"I said you asked my name earlier, so I suppose I'll tell you."
"Oh, okay"
"Wait, did you really spaced out again, is that some kind of your hobby?", the girl burst in laughter, almost crying her eyes out as she braced her now full stomach.
"Very funny", Nicolas made sure his upset tone could be heard. "Just cut the crap and introduce yourself."
"Are you that interested to know this beautiful maiden's name?", the girl tried to laugh once again but immediately stopped as the boy lowered down his hood showing his unamused face. He was glaring at her with his cold brown eyes with an equivalence of murder.
She cleared her throat. "My name is Alice. 16 years old. Nice meeting you fellow thief, although this is my first-time shoplifting something. So, should I call you Mr. Thief or would you prefer Mr. Spacing out, or do you have a name?"
Nicolas paused. First because he thought she said Alisa instead of Alice, and second, due to the hesitation of revealing any information about him, especially his name and origin.
"My names Nick", he finally replied after deliberating on how to make an excuse, enough to not induce to much of a suspicion. "Yes, I'm a total liar", he thought. "I'm not a thief, and just like you it was my first-time shoplifting. I'm a traveler and just got lazy to hunt"
"You can hunt?", Alice went in closer, her face still hidden under the shadow of the cloak but it can't contain her amazement.
"The question should be about you. Don't tell me you can't? With the movements you displayed earlier I bet you can even take down a bear".
"Well sorry to disappoint you but I can't", she returned back to her corner. "So, what brought you here at Yggdryas", Alice asked while looking straight into Nicolas's eyes again. She finally got a clear view of them, but still, she felt as if his eyes are cold, if not completely empty and lifeless. His remarkable dark hair that somehow glows a shade of brown when the right amount of light passes through it complimented them.
On normal occasions Nicolas would straight out say that it's none of their business but for some reason, he feels at ease with this girl despite only meeting her today. Maybe it's the way she carries herself that he can at least relax, or she mixed something on the meal, he thought before once again weaving an excuse. "I'm looking for something, and Yggdryas is my final destination, that, and for some other reasons"
Alice wanted to ask what those reasons are but restrained herself. She knew that that's no longer her business, and she sensed that Nick is not the type of person that would tell personal information to a stranger.
"I live on the opposite side of town. I only stole some food because my family can no longer support all of us, so I needed to find ways to survive on my own. Anyway, I think I should probably get going now…", she lowered her hood and her long black hair popped out as she walked towards the window. "I guess I'll see you when I see you then. Thank you for the meal, Nick", she added before jumping out.
It was a rather long day after Nicolas encountered Alice. With his full stomach, he decided to walk across town, placed his cloak over his shoulder, and wandered back and forth with no place in mind. Deciding to go out of town, he enjoyed the view of the place from a hill where he watched the town folks go about their day.
Children running around left and right, playing as they avoided the passing carriages and navigated the crowd. They had a bright expression on their faces together with laughter that added beauty to the moment. Nicolas can't help but think about how long those genuine smiles will last before they fade away out of sight, for nothing is permanent, and the world is a big cruel place.
His entire afternoon was spent sitting on the rocks beside the river, waiting for fishes to come and fill his stomach for the next following meals. The calming ripples on the water as he saw his reflection on the surface of the almost transparent lake drifted him once again to a memory.
"Nicolas look, there's so many fish", he can still hear her calls Alisa as she rushed over the wide pond.
"Well of course. It is a pond after all, are you somewhat expecting to find birds on the water?", back then, he'll always reply with sarcasm together with a smug face.
"I'm just pointing it out mister know it all", Alisa whisked her wet hands towards him. "I wish someday we can visit a lake, a large one where we can swim. Oh, I caught one", she exclaimed happily, holding a fish captive with both her hands.
"It's itsy-bitsy tiny though", Nicolas pointed out while Alisa stared at her sharply. "What, I'm just pointing it out"
"Blah blah, How about you? You caught nothing."
"Now, now, stop that before you get into a quarrel", said Arthur at their side while putting his 10th catch to a basket.
"Wow, you caught so many", Nicolas, like a kid that he is at the time, quickly shifted his attention to Arthur.
"Hey Nicolas", Alisa called him back, he turned around and without warning, she splashed water right on his face, wetting his clothes.
"Why you—", he could wide smile as he splashed the water back at her.
"Stop now you two", Arthur with a smile stopped them, picking them both up on the collars of their clothes.
"He was an old man that's almost in his early 50's back then but his strong physique says otherwise, I bet he can even lift a cart back then", Nicolas blurted out loud before letting out a laugh, thinking that he's alone.
"Is that even possible?", a familiar voice startled him from behind. To his surprise his third catch has slipped his hand. He quickly grabbed the knife he uses to cut open the fishes and pointed its sharp edge to whoever was on his back.