He spun on his heel, eyes taking a moment to comprehend what he was staring at.
He could tell it was the girl who gave him such a fright in the tavern, though his mind refused to believe it was truly her. He stared for an unsettling amount of time before the girl started to speak.
"Hey."
Her voice sounded soft — almost comforting to the ear. It took Nephyr a second to notice her hand reaching out. While he felt quite confused, he coupled his own against hers and gave a brisk shake; "Hello..."
He started to get quite annoyed. Not because his awkwardness was taking a new form, but because her face notably shifted to visible displeasure.
'What did I do?' he thought, not confident to speak out loud.
Luckily, he didn't have to, as the girl spoke up for him; "The... paper?"
Her hand wriggled out of his grasp, briskly and skillfully snatching the paper.
A never-before-felt wave of embarrassment flushed over Nephyr. Most of him wanted to hide and never show his face to anyone ever again.
"What are you doing?" He murmured, bringing his hand up to mask the discomfiture on his face.
"I'm looking at your list."
"Right... but why?"
She placed a small pen into a pocket sewn onto her shirt after denoting a few items, passing the parchment back to him.
"These can be done in relatively the same area. I'll help you."
Quickly peering at his list, he noticed a few items now hastily underlined by a thin ink line:
Roeland Dust - Weighed out to be approximately two stones
A bundle of Redfin Aloe
Three strands of Willowtree Cloth
Naturally, Nephyr had no clue what any of this was or meant. The girl, on the other hand, began marching into the streets, giving an expectant glare towards him — beckoning to follow.
She weaved through the crowd with ease — her small form carefully shifting through without touching so much as a sleeve. Nephyr, on the other hand, was trying his best not to lose sight of her.
After a while of dodging everything that got in his way, he finally managed to walk shoulder to shoulder with the girl, who seemed to pay his struggle no mind.
He took this moment to admire the bustling town they walked through. He had already experienced first-hand the overwhelming number of civilians clamoring down the streets, though after taking a step back, he could now see just how lively this place truly was.
Wafting through the air was the pleasant and crisp smell of nameless foods from the nearby restaurants, mingling with the sharp scent of fresh and heated metals and flame from the smithy. Merchants shouted their goods to the passersby, and children played and ran down the streets like the world was their stage.
He couldn't help but feel the stark contrast towards the previous night in his chest. The calm, dark streets transitioning to a lively, loud community as soon as the sun peeks into the sky.
Despite the energy and vibrance of their surroundings, the two didn't speak a word. Nephyr, feeling quite uncomfortable, quickly held up the list to her and slightly pointed towards the items; "So... what are all these things for?"
She gave a brief glance before looking back before her. "Various things."
"Such as?"
She sighed, her voice sounding very straightforward and having a notable detachment to it. "Roeland dust is a daily task. Elior has someone collect it for Rain."
"Rain?" Nephyr murmured, placing his hand to his chin and looking up into the sky as if in deep thought.
"Reynette; The girl with blue skin, blue eyes, blue hair. The blue girl. Rain is just a nickname for her."
"Right..." he muttered, confusion lacing his tone, "well why does she need it?"
"She's from Roeland. She uses it to keep her skin hydrated. Without it, she dries out quickly while under the sun."
Nephyr blinked. To him, it sounded bizarre. Then again, after noting the patches covering her face, he realized he was already talking to the bizarre. All he did was nod, storing the information away as they continued parading through the crowd.
"As for the other two..." She continued, hand meeting her chin as if lost in deep thought, "I haven't seen them marked as tasks before. Then again, I know what they're for. Redfin aloe I've seen used to treat burn wounds, and willowtree cloth is used to maintain fires. Something about it makes them burn for a long time."
Inwardly, he didn't understand much about what she said, though he didn't bother to express it. "And where are we going?"
She gave a subtle side-eye towards Nephyr before responding, "You ask a lot of questions."
"I'm just curious."
Hesitating a little, she responded. "They sell redfin and Roeland dust at a nearby brewery. That's where we're going."