Chapter 6: CH. 6 | Aluric City and Yasa

"Theo!"

"Wake up."

Theo opened his eyes and realized he was still inside the passenger carriage. His attention shifted, Michelle was still beside him. She was the one who’d woken him up.

"What?" Theo mumbled.

"We’re almost there."

He lifted a hand and rubbed his eyes briefly, then opened the carriage window and saw several wooden houses lining the road.

The trip from Talon Village to Aluric City took a full eight hours, which meant they’d be arriving at the city at night.

It wasn’t just the two of them either, the other passengers were heading to the same destination. Michelle explained that the carriage would stop near the city square.

"So where does this friend of yours live?" Theo asked.

"Close to the city center," Michelle explained, "It’s about a five minute walk."

Theo nodded, though he had no idea who this friend of Michelle’s was. Still, from the way she talked, he could guess that whoever this person was, they had to be a close friend of hers.

Was she maybe a sister too? I had no idea.

The carriage rolled to a stop, Michelle paid twenty copper for the both of them.

They had officially arrived in Aluric City, not a huge or grand city, but compared to Talon Village, this place was a step up in every way.

Theo’s attention drifted toward the city center, where a number of townspeople moved through the streets that night, heading wherever they needed to go.

Some walked alone, others with friends, partners, or family.

But that wasn’t all. Theo spotted a large statue that also worked as a fountain. It was shaped like a woman, a mage, dressed in a beautiful gown and holding a wand.

For some reason, Theo felt drawn to it. He crossed the street and stood in front of the fountain statue, just like everyone else gathered around it.

"Throw the copper in and make a wish, hope the Saint Mage hears our prayer."

"Okay, Dad."

Theo turned and saw a little girl holding a copper coin, tossing it in until it sank to the bottom of the pool.

She pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and whispered whatever wish she was hoping for.

He felt oddly moved and wanted to try it himself. But when he reached into his pocket, he realized he didn’t have any money on him.

"Want to make a wish to the Saint Mage?"

His head turned to the side. Michelle had walked up, smiling, her palm open with a single copper coin resting in it, as if she were offering it to Theo.

"Does the wish actually come true?" Theo asked.

"Who knows," Michelle answered, "But people do it to keep their hope alive. Kind of like a wishing pool, if you ask me."

Theo’s eyes settled on the coin in Michelle’s hand, "What can you even get with one copper coin?"

"A piece of bread, I guess."

Theo went quiet for a moment, then turned and looked around the square. There were plenty of shops and restaurants open that night, but only one bakery among all of them.

He took the coin from her and chose to hold onto it instead of throwing it into the pool. Michelle looked a little confused by what he was doing.

"When it comes to hope, I can’t just hand mine over to a stranger," Theo said, "I’ll go after that hope myself."

"As for luck, I don’t know, it feels like a bad bet to me."

"But this," Theo said, holding up the coin, "if I trade it for a piece of bread and give it to someone who needs it, that does a lot more good."

Michelle’s smile widened, then she snatched the coin right back out of Theo’s hand, "Then go make that wish come true and help them out with your own money."

"Huh?" Theo said, startled, "You’re taking the money back? Are you the stingy, calculating type of woman or something?"

"Think whatever you want, Theo," Michelle answered.

"If you want to actually be useful to people, you have to do it through your own effort. If I hand you this coin and you use it to buy bread for someone on the street, doesn’t that feel a little off?"

"It would be like I’m the one giving it, and you’re just helping me feed them."

Theo fell silent. What Michelle said made sense, it was her money either way.

It would be far better for him to help others with money he’d earned himself later, whether through odd jobs or whatever else came along.

"You’re right, Michelle," Theo answered.

"Of course I’m right," Michelle said, "Let’s go, Yasa’s going to be shocked to see me."

He and Michelle walked away from the city square until they reached a three story building, not an inn, but an apartment complex.

Michelle mentioned she still remembered the exact room number for her friend Yasa’s apartment.

"This should be it," Michelle said.

She knocked on the door and called out Yasa’s name. On the first few tries, there was no response at all. But after knocking several more times, the wooden door finally opened.

What caught them off guard was a shirtless man wearing nothing but shorts appearing at the door. Michelle gasped in surprise.

"Is this Yasa’s apartment?" Michelle asked.

The man looked half drunk, then turned around and shouted for Yasa.

Not long after, a woman with long blonde hair appeared. She was wearing a somewhat messy nightgown, sheer enough that Theo could make out the shape of her body underneath.

This is Michelle’s friend? Way off from what I imagined.

"Who is that?" Yasa asked, half drunk herself.

"It’s me, Michelle!"

The blonde woman stepped closer, squinting to bring her into focus. A moment later, Yasa jumped back with a start, her eyes going wide with shock.

"M-Michelle?!" Yasa gasped, "Wait! I’m not ready yet!"

SLAM!

Yasa slammed the door shut, catching both Michelle and Theo off guard. Michelle glanced briefly at the young man beside her.

"She’s actually a really good person," Michelle said.

"I’ll take your word for it," Theo said.

The wooden door opened again. The shirtless man from before walked out carrying his clothes, while Yasa stepped up to the doorway looking like a completely different person.

Her hair, which had been a mess before, was now neatly styled. Her outfit had changed into a clean, tidy dress. At a glance, she seemed like an entirely different woman.

Strange woman.

"Michelle," Yasa greeted her, pulling Michelle into a tight hug like old friends reuniting, "I’ve missed you so much."

"Seems like you’ve been living quite the life these past few years, Yasa."

"Not as good as it is now that I’ve run into you tonight," Yasa answered.

The two of them let go of each other, and Yasa turned to look at the young man standing next to Michelle, "And who’s the handsome guy that came with you?"

"This is Theo."

"Theo? Is Theo the...?"

Michelle stayed quiet, not answering, and Yasa gave a nod after taking in Michelle’s silence. She let out a long breath and invited the two of them inside.

As Theo stepped in, he could see the place was a total mess, blankets and clothes scattered everywhere, alcohol bottles piled up on the table. The sight seemed to catch Yasa off guard too.

"Sorry! I forgot to clean up around here."

She raised a hand and used her magic to tidy up the room. In an instant, the space that had been cluttered and neglected turned spotless, as clean as a brand new apartment.

"What do you two want? Beer or soda?"

"Soda’s fine."

Yasa opened an ice box and brought over two sodas for them, along with a bottle of beer for herself. The three of them sat down on the sofa, sipping their drinks.

"So, what brings you two to this city?" Yasa asked.

Michelle set down her soda bottle and explained the situation to Yasa, "He ran into some trouble back in the village that got him kicked out. We’re trying to start a new life here."

"Really? Never would’ve guessed you were a troublemaker, Theo," Yasa teased.

"You could still work as an adventurer by signing up at the guild," the blonde woman added.

"About that," Michelle said, glancing sideways, "I’m worried it’ll be difficult for him."

"Why? Hasn’t he gone through his awakening yet?" Yasa asked.

"It’s not that... he’s classless," Michelle said quietly.

Yasa spat her drink to the side, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "Classless? How is that even possible?"

Yasa’s eyes sharpened as she looked at Theo, clearly curious about the young man. She set her bottle down on the table, sat with her legs and arms crossed, and studied the two of them.

"Classless is going to make things tough, having a class is a basic requirement for adventurers," Yasa said.

"You probably know some people. Talk them into taking Theo in," Michelle said.

"I don’t know," Yasa said, "I can definitely try talking them into it, but I can’t promise anything."

"Though, I do have an idea," Yasa added.

"What’s that?" Theo asked.

The blonde woman turned and gave Theo a smile, "Party Porter."