The clang of buoy bells resounded across the tranquil sea. Pale white birds soared above both sea and land, their silhouetted shapes casting deep shadows on those below. Splintered wood elevated long slips that outreached from the main portion of the dock. There, a small schooner had just arrived. Two people deboarded the ship, blending into the diverse crowd.
"What do you think about being back home?"
"Uneasy."
"I thought so."
Valerie and Quies navigated through the crowd of busy men and women. From the outside, the movement of bodies looked rather chaotic. However, an organized flow could be discerned. There were two directions one could go. Towards the dock, or away from it. Valerie and Quies joined in on a group of adret workers heading back up to Etris. The day was just about to transition from late morning to early noon. The two overheard the conversation the adrets were having.
"Ya know It'll be 'round noon once we get back up there?"
"I know, I can't wait for lunch. I asked the missus to make something different for today. I'm gettin' tired of mushroom omelettes."
"Don't be too harsh on her now."
There was a range of age within the group of adrets. They wore slightly green tinted overalls which would've looked gray under less light and a collared shirt underneath. Some wore hats, some didn't. All in all, they looked like a cohesive bunch.
They idly made their way into the tunnel, passing under the shadow of large swaths of green leaves. Sunlight shone through the small gaps. As they entered the tunnel, the group of adrets up ahead lowered their voices, since the walls bounced back a lot of sound. The steps of hundreds of people moving resounded throughout the tunnel, merging into one.
"We're going to shop for clothes first because, one, you look poor. Two, I look too rich."
"How ironic."
Quies was walking beside Valerie, albeit trailing behind just a slight bit. Her thick matte coat sometimes brushed up against him as it caught the air. He noticed that, among the people heading towards the harbor, some gave lingering glances at Valerie. Their eyes widened at the sight of her, some out of reverence, some out of awe.
"You do look a little too regal. That attire would grab the attention of anyone. Actually, maybe it's not just the attire…"
Valerie shot a piercing glare at Quies. He awkwardly looked away, avoiding the suffocating pressure it put on him. However, it felt lighter this time.
"And that's exactly what I don't want. If you don't know already, news spreads fast. Don't want-"
Valerie quickly glanced around.
"Ahem… his subordinates to know that a former black diver is visiting Etris out of the blue."
"Makes sense."
They continued walking. The conversation up front seemed to have died down a bit, with some people making occasional remarks in the group.
"How did you get so many notes in the first place?"
"Hmm? Well, mostly from my work as a Diver."
Through all this time he had spent with Valerie, he hadn't got a single clue how she was so rich, and what exactly a 'Diver' was.
"What's a diver?"
"Ah, that's right, you wouldn't have known. It's a faction that operates mainly in the depths and conducts explorations and other projects. I come from a lineage of black divers, so I was expected to continue the legacy. Not that I wanted to, but I had no choice…"
"Anyways I did some training, learned the depths and its dwellers, watched people get killed, watch more people get killed, almost died, almost went completely insane, and eventually became a black diver! It's quite simple really. They send you out to do high risk jobs, and they give you a hefty pay. Is it worth it? You can find out for yourself."
By this point, the two were close to the exit, or second entrance, to the tunnel. Quies' legs were getting slightly sore, since the two entrances were connected via an inclined ramp. He used Blood Enhancement whenever he could.
'There's also that new ability… flow? I still have to figure out how it works.'
The bright late-morning rays shone down on the travelers as they walked out of the tunnel. The soft grass contrasted against the hard stone in the tunnel. The atmosphere was completely different than down at the docks. It was much more lively.
As they walked along a slightly grassy, slightly gravel road, Quies saw merchants advertising their goods towards the moving mass of people. Goods ranged from basic materials, like wood and cloth, being sold in bulk, to rarities like jewelry and fine ceramics.
Farther ahead, he heard the melodic tune of multiple instruments playing together. The soft and whistling sound of a flute soared above the rest. An instrument that resembled marimbas played a hypnotizing counter melody and backing. A harp sounding string instrument harmonized with the flute, moving in and out of the forefront of the music. As he got closer, he recognized the tune that they were playing.
He remembered it from when he was a child.
A leitmotif in his memory. Memories he would rather forget about. However, it seemed like Valerie deemed that the information from those memories were crucial. Quies closed his eyes as he tried to forget the scene of his father's dismembered body thrown carelessly into a field, as if mocking his life, the crimson blood tainting the pure green grass.
"Quies, how about we get some food. I heard from a colleague there was a great Canor restaurant nearby, and that the food was pretty howlright."
Quies snapped out of his spiral of thoughts.
"Oh… sure. Is it in the town?"