Chapter 3 : 4 Days To Capital

"My name, is Amali, means hope." she said with a casual bow, palm across her left chest and telltale signs of a genuine smile twitching at the corners of her lips.

[She must have needed company more than I thought huh.]

"Sorry for not reaching out earlier, mind if we catch up tomorrow?" I said but then my new found 6th sense flared, a strong 'scent' of what I couldn't identify earlier now felt like I was looking at the sun.

"…or I could move my tent next to yours! It's not that complicated." I added reflexively, […do I even remember how to build a tent in the first place? guess we'll find out.]

I was too focused on getting rid of the glare in my brain that I failed to notice the pleased yet subtle look on her face. The glaring scent wasn't completely gone but it was bearable. "Tomorrow is fine." she said and she genuinely meant it.

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Sleep wasn't easy to come by so I ended up fiddling with my new sense. If I had an analogy for it, it would be a rough equivalent of being blind from birth then suddenly being able to see.

[…at first, what I thought I was looking at were her 'emotions' but, that's not entirely true, after tinkering with it for a while, it's more accurate to say 'I can see what she wants me to know'. From how she felt to her true thoughts. Like how my body parts let me know how they feel. I don't need words to be expressed by them for me to truly understand what they want to communicate. This is why I could instantly learn the language she used. Communication with me started the moment I noticed her exhaustion. It's not an equivalent to mind-reading since she had to have been willing to let me in. That would explain why I felt it only from her; loneliness is like a beacon, sending a message to anyone that cared to listen.] comfortable with what I understood of my new sense, I drifted off to sleep. I had the last watch to sunrise so I expected to be woken up pretty early.

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"Ever wonder whether noisy mosquitos are mosquitos wallowing in poverty within mosquito society? The wealthy can afford stealth wings, reducing the probability of being killed and the poor have to risk it with their clunky wings." was the first thing Amali said getting out of her tent. I chuckled because it seemed she got used to people not being able to understand what she said and coped with it by sounding out her thoughts. It was hard harmonizing the aloof image she projected with the things she said to me.

"Good morning to you too, Amali." It was priceless watching her face steam. "Breakfast in 30 minutes." I laughed walking away, giving her room to clear her tent.

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After everyone was done packing up, the carriage set off on another day's worth of travel. I've never heard the driver speak to anyone before, I figured that's just how she was.

This was a cuboid passenger carriage with 5 seats along each of it's sides. Bitrus always sat at the front Right seat with Ola and Hadiza across from him. The seat next to him had always been mine, one empty seat from Ola to Hami on the left and two Empty seats from me to Amali on the right. Kito sat directly opposite from Amali. Today, I took the empty seat next to her.

Hadiza was still taking lessons from Bitrus and Ola, Hami gave me a thumbs up when Amali wasn't looking and Kito was still burried in his medical books. Opening my 6th sense to them, I noticed they all had lingering 'scents'. Some I could identify, other's were just as mysterious as Amali's. The brothers though had a slight variation of the same 'scent', like the same shade of colour.

"What's in the capital for you?" I prompted Amalia into conversing.

She leaned back, her head against the carriage wall. I said nothing, figured she needed time to collect her thoughts, "New beginnings. I'll get my books to people who'd appreciate them, larger population, more money. Buy a house on the noble's side of town… and travel to places beyond the Empire." she said after mulling it over.

"What kind of books do you write?"

"Novels. Romance, adventure… fantasy."

"Family?" the 'scent' from yesterday flared but I was ready for it this time. I projected my own desire to listen to interact with her 'scent'. The flare gradually lessened till it became a fade in the background.

"Gone…" she turned to me and gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "…I'll fill you in someday if we become good friends."

I projected my resolve to patiently wait, and then her smile reached her eyes.

"I don't remember why I'm heading to the capital but, I'll leave you a way to contact me. Let me know when your books are out." I said then projected Γ…and when you need a friend.˩ sentiment to her. Her lingering scent seemed to subtly morph into something warmer. I suddenly felt my mind flex then the feeling disappeared.

I listened to her talk about the stories she wrote and promised to share my ideas as soon as I got my memories back. She was all too happy to take the lead in the conversation since I said she might trigger my memories the more I listened. The 'projecting my intentions' ability also really helped in getting her to feel comfortable talking to me. She ran out of steam after a couple of hours so I let her take a nap and moved to talk with the brothers.

"She seems to have gotten better." Hami said. "Yeah, you were right. She needed the company." I said as I picked up a book Kito wasn't using.

"It's impressive how you can easily interact with people like that."

"I just know the languages you all speak." I absently responded, somewhat lost in kito's notebook. They were crude images of human anatomy but that's not why I lost myself. I could feel my memories stir. Flashes of all my interactions with biology quickly flipped through my mind like snapshots.

"…so that's how it is." I couldn't help but project a pungent scent of Γ Exhaustion ˩ , one that showed how deeply overwhelmed I felt. I was brought back to my senses by Hadiza's boisterous laughter. "Put the book down before you fry your brains again!" I dazedly looked around and saw Bitrus' pretending not to have noticed anything yet the scent about him was one of Γ Greatly Amused ˩ , Ola had sympathy in her eyes, I didn't even need to read her 'scent', I turned to Hami and projected my confusion to him. He composed himself from what I could tell were his best efforts not to laugh, "When you opened Kito's notes, you looked like someone that just aged 300 years in one go. I don't know how to explain it but that's the feeling I got." I put the book back and only got a grunt from Kito as acknowledgement.

It didn't take long for everyone to get back to what they were doing.

[My name, is Zeraki Asani…and I hated biology in high-school.]

"What's in the capital for you?" I asked Hami, pushing my thoughts on the memory fragment to the back of my mind, jumping to conclusions about my state would be counter-productive.

"Law enforcement exam for me, physician and apothecary society entrance exam for Kito. You?"

"I'll look for a library, see if they're hiring."

[Reading up on the Empire's history and related literature should help better understand what's going on.]

I observed his lingering scent and cautiously projected Γ Curiosity ˩ towards it. After a long pause, he pulled out a photograph and gave it to me.A girl, slightly older than Hadiza with an uncanny resemblance to Kito made it obvious she was family.

"Your sister?"

Kito tensed up like a startled cat. "Yeah… she went missing a couple months back. Chances are she's also in the capital."

He didn't go into the details so I chose to be content with him sharing this much already. I projected to them both my resolve to let them know if I ever got any information about her. Kito's 'scent' didn't so much as waver while Hami's got lighter but never truly disappeared like Amali's. My mind flexed, but it was so faint that I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't actively looking for it.

[…The flexing happens when I resolve the lingering 'scent' on them].

I got to understand Hami the more we talked. He wasn't as smart as his brother but he was observant. He also labored under the weight of responsibility with a smile on his face. If I didn't have the ability to read his 'scent', I would have easily believed he was an optimistic, happy-go-lucky kind of man looking forward to join the law enforcement and live happily ever after. But, I could tell, He worried for his sister's safety, his brother's education, his chances at actually passing the law enforcement exams amongst other things I couldn't identify.

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When evening approached, I went to learn how to set up a tent from Bitrus. As he built the first tent to demonstrate how the aggregate parts are assembled to form a stable housing, I got to ask about where he was from and what the capital had for him. Unlike everyone else who seemed to have nothing to go back to, Bitrus actually had a family he was leaving behind. A wife that was once part of the empire's military, a 12 year old daughter and a 16 old son. He was a black smith and a crafts man, heading to the city to work on the railway network the empire was establishing. His was the only lingering 'scent' I could resonate with. It was a faint Γ Homesick ˩ sentiment.

Taking advantage of the stretch of silence as he inspected the tent for any loose parts, I projected my own Γ Homesick ˩ sentiment to him and my mind flexed so strongly I got dizzy for a second.

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The tent building exercise left me both starved and exhausted. As I ate by the fire, I compartmentalized the information I got today and formulated a hypothesis about the workings of my 6th sense and the abilities associated with it.

[A strange connection forms whenever I attempt to resolve a lingering scent and they approve of the intentions. The connection can be broken but I still don't know how yet. Every connection formed, depending on how strong they are, appear as points of light in my mind. If I can relate to the sentiment's 'scent', an automatic strong connection forms between us. Lastly, Sentiments I've never been exposed to will appear strange to me.]

As I was lost in thought, Ola came and placed herself next to me. "I like you… your abilities are useful."

"And what abilities might those be?" I asked, intrigued by her bluntness.

"You're proficient in a myriad of languages and can get people to open up to you. You still don't have your memories yet, do you?"

"No, not yet." I could identify a person's projected 'scent' without looking at them. She had a blend of Γ Unsure ˩ and Γ Determined ˩.

[not sure if I'll be an investment that will pay off, yet determined to take the risk nonetheless. She must have been observing me ever since I spoke the Empire's language to have that much resolve.] I thought to myself.

"Stay with me. I'll give you a roof over your head and pay for your meals. Help me sign investors, close clients or negotiate investments and I'll start paying you a weekly salary and commission once we start making money."

[cunning woman] I could feel the scent of Γ Greed ˩ on her. This was not a favorable bargain but… she was right. I had no memories related to this empire, I didn't even know how their currency worked.

I looked at her and she met my gaze with a straight face. I couldn't help but marvel, she had an amazing poker face.

"Try again." I said, then projected my Γ Greed ˩. Glee filled her eyes once she received the sentiment.

"I've never met someone that craves wealth as much as I do. Yes, this is the bare minimum needed to thrive. A partnership then, 2%. I give you food and shelter till you get your memories back." The uncertainty from earlier was completely replaced by Γ Impatience ˩.

[She can't wait to get to the capital and start building her wealth.]

"50%" I met with an equally unfazed glare. She bit her lower lip and for a sec I thought I could feel her Γ Emotional Pain ˩ sentiment flare.

"5%" she finally spoke and from the look on her face you'd think I asked for her kidney alongside food and shelter instead of a fair bargain.

"40%" I would have taken the 5% had I not recovered a fragment of my memories.

She grabbed my collar and looked into my eyes; a serene air was about her. I projected Γ Reassurance ˩ and said "30% for the first 2 months. Don't renew the partnership agreement with me if what I can do falls short of your expectations."

The serene air still maintained as she let go of me. Fixed up my collar, stood up, then said "Acceptable. 30%, food and shelter, agreement to be renewed in 60 days after we get to the capital. I'll create the opportunities; you get them on board." And walked away.

Another strong flex within my brain then one more bright spot of light appeared. I washed my used utensils and went off to bed, determined to get Hadiza's light point added to my collection.