Preparation

Having a second mind of sorts in his head was a crazy feeling to Arcturus. It was as if he was in possession of two consciousnesses–one his own that he had control of and the other belonging to another that he had no control over. He developed a newfound respect for Nova who dealt with this for centuries. It was definitely not an easy task to handle for Souhait could listen to all of his thoughts and even comment on them when necessary.

Right now, Arcturus was asking Souhait his opinion on two coats he thought about wearing; because they were going outside, Arcturus needed a change of clothes. Currently, he was wearing Murphy's old black turtleneck shirt and black pants; it didn't feel too different from the outfit he had worn before, but the texture was a tad different. The only major change in his attire was the lack of boots. He exchanged his long, worn out boots with more comfortable leather shoes.

Souhait, tell me. Is the green one better or the blue one?

Go with blue. That shade of green is ugly.

He put on the blue coat and went to the bathroom to see how it looked on him. He wasn't an expert in fashion as his own casual clothes back home were mainly black clothing. Perhaps, he wasn't sure how to style himself due to his worries about how bright his hair was. Despite that, he did like what he saw in the mirror.

Souhait chuckled in response. Look at you being so dapper.

I never thought about fashion too much. I don't really know much about color coordination because my scarlet hair is really hard to match anything but black.

Well, you are lucky you have me. I quite like fashion myself, but Nova could care less about it. He wears frumpy clothing and calls it a day; just look at the clothes he wore when you met him. He just grabbed that from the closet back in that manor and just went with it for the past twenty years. No matter how much I nag at him to wear nicer clothes because of how pretty he is, he just ignores me and calls me a nagging mother hen. The nerve of him!

One fact he learned about Souhait was that he was very talkative. It was like having a long video playing in the background while he was doing a school assignment. He felt another newfound respect for Nova for dealing with this for five centuries. When Arcturus left the bathroom, Murphy complimented his attire. Getting praise from Murphy felt different from Souhait. He wasn't sure why.

"Speaking of which, if I were to roam around the streets and people ask me about my identity, what should I do?"

"Since you got that yellow earring, people might think you're a Shiftie. The people in the Outskirts are used to Constance's presence, so I'm sure they'll think you're similar to her. Besides, everyone here is an ally; we all have a disdain for the city beyond the walls. Nobody will be nosy enough to prod into another's business."

Hearing Murphy say that felt reassuring. Arcturus felt as if he could trust him and his every word. There was a rather dependable aura Murphy radiated that helped him feel relaxed. Is this what having a father feels like?

I recall your father left your family thirteen years ago. Maybe you are just latching onto a part of something you lacked in your childhood?

The warm feeling he felt instantly dissipated. He now knew Souhait could also ruin sentimental moods. Please let me have some private thoughts.

Too bad. You are going to have to deal with the lack of privacy for a while.

"Are you okay?" Murphy asked.

"I'm fine…hopefully." Arcturus whispered that word so that Murphy couldn't hear it clearly.

"Since you're all dressed up now, let me get prepared and we'll head out. I'm sure you're itching to leave the apartment for once!" Murphy headed to the bathroom.

As he was waiting, Arcturus decided to think about what he needed when out on the streets. He needed to get his bangle fixed and buy a new journal.

Do we need anything else?

We need some extra clothes. Extra food. Toiletries…

You're listing out things like we're not going to stay here for long.

We are not staying here for long, obviously. We have a destination.

That's true. We need to find a way to leave this place and reach Bellatrix Leonis. Who knows what could happen if we stay for too long.

Indeed.

Though, obtaining all of them might be a bit difficult as we don't have money.

Ask Murphy to buy them for you.

It feels like I'm imposing…

Murphy exited the bathroom and then headed into his bedroom to get changed. Arcturus could hear muffled talking behind the doors, which was most likely Murphy telling Sophia he was heading out. He came out dressed in an outfit befitting the winter season with a puffy coat, thick scarf and a hat with ear flaps. He completed his attire with puffy mittens. Arcturus could tell he looked rather warm and comfortable wearing that.

"Shall we head out now?"

"Sure."

As they headed towards the front door, Murphy quickly informed Arcturus about something he had forgotten to tell him about.

"Do you have any sort of rare items or just anything you're not keeping permanently?"

"I don't have rare items, but I do have several things in my satchel that I'm not sure if I need anymore. Why do you ask?"

"Instead of currency, we trade items to purchase something. If there is something you are interested in buying, you trade something that you believe is worth the amount. If the merchant agrees, you get the item."

"Interesting. I'd love to see how this exchange system works."

"Once we're out on the streets, I'll show you."

With that said, they both left the apartment.