NightHare

Year 3 & Creta (2.1)

Lexi bounced into the library. "Good Morning, Sister Lena!"

"Morning, Lexi. You're here early?" Lena sat at the librarian desk with a book in hand and a pile to the side. Today, she was on duty.

Lexi beamed. "Well, I need to prepare for a trip tomorrow."

"Trip?"

"Sister Frida said she'll take Saxa and me to the city!" Lexi nodded. Her eyes were round with excitement. Last week, Sister Frida agreed to take them to the city. Three years had passed since she started staying at the church, and this was Lexi's first time going to Creta. She had heard stories from the other children: the bustling city, the beautiful buildings, the various stores, and the crowded streets. Now that she had a chance, she wanted to be extra prepared.

"Have fun then." A small smile graced Lena's face. "There are travel guides near the history section."

"Thank you."

Lexi walked towards the non-fiction section. She waved to the few townspeople sitting at a table.

"Hi, Lexi!" A voice shouted from the children's section. It was a young half-orc, Anto.

"Morning." He lived in the nearby town and was an apprentice carpenter. Anto often came to look at the intricate structure of the building and furniture. They grew closer when she helped him find carpentry books.

Lexi later learned that he also enjoyed stories and fairytales. From there, they started talking about stories and sharing recommendations. Anto introduced her to her favorite fairytale: The Dragon and the Mirror. Apparently, it's based on an old Lucinic legend about a mirrored world.

After a few minutes of searching, Lexi found some travel guides. She briefly skimmed sections about Creta before closing the book. Although the travel guide would inform her about landmarks and festivals, Lexi was more interested in knowing about the atmosphere. So she decided to ask someone who had already visited.

She stood up and walked towards the tables. "Anto. You've been to Creta, right? Can you tell me about it?"

He looked up from his book. "Yeah? Oh, sure. What did you wanna know?"

"Umm..." Lexi opened the travel guide, flipping through a few pages. Then, she pointed towards the town square. "How was the town square?"

"Let's see. I went with my dad on market day. It was the middle of the day, so the square was crowded, and there were many stands." Anto started gesturing circles with his hands. "Someone was making and selling pink clouds."

"Clouds?"

"Yeah! A spinning machine turned sugar into clouds. There were also performers playing music."

Lexi watched with awe. "How about the buildings?"

"They were so cool. Look, this one uses beams and pillars like the church," Anton took the travel guide and turned to the city hall, "so it's huge. There are large statues guarding the place. The other buildings also use intricate designs."

"What about the types of buildings?"

"Types?"

"Uh, like what they sell and stuff."

"Oh." He turned to a photo of the street. "Well, we went to the local artisan guild. There were also some herb shops and eateries."

"And? How was it?"

Anto flipped through a few pages. "They were okay. Some of the places were pretty full, but people were smiling."

"Lexi, Anto. What are you guys doing?" interrupted Saxa.