They had to make one more stop at a shop to buy warmer clothes for Eris. The one she got was already starting to rip and it barely gave her any warmth.
The city was unlike anything Eris had seen. From the green landscapes, everything was suddenly cold and covered in snow. The further they got into the city, she saw a lot of statues. Made out of ice and it resembled beautiful women in elegant poses. There was something familiar about their faces…
The carriage eventually stopped at some sort of market place. There were stands, similar to one at the village.
"Have some salted fish! The best one in the whole Frosa!"
"Custom ice sculptures! Anything your heart desires!"
"Warm soup to warm even the coldest of hearts!"
Eris jumped out of the carriage as she was looking at the different stands, each offering something unique. But what interested her the most was the flower stand. They were blue and white and they had an unusual glow unlike any other flower she had seen. Her body moved towards the stand to have a closer look and there she saw that the flowers were different. It was crafted out of gems.
"Like what you see? They are made of our finest gems, all mined from our very own mountains. Frosa's greatest pride." All of them had their very own shine, Eris could barely take her eyes off them.
"They are truly beautiful…"
"Almost as beautiful as you" Eris' eyes widened and pulled her hood more, trying to cover up her face even more.
"No… I.."
"Someone who can appreciate beauty must be beautiful on the inside'' Sigh of relief escaped her lips as one of the flowers caught her eye. It looked like it was blue but when the light reflected in it she could see shades of green as well, reminding her of Cashimir's eyes. She bit her lip and slowly backed away.
"Sure you don't want it?" The seller picked up the flower her eyes had locked on. She shook her head, knowing she wouldn't be able to afford it.
"Maybe another time" She quickly turned her gaze and walked towards the carriage. Brem was talking to the shopkeeper at the tavern as strangers seemed to help them carry their stuff into the tavern while Edeltria sat down and seemed to check out her nails. Eris didn't really want to bother Brem while he was busy talking to someone. Mustering up courage she walked towards Edeltria and carefully sat down beside her.
"What's the plan now?" She heard a sigh from her as she looked up from her nails. She sent a gaze towards Brem then let out another sigh.
"Performance tonight. The more spectacular it is, the more money we'll get and well…" Eris felt Edeltria's eyes on her observing her more closely.
"Brem won't have time to do any preparations… Maybe you could also perform with us…"
"What? But I don't how to play or-"
"I'm sure you have something. You definitely have magic no?" She stood up and grabbed Eris' arm.
"But first you need to be presented well. You can't hide your face under the hood constantly." Without warning she pulled it down, Eris felt how shivers ran through her body, fearing she would gasp and call her disgusting. But she didn't. Not a single reaction.
"Hm.. Your skin has a small hint of blue. I don't know if my makeup kit could cover that…" Edeltria kept talking to herself as she was playing with Eris' hair.
"I am not the best at hairdo, it's Brem's speciality but I think I can do something to cover your ears. And some gloves would be perfect as well" Edeltria held Eris' hand, observing her long and sharp nails as well as the abnomal webbing between her fingers.
"Don't you find me disgusting?" Eris blurred it out, not being able to handle the fact that Edeltria might lie to her face.
"No? Why would I? I see Brem every single day and humans. It's a nice change to see something different. But humans aren't too kind to… Anything different or unique. Unless it's exotic in their eyes…" Her expression soured a bit as her hand moved towards her ears then quickly moved it away from them. Eris didn't really understand what she meant but she quickly changed the subject anyway.
"Which reminds me, I have a close friend who lives here. I need to give her something anyway. That way we can borrow some dresses for the performance." Edeltria quickly packed some stuff before pulling on Eris and walking away from the carriage and the tavern. Brem gave a small wave when he noticed that they were leaving.
They didn't walk for long and yet it felt like they were in a different place. The atmosphere seemed much colder. She looked around and the people had barely any hope in their eyes. They only wore thin fabrics barely covering them, their skin having frost bites. The more she looked at them, the more she noticed details that made them apart from humans. Long ears, abnormal skin colors or animalistic limps. Some looked similar to Brem as well as Edeltria. Eris held onto Edeltria tighter who was completely silent.
They arrived in front of a big house. Just looking at it made Eris uncomfortable. Large windows but all of them were covered in dark curtains. She could sense the dark disgusting aura coming from it and none of the people from the street stood close to it either.
"Just stay close to me and everything will be fine" She said before opening the door. They stepped into a hallway which seemed very out of place, considering how everything outside seemed broken down. The hallway was decorated in velvet red, the carpets, the curtains and the couches. A lady appeared making her way down from the stairs which were dark brown. The closer she got, the more Eris noticed how heavily her face was painted. Her face pale and her lips blood red. Her hair seemed to have been in an updo but now it was just a complete mess. Her expression soured when she saw Edeltria.
"You again…" Edeltria flashed a smile and pulled Eris closer to herself.
"I'm here to see Zeena"
"I know, I know… She's currently available. But not for free." Edeltria sighed as she rolled her eyes. She moved closer to the woman, gave her some coins. The woman smiled then made her way upstairs again.
"Enjoy your stay~" Her voice had a small melody in it then she vanished. Edeltria sighed again before turning her gaze towards Eris. She didn't say anything and gently pulled Eris to another direction. They arrived in front of a door, decorated in small hearts. Edeltria knocked softly.
"Just a moment!" A cheerful and soft voice was heard behind the door. When the door opened, Edeltria entered without hesitation and Eris followed.
"Edel!" The girl exclaimed and hugged her tightly. As the girl moved it sounded like coins kept clashing together. When the girl let go of the embrace Eris could take a better look at her. She was beautiful and had this warm cheerfulness to her. Her hair was dark and long, her skin slightly lighter than Cashimir's.
"It wasn't easy Zeena but I think I found what you asked for" Edeltria began to search in her bag then pulled out an instrument that looked similar to a flute. A large smile spread across Zeena as she snatched the instrument away. She blew into it but it didn't let out any pleasant sound.
"I've always wanted one of these… Now I have to balance making dresses and learn how to play this!" Edeltria smiled and chuckled. She pulled out fabrics with beautiful colors and patterns.
"I would like to ask for a favour" After folding the fabrics neatly, she introduced Eris to Zeena.
"We have a performance tonight and I would like to borrow two dresses. It's Eris' first time" It didn't take too long before Zeena began to look through her closet filled with beautiful dresses. However, most of them were very revealing with short tops and long skirts. But luckily those weren't picked. Edeltria packed them up and they chatted a bit longer before a woman's voice was heard, yelling for Zeena. Her expression lost her cheerfulness slightly but a larger smile soon appeared.
"Time for work… Good luck with the performance you two! Oh! Before you go." Zeena quickly grabbed some sort of round instrument that made a similar sound to her dress.
"Just hit this along the beat" She gave it to Eris before rushing out of her room. Eris held the instrument and looked at it.
"It's a tambourine. I think it's easy enough for you." Edeltria explained then the two of them left the building.