Drifus didn't look. He didn't try to feel. He emptied his mind and meditated.
Except it was nearly impossible.
Whenever he thought he wasn't feeling… her warmth pressed against him. Her scent tickled at his nose. Her soft embrace only dug into, no, he dug into her skin. Was he bruising her? Was he hurting her?
He had to look. He had to-
Ah… he couldn't look away.
Lenora didn't have sharp features. She didn't look as elegant as elves or even highborn ladies Drifus was acquainted with. She looked ordinary by comparison. But that look, that look of pure determination as they flew through the clouds, it was far too imperfect for him to look away. She was determined but she was also unsure and Drifus could tell. But because her look was imperfect, it drew him in. He'd forgotten about the bruising; he'd forgotten about where he even was. Enough to put a finger down her cheek and- what am I doing?
"What're you doing? Something on my face?" Lenora said, not quite glancing his way. If she had, she'd have noticed that the elf was very much out of it.
Lenora didn't notice but the boy, Jay had. Yet he chose not to say anything. He was too busy staring at the world, looking around.
Clouds. Mountains. Deserts. Sea of green!
He'd never seen these things before. He'd never seen massive animals that could reach up to two stories before. He'd never seen cats that were as big as his house before. And he'd never seen those…. "What are those?" he mumbled.
They flew by a pond. And in that pond was something green, green with tentacles and red eyes. They could see it from the sky but the animals trying to get a drink probably couldn't. Or maybe they were drinking water despite knowing the dangers. After all, they had to live.
One deer got too close and separated from its flock; it got dragged into the pond and eaten.
"That's a Nichu," Lenora said. "If they catch you, you're dead. If you catch one though, you can probably tame it and they usually sell really high in the lady's market."
"Why would ladies want it?" Drifus asked. "I've actually seen these in the markets before. But I don't see any reason women would want them."
"We have a child here, so I'd rather not get into that," she said.
"Okay."
Jay shrugged. He didn't really care. He was just curious as to what it was.
More and more ponds became visible and with ponds came more Nichu. Some adventurers were hunting said Nichu. In between ponds, some settlers took refuge. In time these small settlements would probably form villages, or perish.
They crossed the valley of ponds and saw their destination, the Floral city of Valin. But Lenora wasn't interested in the abundant flowers the city had to offer or even the tea of aphrodisiacs. Rather, she was interested on its backside, aka, the port.
***
Just like the last time, Lenora stopped just before the city entrance and walked up to the gates.
There was a reason for this.
Flying was limited to some very specific species. And none of those species had any good reputation. So much so that if someone decided to shoot down Lenora from the sky, she couldn't even fault them for doing so. She would have been rather furious though.
There was a line in front and most of the people were either adventurers or hunters. Some of them had Nichu babies while others had seeds which they hoped were fertilized and would bloom to be great pets, fetching them lots of money.
"Those things are also called flowers," Lenora said. "I've heard they taste pretty good when brewed into a tea," she said.
"I've had that tea," Drifus said. "It had a pleasant aroma."
The line moved at a snail's pace, one man at a time. Meanwhile, the line next to the people's one, was a carriage line and it moved relatively faster. By the time one man passed, about four carriages were gone. At this point it was starting to annoy some of the adventurers who took it upon themselves to call the soldiers different names and even taunt them to some extent.
Lenora cackled and drew close. "It's an aphrodisiac just so you know," she whispered.
"I figured, no wonder I had a…" he didn't finish and just cleared his throat.
To Jay, this was a new world. Everything was new. The grass, the people, even the shit by the roadside!
Shit by the roadside?
"EW!!" one of the adventurer girls cried out. "What sort of savage beast poops on the road!"
Some men ahead cackled loudly.
Jay wasn't bothered though. He'd seen worse.
"Move it worms!" A soldier yelled and the line moved a tad faster.
At the very end, they questioned Lenora and particularly Drifus. Half breed elves were rare and they were more trouble than they were worth. But Drifus explained how he was just here to make some money and live a good life after his wife had passed away recently and everyone in his family died; to that, the soldiers sympathized and didn't charge him an extra fee. Instead, they all paid a one-time fee of 4 silvers to enter the city.
"So you're a half?" Jay said.
Flowers everywhere. Some grew on the ground, some by the road, some on the roofs of the houses. Some even on the walls! Various kinds, various colors, and some grew on people's heads?
"Not really," Drifus said, walking ahead. "How much money do we have? I only have two silvers."
"I have seven," Lenora said. "I would have liked some more money but the demon lord is rather broke right now."
"We won't be able to get a ship you know," Drifus said.
Jay stared awkwardly. "I have some money."
"And you'd best keep it saved up," Lenora said. "It's your money which you worked hard for."
Even if that hard work was stealing others' money.
"Okay but," Jay attempted.
"I have an idea," Lenora said. "So don't worry about it."