I barely slept….
Flynn had been awake almost all night. He didn't think he'd be this on edge. After all, the bed was comfy and the people here seemed harmless.
Flynn stood up from the bed, which was in the far corner of the room, and walked over to the mirror in front of it.
The room itself wasn't very big, the small single bed took up over a quarter of the space, but it was enough to live in so it didn't bother Flynn.
Nothing bad happened so perhaps I can let my guard down a little…
Looking in the mirror, Flynn's gaze would be met with his own. He looked a bit disheveled but it was still him. His clothes hadn't changed since yesterday as he didn't have anything else to wear. The orphanage he had grown up in had a stash of clothes that people borrowed in order to keep costs low.
I need to buy at least a second set of clothes…
As he walked to the door of the room, passing the empty wardrobe on his way, he would be able to hear the faint sound of clinking and quiet chattering.
Already awake?
Flynn turned to look at the curtain-less window and sure enough the sun had only just begun to rise.
Damn early-birds…
Flynn groggily opened his door. Upon leaving it he would glance to his left, there's a hallway in which he must've missed the night before. Two out of the 4 doors were slightly open.
Turning away, Flynn paid it no mind and began to descend the stairs. And then a gorgeous scent blessed his nostrils.
What could that wonderful smell be…
Flynn reached the bottom of the stairs and at the table he saw Lyra, and then the source of the wonderful smell: Toasted bread with butter soaked in.
I could drool right now…
However Flynn kept his tongue in his mouth, taking his eyes off of the wonderful delicacy before him would've been too much for him to handle though.
Flynn sat down in the same seat as he had the evening before, walking past Lyra who was eating the toast in a rough but politely intentioned manner. She was wearing a typical white nightgown.
That looks so good…
Making him jump, Nira would call out to Flynn. She did pay attention to her tone though as it seemed that Paul and Isiah are both still asleep.
"Mornin' Flynn!"
His head and gaze unmoving from Lyra's breakfast, Flynn responded bluntly.
"Morning."
Nira waltzed over to the table and loomed behind the chairs of the two sat. She quietly examined how Flynn eyed the toast.
In his daze, Flynn didn't notice Lyra stop chewing. She had been side-eyeing him for a few seconds now.
She picked up her plate and twisted her body away from Flynn.
"Quit starin' at my food!"
Flynn leaned slightly forward and his hand raising slightly, which revealed to Nira that Flynn wanted some too.
"I'll make you some too, Flynn"
Nira had a confused smile on her face as she thought to herself.
I've never seen someone look so longingly at toasted bread.
"Uh, Yes please!"
Flynn's personality seems to have changed a little bit, however this was just a part he chose to hide. He's a total fiend for food, any kind as long as it doesn't look gross.
I wonder how it tastes…
Lyra turned back to the table, placing the plate back down and trying to eat the toast as fast as possible as if she's trying to stop Flynn from getting to it first. Her mannerisms become slightly more unbridled and impolite.
She got up quickly and placed her plate in the sink beside where Nira was toasting some bread. Lyra then hurried off to her room to the left of the kitchen, seemingly beneath the room Flynn had stayed in.
What's up with her…?
Flynn's head stays turned toward where Lyra had gone until he hears a plate against the table in front of him
"Here ya go!"
Flynn quickly looked at the plate with the toasted bread and butter. His jaw was slightly open, to him this looked absolutely delicious.
He went to eat and then stopped himself, he had almost forgotten his manners.
"Thank you, Nira."
He tried his best to not look too excited about the food.
Flynn picked up the piece of bread with his hands, unlike how Lyra had attempted to use cutlery earlier to seem more refined. Nira watched over his shoulder to see if he liked it or not.
Biting down, Flynn felt a whirlwind of flavour enter his mouth. His eyes lit up like he had just had a divine revelation.
Nira really wondered whether the food was that good or if he had just had nothing good to eat in a long time.
This… This is great!
He sped up his eating but withheld himself as to not seem rude, Nira could tell though.
She chuckled and began to talk.
"I got some errands I need you to run, you'll be with Lyra so don't worry about messing anything up with it as she'll help you out."
"MMPH!"
Flynn attempted to make a yes or affirmation noise whilst his mouth was stuffed with bread, however in the end he just nodded.
Suppose doing errands for them is the least i can do for them letting me stay.
Flynn stood at the door waiting for Lyra, somehow despite her having finished eating before he even started she still hadn't finished getting ready.
Soon enough she walked around the corner of the kitchen. She was wearing a somewhat similar outfit to Flynn in terms of style and colour. She had a pair of simple brown trousers as well as a white button up shirt tucked into them. On top of that she wore a brown overcoat and a brown fedora on her strong, violet hair.
While it doesn't match her hair colour too much it still looks pretty good… I can see where her share of reward money goes.
She swiftly walked past him and out the door.
"Come on then."
Bossy much?
Flynn follows her out the door as Nira waves them off. Closing the door behind the two.
I don't actually remember what the errand was, despite Nira telling me…
"Lyra what was it the errand was."
Lyra kept her eyes forward as they walked up the road towards the east gate of the village.
"We need to go to the city of Viera to pick up food and other things."
That explains the fairly large bag she's carrying…
"All the way to Viera?"
Her gaze slightly averted to look at Flynn.
"It's the closest to Dovell and commonly where people go for food."
Lyra muttered a jab at the town's market.
"Dovell's markets aren't the greatest."
She's not wrong to be fair.
The markets of Dovell almost purely sold bread, you were lucky if you were able to find a fruit or vegetable. Flynn always wondered why that was the case, the village wasn't exactly poor. Explained by the candle-lit streetlamps that lined the dirt paths.
"It also only takes an hour to walk there." Lyra added.
Flynn put his hands in the pockets of his own brown overcoat as they walked.
They walked in silence through the forest Flynn had napped in merely a day before.
The forest was pretty basic and exactly the same as how it was yesterday. However upon exiting the other side Flynn would be met with a sight he had seen very few times.
Large fields that spread across miles, the City of Viera was extremely visible from here, its stone walls marking its territory and its place within the field of view. The path turning even further east before slowly changing to north.
If I understand directions enough, Viera is about North-North East from Dovell.
Flynn noticed that Lyra had been incredibly quiet the whole walk. He didn't mind it but he did wonder why.
Lyra's eyes almost never looked away from the road ahead whereas Flynn's traveled all over the place as they walked to Viera.
They approached the large stone walls of the small city. It was still, however, the size of multiple Dovells.
Flynn approached its southern gate first.
"Entrance Fee? Ten silvers per person."
A large, completely armoured man stood before him. He held a halberd in his right hand and his left palm was open, requesting payment.
Flynn didn't have the money, Lyra did, so he stepped back and allowed her to pay the entrance fee which was twenty silver coins.
Ten bronze is equivalent to a single silver and twenty-five silvers are equal to a single gold.
Twenty silvers was the average amount of money someone from Dovell made in two weeks. How can we pay that so freely?
Flynn was about to turn to Lyra for help but she paid the guard the twenty silvers for both to enter.
She walked in smoothly and Flynn followed, although his expression was slightly shocked.
Once they were in the city, Flynn had to ask Lyra the question.
"How'd you afford that so freely?"
Lyra holds out a pouch of coins.
"Nira lent me some money from a recent commission, it'll be more than enough for food but- actually nevermind."
Lyra cut herself off again, albeit this time it was different, she was hiding something about what she does with the money.
She spends some on herself doesn't she? Or maybe she keeps it?
"You keep some for yourself don't you?"
The tips of Lyra's pointed ears get slightly red, Flynn knew he was right.
"Don't worry I won't tell her."
Flynn heard Lyra breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking around the sky area Flynn would see a towering castle on the eastern side of the city, it was made of stone and a bit of iron like most castles he had seen were.
I wonder who lives there…
The first to have that built probably liked the beach considering it takes approximately five minutes to walk from that edge of the city to the shore.
"Flynn."
Flynn turned around to see Lyra picking up some apples from a stall, he would have walked off without realising had she not called out his name.
She handed a fairly old looking lady 15 bronze coins, it looked to be 1 bronze per apple since they weren't hard to find around this area.
As the two collected bits and pieces of food Flynn began to notice people glancing at Lyra and muttering.
He looked at her and saw her gaze was pointed slightly downward. Normally Flynn wouldn't care.
But if she's to be my future co-worker, if I decide to take this job of course, I gotta get on her good side. Albeit this is gonna be embarrassing.
Fuck it.
Flyjnn sighed before he linked his arm with Lyra's, she was on his right and now they were standing much closer than usual. He began to look harshly towards the others voices to let them know hue could hear them.
Lyra had a shocked expression.
"What are you-"
Flynn cut her off with a whisper.
"They're talking about you, it's annoying me, but it's likely they don't want a scene."
A slight blush crept onto his face.
Couldn't I have thought of something better?
Lyra sighed.
"I suppose you're right but wasn't there a better option?"
"Trust me I hoped for that too, just bear with it for a bit."
Lyra, while her ears had gotten redder, wore a much more annoyed expression which was understandable.
As they walked, Flynn noticed a branded mark on the back of Lyra's hand. It was a pen pointing down towards her fingers with four circles around it. Although there was a big cross scar over it. The mark was small so almost unnoticeable to most.
What's up with that?
Flynn looked to Lyra to ask her something. But he never did, he looked forward and noticed they were free of others so he unlinked his arm.
It was as if he had completely forgotten.
Flynn pulls Lyra into an alley and he sits on a crate that's pushed up against a building.
"Sorry about that."
"I-it's fine."
I suppose she's still a little flustered, can't blame her, I would be too if someone did that out of nowhere, albeit she does seem somewhat annoyed too.
Anyway, I'll get to the point.
"Is there some kind of discrimination against elves?"
Lyra's eyes widen as she looks down at him, surprised that he is asking maybe?
"Isn't it obvious?"