We keep on walking for a few more minutes and then finally arrive.
Likely less than 4,000 people here I would guess from experience. At least my previous life hearing about small towns.
As we walk into the town center there are kids playing and adults talking. Some of them notice us and start chatting about us. Wonder if it is gossip about the new stranger in town being me. Wish I was in a better position than I am in now but we'll see.
We stop at the fountain where some of the kids are playing. Three kids one is a human girl with brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a white shirt and brown shorts. A male orc with a black shirt and cackies. Then finally a wolf boy with his shirt off exposing his grey fur chest and body wearing brown shorts as well. His eyes are red interestingly.
"Lara!" the orc boy yells in excitement. Followed up by the other two screaming out as well.
"Hello, kids! How are you all doing!" she bends down expressing a joyful smile to them.
"Awesome miss! Who is that guy? Aisha he yoy brother?"
Heh, brother. Funny thinking that way since I am treated like a son or brother at times.
"No he's my uuh. My uhm.." she seems to struggle finding a title to call me. Seems she might need some assistance.
I step into the conversation and say my purpose.
"I am her old friend from the city. Coda nice to meet you kiddies."
They look at me with curiosity but then smile. The orc boy seems to be sceptical however with a frown on his and his hand on his chin.
"Are you her boyfriend?" the orc asks
Lara's eyes open up wide and she starts blushing a bit.
"Of course he is. He is a friend who is a boy! Or other way around." she tries to brush it off.
But the kids dont seem to buy it. In fact they become more skeptical.
"Sure..." the wolf boy responds with sarcasm behind it. "and I am a cute cat boy look at my whiskers!"
Obviously he doesn't mean it. With the sarcasm, it is a give away.
"So Lara," says the little girl can you play with us today?" with all three of the kids eyes syncing up and a flicker light flashes in their tiny eyes. So cute.
"Oh sorry kids, but I am just here to show my friend here around the town"
I start wondering what else the town has to offer. Maybe some jobs around here I could help with.
"Ou okay miss...but can you next time please!" the wolf boy cries with puppy dog eyes begging.
Lara 3ctends her hand held out for a pat on the wolf's boy's head and pats it with a bit of a low whine.
"I will next time I promise"
with that we walk around the village. We stop to see a market to explore. Reminds me of one of our first experiences together. Not one of the best moments but one of the moments.
"Hey take a look at this!" she calls out
I look over and she is holding a necklace similar to what she is currently wearing from years ago. What a coincidence.
We both smile and laugh at this random occurrence and move on through the food market. The market doesn't have anything unusual. Pears, apples, bananas which are normal. Bananas are more tropical so they must've been shipped in. We don't seem to live that close to a tropical environment.
But then there is this fruit called a durian fruit in my previous life. I can smell it from here and I am over 20 feet away. But I remember it from my previous life. I wonder if it is called durian or something else.
God, it smells horrible. Smells like someone took a shit and piled it with hundreds of other people's shit as well and then left it for months...I guess my sense of smell is either superior like I was told or it is so potent as a smell. Definitely both.
"Ah, is that the smell of a sen tir fruit? Those are my favorite. Come on let me show you these they are amazing!"
They are what?! I mean durian fruits taste great but it smell like shit. Unless the smell is irrelevant to her and just the recognition of the fruit is all she needs.
She takes my hand and drags me towards the smelly fruit and I feel like puking already. I only hope if she makes me eat it tastes like the durian fruit like in my previous life.
"One sen tir fruit, please! My friend here needs to try one of them," she tells the owner of the stand happily. She is way too perky for this kind of thing. Almost scary.
She pays the owner a few coins and then hands me the big fruit with its spiky outside layer. It wouldn't hurt if she didn't pass essentially a spiked ball into my hands.
"When we get back home we'll eat it! IO am sure you'll love it. Especially the smell hehe!
Her laugh is so cute. But when she laughs and it is at the expense of my pain then it is a different story. More maniacal.
As we walk back to the house we get stopped before leaving town by another orc who seems to be of similar age to me and Lara. He is lean, tall about 6'1, blue eyes, black hair that is cut like a buzzcut. I wonder how they did in this world.
"Hey, Lara! How you have been!" he yells loudly with no care for those around him.
"Ugh," Lara says under her breath. She seems to not like his presence. Is he an annoyance to her?
"Hey, Ugmand!" she turns over towards him holding my hand this time.
"What are you doing in town today? If you were coming here you should've looked for me I could've walked with you.
He bends over panting a bit while he peaks. Likely due to him running over to us with uncanny speed. Might be due to him being taller than both of us. But he might have been running all over the town looking for her since he somehow knew she was here just as we were leaving.
He looks at me and his smile turns into a frown a bit. He seems to definitely not like me. Same here with his demanding and clingy attitude towards Lara.
As this moment start getting tense Ugmand finally says something wiping his from away for a cheeky but definitely fake smile.
"H-hey, who is this guy? Your new servant? I thought I would be called back after a while but I guess I got replaced! Hahaha...." he starts to eye me more intently. His height is more noticeable when he is mad. Probably due to him somewhat intimidating me a bit.
"This is Coda, my friend from a long time ago. He is visiting us now and yes, we didn't need your services after a while. After that little incident..."
Incident? What kind of incident? Did he do something while I was away? Like, steal?
"As I am thinking I was unknowingly dozing off and looking in his direction. Causing him to get defensive at me for no reason. Maybe I was staring?
"What are you bloody looking at huh?" he looks down at me with his whole body turning towards me. He might not be broad in shoulders like Mr. Uchida but he definitely has an intimating aura as well as his behavior being aggressive.
"W-what? I-Huh? I didn't do anything I was looking at you, for maybe too long of a period of time. But nothing wrong right man?" I say trying to deescalate the situation. However, I would prefer to knock this guy out. But I am too weak still.
"Calm down man your making a scene" I put my hands up to show I am not intending to harm or antagonizing him."
He looks around almost in a daze in confusion and stops for a moment. He reassess the situation.
"Sorry, sorry just. Nothing" he turns away in a fit of fury. Like a baby. Ha
I turn over to Lara and ask her face to face and ask her about what he
"So who was he? What did he mean by services and incident?"
"Well" she pauses for a moment. Then starts fidgeting.
"How about when we get home?" she smiles at me with some nervousness behind.