Evenfall
Chapter 10 - The Teacup

Maria managed to replace lodging at a tavern in one of the wealthier sectors of the city. It was surprisingly difficult to replace lodging that catered for horses and caravans as well, but it wasn’t impossible.

The room Maria rented for the two of them was generous – far more so than any other city living quarters they had stayed in, which wasn’t many. They only stayed in a tavern when using the caravan inside the city wasn’t an option. The accommodations Maria had garnered for the two of them had a room with a massive bed and an adjoining washroom. Isa was amazed at the luxury of it all.

Maria had a bemused smirk on her face as she watched Isa gape at the room. Isa blushed and looked down, making her way over to the bed. She wasn’t used to her mother showing any kind of emotional interest in her; the past day had certainly been strange.

“So why are we in Emrys?” She asked, sitting on the bed.

“No reason,” Maria said, placing her minimal luggage on the floor and coming to sit beside Isa. She promptly fell back and closed her eyes, heaving out a tired sigh.

Isa frowned. “But this is an expensive trip, you must have reason.”

Maria’s eyes opened as she smiled. “I wanted to do something special for my beautiful daughter.” She lifted a hand to stroke Isa’s cheek. “I know I don’t show it enough, but I do love you, Isabelle.”

Isa covered her mother’s hand with her own and smiled down at her. It wasn’t often that they shared a traditional mother-daughter moment, and Isa found herself wishing it would last. After a moment Maria spoke up.

“Now go,” She said, waving towards the door and letting her other arm fall on her forehead. “I know you want to explore. Now’s your chance. Let this old hag catch some sleep, she’s had a long day.”

Isa chuckled as she stood. “You’re not old, Madre.”

Maria snorted and shook her head, arm covering her wrinkled eyes. “Sweet words will get you nowhere in life, Isabelle.” She lifted her arm and winked. “Although it’s not a bad idea to hone the skill for treacherous situations. Y’know, just in case.”

Isa snorted as she stepped out the room and closed the door behind her, shaking her head. The hallway of the tavern they were staying in was carpeted by a dull sheet of material that could barely be called a carpet. Its red colour was so faded it almost blended into the pale wood floors, and it did little to muffle any sound.

Isa could practically hear the conversations from the other rooms, and some other sounds she wasn’t too keen on identifying. She did believe that the building next door housed a brothel. It wouldn’t surprise her, as the entirety of the tavern’s bottom floor was a bar.

The few patrons that weren’t holed up in their rooms loitered in the passage and on the stairwell. Some gave her dirty looks as she eased past them, but she brushed them off and left the bearers with tight smiles. Something in the building smelled awful, but it didn’t originate from a single source. It seemed to hang in the air around her, coming from multiple directions at once. She hurried to replace the door even quicker when it became stronger.

Eventually she made her way to the front door. The lobby was bustling with people, the air inside the building almost suffocating. This tavern was one of the larger ones in the sector, sporting four floors including the ground one. Isa and Maria were fortunate enough to be staying on the third floor, more than far enough above the noise of the lower floors – and the bar. And, Isa was glad to note, whatever that smell was. It had become stronger the closer she got to the ground floor, but it was barely noticeable in their room.

Though the sun had set less than an hour ago, the bar was already filled to the brim with rowdy men and scantily clad serving women. Isa wondered if the owners had hired prostitutes from the brothel to work as servers. She made sure to stay well away from that part of the tavern – she didn’t fancy being groped by multiple strangers, or worse, mistaken for a serving woman. She picked uncomfortably at her dusty dress, dirty from a day of traveling through the polluted streets. She was covered in material from the neck down, and yet she still felt far too exposed.

Finally, she navigated her way to the door. The cool evening air that brushed her face was a welcomed contrast to the dank air of the tavern. She glanced up to the sign that hung above the door and found that the tavern was creatively named ‘The Tavern’.

She’d caught glimpses of the owner’s wife earlier; and she immediately understood that anyone who willingly married a woman like that obviously wouldn’t be able to come up with a better name. Well, she assumed it was willingly.

She took a deep breath of fresh – well, fresher than what was in the tavern – air and surveyed the street before her. It was one of the main roads in Emrys, and thus it was still ridiculously busy and bustling with all manner of creatures.

Suddenly she was shoved aside as somebody rushed out the door behind her and immediately emptied his guts on the pavement; dangerously close to her feet. She stepped aside, disgusted. Raucous laughter could be heard as he turned and ran – unsteadily – back into the bar. Cheering followed suit, and Isa imagined he had just chugged back another pitcher of foul-smelling ale.

She decided to avoid the tavern for a while and instead try and explore Emrys a bit. It wasn’t too late yet, and she was sure she’d be able to hold her own if she were attacked. She frowned, remembering the night in Tarren where she probably would have been killed if it weren’t for Nao. She was far too deep into the city for him to save her again, but she shrugged it off. The streets were well-lit, and she planned to stick to the main road and not stray too close to any alleyways.

She weaved into the crowd on the edge of the street and picked a direction. She went left, as she and her mother had come from the right.

As she’d expected, the building beside the tavern was a brothel. Less-than-modestly clad women stood in front of it, yelling into the crowd and grabbing at anyone who strayed too close to them. Isa was sure to keep far away from them.

Soon she found herself gravitating towards the center of Emrys, towards the massive structure in the middle. She could make out now that it was a palace. She couldn’t believe it’d be anything less, its sheer size trumping all surrounding buildings. She was still very far away from it, but she could already see it in stunning detail. The last rays of sunlight were still shining on its tallest spires, despite the city below already being swathed in a blanket of night.

The closer she got to it, the less people littered the streets, and the more sophisticated the populace became. They dressed better and were far more reserved than those around the tavern. She passed various shops, although she had to pause to gawk at nearly each one. She had seen real shops before, but never ones as extravagant as these. She stopped in front of a butcher’s, with fresh meat hanging in the window and dried meat sitting in jars on shelves. Her mouth watered at the sight.

She soon realized that she hadn’t eaten since the mediocre meal she’d had the night before. She hadn’t even eaten much as she’d lost her appetite. She patted her dress to see if she had any coins to buy food. Surprisingly, she heard a hefty jingle in her right pocket. Having grown tired of pocket-less dresses at a young age, she had set about sewing multiple pockets into every clothing item she owned. She was grateful she hadn’t lost the habit as she grew out of her old clothes.

Her hand emerged from the pocket with an array of coins. She didn’t remember ever putting them in her dress and wondered momentarily where they had come from. She counted them and found five copper marks and two silver marks. Her eyes widened at the small fortune. This would more than cover a meal.

She entered the butchery and purchased a jar of rabbit jerky; it was the cheapest and she didn’t want to waste any money. After she’d paid and bid the kindly butcher a good night, she continued on down the street. She chewed on the meat as she passed multiple dress shops and tailors, and even a bakery with extravagant cakes in the window. She noticed that the people around her had begun giving her dirty looks, and soon realized that it was more so at her attire than at her. Her pale blue dress was dirtied with soot and dust from the poorer parts of Emrys, and her face could certainly contest it.

She had been considering turning back when someone caught her eye. He was dressed in a white tunic and leather trousers, with a black silk shirt and expensive boots. She raised an eyebrow. This was a big leap from no clothes; and she realized now why bandits had stolen them in the first place.

Nikolas looked up from the book he was reading. He was sitting on the edge of a fountain, seeming quite lost in such a large city. His eyes brightened, and a smile split his face when his eyes met hers. She began walking over to him and he stood to greet her.

“Isa,” he said, smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you either,” she giggled. “but I suppose I should have, considering the luck of the past few days.”

He laughed too, rubbing anxiously at the back of his neck. “Yes, I suppose that’s a valid point.”

They stood awkwardly for a moment, both at a loss for words. Isa broke the silence with a chuckle. “You have clothes!” She said intelligently. Nikolas laughed and nodded.

“Indeed, I do,” he said. “thankfully.”

Isa laughed as he blushed, thinking back to the first two times they had met and remembering the recurring theme of him missing his clothes. Before the conversation could stagnate again, he spoke up.

“Shall we walk?” He invited, gesturing to a smaller road that branched off of the one Isa had been traveling on. When she nodded he smiled and offered his arm with a sheepish smile. She chuckled and slipped her arm through his, falling into step beside him.

“So where are we going?” She asked after an extended silence. He glanced at her and gave her an impish smile.

“The forest.” he said coolly. Isa frowned.

“But that’s so far away,” she said, tilting her head. Nikolas chuckled and shook his head.

“Not the real forest,” he smirked. “A smaller one, within the city. I figured you’d appreciate it.”

Isa brightened. During the short time they’d known each other he had picked up on her general dislike of cities and her preference of the forest. She only really came into cities for business or because she was curious, but it didn’t mean she preferred the busy hustle and bustle of city life over the quiet of the forest. She realized now that it must have had something to do with her Anala heritage.

“Thank you.” She said quietly. He turned and gave her an easy smile, and the conversation lapsed into silence again.

Nikolas led her to a quieter part of the city. The streets had barely any people on them, but the few stragglers they passed gave Nikolas respectful nods.

“You seem quite at home here,” Isa spoke up. “is this where you live?”

“What? No,” Nikolas chuckled uncomfortably. “I move around a lot. I have just learned the way of the upper class.”

“And what way might that be?” Isa asked coyly, nudging his arm with her own.

“Well see now, it takes years of practice,” he smirked. “Not something you can learn in a night.”

“With the right teacher it might be,” Isa raised an eyebrow. “you never know.”

“You make a fair point,” he said, rubbing his chin with his free hand.

“So?” Isa prodded. “What is the way that is the way of the rich folk?” Her crude attempt at a posh accent made Nikolas chuckle.

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “First, you have to act rich. Even if you haven’t a single penny to your name, act as though you own the world.”

“That sounds complicated,” Isa frowned comically.

“Oh, it’s very complicated,” Nikolas agreed, nodding gravely. “but you won’t replace a better teacher than I, so listen carefully.”

“I’m all ears,” Isa cupped her right ear with her free hand. “teach me your ways.”

“Alright, so first you want to act as if there’s a teacup on your head.” He said seriously. Isa snorted, but sobered up when he gave her a stern look.

“I can stop this lesson right now if you’d prefer?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, no, no please, go on.” Isa waved him forward, frowning sternly.

“Right.” He continued. “The teacup on your head is full of scalding tea,”

“But I hate tea,” Isa wrinkled her nose. “I’d much prefer coffee.”

“Fine, fine,” Nikolas sighed. “coffee then. Scalding coffee, and if you move your head a fraction of a millimeter off kilter, you are going to boil your ears. So you have to keep your head up straight all the time, and look extremely stuck-up while you do.”

“I think I understand, but it’s still far too complicated for me to replicate.” Isa nodded seriously. “Would you mind demonstrating?”

“Of course, if it helps you to learn faster,” Nikolas said, releasing her arm and jogging towards one of the shops beside the road they had been walking on. Isa noticed it was a bakery.

He returned a few seconds later holding a precariously balanced teacup and saucer in his hand. The cup was filled to the brim with steaming liquid. Isa’s eyes widened when she saw that it was, in fact, boiling coffee.

“Wait!” She exclaimed as he went to put the teacup on his head. He raised an eyebrow.

“Problem?” He asked.

“You can’t put that on your head,” Isa sighed, exasperated.

“Why not?” Nikolas frowned. Isa put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

“Its far too dangerous!” She said. “You’ll seriously injure yourself.”

“So?” Nikolas shrugged. “I want to help- OW!”

The motion caused the liquid in the cup to swirl up, and some of it overflowed onto his hand, scalding it. He immediately dropped the cup and gripped his hand. The fragile porcelain shattered as it hit the ground, the sound carrying across the street and splitting the quiet night air.

“Oops,” Nikolas said, glancing down at the cup.

“You’d better be paying for that!” a voice yelled from behind them. Nikolas and Isa looked up to see it was the owner of the shop Nikolas had gotten the cup from.

“Ah, well, see the problem, um,” Nikolas sputtered, shrugging. “I can’t.”

Isa burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of the owner’s face turning redder and redder.

“We should go before he calls someone,” Nikolas whispered out the corner of his mouth. Isa, still in a giggling stupor, just nodded and did her best to be quiet.

Before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed her hand with his uninjured one and was pulling her away from the shop.