Verc walked through the busy streets of the city, his mind still slightly preoccupied with the deal he had just made at the slave shop. The sun was beginning to dip a bit lower in the sky, though it was still quite bright out.
The air in this part of the city was much cleaner than the damp basement he had just left, and he took a quiet breath of relief as he approached the familiar, grand structure of the inn.
Verc got back to where they were staying, The Azure Crest.
The building stood tall and impressive, its polished stone exterior reflecting the afternoon light. It was a place of luxury, a sharp contrast to the dark corners of the city he had spent the last hour exploring.
And by the time he got there; Tatum and Jed were there too, waiting for him and Onyx at the entrance.
They were standing near one of the large pillars, looking a bit out of place among the wealthy merchants and nobles entering and leaving the facility. They seemed to be scanning the crowd, their eyes lighting up the moment they spotted Verc’s hooded figure approaching from the street.
"Oh, you two are back already?"
Verc asked as he approached them.
He slowed his pace, noticing the way they were fidgeting with their hands. It was just a few hours past lunch, the sun was still up and wouldn’t set for a while. The day was still far from over, and he had expected them to stay out much longer, given the amount of gold he had handed them earlier.
"Erm, we actually already used up all of the gold coins you gave us. That’s why we decided to return here now and wait for you, Lord Verc."
Jed then explained that, his voice slightly embarrassed. He looked down at his boots, unable to meet Verc’s eyes directly. Even Tatum in his back was feeling the same, obviously. He was standing a half-step behind Jed, looking equally sheepish.
"Huh? Where did you use them?"
Verc asked, slightly surprised.
He had given them twenty gold coins. To a normal person, that was a small fortune. He had figured they would buy a few things and perhaps spend the rest of the day just wandering around or sitting in a park.
To spend all of it in just a few hours was quite a feat for two kids.
And then, Tatum, despite feeling a bit shameful; opened his mouth and started telling their lord what they did.
***
So, apparently, being in a huge city for the first time in their lives, Tatum and Jed were more excited than Verc had thought. They had never seen anything like Sionann before—the sheer scale of the buildings, the variety of people, and the overwhelming amount of goods for sale had completely swept them away.
The kids saw a lot of different food being sold in stalls, a lot of weird and interesting things were around. They described walking through the main market district where the smell of grilled meat and sweet pastries was so thick it was almost like a physical wall.
There were restaurants with menus they couldn’t read but smelled amazing, libraries filled with more books than they knew existed, and artifact stores with glowing items in the windows.
Tatum and Jed visited a lot of random shops. They had walked into a toy shop and bought a few small wooden carvings that moved with simple clockwork. They had wandered into a clothing store and bought high-quality socks because they liked how soft the fabric felt. They were like children in a dream, grabbing at anything that caught their eye because, for the first time in their lives, they actually had the money to buy it.
But mostly, they spent their gold coins buying food.
They told Verc about the meat skewers dripping with spicy sauce, the deep-fried dough balls covered in powdered sugar, and the exotic fruits that tasted weird but good.
They had moved from one stall to the next, eating until they were stuffed, and then buying more just to see what it tasted like.
After hearing all of these—
"Well, looks like you two enjoyed yourselves."
Verc said that, smiling a little as he looked at them.
He wasn’t angry at all. In fact, he felt a bit of satisfaction knowing they had actually used the money for their own happiness. They had spent so long living in fear or working hard that seeing them act like normal kids was worth every single gold coin.
"We did, Lord Verc."
Jed said, a small, genuine smile finally breaking through his embarrassment.
"Thank you."
Tatum added, nodding his head respectfully.
"It’s fine. That’s what the money was for. I’m glad you got to see the city properly."
Verc said. He reached out and patted Jed’s and Tatum’s shoulders briefly.
... ... ...
"Anyway, I still have some things I need to settle before the day ends."
Verc said, then he told the two to get back to their room.
They followed him into the lobby, where the air was cool and smelled of expensive incense.
Once they reached the stairs, Verc stopped and reached into his spatial pouch again.
He pulled out another stack of coins and handed them over.
"Here, take another 30 gold coins. Go to the front desk and tell them we’re adding a day to our stay. We’ll be staying here through tomorrow as well."
The kids stared at the gold in Jed’s hand, their eyes wide.
(They don’t know how many gold coins Verc has.)
"Not only that, I need you to hold onto Onyx for a while. Take him up and make sure he stays out of trouble."
Verc said, looking down at the small puppy. Onyx looked up at him, tilting his head as if he understood he was being handed off.
Tatum looked at Verc, his expression turning a bit curious.
"Lord Verc, what about you? Are you going somewhere else?"
Tatum asked.
"It’s nothing much, I’m just going to place a commission."
Verc just casually said that.
Jed looked like he wanted to help.
"Should we come with you? We can carry things or help you find the shops."
Jed asked.
But Verc just shook his head, his posture relaxed.
"I can handle it, don’t worry. It’s just some boring business talk. You two stay here, rest up, and keep an eye on the little guy."
Verc said.
At his words, the two just followed his orders. They knew better than to argue when Verc had made up his mind.
And so, Verc then handed Onyx to them, the puppy letting out a small yip as Tatum tucked him under his arm.
"I’ll be back before long."
Verc said that and left.
He turned and walked back out of the inn, his silhouette disappearing into the late afternoon crowd.
... ... ...
***
The hours passed quickly.
Verc came back to the Azure Crest inn as the moon settled up in the sky.
The city had changed its mood. The bright, bustling energy of the day had been replaced by the glowing lanterns of the nightlife. The streets were quieter now, and the air had a crisp, cool edge to it.
TAP-
Verc walked through the lobby, which was now dimly lit, the night staff bowing silently as he passed.
He headed up the stairs, his footsteps silent on the thick carpets. But before going into his room—he went to Tatum’s first.
He wanted to check on them and make sure Onyx hadn’t torn up the expensive furniture. After all, from using [Vibration Awareness]; he can feel two persons moving inside the room, and a small animal playing around. He could sense the rhythmic thumping of feet on the floorboards and the frantic, light tapping of paws.
Jed and Onyx were in there as well. It seemed they had all gathered in one room to wait for him.
TOK— TOK—
Verc knocked twice, the sound sharp in the quiet hallway.
And immediately—CREAK!
Tatum opened the door for him. Him and Jed had already felt him approaching ever since he stepped inside the inn.
Their heightened senses allowed them to pick up on Verc’s unique presence long before he reached the door. They just weren’t able to greet him at the entrance because Onyx was currently playing tag with them.
Verc looked inside the room, and he did see Onyx running after Jed. The room was a bit of a mess, with cushions shifted around and a few of the wooden toys they had bought scattered on the floor. Jed was laughing, darting around a chair to avoid the puppy’s playful pounces.
But after the little puppy noticed Verc on the door—
-Arf! Arf! Arf!
Onyx completely ignored Jed and immediately ran to Verc. His tiny paws skidded on the polished wood near the rug as he tried to put on the brakes, his tail wagging so hard his entire back half was shaking.
Verc smiled seeing that. The sight of the playful chaos was a nice change from the serious business he had been handling all evening.
’He really is energetic.’
Verc thought to himself.
He crouched down, opening his arms wide to greet the small creature.
"Hey there, did you miss me?"
Verc asked softly.
He received Onyx who jumped into his arms with a burst of excitement. The puppy licked at the edge of Verc’s mask, his small body warm and wiggling with joy.
Verc stood back up, holding Onyx securely against his chest, and looked at Tatum and Jed.
"I take it he’s been behaving?"
Verc asked, his tone light.
Tatum rubbed the back of his neck, looking around at the slightly disordered room.
"Mostly. He’s just very fast, Lord Verc. We’ve been trying to tire him out so he’ll sleep, but I think we’re the ones getting tired instead."
He said jokingly.
"He doesn’t seem to have a limit. But we had fun."
Jed said and nodded in agreement.
-ARF!
Then Onyx barked, smiling with his mouth wide open.
Verc walked further into the room, setting Onyx back down. The puppy immediately began circling his legs, letting out small, happy huffs.
"That’s good. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a very long and busy day. We have a lot of things to move, and I’ll need your help when the time comes."
Verc said.
"We’ll be ready, Lord Verc."
Jed and Tatum said in unison, his expression turning determined.
Verc nodded, satisfied. He stayed for a few more minutes, listening to them talk about the rest of their afternoon, before finally heading to his own room with Onyx to prepare for the morning.