12: Don't Mind Me

It was a few days after our little discussion with my mom. Now, standing in front of one of the few actual mirrors in the church Bea was combing my hair. It felt slightly insulting having to sit in her lap but whatever, I'm a child. So she sat there humming a kids lullaby that almost lulled me to sleep. However, I was still a little annoyed about not being able to hasten my progress with the system.

Yesterday mom took Mari and Finn to the first floor of the dungeon. Not only that, she had them fight a goblin! They were bragging all day about it. If only I could have gone! Plus, for someone who always talks about safety, such an excursion is quite the dangerous thing to do when Evilus is still running around. Though, it's not like they are going to randomly attack adventurers on the first floor. It was too close to the guild. Any guardsmen could easily just walk down. Plus, a level two on the first floor, no way are they in any actual danger. 

'That makes me wonder how the dungeon scales things... WHY scale things in the first place? If the dungeon is just trying to kill everyone, including the gods, just do it. I remember hearing that there is an agreement between the dungeon and the gods but is that even part of it?'

As I went down my little rabbit hole though, Bea finished up combing my hair.

"Look at you! Oh, my, gods you are so cute ori!"

Dressed in a little nicer clothes than normal I couldn't help but agree. My black and almost fluffy hair was combed back opening my face. And my soft purple eyes were surrounded by slight bags. Honestly, if you aged me up a bit I would look like a disgruntled office worker. At this age though with my puffy cheeks, it worked.

Dropping me to the ground Bea led me to the front of the church and sat me next to Natalie as we waited for mom to get ready. Apparently, I was joining them on their normal grocery run. She was dressed in her normal nun habit and had short black hair poking out from underneath. Although this shifty nun still can't look me in the eyes. I have let up on my suspicions over the years but I still can't help but worry that she knows something.

Preparing my kid's voice, which isn't hard since I'm a kid, I spoke in a slightly chipper tone. "Hello, Nat!"

Her face twisted in a slightly anxious smile as she answered me. It seemed genuine enough but I still don't understand why she is like this.

"Ah-uh. Hello little Ori. Are you excited to see the big city today?"

"Yup! I haven't actually seen the city yet. Daedalus Street is interesting but it's not like I can explore it."

"Yeah... It is a little too dangerous. Even with the church's relative immunity as a neutral zone we still get harrassed by gangs. I don't know if you remember but we were attacked when you were little."

'Uh, I don't know if I should fain surprise here. I was like 2 months old when that happened...'

"OH, really! Was anyone hurt?"

"Yes, although it wasn't anything our Verda couldn't fix!"

Before she could say anything else I saw mom approaching. Both us stood up when she arrived at the pew we sat on.

"Okay! Are you guys ready?"

At the question, Natalie checked all of her pockets. Not wanting to come back again. Thankfully she had been better about those things, only forgetting 50 percent of the time, while I checked for the knife hidden under my clothes.

" "Yes mam!" "

 Chuckling slightly at the means of address mom waved forward, "Then let's go."

...

 The walk out of Daedalus Street was fine if a little tense. The general filth hadn't changed since the last time I walked the streets. And, while a few people looked our way a little longer than necessary, they quickly turned when mom began to unsheathe her sword. Both Natalie and I tried to keep our faces covered with a hood or in her case her habit but otherwise kept our eyes forward. People had less of a chance of messing with you when it looked like you had somewhere to be. Mom was a better lookout than either of us anyway.

The transition from Daedalus Street to East Main Street felt like stepping out of a melancholic dream into a vibrant reality. The buildings seemed to stand taller, their colors more vivid against the backdrop of the azure sky. The hustle and bustle of the city roared into my ears, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers. It was as though we had entered a different dimension altogether, one filled with promise and possibility. As we continued down East Main Street, I couldn't help but smile, grateful for the unexpected beauty that spread in front of me.

More importantly, was the black obelisk that lay in the center of the city and the hundreds of people making their way to and from it. Even with the rampant Evillus attacks, it seemed as though the city had yet to give up. Even with a sense of tension permeating throughout the crowd, people seemed genuinely happy. However, our hooded figures and lower-quality clothes had us stand out a bit.

"Isn't it beautiful Ori?"

Lea looked down at me with a smile adorning her face. The sunlight framed her face, and I couldn't help but agree. Even Natalie began smiling at the sight. However, it was cut short as mom brought out a list from her robes.

"Now let's get going. Ori, hold Natalie's hand and help her watch out for pickpockets. Leave the negotiating to me."

And, that was what I did. We walked from stand to stand as mom quickly and efficiently pathed through the crowd. Even though we had many hours before nightfall you never know when something may start. As well it seemed any worries about discrimination or suspicion were unfounded. Mom knew every stand or merchant by name and had a long-standing history with them.

'Are they truly honest though? If anyone lets slip that mom is or was part of the Zeus familia we would get attacked immediately.'

After the first few stands, however, I focused on my mission. Steal-Stocking up in case of emergencies. I had already tested whether things would spoil before and knew that in most cases food and weapons would be best to steal. Food for obvious reasons and weapons because anything of actual value could raise eyebrows. But weapons, I could just say I looted them off of someone. Especially things like kitchen knives or rusted swords and the such. Obviously, no one in the open market was selling good-quality weapons this close to Daedalus Street.

"25 valis for a pound of potatoes is a rip-off. I know for a fact that it was 15 valis just a few days ago!"

"W-well miss you see-"

As mom squabbled with the vendor I sneakily reached my hand forward. I even made sure it was slightly covered by my robe and that my body obstructed Natalie's view. Not that she would see me anyway, she was checking her pockets every 5 seconds. This, however, seemed to be my only weakness with the inventory. I had to touch the fruit in order for my inventory to react... I was to short to do it without making it obvious even with my preparations... So, I settled for plan B.

"Natalie! Doesn't this fruit look good!"

In my hands, I grabbed at least 3 or 4 and brought them up to her face. She was slightly taken aback at my actions, as well as the fact that I nearly hit her in the face, and almost stumbled back.

"Y-yes. Although... you really should put them down. The Mr. running the stand may get angry."

"AH! okee."

Putting on a focused face I gently put down the fruits one by one. Each time I let my hand slide a bit and inventory a fruit just behind the one I put down. No one was the wiser and honestly plan B was technically better because of this. Just, it would be weird if I did it too many times. Eventually, mom or Natalie would get suspicious even if they wouldn't be able to find proof that I did anything.

So, after an hour or two of wandering between stalls, I had filled nearly all of my slots with random fruits, cured meats, a rusty sword that was way too big for me, a couple of throwing knives, and normal knives to replace my shanks. More surprisingly I was also able to snag some basic medical supplies like bandages from a general merchant.