There is an alley, a crack in the infrastructure, between Honey Dew and Kraken Group. The former is a dessert shop run by two girls in their late teens who dropped out of the academy but, seeing how popular their shop is, don't seem to mind their uneducated condition.
The latter is a consulting firm for precious mineral mining in YoonKao's more outward districts. It's a fancy office. After all, mineral mining is lucrative. It's just that the Kraken Group is quite oddly situated when it's right next to some dessert shop, especially since the owner's hefty beard and bald head contradicts the girls' delicate sensibilities.
That's the nature of the Capital of YoonKao. People. Everywhere. All colors of the rainbow.
Though, it's not the two buildings of interest here. It's the alley in between.
After deconstructing the sommelier's writings and navigating through the pompous slanted cursive penmanship, I managed to finally find my way into the alley.
Celina's was a store tucked in between the alley.
That's YoonKao for you. Beautiful outward buildings, fascinating smaller ones in between them. Or, a sign of gross overpopulation depending on how pessimistic you are.
The shop had a small and thin wooden door in the front. There were windows carved into the building that, even just from standing outside, I could see an array of greens leaves and violet flowers and trinkets and baubles of all sorts.
From there, I knew the place the sommelier recommended me belonged to that of an eccentric "plant girl".
"Oh boy," I thought, "Here we go."
I opened the door to be greeted by a young girl sitting in the far back of the store. Yet, her presence seemed all too ever-encompassing enough that I could feel her aura from many feet away. The girl's shoes clicked and clanked loudly across the wooden floor, and she said,
"Oh! You must be here for the…"
Then, she stopped herself.
"Oh… the uhh, the hush hush right?"
I nodded awkwardly. Clearly, subtlety was not her strong suit. The way she bounced about made the light waves on her hair flicker about as if the orange and red impersonated a fire. Or, maybe she was an inferno: as loud and alarming as one too. She also rushed far too close to me as if to get a better look at me. Maybe that was why she needed the circle framed glasses. Or, it was for aesthetic purposes. I couldn't tell. No one can when it comes to plant girls.
"Now, you're going to have to come with me behind the counter for me to show you the, y'know…"
I nodded again. I wanted to say something, at least anything to introduce some conversation and not sound like some muted introvert. Yet, her sporadic extroversion seemed to make it that much harder.
I followed her as we both passed the array of plants and other baubles. Looking at it now, it was oddly pleasing to the eye to see just what this collection looked like.
"It's quite a nice…"
"Can I interest you in…"
"Oh, sorry!"
"No, I'm sorry, you go ahead."
I was going to compliment her collection of plants and luxury goods, but I couldn't continue the conversation.
"Sorry, I was going to say: can I interest you in some tea? There's Lavender, Jasmine, Weeping Ivy, Lemon Ivy, Sea Foam, Earl Grey, Ginseng, Whooping…"
"Uh, the third one." I said.
"Sure! Just wait inside I'll get that right for us!"
I'm sure she knew I lost track of which teas she had anyway. She probably knew I just chose one at random. I probably wouldn't even know the difference if she gave me the wrong tea.
When I walked behind the counter and into the backroom, the "antique luxury goods store" smell permeated the air. We all know what it's like. It's like a mix of brewing tea and being in your grandma's house.
Though, the tea could've just been Celina brewing the, well, whichever the third option was.
My eyes wandered around the many unopened boxes and crates when they fell upon the target.
There it was.
Cerulean Marble.
Not only was it Cerulean Marble, though. No, these had massive indigo veins.
"Well," I thought to myself, "plant girls don't mess around…"
***
Celina brought the tea set to the table and sat herself on the stool opposite of me, with one leg crossing the other gently.
"So, Yona… wait Yona right?"
"Yes, that's right." I said before raising the cup to my lips.
"Girl like you on a journey to Su-Wen. That's just West of here." She raised her cup to her lips as well, but before she took a sip she continued, "it must be hard, being a girl and all. I don't see many ladies peddling goods these days. Not here in YoonKao at least. Maybe they can't handle it…"
"Well, most girls are idiots."
"Hah!" Celina grinned a smile revealing her two canine teeth.
"That's not false." Then, a look of somber fell upon her face, "But, I don't blame them. There's only two things a lady can be in this world if she wants to be taken seriously: a lady of the Red Lights District, or a witch."
"But, what about you?" I started. "You seem to be doing quite well for yourself. Your own business, doing what you love, plants…"
"Careful now, Yona." Her eyes peered through mine. I felt naked. "A lady knows better than to ask too many questions."
"Yes, you're right…"
I felt uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that I was talking to another girl despite my being disguised as one. Maybe something felt wrong about being an imposter, impersonating as a girl. Maybe there was something to her stare that said she really knew who I truly was, that I wasn't just some peddler girl. Maybe she knew my identity as the true worthy Lord Spar. Maybe she was a witch.
Or, maybe, as a man, I just didn't understand women.
"Okay, enough philosophizing!" Celina once again jumped to her feet and was back to her volatile and eccentric plant girl self. "I know what you're here for. Yes, that slimy bastard said everything!"
She pulled the fabric from the boxes to reveal open containers of perfectly cut Cerulean Marble.
"Beauty, isn't it? It handy even been carved and it looks like it's ready for a museum." We both stared at it in awe, the blue veins running across the pale white smooth stone. They were like spidery rivers across a plain field of snow.
"Su-Wen… I'd go myself; but, I'm no peddler. I'm jealous of you, y'know?"
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well, it's dangerous to go out there West to the Plains. There's something exciting about that, especially when you're carrying such nice cargo as, well, I mean, just look at this!"
Her fingers brushed against the surface of the marble blocks.
"Look at that, what a beauty."
"Yeah."
"Oh!" Her eccentricity interrupted her thoughts once more, "Cerulean Marble is still worth as much as dirt due to the war. But, it never hurts to be safe from highwaymen and bandits."
The girl bounced to the desk at our right. There were papers and files strangely neatly organized.
"Just because the price dipped doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Besides, it's Cerulean Marble we're talking about. If some greedy bandit doesn't want it, maybe an insane mage will. So, you'll need some extra fast steed to get you from point A to B; spend less time on the road and more in the city that way."
Celina passed me the papers.
These are the papers for the horses who will be carrying your goods.
"So do I, uhh…"
"Oh, no no!" Celina exclaimed, "I'm not making you pay for the horses or the new cart! Look, I love the marble, I do. But, I'd do anything to get these off my hands. War. Supply and demand. Price dips. You know how it goes. That's why I don't mind you taking the horses and carriage; it helps me that you get these dying assets off my hands."
"You're not selling this whole Cerulean Marble thing super well now." I said.
"Hey, I'm being transparent. Besides, selling these to Su-Wen would really make great returns."
"You sure?" I asked.
Her eyes deepened once more, and her voice grew softer and slower. "I'm never wrong about magical items. But, be careful Yona, that's all I can say."
***
By the time we exited the building, loaded the cart, and tied the horses to the front, a gentle drizzle came from above.
Celina looked almost sad to see me go.
"You know, it's a long road to Su-Wen. You're going to need to be stocked up."
"Thank you for worrying." It was quite nice of her to show concern. "I do have my stops mapped out though; so, I have enough supplies and I know when I restock."
"What about extra sheets? I have these made from black tigers, super fancy! What about snacks for the road? Assorted salted herptile meat, it's popular amongst those in the academy! Well, you know how witches are."
Now she just seemed like a concerned mom.
"What about extra sets of clothes? The nights are deceptively cold there, y'know? A bayonet! Something to protect yourself when you're a cornered cat! How about some powdered crystal? It's the other "hush hush" that's not Cerulean Marble…
"Hey, Celina, don't say that. I can't let others know I'm buying this stuff in bulk unless they get suspicious. Can't have others figuring out Su-Wen pays big coin for this.
"Oh, right." She continued, "It's the other "hush hush" but much more fun! Just crush it up and inhale through your nose and…"
"Sorry," I said, "I'm not sure if that's my thing"
That's plant girls for you.
Eventually, Celina would surrender and accept the coin pouch I press unto her hands. The marble was cheap, of course. But, I paid extra. It solidifies the relationship so we may one day work together again.
Her hands finally accepted it, and with it they drew away from mine. What started as a look of eccentricity became somber, then became smiling acceptance as she walked away from the humble peddler named Yona, and future Lord of House Spar.
Maybe Celina was a witch. Maybe, she was just another girl who I couldn't understand. Yet, here I am: hiding my identity as a girl, all because of the new Lord Talulah Spar.
***