5: Carewin (II)

Ilo slipped a note under Eren's door, telling her that she was leaving the hotel, and took an empty bag to carry with her. She decided to take this opportunity to explore Carewin. 

Ilo had been to Carewin before, but only on official business. Her time had been spent waiting in the carriage or in the stables, having to listen to the sounds of the busy town without a way to join them. 

Carewin was less strict about their "hair rules". While you still only had long hair if you were a warrior or a criminal, the common people weren't expected to shave their heads. They still kept their hair short, though, and hair on the longer side was covered with a loose headscarf or tied up.

Ilo walked through the busy streets, looking at each stand. 

"Pretty lady!" Someone called. Ilo looked up, to see that a vendor was speaking to her from a few stalls down. She must have noticed Ilo wandering aimlessly. 

"Are you looking to buy something in particular?" The vendor asked. 

"No, I'm just looking," Ilo replied with a smile. 

"Well, why don't you get a headscarf? I could find you one that would suit your face perfectly."

The vendor's stand was covered in headscarves. Ilo didn't need one, but she came over anyway. Each one was made exquisitely with handstitched embroidery. 

"What do you think would look the best on me?" Ilo asked. 

"Hm," the vendor looked at her for a minute. Then, she pulled out a scarf from the pile. It was slightly translucent, and made of gold thread that sparkled in the sun. A brighter thread embroidered flowers around the hems of the scarf, "This one. It's the same color as your eyes."

"It's very beautiful," Ilo said, "How do I wear it?"

"Here, like this..." The vender stepped out from behind the stand, and showed Ilo how to wear the headscarf, "You should pin this part with a clip, but I don't sell those here. There's plenty of stands to buy them at, though."

"Thank you," Ilo admired herself in the mirror attached to the stand. The gold did look good on her, "How much is it?"

"Fifteen silvers."

"Fifteen?" Ilo quickly drew the scarf off her head and held it aloft as if it would explode, "Isn't this handmade? I can't take this for fifteen silvers - it should be at least thirty!"

"No, no," the vendor didn't take the scarf, "Don't worry - this didn't take me long to make."

"How could this have not taken long to make? I really can't take this for only fifteen silvers."

"Look, watch," the vendor held up a hand, and something floated out from behind the stand - a piece of light cloth. As Ilo watched, a needle floated up next, and then dove at the cloth. Although Ilo didn't see any thread, when the needle retreated, a beautiful pattern had been embroidered around the edge of the cloth. 

"Oh," Ilo said, "It's your Ability."

"Yeah," the vendor looked sheepish as she lowered the cloth, "It's only with embroidery, though. If I tried to use the needle for something else - "

She held out her hand again. The needle floated up once more, and the vendor closed her fist. It turned towards the direction of Ilo, and then shot forward an inch, before dropping straight onto the table. 

" - it doesn't work. Since you saw how quickly I can make these, please take the scarf."

Ilo couldn't argue anymore, and payed the money. She carefully folded the headscarf and put it in her bag. 

She walked down the streets for a while. So she didn't get roped into buying something else, she walked on the road itself, occasionally stepping to the side to let a horse through. 

The sun had risen in the sky, and Ilo was starting to get hungry. It wasn't exactly lunchtime yet, but after riding all night with little sleep, her usual breakfast wasn't enough to get her through the day.

The savory smell of food in the air seemed even more enticing to Ilo. She went over to the food stalls, and looked at all of the food. 

Fruits and vegetables, baked foods and cooked foods, meat and even fish... the stalls of Carewin had everything. Candies waited in simmering pots of chocolate and chicken roasted on sticks over fire, the vendor rotating them slowly. 

Ilo stopped at one of the stalls. The stall boasted a variety of pastries, filled with colorful jams covered in flakey bread. Ilo's eye caught on a small apple pie: the smell of it made her mouth water. 

"Twelve silvers for one pie, eighteen for two!" The vendor said, noticing Ilo's eye. She pulled out her money pouch. 

"I'll have - " Ilo's words faltered as she saw the money in her pouch. She wasn't carrying all the money she had, and left most locked safely in her luggage. In her pouch, she had only sixteen silvers. She could have bought just one pie, but Eren's face flashed through her eyes, as well as the lunch they were supposed to have together. How was she supposed to buy just one pie? Right as she was about to refuse, a voice came from behind her. 

"Two pies, please."

Ilo turned to see Eren standing behind her, handing the money to the vendor. 

"When did you come?" Ilo asked. Eren handed her one of the pies, and then thanked the vendor.  

"I came when I read the letter."

She wanted to ask more questions, but as soon as Eren handed her the pie, her head emptied. Ilo took the pie gratefully and bit into it. The smell of apple preserves that had been trapped inside the baked exterior rushed out, hitting her full-force. 

The two started to walk again. Ilo the entire pie in a few minutes, but when she looked over, Eren was still nibbling on the first quarter of hers. 

Eren paused at a stall, and then turned to her, "Wait for me over there. I'll only be a moment."

"Alright," Ilo waited while Eren bought something at the stall. 

"What did you get?" She asked when Eren came over. 

"Can I see the headscarf you bought?" 

Ilo started to take out the scarf, and then paused, "How do you know I bought a headscarf?"

"I was following you," Eren said shamelessly. 

"You were following me?" Ilo took out the scarf and unwrapped it, and then held it out to Eren, "Aren't you a general? Don't you know that you shouldn't follow people without their knowledge?"

Instead of replying, Eren picked the scarf out of Ilo's hand, and started to carefully put it over her head. 

Ilo wasn't expecting that, and her breath caught. Eren worked delicately and expertly, like she had done this a million times. Her hands pinched the fabric under Ilo's chin to hold it there, and then with her other hand, she fished what she had bought out of her pocket - a polished, wooden clip. The clip had two round spheres on the ends, painted in red. Eren carefully slid the clip into place, fastening the scarf to Ilo's head. She then retrieved her hand and took a step backwards. 

Ilo found her voice after a moment of silence, "...Thanks."

"I was going to wait until after we ate lunch," Eren said, "But now that we're here, let's go put our name on the Mapkeeper's list."

"Yes."

Eren walked off quickly, and Ilo stood there for a minute before coming to her senses and running to catch up. 

Eren took her down a series of roads, past houses and shops. They didn't talk until they reached a house in the middle of the road. 

It was a one-story wooden house, with a small road leading up to it and a wood fence separating it from other houses. It had no unique features on it other than the sign above the door that just said "Cartographer".

Despite the look of the building, a long line of people waited outside, that Eren and Ilo joined the end of it. The doors of the building were firmly closed, and attendees were walking down the line holding books. 

"Name and reason for visiting, please," one said in a flat voice, "The wait is two days. No, I'm afraid - spelled with an 'e', right? - that I can't get you in earlier. You'll either have to wait or find someone else."

"Looking for a missing person? Do you have any reason to believe that they may be in danger? Not specifically, they've just run away... three days, then. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a grown women."

"I'm sorry, it's the Maker's policy not to handle these types of affairs... if you want to find your ex-wife, try a private detective."

An attendee came up to Eren, "Name and reason for visiting?"

"Eren Yinmar. Looking for a missing person."

"Do you have any reason to believe - " The attendee's head shot up, her monotone voice rising with it, "Eren Yinmar?"

Eren's name preceded her, both as the daughter of Anwen Yinmar and as a decorated general. If she was looking for someone and needed to come to the Mapmaker to do so, it must have been something important. 

"Do... do you have any reason to believe that the person you're looking for may be in danger?"

"I know for sure that they are. How quickly can I see him?"

The attendee swallowed and looked down at her book, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait two days."

"And I can't come any earlier than that?"

"You have to understand," The attendee sounded like she was pleading, "He's very strict about this kind of thing, and doesn't care who the client is. I can't - "

"I understand," Eren interrupted, "Put down my name. I'll be back in two days. What time?"

"You can come in the morning."

"I'll be there. Come on."

These last two words were directed at Ilo, who followed her out of the line. Eren had an unreadable expression on her face as they walked back towards the direction of the hotel. 

"Are you okay?" Ilo asked. 

Eren shook her head, "I just... I'm worried."

"Of course you're worried," Ilo said. She was never good at comforting people, so the words came out awkwardly, "But... His Highness is strong. I think that, as long as he wants to, he'll survive."

Eren said nothing for a moment, but she didn't seem comforted. Ilo remembered her words from four days ago: I've watched the top soldiers in the Army, the best I've ever seen, killed by him. 

No doubt, she was remembering that now. How could Miciah still be alive? And if he was alive, he surely couldn't be happy right now. Who knew what Icarus Kaelen was doing to him. 

At last, Eren sighed, "I hope you're right."