"Sorry sir, we thought something happened to your face," Champo apologizes.
"Children these days. You should be going out more and not getting cooped up drinking in a bar. Aren't you under age?"
Hewlett quickly answers, "No, we live there."
"What?" Answers the powder-faced man. Even I knew that would come out wrong if Hewlett said it. "I couldn't even hear what you just said," he barks at Hewlett. "Well, I should be more concerned but he looks responsible," admits the man, pointing at me. "I powdered my face as a way of showing appreciation. My tribe's chief recently died and so the many people of my tribe follow in this tradition."
"So—I'm not the only one who can't hear what you say?" Champo picks out.
I barge in, "Thank you for helping us know more about your tribe." Or something like that to get things going. The sooner we get this errand done, the faster I get this whole errand stuff over with.
Hewlett gives the weird man a few respectful nods as we walk away.
A few minutes go by, Champo said the errand has something to do with going to a shop. That and that I should stop staring at people. I honestly can't help it when we keep finding more and more of them powdered on the face. Some with red lipstick too.
I thought Omach was big but Saalku is huge. Everyone and everything's so loud. It's draining having to focus on what Champo and Hewlett are saying. Especially when it has nothing to do with food. But if I stayed back at the bar, I don't want to think about Master's grimoire just yet. And that warning…
Hewlett and I are lead through narrow spaces between shops that he keeps calling 'shortcuts' after we reached a market. My senses are two turns away from forgetting how to get back to the bar.
"We're here," announces Champo on the final turn. My eyes scramble around for any large building, there isn't any. Every shop here looks scrappy.
He then points out to a shop that I wouldn't notice even if I came here five ti—
"Finally!" Hewlett sighs, immediately shrinking himself out of embarrassment. The only weird thing here is how calm everyone is.
As I walk through the rusty door, my heart begins to pace a bit faster.
"Good morning, aunt Gloria," greets Champo.
"Morning. Almost done with the robe," replies aunt Gloria, writing in the far-left corner of the room.
"Doesn't look like you're working on the robe," Champo says.
She quickly scribbles something on a notebook, "The only thing left are the buttons that got removed."
"Sounds like it's going to be errand," Champo picks up.
"Well, it is," aunt Gloria replies. "You've seen what's going on. There's a dead chief. His people will mourn him and those people happen to be the ones that sell me the buttons I need."
"So-what's the errand then?" Champo asks.
"I already sent Darren and Duncan to the East shops. Meet up with them and make sure they got the right ones. Your new friends will have to keep me company though," Gloria answers.
"… You just want to use them to finish a piece you're working on before your deadline, don't you?"
Aunt Gloria looks over to Hewlett and I, "Mhh? You've gotten smarter, you must've spent some time with that short campaigner. He looks smart." She takes out a bit of cash and hands it to Champo then whispers something to him. Something about getting a mint to push out the alcohol she can smell. His shoulders jump back; he takes the cash and walks out the shop without a word.
"What did she say?" Hewlett asks.
"I might have called you smart but you two are the dumbest bipeds I have ever seen," Gloria cuts in. "Hell-I've seen chickens with sharper instincts than you two…com-freaking-bined!"
…? Master's warning… and this chill in the air, "Hewle! —
"Run your little lycan mouth in my shop again and I'll send you back to Southern province in pieces. …You understand?" I slowly nod my head before she takes her gun out of my mouth. She's tall, tall and too frightening to mess with. My eyes immediately shift to Hewlett who's picking himself off the floor as she walks back to the corner of the room. "The black lycan you two killed was weak, but the super naturals he works for aren't."
"We're back!" Announces Champo stepping into the shop. "I actually found the-what happened to Hewlett?"
"He fell trying to show off to Yori," Gloria answers ahead. "Well, you're back early…" Why is she acting like she wasn't just about shoot a hole through my skull?
"Oh, uhm-I was about to say I met them a few arms from here. They actually got the right buttons," Champo explains.
"You really thought we wouldn't remember?" Asks Duncan.
"Well, yeah," answers Champo. "There's always 4 out of 5 chances of you forgetting. I bet Darren's the one who remembered."
"…I was," says Darren.
"I guessed as much too," aunt Gloria says.
"Not you guys ganging up on me when we have visitors," Duncan says. What are these guys even talking about? We're not visitors. You're all crazy!
Hewlett groans before saying, "We are not visitors. We-e were j-just escorting Champo on this errand." Both of us can't act natural after what aunt Gloria just pulled. But she won't hesitate to shoot the both of us down the moment we try to make a run for it. She made that impression very clear.
"Aunt Gloria, you didn't tell them?" Duncan asks.
She smacks her palm on her face. "I think she didn't want to tell them right now," Darren says.
With a sigh, aunt Gloria says, "You got it correct again Darren," she puts her book down and starts walking towards us.
I place myself in front of Hewlett as casually as I can. I don't like where this is going.
"Is it true aunt Gloria?" Champo asks.
She stops. She then massages herself between her eyes before saying, "Yes. I owe your father a couple of favors and he's cashing them in. You'll be staying here for the next three days."
"What!?" Hewlett and I question.