Chapter 3: Meeting
The following day was slow and gloomy. It would be expected to have rained on such a day as a royal funeral, but it was sunny. Either way, the whole capital of Absyda was restless and in mourning. Word traveled fast, and thousands attended the ceremony.
Orias had a sister. Her name was Mitra, and she was a cleric with decent powers in the healing arts. She had blue-green hair that matched her brother's. Seras didn't meet Mitra, but she observed her from afar as she did with everyone during the traditional cremation of the deceased king and queen.
Seras headed to the briefing room in the military sector of the city. She learned less than half of the army would head to the capital of Galka, the southwestern country, while the rest stayed to protect the castle the prince and princess would supposedly be in. A scout group, led by the supposedly, would lead the departing army. No one cared that a young woman in black who hid her face listened to all of this; they knew she was with the escort group whether she wanted to or not.
The shaman left and entered the first building she saw that served food. To her dismay, it was a tavern.
She sat down next to a black-haired man with a bloodred trenchcoat at the barcounter. A tall and skinny man with a skinny mustache known as the bartender, asked Seras what she wanted. She replied with, "Only water," and continued to sit in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. The black-haired man decided to to share his thoughts. His voice was cool, and his tone made it sound as if he thought everyone around him was inferior. "Pleasant day, is it not?"
"Hm?" Seras replied.
"Well, for one of my occupation. Mercs can't find work without war." Seras assumed he meant the possible war between Absyda and Galka. The man's tone changed to that of a teacher or philosopher. "When there's no attachment, a job that forces someone to rely on theirself is the only option. It won't matter who dies, and there is absolute freedom. If I were to become attached, it screws up everything. Thus, I would be trapped until death..." After a short quietness, Seras opened her mouth, but was interrupted before anything came out of it. "Oh, did I say all of that outloud? Sorry for boring you."
He dropped several coins on the barcounter and left. The sum was enough to cover his drink, Seras's, and a tip. She pulled a book out of a pocket inside her robes and began to read it, sipping water all the while.
After yet another unknown amount of time to her, she became bored, and left the tavern. It was nearing the night-gloom. A little girl ran by holding a black furred kitten with an odd white mark on its face. Seras recognized this girl as the one from the bandit's cave. The girl recognized Seras as well.
The child ended up following Seras to a patch of trees just outside the city. Seras practiced black magic in silence as the girl fell asleep, using a tree root for a pillow. Seras didn't sleep at all.
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