding around to look at and buy last-minute souvenirs.

"Don't be fooled," one of the sailors told him, stretching his arms above his head. He was Vacuan himself, with dusky skin and luscious chocolate-coloured hair tied with blue and yellow beads. He, too, smelled of orange blossoms. "These ones will rob you blind with their prices. You want a proper deal, you should head further into the city and visit one of the bazaars."

"One of...?"

"Different days, different bazaars – also location. There's the lower and upper. Lower focuses mostly on food and animals, better for locals. Cheaper things meant for people living here. If you're looking for expensive goods or exotic gifts then you'll want the upper bazaar. There'll be food there too, but cooked food. Lower is more for ingredients and fresh produce."

Like a farmer's marker, Jaune supposed, intended for the people living here to pick up good deals on everyday items, whereas the other was meant as a tourist trap. Not that it would stop him visiting since he was a tourist and wanted to see all the things on sale. Jaune thanked the man for the advice and offered him a tip, only to be waved off and thanked for the music he'd played along the journey.

It had been a good, long trip and Jaune had become somewhat popular on deck, even being taught a few Vacuan songs by several other sailors. It turned out that Vacuans enjoyed their music, and regularly brought musicians onto their crew to play for the others. There hadn't been any other guitars, but some panpipes, flutes, drums and a harmonica.

None of them had been upset to have Jaune play with them, which was nice.

Jaune snapped a selfie with the sailor to send to Nora and Ren later, then hid his scroll and wallet on his person, using a fake one on the outside – another tip from the sailors – and made his way away from the docks area. Along the way, he was quickly assailed by several Vacuans offering to sell him maps of the city, to guide him, and one who wanted to convince him to eat at their restaurant after his journey. Jaune made a point of holding the map he'd bought before coming out in front of him to ward them away, but it didn't stop the so-called tour guides.

"I'm fine, thank you. There's no need. Thank you." Jaune felt a hand on his waist and glanced down in time to see his fake wallet being torn away. "And there goes that," he mumbled, as the cheap and empty thing vanished. "That didn't take long. Guess I'll have to buy another now."