I stink. I smell. I gut.
Now I'll need to familiarize myself with those skills before I can acess my sefirot.
Hmmm... Food and lodgings first I guess? In Arthur's memory he used to live under a rickety old bridge near the dock.
...
I should just head to a jungle outside the town and make a makeshift shelter I guess...
The sound of tumbling items distracted me from my current musing. I looked back and noticed that a short haired blonde had dropped her basket and the items were tumbling down the dirt path.
She knelt down on her knees to pick them back up but was too slow and several of the fallen items, including bottles and fruits, were hurriedly snatched up by street urchins.
She stretched out her hands towards them and opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
I sighed. Time to be a good samaritan before more of her belongings got stolen.
I walked towards the furthest item from her, a bottle of liquid, slightly cracked, and picked it up. Then I put it back in her basket.
I continued picking up more dropped goods until we both collected as much as we can.
She looked at me and nodded her head.
I gave her a thumbs up and a grunt.
Man. Not even a word of gratitude. People here suck.
I turned around to get back to my comfortable shade but was stopped when the lady tugged on the back of my shirt.
I looked back at her and she slightly bowed. I noticed beneath her freckled face a bruised eye. Then paid more attention and noticed even more bruises on her shoulder and arms. Also, her blouse was quite loose so I managed to peek at...
Hehe...
As she detected my prying, she reteated and covered her bruise in shame.
Ah. Probably abusive husband or something like that. That's way above my pay grade.
I walked back to my shade but on the way back sniffed the air. A smell lingered around the lady. It did not come from her directly but was quite strong around her bruises.
Huh. Why does her wounds make me hungry?
I sat down in the shade and closed my eyes, pretending to take a nap.
Once the lady had walked out of viewing distance, I followed the scent, slowly taking my time.
***
It was evening before I finally followed the scent towards a shack. From the dried fishes and nets hanging around the area, I'm guessing it belongs to a fisherman.
I found a spot with a good view of the open window and hid myself, ensuring that I can spy on the inhabitants without them easily noticing me.
Night arrived and I noticed a blue haired, gruff, peg legged man slowly approaching the shack. Before entering, he looked to his left and right.
Huh. Pretty suspicious for a fisherman...
An oil lamp was lit up, enabling me to see two shadows. The man was facing the lady, and after a while started shouting at her. Then began hitting her.
The whole thing made me feel quite uncomfortable so I looked away.
Then I sniffed the air.
There's more of that scent... It's stronger now...
I decided to wait some more.
Early dawn, I followed the man leaving the house until it finally led to clearing with stalls. There were merchants peddling their wares, from fruits and vegetables, to toys carved from wood and straw woven basket.
The abusive man with the wierd smell stopped at a stall that had plenty of seafood. He put on an apron and began gutting the fishes, separating the meat, bones and guts in different sections.
Huh. Feels nostalgic for some reason.
I scratched my ears to get rid of a scribbling sound.
Titinus? Anyway, lets wait and see if anything suspicious happens. Got a feeling this is his day job slash cover though...
Besides several old woman coming in and haggling with him, not much happened during the dawn up till noon.
Unfortunately, I have nothing to buy lunch with and decided to beg around the stalls, asking for food in exchange for work.
Fortunately, an old lady selling oyster soup nearby was willing to accept my work offer.
Shucking all the baskets of shellfish for a bowl of leftover soup. Totally not slave labor conditions!
I lampooned.
At the very least, the old lady trusted me not to run away and allowed me to eat before working.
It was late in the night before I was finally finished. As a bonus, the old lady told me to collect all the shells and directed me to a building that had an occupant that will buy them for some currencies.
Looking at Arthur's memory, that is enough money to buy cup of the cheapest drink in the shabbiest bar.
She's just using me as a cheap garbage disposal huh? Wow. Even the old ladies in this world are brutal and will take advantage of you.
Collecting all the discarded seashells did come with a positive outcome as halfway to the buyer, I was able to catch the scent of the abusive man. It seemed that we happened to go towards a similar direction.
He stopped at a building before I reached my destination but I continued anyway to the seashell buyer just in case he became suspicious of me following him.
Also. Because I kinda need money.
After depositing sacks of seashells in front of a two storey wooden apartment, a hand reached out of a hole in the door and dropped some coins on the floor.
Man. I'm not contagious... I think... Why'd you offend me like that...
I still picked up the coins from the dirt though.
Eh, I believe it was Confucius that once said: "Twenty dollars is twenty dollars bro..."
Although probably, I got a few cents in terms of modern currencies..
I need to get a proper job ASAP!
However, my instincts or spirituality keep telling me to go towards the abusive man with a very, very enticing smell...
Hmmm. My sexual orientation has not been changed by this world right? Do I want to know the taste of a demoness? Don't think so...