We start with the honey cakes, their sticky sweetness melting in our mouths. The fruit tarts are next, bursting with the flavors of fresh berries and delicate cream. Blossom takes a special liking to the candied nuts, munching on them happily as we move from stall to stall, making sure not to miss a single treat.
As the sun begins to set and the market starts to wind down, we finally find ourselves sitting on a low stone wall, surrounded by the remnants of our feast. Blossom leans against me, her head resting on my shoulder, her tail wagging lazily as she savors the last bite of a caramel-covered apple.
“That was incredible, but I’m officially full…” I say while trying to fight back a burp that threatens to come out.
Blossom giggles, giving her own belly a satisfied pat. “Blossom too. This was one of the best days ever, Master!”
“I’m glad you had fun. Then let’s call this match a draw… We both got full at the same time.” I offer lazily and she simply nods happily. It never was about the competition, after all, I just added the ‘whoever gets full first loses’ challenge in as an extra flavor to our impending food binge.
I smile down at her, feeling a warm sense of contentment settle over me. The day’s adventure, filled with laughter, delicious food, and Blossom’s boundless energy, has been nothing short of perfect.
“Let’s create a tradition that’s just between the two of us; when we visit a new town we have to go on a Gourmet Quest to try out all of the local food market’s offerings.” I suggest, knowing full well that there’s not many things I’d enjoy more than sharing another merry event like this with her.
Blossom beams up at me, her eyes shining with happiness. “Blossom would love that!”
I stroke her head lovingly but seeing the sun’s position in the sky I know our time is up. “Let’s go meet Ayame at the square.” I mutter under my breath. Wonder what she spent money and all this time on.
…
By the time we get there she is already waiting for us, I spot her leaning onto the side of a building and simply observing the crowd of people who pass by this traffic heavy area.
Sadly I don’t manage to sneak up on her, I lost my chance to spook her, as she spots me well before I arrive at her close proximity. Well, I didn’t activate Thief’s [Lesser Stealth], so I can nurse my damaged ego by telling myself that I didn’t really try.
Ayame looks at me and grimaces, grumbling something under her breath about curses and me being too handsome. I smirk, “like the new cut? Blossom did a good job!”
She raises an eyebrow at Blossom specifically. “Oh, I always wondered how you kept your hair so well, but this explains it.
Could I bother you to cut mine as well once in a while, or is it something you are only willing to do for your beloved ‘super alpha stud’?” The warrior woman finishes her statement with a slight bit of mockery evident in her tone, a fact that flies right over my adorable assassin’s head.
“Sure, leave it to Blossom!” She replies cheerily which elicits a happy smile from Ayame.
It’s always nice for a man to see his ladies get along with each other as that means the household is at peace and he can live his life in serenity.
Life is good.
“So what have you been up to?” I inquire, though I’m almost certain that I could guess her answer.
“Information gathering mostly, though I did scout a few places for us to visit regarding our armor and weapon needs.”
What a responsible woman. While I was getting a haircut, going on a food binge and ravaging Blossom, she was basically working. “Any news regarding your sister or clan?” I ask, knowing full well what doing ‘information gathering’ entails for her.
“There are some minute changes, but since there was a change in leadership they are somewhat expected. I was thinking there would be some drastic new developments, to be honest. My fears are that a syndicate similar to the Vesper Consortium might’ve gotten her in their pocket somehow… But so far, I found no traces of such a claim.
Well, to be fair, I just asked around a few taverns, and since the duchy of Greenveil is far from my clan’s dutchy, changes might not travel here well enough.”
Reasonable assumptions. “I see… We can’t do much for now. If we climb up the Consortium’s ladder they could probably help us significantly in both information gathering and our eventual revenge as well.”
She raises an eyebrow, “why haven’t I thought of that…?”
“Probably because you think of them as complete scum who must be eradicated. I admit that joining them has its own risks, but they can provide us with so many benefits as well. I believe it might be the right path for us moving forward- only if we pass the test and become Phenoms, of course. I would never share my information with such a shady org.
They might send us on a few missions here and there, but we will use them for so much more. Speaking of missions, we will also have to acquire information about those, we will not join if they can send us on very sketchy quests.”
Ayame studies my expression for a good while before sighing, “alright… We have a month to decide what we want to do, so let’s focus on acquiring gear for now.”
“Agreed. Have you also looked into an alchemist for my wizard potion?”
She smirks, “do you mean the [Mystical Elixir Of Awakening], my adorable country bumpkin of a master? Yes, I saw a few alchemist shops but I didn’t enter them.”
Well, it seems that someone is in need of a good spanking. Your time to shine will arrive sooner than you might expect, my dearest Ayame.
For now, I ignore her light jab, though I certainly won’t forget any of her transgressions. “Let’s start with weapons.”
“Sure, I can’t wait to finally get my hands on a curved blade forged by my ex-clan’s smiths.” Ayame replies eagerly.
“Blossom wants a better dagger!” My gorgeous dog-kin yells excitedly.
My girls are so eager to get their hands on a mighty murder weapon of their own, they are just so adorable. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
With our destination set, today is the day we will finally kit ourselves up properly. It’s the day I’ve been eagerly awaiting for some time now. New weapons, armors, and even me becoming a Wizard- unless I succumb to the potion- it’s safe to say that our group will go to sleep today being significantly more powerful than before.