14 Stanint III

Calluna had become accustomed to the sound of hooves, and she even started to find it somewhat therapeutic to listen to after their days of travel. So, having grown used to the sound, she found herself struggling to stay awake in the comfortable warmth of the military chief's embrace. It was in order to avoid falling asleep that she decided to strike up conversation.

"So where are we going?" She asked quietly.

"A nice pub that I've visited a couple times when I was patrolling trade cities," he explained. "It's always got people but is never too busy, and the food and drink are to die for. I'm sure you'll like it as long as you don't recover from your amnesia while we're there."

Calluna chuckled softly. She had spent a lot of her time in her home world drinking nights away both at clubs and at home with friends, so the idea of going out was fun and familiar. It was difficult for her to keep in mind she was only a young woman in this world, and the previous owner of the body hadn't done anything very exciting from what she could tell. The prince thought that Vincenzo's consideration for the girl's dislike of alcohol was sweet, though, so she didn't mind his caution.

"V?" She called softly without thinking. When he made a sound of acknowledgement, she continued, "You smell nice. Do you always wear this cologne or is it just the first time I'm close enough to smell it?"

"I only wear it on special occasions, my father owns the company that produces it and he sends me a bottle on my birthday," Vincenzo explained.

"What company would that be?"

"The company is called 'Auriveri', which is my surname. The name of the scent is Killian Dusk."

"Auriveri sounds very pleasant. I'm glad I've learned my husband's last name," Calluna said with a soft laugh.

Their conversation was pleasant and easy-going, making for a very quick trip. The Shen Estate was on the outskirts of Stanint, so the path they traveled was a quiet one.

As they rode Mura into the part of Stanint that housed the bar they were, the sounds of chatter and music as well as the smell of alcohol flooded their senses. Calluna sat up straight for the first time since mounting the horse, searching their surroundings from beneath her hood. She couldn't help but smile excitedly as her eye took in the various people stumbling about and wandering the street. It seemed that no matter the universe, the partiers would always look the same.

"That's it," Vincenzo whispered into her ear, lifting a hand to point out a smaller building with a small shaded patio.

There was a scent wafting from its open doors that immediately caught Calluna's attention; a sweet and spicy cinnamon mixed with warm vanilla. "V, what's that smell! I want some of whatever it is."

Calluna could feel his chest vibrate against her back as he laughed. "They're famous for their cinnamon rolls."

Vincenzo steered Mura to a post behind the eatery, where he carefully dismounted and held his arms out to assist Calluna. She took his help gratefully and landed painless on the ground with his help, then turned to look at the horse. The prince reached into the same bag as earlier and held out a handful of oats to Mura and smiled nervously.

"Please stay, I doubt it'll be too long."

「I guess I'll stay.」

The response was a little snarky, as Calluna had discovered was typical of the stallion. She giggled and took Vincenozo's hand once more, then looked up at him to signal she was ready for him to lead the way.

He gently tugged her through the busy entrance where there were plenty of people coming and going. Once they stepped past the threshold into the bar the dim yellow lighting made Calluna's eye adjust, and the plethora of both delicious and odd smells wafted into her nose. Her tall tan companion continued to walk toward the bar, his long brown hair spilling over his shoulders and back.

"Oh! You're wearing your hair down," Calluna noted.

He chuckled, "Yeah, I prefer it this way. I only put it up for work."

"Well, you look great. Feel free to wear it like this whenever you want," she stated with a smirk.

"Oh, Captain Auriveri!" An older man called from behind the tall bar.

"Hey, Charlie," Vincenzo greeted with a two-fingered wave.

"Who's this young lady you brought with ya tonight?" Charlie asked, reaching up to stroke his graying beard.

"This is my wife, Soleil," he replied, lifting her up slightly to seat her on a barstool, "I've finally got some time to bring her here."

"You didn't tell me you were married, Captain!"

"We've only been married six months," Calluna chimed.

"Is that so?"

"Yep, and guess what?" Vincenzo probed.

"What?"

"We're pregnant, Charlie!" He finished, turning to look at Calluna affectionately. "We are so excited."

"Oh, my! Congratulations, then. I'll give you both free drinks tonight! Non-alcoholic for the lady, of course."

The prince nodded at the man and smiled. They had worked out a plan that Vincenzo would sneak her a couple drinks while they were there, and they'd take some back to the estate with them to finish with Guinevere.

"Charlie? She smelled your cinnamon rolls from outside and is dying to try one. Could you please?" Vincenzo asked, leaning his elbow onto the wooden surface and grinning. He dropped a couple of coins down onto the bartop as he did; and although Calluna was still unfamiliar with the currency, she knew that it was more than necessary for a cinnamon roll.

Charlie looked torn about accepting the money, but ended up taking it with a soft expression. He then walked stiffly into the cooking area, and the sounds of busy cooks could be heard from the doorway.

After a couple of moments, Charlie returned with two drinks in one hand and a large round plate in the other. When he placed it down in front of her, she nearly gasped. It was the biggest cinnamon roll she had ever seen in her life, and after not having eaten much for the last several days… nothing seemed better.

"Thank you so, so much!" She exclaimed, immediately digging into the warm bread.

Vincenzo watched with a bemused expression as she took each bite and savored it, very obviously thrilled with the cinnamon roll's quality. He took sips of his bitter alcohol and shared some with her when no one was looking, both of them having a good time. Throughout the bar were tons of laughs being shared and smiles being had, building up a very exciting and pleasant atmosphere.

It was the start to a very happy evening, and certainly was a well deserved rest for both the crown prince and her military chief.

Far sooner than she would have liked, Calluna felt her head begin to get light, and a very familiar warmth starting to rise to her cheeks. When it was obvious that she was buzzed, she decided to stop drinking alcohol – at least until they got back to the estate.

Though fun had been one of her motives for going out, she had actually wanted to eavesdrop and hear about the state of the town from its people rather than reading about it from some book – and where better to do that than at a bar?

"Lisssten to everyone with me," she leaned against Vincenzo's shoulder as an excuse to mutter into his ear, "I want to know what the town is really like."

His response was a simple nod, and the two fell into comfortable silence as they listened to the inebriated townsfolk. She slowly ate away at the sweet dessert, offering Vincenzo a bite every now and then to ease the strain on her tired belly. He would take the bite willingly and wink each time, and continued to drink several more glasses of frothy beer even after Calluna had called it quits.

The two stayed like that for a couple hours, occasionally chatting with one another and exchanging friendly banter. They both stayed alert and listened to those around them, but after the evening was over Calluna had come to the conclusion:

Stanint was just an average town. It wasn't one that she needed to fuss over – but she'd still keep an eye on it to ensure that no further classism or poor distribution of wealth would damage its economy or hurt Killia in any way.

Vincenzo grabbed several extra flasks from Charlie and tipped him several more coins, and then the dynamic pair were off once again. Mura had waited patiently – or as patiently as he could, rather – for their return, and happily took Calluna's oat bribes each time she offered.

They headed back in the direction of the Shen Estate to finish up their drinks with Guin, a comfortable and warm silence lying over them like a blanket.

She definitely felt that her plan to relax was successful, if nothing else.