After the farewell feast ended, Dandelion had wanted to see Shani off as well, but Angoulême clung to him and refused to let go, insisting he stay and keep drinking.
So, just like every other time he'd walked her home, Victor and Shani went shoulder to shoulder, strolling through the Temple Quarter's streets.
"Are you sure you don't need me to see you off tomorrow?" She looked beautiful tonight. The lake-green vest suited her perfectly.
"Really, you don't need to. I'm leaving with the medical team. There's a lot to pack and haul around, we'll be busy—there probably won't even be time for proper goodbyes.
"And you need to bathe early tomorrow, put on something elegant, and get ready to perform at the palace, don't you?
"It's a shame I won't get to see you in a tight top. It would definitely look good on you." Compared to when they first met a few months ago, he seemed a bit taller.
"I was going to wait until your birthday to give these to you. Looks like I have to do it early." He took out Milo Vanderbeck's The Rudiments of Pathomorphology and Forensic Medicine and handed them to her.
Shani smiled. "If it's a birthday gift, then I won't be polite about it." She accepted them calmly and slipped them into her own herb pouch.
Victor was genuinely happy. Shani was the sort of person who valued boundaries and distance—if she was willing to accept a gift, it meant she considered you one of her own. Back when they'd first met, she wouldn't even borrow books to take home. Even getting her to visit had required his enthusiastic invitation.
"Here. The key to your place." He was so used to that face by now that it almost seemed… a little cute.
"No need to return it. Keep it. My home welcomes you any time." Her fingers were long—really pretty.
Shani didn't hesitate for long before tucking the key back against her chest.
They were only a few intersections away from the rented house when Shani suddenly turned left—straight into the opposite direction. Victor hurried after her.
"Walk with me a bit!" You won't refuse me, will you?
"Gladly." I want to be with you too.
…
They walked past the Order of the Flaming Rose, its windows still bright with lamplight. They passed the Vizima cemetery, where only a single wind lantern remained. They passed The Hairy Bear, still loud and lively deep into the night.
With the full moon hanging overhead, Victor and Shani climbed onto the lakeside embankment.
Victor took a large piece of black cloth from his pouch and spread it on the ground. The two of them sat down on the bat cape and admired Vizima Lake's famous night view: the moon mirrored in the water.
"Come to think of it, you still haven't played the lute for me. Didn't you say you were going to write a song for me? Is it done?"
"It's done, but I didn't bring my lute."
"That's fine. You can sing without it!"
Early autumn carried a slight chill. With Shani being so unusually playful, Victor decided quickly to indulge her.
"Fine. There's no point hiding it from you."
And Shani watched, wide-eyed, as Victor reached into his herb pouch and pulled out a lute bigger than the pouch itself.
"Y-you… what is that?"
"A bottomless herb pouch. My grandmother made it for me. It's supposed to mean: even the void has its limits, but my pouch is endless. In other words, even if the void runs out, my bag never does."
Shani leaned in, curious. "So it's a magic cloth bag? Can I put my hand in?"
"Sure. But other than me, nobody can interact with it properly." Victor took it off and set the herb pouch between them.
Shani tried reaching inside. She pulled out a few suspicious-looking vials of unclear purpose, then stared at Victor with a puzzled expression.
Seeing she couldn't make sense of it, Victor lifted the cloth cover so she could stare directly at the opening. A layer of invisible ripples shimmered there—and when he slid his hand in, his wrist and forearm simply vanished into the air.
Then he raised his arm again. As his wrist reappeared out of nothing, he dragged out a bear trap. The surreal sight made Shani clap a hand over her mouth in shock.
"This is my secret weapon for hunting monsters. A herb pouch about six feet by six feet by six feet—two hundred and sixteen cubic feet of space. Inside I've got over a dozen bear traps, all kinds of potions, rare alchemical materials, and even a crossbow. If I need to, I can pull it out suddenly and fire at close range."
Shani reached out and took the bear trap, feeling the cold steel in her hands. It was unquestionably real. The whole thing felt like a circus trick.
She tried putting it back herself, but the pouch didn't respond at all. Victor smiled, took it from her, and did the same motion. The opening rippled—and the bear trap was swallowed silently, vanishing.
Once she understood how it worked, Shani grinned. "That's amazing. Is this the mages' spatial folding technique? I've heard of items like this, I just never imagined it would be so convenient." She happily helped Victor sling the pouch back onto his shoulder.
In truth, the bottomless herb pouch and a mage's spatial folding technique came from two completely different systems. But that was annoying to explain—thinking of it as spatial folding was close enough.
…
With the little detour over, Victor plucked the strings and began to sing the song that, in his heart, fit this moment best.
After the first time, Shani didn't speak—she just gestured for him to sing it again.
After the second time, Victor noticed a sheen of moisture gathering in her eyes.
Then the third time she tried to sing along. The fourth time they sang together. The fifth time Shani insisted on singing it herself, because the lyrics were exactly what she felt.
Shani's voice was usually fairly neutral, but when she sang it turned unexpectedly soft. As she sang… her voice grew quieter, the ending fading almost to silence.
When the song ended, its aftertaste lingered. Victor, still accompanying on the lute, turned his head toward her. Shani turned her face toward him too. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.
She raised both hands to steady his neck, leaned in, and kissed his forehead… kissed his nose…
Then she paused.
The world seemed to stop.
Shani let go of Victor.
She opened her eyes. Their gazes met again. "I should go back now." Her voice was crisp and decisive.
He answered softly, "Yes. Tomorrow will be busy. You should rest early."
Even so, neither of them moved.
And then—splash.
They both turned at once. A humanoid figure rose dripping from the lake, staggered up the embankment steps, and lurched onto shore.
The sudden situation had Victor on his feet immediately, wary. Shani retreated two steps, guarded.
But as he came closer, in the moonlight Victor and Shani realized—astonished—that it was someone they both knew: Captain Vincent Meis of the city guard. Did he have a habit of night swimming?
For once he wasn't armored. His thin black hair was plastered to his scalp, soaked through, and his light clothing made his small belly stand out all the more. He looked awkward and bedraggled—nothing like his usual imposing self.
"Heh… what a coincidence…" Vincent's voice was low, his pale, waterlogged face stiff. "The Phantom Troupe's Victor… and Doctor Shani. Is this a date?"
Something felt off. Victor's caution sharpened. "N-no. The doctor is returning to Redania tomorrow. Tonight we came to see the 'moon mirrored in the lake.' I'm escorting her for safety."
Vincent scratched his cheek. "Heh… I see. Then let me give you two a warning. Vizima's nights aren't as calm as they look. Especially on a full-moon night. Try not to go out."
After saying that, Vincent didn't come any closer. He simply left by the other side of the embankment.
…
Captain Vincent's "night swimming habit" killed the mood completely. Neither of them felt like talking anymore, and they hurried away from the lake.
Only when they returned to the familiar streets of the Temple Quarter—passing the entrance of The Hairy Bear—did Shani grab Victor's arm. A smile returned to her face. She gave him a look and mimed strumming a lute, hinting she wanted to sing but needed accompaniment.
"Now? Out in the street?" That dangerous sparkle in your eyes says you're planning to commit public nuisance with conviction.
"Yes. Doesn't it fit perfectly? I'm going to sing to everyone in the Temple Quarter!" I'm going to sing to you. "What, you scared?"
You really don't know how wild I can get when I feel like it. Victor shrugged, pulled out the lute, and started accompanying Shani.
…
Walk with me on Vizima's streets
Don't stop, even when every lamp goes out
You'll hook your arm around my sleeve
I'll tuck my hands into my pockets
We'll walk to the end of the Temple Quarter
And sit down at The Hairy Bear's door
—Excerpt from Vizima, a medieval folk ballad. Anonymous
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