The words hit his ears like distant insects.
"Look, Mom, it's the Hero!" "The Hero is here, he's all patched up," "Who is he with?" "A student from the Academy!" "She has to be his apprentice." "Lucky her." "What are they doing here?" "Are they shopping?"
Evening, a day before they were sent out of the Rose City. It was crowded, shoulder pushed shoulders, and not for the reason the Hero was there. It had always be like this. Caravans and armored people walked the street that bathed in red. Performers shouting and the children laughing. Yes, there were some eyes that landed on them but that was just it. Seeing an important figure such as the Hero Of The West, was treated as common as the endless amount and type of flowers bedded all around the city.
If Moon were to realized something new, every wall he came across now hung his face. As if it ignorantly celebrated the win of the Hero in the recent war. "The savior of the West," "The strongest of the West," "A god among men." The titles, they weren't his.
He wanted to tear it all down and tell everyone that he was not the hero.
But again, he can't do that.
So all he could do was move forward.
In front, Mina carrying her white bag. It had been five hours since they first met. Three of that was spent with Moon following her shop to shops, and put her bought items in her bag. The bag itself wasn't normal. It didn't grew or looked heavier, and Moon, among other things, was sure he put the so-called 'self-heating' tea set in it. One cup had the wight of a flower vase. They weren't small either.
Why have he agreed to being here? He couldn't possibly know. When she had asked him if he wanted to, he didn't think and replied.
Well, there wasn't much to do in the room anyway except being stared by a wall.
Mina walked in a portable shop that sell pale masks. They weren't the real one, of course. A real Seal can't be bought, they were earned.
The owner sweated and bowed his head upon seeing Moon as if he had something to feel guilty about.
Mina picked up a mask that showered the owner's brown forehead.
"Hm… what do you think?"
She put the mask up in the air, comparing it and Moon's face. He recognized the short beak it had. Smooth and featureless even through where the eyes of a mask should've been.
A vermilion bird mask.
"The chin is wrong. The Hero had a sharper jawline, don't you think?"
Did he?
The hero's face flashed in his mind. It was scratches and blurs until he put on his mask. He said something back then. What were they? Why have he shown his face? Why were they bleeding.
Mina turned to the owner.
"Ah, yes, yes. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. These are… these are for the kids, you see? They… they loved you. It sells well."
Moon looked away to the street where the children were playing wearing the very same mask. They were laughing just like how much he'd have.
"How much?" Mina asked.
And she bought it.
"You know I can't wear that," he said as their feet landed back on the street.
He had received a letter, a few hours ago, by a small white pigeon. A list of rule what he shouldn't do. Wearing a mask, any kind, was one of them. He could, but not with his heart choking itself.
"I know," Mina said.
As he was guessing what the girl would want to do with the toy, a woman screamed.
"Thief!"
The Rose City was not forgiven of crime. There would be two or three of them once a day here. Which, for that amount of times of it happening, had earned the title the safest city within the wall.
The thief was a man. He had uncombed long hair and dark heavy bag dragging down his eyes. The rest of him was covered. The only bright thing about him was the knife in his hand and a vase of Daisies.
The blade pointed right at him.
It was old and worn out. A tiny piece of meat stuck on its side.
Moon stared at it more than the thief who stopped after seeing the swords hanging on the side of his waist.
"M—Move!"
Mina sighed, "How unfortunate. He should have paid a little attention to the walls."
The thief wouldn't dare if he had known, of course. His oblivious shocked the whole street, made them silent, not even a footstep.
"I said move!"
But the man which he assumed a fighter of some kind, didn't. 'He must've wanted to stop me' the thief thought. So he took the first initiative.
Slash.
Moon's cheek had a string of red. After a few seconds, they fell, dragging down the color.
It was expressionless. The man felt like someone detached from a reality. He blinked… Moon blinked once.
A paper flew in between them.
Only then the thief realized who he was dealing with. His knees gave up. Dropping the vase on the ground.
Thud. The sound of a notebook closed. "The guard is here. Let's get going," the first voice to emerged from the air, followed by an uniformed footsteps.
"Do you need a handkerchief for that?"
"No."
"Why didn't you just dodge?"
"I forgot to."
Moon smeared his cheek with his thumb and followed Mina, moving away from the scene. He neither helped the woman nor hurt the thief.
A moment later, the street went back to its business.
As if nothing happened.