*Squawk Squawk*
Vivian sipped on some ginger ale while she waited on a restaurant right next to the port...
Unlike the small town of Milan, Lyon's population was rich enough for the majority to be considered part of the middle class in today's standards which gave it a unique culture from other cities... and so, like most people of the middle class, the citizens of Lyons enjoyed restaurants, pubs, bakeries, and even libraries...
Vivian stared in awe at the city of Lyons, not because this was the first time she saw a restaurant or a library, but because these businesses were aimed for everyone, not just for nobles but the common folk included.
Vivian saw grander and more majestic businesses in the inner section of the Capital where even the floor was inlaid with gold and marble, and the carpets were woven from crimson Cinnamon Silcs, while the restaurant she's sitting at right now was, although clean and sanitary, shabby in comparison to the Noble facilities enjoyed by the Imperial Family and the Her Noblesse.
But that was the charm of this place, Vivian thought. It was neither too shabby and poor nor too extravagant and over the top. To put it in simple terms, it was just right.
Vivian sat there in the restaurant and admired it's simple yet elegant beauty.
The walls and floors were made from tightly packed cobblestone. But only three sides of the building were walled as the side that faced the sea was replaced with pillars instead that supported a concrete roof, allowing the restaurant's customers to see and enjoy the lively ports outside.
Grimy yet liberating was the scenery outside and also smelled of fish but was somehow still refreshing.
[The smell of the sea that permeated through docks and ports is quite enjoyable once you get used to it] Vivian thought to herself as sipped more ginger ale from her mug.
"Enjoying your drink, little lady? The sailors here say ginger's a good cure for seasickness"
Vivian turned around and saw a woman dressed in black with black bob styled hair.
'Chic' Was the only word Vivian could describe her as.
"Pardon?" The woman asked, confused with Vivian's statement.
"O-Oh, nothing, I was just admiring your sense of fashion" Vivian quickly regained her bearing and greeted the black-haired woman.
"Hello, are you Ms. Nuir, by any chance?" Vivian asked.
"Yup, that's me alright" Nuir smiled brightly at Vivian, which made Vivian self-conscious for a moment.
[Is something on my face?] Vivian blushed as she covertly touched her face...
Nuir giggled when she saw the pure little girl in front of her.
"There's nothing on your face, silly"
"H-How did you know?!" Vivian felt like she was being read by the woman in front of her, Vivian wasn't normally timid like this, but Nuir just gave off such a strong elegant elderly sister vibe that Vivian felt a bit nervous in front of her.
"Agh! I can't take it anymore!" Nuir jumped at Vivian as she hugged Vivian's head on her chest and patted on it like a cute little kitten.
"Uhm... e-excuse me?" Vivian timidly asked, overpowered by the woman's will, not knowing how she was suddenly being hugged by a person she had just met...
...
"Haha, sorry about that. You looked exactly like Duke's mother when she was younger. I couldn't restrain myself... Although you are a bit more expressive, I used to call her stone face due to her rigidness" Nuir giggled as she awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"You were that close with the previous Countess huh?" Vivian asked with genuine interest.
"Well, you could say we were like sisters" Nuir smiled.
"Sistahs? More like you forced her into your arms every time... Poor madam, getting suffocated into those large breasts every time you squeezed her head" A tall and muscular black man with a shining bald head made a dramatic entrance as he pretended to be saddened by the Madam's fate.
"W-What? I- My hugs feel nice, right Vivian? I didn't force you right?" Nuir asked while panicking.
"If only it was I who was smothered in those luscious-!" Nuir smacked the man on the head before he could continue with his passionate cry for some luscious breasts.
"Y-yes?" Vivian looked at the man who suddenly entered with interest. He was obviously a Numid from the Amazirh plains with his incredibly dark complexion and heavy accent and the beautifully decorated Ivory sheathed scimitar...
He wore clothing designed like what Pirates normally wore, but instead of plain rough linen, his clothes were made from fine red Silc and inlaid with Gold, it was both colorful and strangely ethnic. The man also had a thin gold chain connected from his Nose to his neck. If the man was described, he looked like a rich Noble from the Numid tribes who wore clothes that was influenced by the Pirates on the Crimson Seas...
"Oh, this is my Bodyguard and Business partner. I've been with this guy since the Madam took us both in. He might look suspicious, and a huge pervert, but he can be trusted..." Nuir comforted Vivian.
"Jugurt-Ta, of the Mugunduduztu, at your service milady" Jugurt-Ta, the muscular black man elegantly bowed in front of Vivian in a way that would make any Nobleman feel sloppy due to Jugurt-Ta's elegance. It was obvious from his body form that he was very swift and nimble.
"The Mugunduduztu?" Vivian asked as she was not familiar with the name.
"Ah, it is the name of my fallen tribe... You know of the Numid, yes?" Jugurt-Ta asked.
"Yes... sorry about that" Vivian felt sad about reminding Jugurt-Ta of his past.
"The Numids aren't only one tribe, there are many. Some get conquered and some, eh, are too brave, so they're all killed instead. No need to feel sorry bout' the past. And don't worry about Jugurtta here, I am only perverted to Nuir here, hehehe, you could say we are very close~" Jugurt-Ta smiled a big grin at Nuir's direction.
"Don't say it" Nuir's face reddened as she knew what he was about to say next.
"We are boyfriend-girlfriend after all!" Jugurtta proudly said in his thick native accent.
"Ugh! Why do you have to tell everybody you meet that?!" Nuir pouted angrily at Jugurt-Ta while still red from being shy.
"Of course I'll tell everyone! Who wouldn't be proud to have such a beautiful fiance! And it's bettah' if everyone knows! What if some creepy Noble comes up to ya with weird thoughts?! I'd have ta KILL him!" Jugurt-Ta retorted.
"You! I won't pay your fines if you get in trouble!" Nuir harrumphed at Jugurt-Ta.
"If it means I can protect you, even if I stay in jail all my life" Jugurt-Ta lovingly stared at Nuir.
"Honey..." Touched by his words, Nuir reciprocated his feelings as they stared at each other as if they were the last two people in the world.
Meanwhile, Vivian sitting uncomfortably on the side was thinking:
[Please... get a room...]