I looked at her with a baffled expression.
'Why is she holding me so tightly?' I do not even know her, yet she holds on to me, securing her grip.
As if she was afraid to let go.
No, maybe she isn't afraid to let go.
Rather she seemed afraid of me-
"What the hell are- "
Her words were cut off.
"There you are kid!" A familiar voice was heard.
I looked to the direction of the voice, and it was-
"Sir Exios." I said, relieved.
Sir Exios came to us and looked at my arm being held so tightly by the red-haired woman.
"Crimson." He spoke to the woman.
"Let go of her."
The woman looked at sir Exios, with the a doubtful face.
"You know her, Exios?"
"Yes, she is in my care. Now, let go of her and let me explain." Sir Exios made a stern expression, which I have not seen before.
It took a few seconds for the woman to let go of me.
I instantly went behind sir Exios.
A moment of silence filled the tension between the two, even if we were outside, with people chattering, it felt like they were in a room alone.
The woman quickly glanced at me, and our eyes met.
"Kid, go inside the lady's shop. I need to talk to this lady alone, okay?" Sir Exios looked at me and gave a forced smile.
A forced smile that had warmth in it.
I looked at sir Exios and at the woman, then I nodded.
I slowly walked inside the woman's shop, which was actually a tent.
But I took a glance back and got inside.
The woman's shop was different from the others.
As I went inside, I instantly felt a cold chill.
It's as if the temperature here was colder than the outside.
The inside was gloomy, but it was illuminated by dull colors.
Such as a slightly bright purple, illuminated inside a small circle.
There were other illuminated small circles around, with different colors.
But not too bright, nor too dark.
The small circles were placed on shelves, which were filled with different objects.
The floor wasn't messy, but it had different carpets all around.
Under the shelves there were many containers that were filled with other things too, some half closed, and some were open.
I looked around for a bit and noticed an amulet that was flickering.
As I got closer, the flicker started to get more severe.
And the color of the flicker was red.
The amulet had a strange shape.
"Is this a shape of an animal?" I guessed, but I couldn't really guess what type of animal it was.
I moved my hand closer to the amulet.
As my hand was right above the amulet, it enlightened with a bright red.
-----
"So? Will you explain to me what is happening, or did I see it wrong?" Crimson viciously spoke to Exios.
The two were standing in front of Crimson's shop, while everyone around them moved and chattered.
Exios looked in Crimson's eye, before looking away for a moment, thinking of how he could answer to her.
Exios sighed, covering his mouth with his hand.
"You… really had to be here right now. When did you come back?"
"Oh, do not dodge my question! You know I am a merchant for a living." Crimson exclaimed.
"I thought you were selling somewhere else."
"You thought. And so, you decided to put that kid outside? Thinking it would be safe and that no one would have noticed?"
Exios paused and looked at Crimson.
"I knew it was not safe. I knew the risks."
Crimson looked at Exios, perplexed.
"What is she?" Crimson asked.
-----
As the amulet irradiated a bright red for a while, nothing really happened.
'Interesting, but it doesn't really do anything other than illuminating.'
After a few seconds of playing with the amulet's light, I heard a few steps who were coming inside the tent.
I looked at the entrance and saw the woman, who for a moment looked at my hand, which was on top of the amulet.
I rapidly hid my hand behind my back, making the amulet lose its light.
Then after that sir Exios also came in the shop.
"Sorry kiddo, I needed to chat with the lady, she's a merchant who travels the world." Sir Exios spoke to me with a smile on his face.
After listening to sir Exios, I looked at both of them in silence.
"Well, we better be going. Let's go kid." Sir Exios started moving.
Soon, I followed him.
"When will you stop calling her a kid and start giving her a proper name?" The woman spoke in rather a sarcastic tone, making sir Exios halt for a moment.
"See you too Crimson." He said, before finally leaving the tent.
I bowed to the woman and left hurriedly.
-----
After Exios and the child left, Crimson stood there still, watching them disappear.
She had an uneasy expression.
Crimson looked around her surrounding before looking at the amulet, that the child was playing with before.
She grabbed the amulet and waited a few seconds.
"Nothing. Not even a flicker." She spoke softly, remembering the little moment where she caught the child illuminating the amulet.
She tried radiating the amulet, but it was useless.
She sighed and placed the amulet down to where it was before.
-----
Finally, I was reunited with sir Exios and this time we were walking slowly, at the same pace.
But after we left the tent none of us spoke and just walked in silence.
I wanted to initiate the conversation, as I felt guilty.
But I didn't know how and I already felt embarrassed thinking about it in my mind.
"Sir Exios." I spoke, without hesitation, yet my face was slowly starting to feel hot.
Sir Exios looked at me, while I looked at the ground.
"I am so sorry to not have stayed near you."
I did not know what type of face sir Exios was making, but I continued talking, nevertheless.
"I was… curious about the other shops. Then suddenly something happened, and I ran off."
Silence came for a moment, after I finished talking.
I thought that sir Exios did not want to talk, so I continued walking, looking at the ground and at my feet moving.
But then I felt a caress on my head.
"I am the one who should be saying sorry, not you." Sir Exios spoke in a soothing voice.
I looked at sir Exios and saw a smile on his face.
I did not know why he said that, but I was feeling a sense of relief seeing him like that.
"I bought you new clothes, so you don't have to keep wearing those boyish attires."
"Thank you." I said.
We kept walking in silence for a while, after talking briefly.
"By the way, did anyone… talk to you by chance?" sir Exios spoke not too long after the conversation we finished a few minutes ago.
I did not give an answer right away as I thought for a moment.
And then I remembered those golden hair and green eyes.
Which I found very appealing.
"Ah, yes. The boy from the flower shop." I responded.
"A boy? Did he say something to you?"
-
"Hey, do I know you?" Asked the boy.
I turned around to look at him, confused to the question.
He was waiting for my answer.
"I do not think so." I responded, then gradually leaving.
-
"Yeah, he asked me if I knew him."
"Well, do you know him?"
"No. I never met him, I think." I said.
Sir Exios then hummed a quick sound before speaking.
"Mhm, maybe he knew you before losing your memories?" He presumed.
I stayed silent and shrugged it off, as I really did not care.
"Yeah, you will never know until you regain your memories." He nodded while not being serious.
Then for a moment sir Exios stopped walking.
I stopped and looked at him.
Maybe he needed to buy something from another shop, but it seemed like he was thinking about something while looking at me.
-
"When will you stop calling her a kid and start giving her a proper name?" The woman spoke, making sir Exios halt for a moment.
-
"Do… you want me to give you a name?" He hesitantly asked.
"Huh?" I answered him back.
"How would you feel if I keep calling you kiddo?"
I paused for a moment and looked around while thinking about his question.
"It's fine, I guess."
As a few seconds passed, sir Exios was about to say something, but I cut him off.
"But I think i prefer having a name. I do not remember my identity, but it would be nice to have an identity until I regain my memories." I didn't know if that made sense, but I answered thinking of how I would have felt if people kept calling me a kid, while they call other kids with their given names.
"Ah. Well, it is set then." Sir Exios smiled.
"Do you have a name in mind?" He asked.
"No, would you give me a name instead, sir Exios?" I looked at him.
He stared at me; a bit perplexed.
Then, after a few seconds of hesitation, he spoke.
"Sighs, alright. How does Liliana sounds?"
My eyes began to sparkle as I heard the name that sir Exios offered me.
I slowly made a soft smile as an expression of approvement.