Lucia skipped happily as she hugged her bags tightly. She had given half of the groceries to Aqua and made her way toward the final stall. The girl who led Aqua around the market was behaving as if she had never known loss.
Who could expect someone so young for an elven standard to know what loss felt like, for only unfortunate souls like Aqua had to suffer through it. She had a happy childhood. She cracked a smile.
While envious, it made her feel a strange warmth in her heart. Not the intense heat of grief and hatred, but instead that of joy. With a quick shake of the head, she followed after Lucia.
No matter how much she could try and deny the emotion she felt, it just was not possible. She enjoyed her time without having to worry about anything. Her mind was suppressed, and she would not allow anything to invade her space now.
Neither Paranoia nor Anger, her mind was a fortress that she protected as a loyal guard. Her lips stretched into a smile as Lucia led her toward a stall. Very quickly, she had obtained another bag which she promptly gave to Aqua to carry while making a mischievous smile.
Aqua sighed as the duo finished procurement of various goods, from berries to dairy. It was a rather productive outing, yet Aqua found joy in it. Lucia acted as if she were an excited girl in a toy store while Aqua herself remained a responsible adult who would watch over her.
Her gaze wandered around the bags she held close to her chest before she lifted her head slightly and looked toward Lucia. It took her a couple of minutes, but soon she came to Aqua while carrying multiple bags of her own.
"Thank you so much for your help, Lady Aqua. I would have been in big trouble if I had returned to the palace empty-handed." She grinned like a child before she went quiet.
A small giggle escaped Aqua's lips as she adjusted the bags, "I don't think they would be overly harsh."
The girl forced a smile, "You don't know the head chef, he screams a lot if we do anything less than perfect."
"Oh?" Aqua tilted her head slightly as Lucia opened up. "Does he beat you?"
Why did my mind immediately go there?
Lucia shook her head, "No, No! He is quite nice; he has never hit us, but he does shout at us until everything is up to the palace standard."
Her lips stretched into a thin line as Lucia spoke of the Chef, despite the so-called shouting Lucia had complained about, he seemed like merely a man who took their profession seriously. In a way, he sounded much like one of her teachers.
"He merely sounds strict. Did he teach you?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"It just reminds me of one of my own teachers." Aqua lifted her head toward the sky as the duo made their way toward the palace.
Lucia's eyes widened, and her lips formed a circular shape, "Oooh! So you get my woe!"
Aqua stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and stared into nothing. "Lucia, when the teacher is strict and shouts, it merely means they care. You will learn to understand it eventually." She stepped forward and caught up to Lucia.
"Sure doesn't seem like that when he makes me cry after I mess up!" The girl pouted.
Of course, Aqua did not condone making one's student cry if possible; however, the heavy hand was necessary for some to absorb what the master attempted to convey. She had personally been shouted at many times before she could learn illusion or even the art of engineering.
She pushed the bags up against her chest, "I can't say much without meeting him."
The girl instantly stopped and turned toward Aqua, "Would you like to? I am sure he would be nicer to someone as distinguished as you!"
"Hah…" Aqua raised her head toward the sky as she exhaled loudly, "I am not that important, Lucia, but you are right, I would like to meet him."
"We can learn how to cook together! Despite you likely already being much better at it than me."
"Might come as a surprise to you, but I am not the best cook. I am only capable of basic food. There was just never a reason to learn." Aqua's lips stretched into a smile while the duo walked with a brisk pace.
The girl nodded as they pushed past a large crowd and toward the palace's magnificent gate. After a moment, the guards opened it and let two girls inside.
Yet as soon as they stepped inside, Aqua felt someone watching her.
Again?! Is it Lira? Her grip tightened around the bags as she scanned her surroundings.
Of course, it was possible a different party had observed her; however, the only antagonistic entity she had met since coming to this city was Lira, thus she naturally had to assume it was she who observed.
Her gaze drifted to Lucia, who obliviously led the way through the Palace's courtyard. She had walked through this area both alone and with her new friends. I should probably protect her, too.
While her innocence and obliviousness were rather irritating, she was still a girl who enjoyed life. She straightened her finger toward Lucia and cast [Heart of the Phoenix]. If Lucia had died, she would have been rather disappointed.
Although the elven girl was not on the level of Azure, Sheira, or Soleah in her mind, she still did not deserve to die merely because she was close to the target of malevolent forces. The spell made the girl shine for an instant before a small scar nested itself on her palm.
If any of the people she had placed the protection on had died, she would have come running. While in her thoughts, they quickly approached the entrance. After a quick salute of the guards, they were let in, and Lucia slowly strided toward the cafeteria.
"And also, thank you once again for your help, Lady Aqua. You really didn't have to go through so much trouble to help me carry these items." She smiled shyly before her eyes widened. "I almost forgot!"
She stepped into Aqua's path and turned to her. "I bought you a gift, Lady Aqua!" She slowly placed her bags on the floor and retrieved something from her skirt pocket.
"A gift?"
"Yes! Here." The eager girl outstretched her hands and slowly opened her palms to reveal a small, blue, heart-shaped hairpin. "It is blue, so it really goes well with your eyes." She bowed deeply as she waited for Aqua to take the gift.
Aqua took a step back before placing the bags on the floor. Is this really the same girl who ignored me when I was with Soleah?
Her hands trembled slightly as she slowly wrapped her fingers around the pin and eyed it closely. For all intents and purposes, it was mundane without anything special about it. Yet just the fact that someone went out of their way to gift her something filled her with joy.
With a smile, she pulled back her hair and placed the pin. "How does it look?" Aqua smiled as she tilted her head.
"Amazing, very pretty! I hope you like it." Lucia blushed slightly as Aqua pushed her hair behind her ears before picking up the bags shortly after.
The redhead's hands moved in front of her mouth as she giggled slightly, "Thank you, Lucia." With a slight smile, she turned and slowly grabbed the bags she had placed next to her feet.
Lucia's smile faded before she quickly grabbed her own luggage and turned toward the dining hall.
The duo made their way inside and past the empty hall. The hall was only filled with people at specific times of the day. Aqua had learned this schedule when she had been dragged by Soleah and Sheira.
Once in the morning when the dawn arrives, second when the sun was in the middle of the sky, and once when the star has retired. It was a sensible schedule that did not depend on any culture's specific method of time tracking.
The routine was rather comfortable for someone like her; it lacked the wild nature of survival and was the routine of peaceful civilization.
I love it.
Aqua and Lucia made their way inside the kitchen. For a place that prepared food for royalty, it was rather plain, yet it had everything that was necessary. Ovens, Cauldrons, Utensils, Ingredients.
It was as stocked as it could be. Aqua and Lucia gently approached one of the empty tables and let go of their groceries.
Lucia wiped a sweat from her forehead before turning to Aqua, "Thank you for your help again, Lady Aqua."
"It's really not an issue." She nodded before she noticed a presence arriving from the same entrance they came from.
I guess that's the chef.