Howlless

Chapter 4

"... Say... Why did you decide to take her instead~? I just wanted you to give her some coins~"

Noon had passed, as Rin mumbled through the soft honey buns in front of her mouth – in the end, the Hound still bought her the sweets regardless of their conditions settled before.

"Oxens can be stubborn, horses can be cowardly. A free slave on the other hand, is obedient. And if taught right, can even be loyal."

The Hound answered without leaving his eyes from the road, and as per usual, the strangers around them.

It has been an hour since they've left the ubor behind, and while the Hound wouldn't struggle so hard most of the time; He was ready to give up on finding a luxury shop – he just wanted to buy himself some smoke-leaves to enjoy during their journeys.

"Hmm~ That's not just it, isn't it~?"
Rin licked the drip of honey sliding down on her lips, as she barely raised her head towards the Hound, wanting to see his reaction, while trying to keep herself concealed.

"Yes and no. She could be a chance for you to socialize a bit, though I'm not hoping on that one too much."
The Hound dropped his hand over Rin's head, lowering her hood as if reminding her to keep herself hidden.

"Hm? Why?"
Rin continued her inquiries, devouring the last bite of the sweet honey bun. Now, she was just licking her fingers till clean.

"We'll see how she is. I can't tell what kind of influence she might have on you... So don't get too attached to her yet, alright?"
The Hound warned her, and Rin nodded in silence.

Don't get too attached, yet – a phrase that meant nothing to her, as there was nothing for her to be attached to being with.

The ubor was a stranger; A person she did not know. She may have wanted to help her, but it's just the same as wanting to place a bird nest with its young, back to its place. And even if they were to know each other, she doubted that she'd be attached anyway – there was nothing that made her feel attracted to the ubor, unlike her Hound.

But right as she contemplated why the Hound wanted a stranger to influence her, they finally found the shop they were looking for:
A shop simply named "The piper".

It's one of those shops meant for the nobles, or at least wealthy. They sell all types of smoke-leaves, spikes – the most common recreational drug in the Empire – and of course, all the tools to enjoy these substances.

Rin never had a niche for these things, but as they entered the shop, she could at least understand the appeal, once her eyes fell on all the various decorous pipes on cushions of velvet.

Some, were made of beautiful red mahogany decorated with mouthpieces of gold; Some, were made of walnut wrapped in fine pale leather; Some, were long, while others were short; Some were carved with decors, and others adorned with gems – it wasn't merely a recreation tool, but a conversation piece; A status symbol; A jewel one adorned themselves with.

Appearance, image, reputation – those were the things that mattered in the human world; She learned it from the Hound.

Though, she already figured out it was much more complicated than that, as her Hound appeared like a criminal, or a beggar at times – he wears the same rags from the day they first met ten years ago – yet many still respect him.

The perfect example in this moment:
The owner of the shop, who's so eager to please his customer, as the two men were conversing already about what kind of smoke-leaves the Hound wanted.

"... Xaferian green... Winter's harvest... Large cut..."

Rin could hear the Hound speak with words that she understood, yet at the same time made no sense without context. But it didn't matter – she wasn't a smoker anyway; She had no interest in those things.

However, her eyes fell onto one of the pipes laid on the cushioned shelves, as it reminded her of the ceremonial staffs used during the prayers to Latlir, her God and creator.

A God that abandoned her and her kind; A God she no longer respected and venerated.

In her mind, it was simply the same as a distant father she had renounced, yet could never refute the fact she was created by him.

Nevertheless, that pipe still reminded her of a time when she used to exist – thin, long, with its handle made of silver and finely decorated with intricate carvings.

It used to bore her so tremendously participating in the landay mass with her parents:
The parson would carry out those rituals, and then once the room was drowning in incense, he would start preaching – how annoying it was.

It was so annoying in fact, she could still remember the times she would question the preaching of the parson, only to be told off by everyone – how amusing it was seeing everyone so mad; How stupid everyone was.

Something that the Hound never appeared to be. Not with her at least.

Rin's eyes turned around to check on the Hound; The pipe still in her hand as she stared at the two back and forth – does she really miss that past life?

Sure, it was peaceful, tranquil, but also mundane, annoying and at times, downright infuriating.

But her parents were still alive, at least – no. Even when they were alive, they acted as if she didn't exist.

She never existed even before; There is no reason for her to wish for a past; She's just a pale ghost floating, like always.

Merely present, yet non-existent. Forgettable, vanishing – a life without purpose or worth, detested by the same people that should've loved her—

"Rin, come here."

—The Hound suddenly called for her, and her thought hushed silent, as she placed down the pipe, before scurrying towards him.

"Yes?"
Rin raised her tilted head curiously, as the Hound presented in front of her two pipes:
One of ebony and silver, another of pitch black resin.

"Which one looks better?"
He asked her without many thoughts in his mind, and a little grin on his face – his old pipe had been consumed quite a lot after all; It was time for a new one while they were here.

"Hm? You already finished buying the smoke-leaves?"
Rin curiously asked him, and the Hound just nodded. It wasn't often the Hound bought something new for himself, so in a first moment, Rin even felt a bit strange hearing him ask for her opinion.

"Why are you asking me? I don't even smoke..."
She voiced out her feelings, and the Hound just frowned, though that smile still resided.

"Fair... But you gotta start making an opinion for yourself too. You can't just expect me to make every decision for you forever, no? Then let's start with something simple."
The Hound explained, and while the usual Rin would just follow his words, what he said actually nagged at her.

... Why not?... Was the question in her mind.

Why couldn't she expect him to make every decision for her forever? What was he trying to say with that?

Lately, he's been going on with this idea that she has to become more independent, and that feeling of being nudged away was starting to annoy her more and more.

And even now, after thinking about it, the idea that the Hound wanted to hire the ubor to help her "socialize" started to sound fishy in Rin's mind.

But, she knew better than to ask these kinds of questions out in the public.

"The silver one..."
Her lips tilted sideways, as she raised a finger to point at the pipe she chose – the Hound noticed the change in behavior almost instantly.

"... We'll talk later... Shopkeep, this pipe and the bag of smoke-leaves. How much is it?"

The Hound caressed her head for reassurance, but Rin felt she had just realized something she didn't like at all; A dreadful annoyance scraping at the back of her mind...

Their return to the tavern was silent, as the Hound just enjoyed his smoke; The thin trail of gray slowly ascending towards the sky...