Bathed In a crimson glow from the moon above, Aurelia, the city of gold, bustled with life. Streets teemed with a vibrant tapestry of people - shops aglow, some enticing with delectable food, others adorned with exquisite jewelry.
Amidst this lively scene, Elijah strolled along the bustling thoroughfare. His gaze was caught by a whimsical sight - a clown, a touch weathered but remarkably fit, distributing small slips of paper. "Step right up, one and all, to witness the enchanting world of Charlie's Puppet Extravaganza!" the tall clown announced with zest, Elijah walked over In Interest but what caught his eye was a large black and white tent-Elijah slowly peeked his head inside the tent then he remembered wait didn't I come here to buy some ingredients? he heard a sharp sound against his ear It was like scraping a nail against a chalkboard.
"come In, young man do you want a tarot reading?" the old woman asked with interest, the old woman was covered In wrinkles to the point where you could barely make out her feathers such as her pale blue eyes and her peach colored lips.
the table had light-scented candles, they surrounded her like a gate "how have your studies been?" the woman asked,Elijah answered with haste"I've already graduated "the woman pinched her chin then asked "Aren't you a bit to young?" Elijah's face softened with a grin "how old do you think I am" The woman took a few moments to herself and then answered "with that face of your I say...twenty years old ".
The old woman smiled"did I get It right?" the old woman asked Elijah wore a soft expression "yes" it was a simple answer but it got a small reaction form the lady.
she reached her hand for her purse then pulled out a deck of tarot cards, she shuffled them "could you make a short reading?" Elijah asked, the old woman didn't seem bothered by it she nodded, she continued to shuffle the cards then stopped she draw out two cards she placed them in front of Elijah.
"flip the card" the old lady said,Elijah flipped one of the cards its revealed 'Death' the card had a man holding a scythe while hands came squirming form the floor there were a mix of colors yellow black and gold each used in a different gradient.
he flipped the second card it revealed 'The Moon' it had a crimson moon in the background a man looked to be praying to the moon while the environment around the man withered away Elijah looked up to the old lady "what does this mean?".
the old woman cleared her throat as she was about to speak they heard a large boom "sorry but i have to end this tarot reading dont worry its free"the old woman had a look of excitement on her face, she rushed out of the tent Elijah followed her with his eyes in a few seconds he found why she had left the tent "really?, she left to party?".
Elijah let out a soft sigh. What did those cards even mean? He pondered the meaning but gave up trying to figure it out. Stepping out of the tent, he walked down the bustling street. Soon he came across a large mirror. Seeing his disheveled clothes covered in sweat and small dirt stains, he thought, "Let's go buy some clothes."
Elijah looked around but found no suitable options. However, an idea struck him on how to find a clothing store: asking around. Some folks seemed taken aback by his question, but they provided answers.
In a few minutes, he arrived at a clothing store named 'Kings Ballet.' Glancing through the glass, he noticed that the clothes seemed expensive. He thought to himself, "I have the cash, but let's not spend too much." Deciding to be prudent, he avoided the store and continued down a narrow left-side street. Before long, he discovered a more suitable option.
the store looked to be in an undesirable state but it still held up Elijah opened the door to the store once he opened it he caught a whiff of the store it smelled rotten why does it smell so bad in here it's like something just died Elijah looked over to the counter there was an old man seated on a stool he had gray hair lifeless green eyes and some streaking feathers such as the mole on he right cheek.
"is he.." Elijah closely inspected the man's body "he's alive" a voice stated Elijah looked to see a woman that looked to be in her early twenties she had a wolf cut that was short and wavy her hair was black color her eyes were a pair of hazel eyes her lips were cherry red her feature were very bold on the chest.
Elijah avoided her gaze but she walked up closer to him then he realized that she was much more taller than him he was simply 177.8 cm while the woman towered over him "do you want something? are you from the bad dragon gang?" the woman wore a complex expression her eyes gazed into Elijah .
Am i going to die here? he asked himself the woman slowly back up then inquired "Who are you?" Elijah finally gained control of himself "I'm just a customer trying to find clothes" Elijah stated The woman looked at him, then sprung back to the counter, asking, "What exactly are you looking for?" Elijah had a slight grin on his face.
He then looked at his current clothes that he is wearing i think i need a new suite probably two "I'm looking for a regularly working suite",
The woman went to one of the shacks in the store then picked out a linen shirt with a brown jacket the pants was a black color "this style should fit you " She passed the clothes to Elijah he slowly observed it.
The quality is fine i do not need anything expansive, besides i don't need that much fancy clothing that's why i didn't shop at Kings Ballet not because of the price but because i don't want to wear anything that expansive Elijah thought to himself "you can take out another suite that's if you have the money for it " the woman stated she walked back to the counter reading a magazine .
Elijah looked through the coat racks he saw a lot of suites but none caught his eye he went to another coat rack a suite caught his eye it was a black jacket with a white long sleeve shirt, the pants were striped but it was barely noticeable he observed the suit further after he was stafficed with it.
he went to the counter with the two suites "how much will that be?" the woman smirked then ran up the order she slowly observed the two suites then inquired"who taught you how to dress?" Elijah wore a face of confusion the woman got up off her stool and then went to the coat rack she picked out a white short shirt with black overhauls with a black wind breaker, she took out a gray pants but placed it back she took out a baggy black pants then came back to the counter "the other suite made you look like and old man" Elijah wore an annoyed expression "can you just ring it up?".
annoyance could be heard from his voice "that will be 2 pounds" Elijah wore a shocked expression he was about the speak out but the woman stopped him"if you shop anywhere else they would have asked for 50 pounds " the woman stated Elijah dugged into his pocket 2 pounds is equivalent to 20,000 cents why did it cost that much Elijah thought to him self " why should i pay that much? your clothes arent even that good in the first place also your establishment is not very up to code, it smells like something died.
"The price just doesn't seem right " the woman got up off the stool "the price is that high cause of my help if I weren't here then you would probably be wearing something from the dark ages" The woman had a wide grin on her face i feel as though there is something bigger going on here .
"i might as well leave "Elijah grabbed his left pocket the woman stared at him while he walked out the store Elijah walked around then he found another store the price were way cheaper after he bought the two suites he left the store once he got out side it was eerily quite Elijah checked his left pocket the sliver coin he had placed inside was gone.
Earlier, in the other store, as he searched for a new suit, his fingers had brushed against a silver coin within one of the jackets. As he prepared to pay, a sense of unease prompted him to discreetly place a silver coin in his left pocket.
"Seems like she uses this place to discreetly pilfer from people," he mused, contemplating the possibilities. "Could this be an ability tied to some kind of oath?" A shiver ran down his spine, mirroring the sensation of a heated breath on his neck. Slowly turning, he was met with the sight of a white bear.