7 exploring town
Sophie could feel the warmth seeping through her eyelids. With a yawn, Sophie stretched her arms out from the blanket. Rubbing her eyes, she could see Lucy still softly snoring. [So..this really isn't a dream then!]. With a smile on her face, she stood up and peered outside the window, opening it up. Sophie could smell the fresh scent morning dew and the summer wind on her face. Stretching one last time, she gently woke up Lucy.
"Lucy, I'm gonna use the bathroom first."
Lucy replied with an incoherent noise. [She's still sleeping, lol]. Taking the new set of clothing, Sophie washed up, pretending like she was a beauty Youtuber and changed. Her new clothes were a two-piece set, a thin-sleeved top with a matching skirt in a punch-coloured plaid pattern. The skirt came down just below the knees and the clothes were a thin but soft material. [So cute, but too bad there's not a matching hat]. Sophie couldn't help but do a few poses in the mirror.
"Lucy, I'm finished!" Sophie called out.
Stepping out, Sophie saw Lucy groggily stand up. She laughed, and lied down on the bed, too lazy to make it. A while later, Lucy walked out wearing a two-piece set like Sophie as well, but instead of a skirt, it was a pair of orange plaid pants.
"We look so cute today!" Sophie said.
"We look like fruit, but yes very cute. I'm an orange and you're a watermelon."
"A pair of cute fruits! Okay, let's get our bags ready. I'll bring my silver coins. We'll eat breakfast and then head off!" Sophie grinned.
"Sounds like a plan."
The pair of them jotted a few things down on a ripped piece of paper to remind themselves of what to buy. [A watch, a shopping bag to carry, a house, clothes, let's start there]. Packing their bags, they locked the door and headed downstairs.
*
"Morning, girls! How was your night?" Alise greeted them.
"Good morning, Alise!" The two girls greeted back.
"We had a good night's rest," Sophie said.
"That's good to hear! Breakfast is being served, so eat up, hun."
Sophie and Lucy gave thanks and sat in the same spot they had dinner last night. However, unlike dinner, the waiter was Kaine.
"Morning, beautiful. What would you like today?"
The girls internally cringed.
"We'll just have whatever the usual is, Kaine." Sophie politely replied.
"Sure, anything for you two lovely girls. That'll be two breakfast sets which has eggs, bread, pork sausages and fresh tomatoes. Any drinks?"
"Just water please," Sophie said.
"Orange juice." Lucy curtly replied.
"Sure, coming right up!"
Kaine arrived shortly after, with two steaming plates of breakfast and drinks. The two plates looked ravishing, with the smell of freshly toasted bread and butter, two boiled eggs, hot sausage and plump, juicy tomatoes. Sophie and Lucy quickly gobbled it down. As the girls were finishing up, Kaine came over.
"So...what are you, two ladies, up to today?" He purred.
"Hmm, oh. We'll just be exploring the town, nothing special. We also need to get a few things." Sophie said, careful not to reveal too much. [Even though he's the Guild Master, he's still kinda creepy].
"If you want, I can always show you around...?"
"No, thank you." Lucy flatly said.
"You hurt me, beautiful." Kaine acted as if he had a broken heart. "But if there's anything you need help with, I'm here for you."
"Actually, Kaine, there is something..." Sophie started.
Kaine's eyes shone brightly.
"I was wondering if we decided to buy a house, where would we go?"
"You're thinking of staying? I knew you'd stay. I'm too handsome to resist." Kaine proudly exclaimed, giving a smirk. Before he could say anything else, a hand whacked him at the back of his head.
"Excuse him, girls. I don't know where he gets his confidence from." Alise said, shaking her head. Kaine pouted, rubbing his sore head a few times.
"Ummm...so, so where would we go first?"
"Ouch, you'll need to go to the town hall. The town hall deals with all sorts of administration and land deals. Darling, why would you do that, I thought you loved me?"
"I told you not to call me darling. Plus you deserved it." Alise looked flustered.
"Well, thank you so much, Alise...Kaine." Sophie said.
After some more chatter, with Kaine getting scolded by Alise, the two girls left the Guild and headed off to explore Fairy Meadow.
*
Outside, the sun was shining bright and the sky was blue. There was some slight wind, but nothing too serious, and perfect for the day. Linking arms with Lucy, Sophie took in the sights of Fairy Meadow. The many houses and buildings looked like it belonged to an old European town. [It feels like I'm in Howl's Moving Castle]. The buildings donned numerous colours from blue to pink to yellow. People were bustling about to their day-to-day life, with many shopping, working and chatting. The atmosphere was friendly and warm. [So many buildings and shops! This is too exciting!].
"A watch first, remember?" Lucy said.
Sophie quickly spotted a clock store.
"There it is, let's go!" Sophie excitedly said.
Sophie gently opened the door, a small bell ringing as they stepped inside the small shop. Inside were different clocks of all sizes, from big to small, large wall clocks to wristwatches. At the counter, there was an old man with glasses working on a small clock.
"Welcome to my shop. Is there anything I can help you with, today?" The old man kindly said.
"No, it's fine. We know what we're getting." Lucy replied.
The old man went back to fixing the clock.
"Do you want a watch or something else?" Sophie asked.
"Not sure...probably a watch."
They looked at the watch section. There were several watches, some with leather bands, others with silver or gold. In the end, Lucy chose a small square-faced watch with a gold frame and brown leather band. Sophie decided to get one also, in the form of a small, round gold watch necklace that could serve as a pocket watch.
"That'll be 18 bronze please."
"Umm...I don't have any bronze, but I hope this is enough." Sophie said, handing over a silver coin.
The old man looked up, staring at their faces for a while. [This is sooo awkward].
"You two must be new to Fairy Meadow. Do you know how the currency works?" The old man curiously asked.
"Umm, yes we are. And no, we're a bit unsure how it works." Sophie sheepishly replied. [Shit, I should've asked Alise before coming outside].
"At Fairy Meadow and most towns, we have four types of coins. Gold, silver, bronze and copper. 5 coppers are equivalent to 1 bronze. 20 bronze to 1 silver. 50 silver to 1 gold. Most people use the first three as gold is often rare. You must have come from a distant land." The old man said.
"Yes, we have," Lucy answered.
The old man gave 2 bronze coins as change.
"No, Sir, keep the change. Thank you for teaching us." Sophie said.
Thanking the kind old man again, the two girls left the shop with their new watches. Wandering through the town, Sophie searched for a clothing store. They needed more clothes or enough to at least last a week. Finding a small boutique near a laneway, the girls entered. The mannequins had cute cottage-core clothes but also more formal wear. [This is perfect, all the clothes are so cute!]. Choosing two more sets, Sophie chose two dresses, one in ivory and another in baby blue, with frilly laces and soft layers. Lucy, on the other hand, chose a set of brown checkered pants and beige shorts with white collared shirts. Handing the cashier money, Sophie's stomach slightly rumbled. [It's only been a bit, and I'm so hungry].
Feeling fatigued and hunger creep in, they stopped at a small cafe near the clothing boutique. Sophie was attracted to its mysterious exterior and name "Vox Tea Room" and was fascinated even more in its interior. Inside, it looked like a traditional Japanese cross Chinese interior, with wooden floors and furniture. Paper lanterns lined the walls and ceilings, with colourful china vases. The smell of tea leaves permeated the space and there was a black cat sleeping soundly on top of a mat. Outside the window, Sophie could see a traditional Japanese tower, with a red bridge and a small lake. She could even see the colourful koi fish swimming in the lake from the window. What was strange was the window that Sophie saw from the outside was not the view she saw from the window but instead that. [Was it magic? Anyways, it still cool].
As Sophie was about to ask for someone, a figure appeared near them.
"Hello young ones, welcome to my humble tea room. My name is Vox. What would you like today?"
