Chapter 269: …and unwilling hostages(?)
To rewind the clock a bit…
A little after a particularly awkward tea party, two out of three of the guests of the event decided to partake in two of humanity’s oldest pass times: retail and tourism.
(Un)fortunately, Stone Claw City was large enough that the two parties didn’t end up crossing paths after such an affair.
This meant that we can hear how each of them processed the events independent of one another…as well as how they deal with a certain issue…
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Goldshire’s day out.
“W-what are you-?!”
“You wanted a practical demonstration, no?”
“Not on me!?”
Alicia replayed this particular scene from the tea party a couple times over in her head, because for all intents and purposes, this was arguably the most intimate thing she had witnessed in her life…that was outside of a trashy romance novel.
One of the unspoken downsides of attending a monogender elite private school: romance starvation.
“Miss Goldshire are you sure you want to purchase this piece?”
While there were some merits to strict discipline styles upbringing, not everyone can handle such environments and some people end up going a bit…stir crazy.
“Miss Goldshire?”
Some end up developing weird habits, other develop and get really into certain hobbies, develop secret relationships while others sought out illicit affairs that included but not exclusive to: other people’s boyfriends, staff of the academy and sometimes their friend’s family members.
“Miss Goldshire.”
Maybe that last part was a bit of a exaggeration on her part, but Alicia had the (un)fortunate circumstance of being associates with her academy’s most sociable butterfly…read: woman who has seduced practically everyone with a pulse and their significant other and/or mother. And evidently, that woman loved to share her stories with her.
“Miss Goldshire…”
Now it was one thing to the regaled with stories of intimate affairs, the kind that would make polite company blush like no tomorrow, but it was another thing altogether having bear witness to the prelude such activities and possibly be invited to partake while in front of someone you fantasize about on the-
“Miss Goldshire!”
“Huh?,” Alicia squeaked as her attention snapped back to the present.
Evidently, she forgot she was in the middle of checking out the wares of a local tailor’s booth, which was being helmed by an older woman who had this look on her face that suggested she knew exactly was going on in Alicia’s head.
“Miss Goldshire, you have been mindlessly staring at this silver silk scarf for the better of five minutes. You look positively burning red,” Matilda, her maid/bodyguard stated with a concerned tone, “are you quite alright? Do you need something cold to drink? Should we get out of the sun?”
“Ah, uh…no thank you, Matilda,” Alicia said with a quiet tone before moving to put the scarf down. However, she paused before realizing it would a bit of a faux pas to just not purchase something from a merchant who’s time she occupied for so long.
“How much is this scarf?”
“For a young thing in love like you? Only four copper stars.”
“Ah, a fair deal,” Alicia said as as she handed the coins over.
“Much obliged miss,” the seamstress said as she pocketed the coins, “you should also know that all my works come with a little charm embroidered on them. Something to bring you good luck.”
“Really?”
Alicia moved the scarf about until she saw the charm the tailor had mentioned.
“Huh. Looks a bit familiar…thank you.”
Alicia tucked the scarf away in her travel bag before moving on to see what the rest of Stone Claw had to offer.
However, just as Alicia turned and walked away from the booth, Matilda alerted to something that she has quietly hoped wouldn’t happen again.
“Miss Goldshire,” Matilda quietly whispered with an aether-laced voice, “I hate to alarm you, but it appears we have grown a small tail in blue.”
“What?”
Once she was alerted to the presence of a possible enemy, Alicia pulled out a small hand mirror she had received as a gift from the Zhen Clan, a tool perfect for any young woman of status, and used it to make it as if she was checking how her face looked.
In actuality, she used it to confirm the presence of a woman in blue immediately behind them. When Alicia and Matilda turned a corner to see if it was coincidence, their stalker turned as well.
It took a few more turns to confirm this woman’s I’ll intent, but when it was confirmed…Alicia started to form a plan.
‘Ya know…I am really sick of being in the receiving end of this shit…it’s time for some turnabout.’
Out of her line of sight and unnoticed by many, as Alicia’s temper flared, a small spark of flame formed around her hands.
“Matilda, turn here and we’ll get the jump on her.”
“Of course.”
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Bellona’s “bleating” heart.
‘Then all you have to do is just lean in real close and…’
‘Yeesh, no wonder Zhen Liu is such a bottom. If I had a girl like that in my life, I’d be “simping” as well…hmm, maybe I shouldn’t use that bit of slang,’Bellona thought to herself as she walked through the busy streets of Stone Claw.
Last time she was here, Zhen Liu had showed her around to the parts of the city that he would regularly haunt, as such, she found it prudent to walk those paths.
‘Let’s see…I do believe the mushroom park was this-?’
/You gotta be kidding me, by the scales! How could a son of the Zhen Clan fall for a girl like this?/
‘Oh? A stalker?,’ Bellona thought, amused.
One of the perks of being able to read minds is being able to find stalkers, spies and assassins way before they can carry out their clandestine assignments.
Using her “sixth sense”, Bellona deduced that the source came from a fellow dressed in green and brown.
She kept walking forward, pretending to be oblivious, but made sure to keep her “mental ear” close to this fellow, trying to figure out this man’s intent in the fullest.
/I get that these outcasts have probably lowered their standards after all this time, but seriously? A mammalian bloodliner? Bleh! I’d understand more if it was someone from the snake clan or the koi clan, but a sheep? The wool alone…ick!/
As soon as that little statement exited this man’s mind, Bellona went from “amused observer” mode to “I’m going to torture him” mode.
But for that…she needed to get the jump on him.
‘Huh…time to mimick an old creepy cockroach…,” Bellona thought to herself as she saw the entrance to a familiar tunnel.
‘Shall we play, little spy?’
