Brax arrived at his usual roadside bazaar not long before noon. He frequented this specific crossing as it brought in decent traffic since it was where several cities and towns diverged, and went straight to the Westland capital, Wunderdum.
Settling down in a demure, yet not completely unseen spot, Brax uncovered the blanket from his messy cart and used a pole to feed his Garfung some weeds he'd picked along the way. He was still in a daze at the news of Faust's passing. The medicines he crafted with local herbs weren't comparable to those found in the city, but they were effective enough and didn't cost a dime.
Brax could never afford real treatment. With the good doctor gone, it was only a matter of weeks before the bottle ran dry, and Nora got worse again. It seemed time was finally running out, and there was nothing he could do. Nothing except… wait.
Lying down beside his stand, the old peasant closed his eyes and dozed off.
When Brax opened his eyes again, he was boiling. Coin was scarce in the muggy heat, and most others had already packed up and left, as it was one of those days that was better spent under shade or in a river. Brax couldn't be bothered to move. He slept well, knowing Aziel's ghost couldn't bother him in the light, as even ghosts didn't like being drenched in sweat. Plus, he didn't have a choice. If he didn't find a way to get money fast, his daughter would pay the price.
Propping his head up to make sure his goods were unscathed, he noticed a young woman with pitch-black hair prancing around his cart of goods.
"Hello, young lady," Brax said with as much pleasantness as he could muster. "Interested in some perfume? Make ya smell pretty."
The young girl's face lit up as she faced him. Brax had never seen such a shiny smile before, and it made him reflexively smile back, though he tried to cover it with his hand.
"Hallo!" she said. "I am just looking! I have none of this land's money because I have just arrived from the Eastlands."
"Eastlands, huh? Well, welcome to the 'glorious' west," Brax scoffed as he sat back down. There was no way someone so rare would be casually strolling around in such a cruddy place. Still, he could tell by looking at her exotic clothes that she wasn't a regular beggar. He let his imagination run wild, wondering if she was a runaway princess or a curious spirit trying to fit in with the human world. Of course, not a spirit nor a princess would show up to the likes of an uninteresting peasant such as he anyhow.
"You have got so much stuff!" Xinyu said. "I have never seen these kinds of goods before!"
"That so? Well, don't let anyone fool ya, this stuff is worthless," Brax said. His words were lost on the girl as she kept staring fervently at each item. Her eyes fell onto a leaf-scented perfume that no one ever bought. Sighing, Brax got to his feet and snatched it up.
"Here," Brax said, handing it to her. "It's junk, but maybe you can find better use outta it than me."
"Ah! Thank you, kindest stranger!" the girl said, bowing graciously. She toyed with the bottle, and some leafy mist spritzed out. She sniffed it, and her face lit up. "Hao! It smells like a refreshing forest! I must give you something in return!"
"You don't have to…"
The girl put the bottle in a pouch and threw her oversized rucksack to the ground.
"I am a merchant too," she said. "But I am unfamiliar with Western practices, so I am more or less observing now. Sadly, everyone here is so unfriendly! Not you, though! You are different from the rest."
"They ain't unfriendly," Brax said. "They're just not used to cheerful folk like you. Dial it down, and I'm sure they'll be willing to talk."
"That is one thing our lands seem to have in common," the girl said. After sifting through strange apparatuses and bottles of colorful liquid, she upheaved a peculiar, circular pendant. Half of it was black while the other half was white, and each side had a dot of the opposing color within it. She brushed off the dust and handed it to Brax with that ridiculous smile of hers. It had heft, and he could tell it was made of refined metal. He nodded and thanked her, wondering if it was okay that she was giving him something so valuable.
"What is this?" Brax asked.
"It is a symbol in my land!" the girl said. "It shows the two sides of good and evil, and how there is good within evil and evil within good. It snaps in half! Give the other to someone you love, and it will bring you together if you ever part, no matter how much time passes! Even a thousand years!"
Brax twiddled the jewelry with his fingers, and the circular pendant snapped into two teardrops, just as she said. They shone brightly in the daylight, emitting a faint magical aura that magnetized them together.
"Before I am off, I must know my first Westland friend's name!" she said, slinging her pack on her back.
"Friend?" Brax couldn't believe she casually threw around a word like that. He'd never had any friends before. Oddness aside, it wasn't a terrible thing to be called.
"Brax," he said. "How 'bout you?"
"I am Xinyu Ma," the girl said, putting her hand to her belly and bowing. "Fortune to have found you! Brax!"
"Yer a weird one," Brax said under his breath. "But that ain't so bad."
"Time is short!" Xinyu said, turning to the dirt road. "I hope our paths cross again soon!"
Brax watched as the bizarre traveler ran off into the distance. Though it was early, he decided to pack his things and head off as well. He got as much rest as he could have, and there was nothing to be gained from rotting away in the same old spot. He thought he might freeload a drink at the pub and try to think of a way to make some money. In the end, he figured he'd have to stake everything on a gamble, just like he used to. The problem was that he never won.
Hoping to see her again, he placed the pendant safely in his pocket as he began walking down those dusty trails.