"Ah, how could I have forgotten! The fees for school come into play…from tuition, to daily costs of everyday life, to food…"
"You don't usually have to worry about that thanks to the nobility…" Xavien said as he went to pat her on the back from just realizing the issue with him enrolling so early without any gameplan of sorts.
"Well if it's the cost of his daily life, that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I've saved up some funds in case he finally was ready to hit the road." Rita said as serving the three plates of egg and sausage scramble, followed with glasses of cider. They all sat at the bar and began to eat as she walked to the back to grab something. The three continued to discuss until she returned with a pouch.
"Here's all that I've saved to the side to make sure he was fine to go. Didn't expect to be pulling it out this early though…"
The brown pouch she had dropped on the table abruptly, seemingly filled to the brim with the currency of the kingdom. Terra inspected it as Dante opened the pouch to see many silver and bronze coins within it.
"This is nearly…5000 fil total!" That's more than enough to cover your daily expenses!" Terra said as looking at the lump sum of coins in the bag. Dante looked to her confused as if he didn't really understand why it was such a big deal as his face began to contort, as if he was thinking about something.
"So that's why you weren't telling me anything about expenses." He said as Rita smiled apologetically, stating it was only to make sure he wouldn't know about her secret stash which had been slowly building up through the years. Though peeved at the idea of her keeping such a secret from him, he seemed happy to know that Rita was looking out for him throughout all of the years.
Xavien's eyes widened as it seemed he remembered something as he ate the breakfast, looking at Dante and mentioning his appearance.
"Oh right…about your looks…"
Dante's face changed to one of worry as he seemed to remember that his appearance was a dead giveaway of his origin. The people of the kingdom would instantly spot the details leading to speculation of what he could be. Which could not only mess things up for him, but also the two of them if they're found out. Dante had a small panic before a pair of hands touched his face. Terra had turned his head to the side, and ended up touching his ear. The sudden touch shocked him as he was ready to back away, yet she persisted with her action through the motion. Before he realized it, he felt a small weight attached to his right ear. Terra had a face of delight seeing what she did before she pulled out a small mirror from her bag.
"I didn't know that the day we met, it was your birthday…I know it's not the most well prepared gift and all, but it should help with that issue of yours when it comes to blending in seamlessly!"
She put the mirror in front of him and he peered into it, to see the same earring she showed him before in the cave, being able to change the appearance of herself with it. He looked at the earring closely and didn't see a change which disappointed him slightly. Terra giggled to herself as she then told him how to use it.
"Imagine yourself, but without the scaly and dragon-like parts, and you'll be good to go!"
"Hm…without the scaly parts…"
Dante then closed his eyes as he began to imagine just what he'd look like without the features he had from his draconic side. Slowly the magic of the earring began to shift as his scales slowly began to dissipate and his claws began to retract. His ears molded slowly into a softer round shape finally as his eyes opened and he looked into the mirror. His appearance has changed and he saw the effects of the magic circulating within the earring.
He touched his face in shock as the scales seemed to have disappeared completely from his face and arms. The hard feeling of the skin had fully gone away, and all that he could feel was smooth skin as if he were just a regular human. Looking at his different features put a smile on his face before turning to the others to see their reactions. Terra gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up as Xavien was surprised at how natural he looked. Rita laughed when she noticed he didn't change much about his teeth, as they were still sharp as ever, yet he knew that it wouldn't matter too much in hindsight.
Enjoying his new look, the group finished their meals as they prepared to finally prepare to set off. Terra and Xavien walked out of the tavern as Dante ran to his room to grab his things, though he was worried that because of how fast things progressed, he'd forget to pack some things. He scoured his room in search of anything important to bring along with him.
"Books…toothbrush…what else is there…?" he questioned as he flung around things in search. He looked around until an old photograph fell out of one of his books he flung around. The photo was creased on the ends and seemed a bit worn but he looked to see it was an old picture of him and Rita. His face was clearly covered in what seemed to be cake as he was reaching for the camera. Rita was holding him in her lap as she seemingly had smothered bits of the same cake on her clothes and face as well. The memory of this day seemed foggy to Dante, as he felt it was hard to remember exactly when this happened. Hearing footsteps from behind, he turned slightly to see Rita looking over his shoulder, peering at the image in hand.
"I didn't know ya had that photo stashed away Dove."
"I just found it…"
"I remember that day like it was yesterday…it was your 5th birthday."
"Wow, you have a really good memory Rita."
"What can I say, your birthdays always were somethin'."
She pointed to the image and laughed at his face being so muddied up, and teased him about how he looked the night before as she had a photo that was almost one to one with the same image. Dante continued to pack away his valuables as Rita handed him certain things she knew he'd need for his trip to the kingdom. She shoved a book into his chest as he held it out to read out the words on the book.
"Journal?"
"Yeah, you should make a recollection of everything that happens during your time in the kingdom, who knows what you'll see along the way."
"Good point…" he said as putting the book into his travel bag. He picked it up and put the bag on his back as the two walked out of his room and to join the others.
Terra and Xavien had been joined by the kids and some of the elders to send them off on their journey to the kingdom. They waved slightly as the two approached. The carriage had already arrived outside as the driver waited patiently, allowing the children to pet the carriage horses. Dante looked at the group with a smile on his face as the children gathered around him quickly.
"Are you already leaving?"
"It's so early, we almost didn't get to see you off!"
"We're gonna miss you…"
The three children seemed to be saddened at the fact of his fast departure from the village, though Dante seemed to feel happy to see them before he headed off. He bent down and reached his arms around the three and hugged the three of them. Their eyes began to water and they all began to sob into his chest, Rita watched happily as she knew the kids looked up to him during his time in the village, often messing with him and bickering for hours.
They eventually let go of him and began to wipe their tears and noses, Dante could do nothing but smile as watching the three try to keep their composure. Reginald stepped forward and gave him a strong pat on the back, applauding him for coming so far. He held out his hand to Dante, offering a handshake of sorts and Dante took his hand graciously as Reginald has always been someone he's admired for his strength since he was young. The handshake was firm and he was brought into a hug by the man, he hugged him back tightly before letting go.
Bernard stood firm and seemed to be trying to keep his composure, he had watched over him alongside Rita over the years and was one of the few people who took the extra time and precaution to make sure he was always taken care of. He grinned as Dante approached and began to speak.
"Dante…I know you've been waiting for this day for so long. I'm happy to see you're finally on your way."
Dante bent down on his knee to hug Bernard as the two held one another tightly and Bernard rubbed the tuft of Dante's hair. He watched him grow from a small baby, to now a growing boy. He couldn't be more proud to see his progress over the years, and showing his capabilities through not only his diligence with Rita's harsh training, but his tenacity of wanting to protect those who he cares for. He pulled away as he wiped a tear from his face and gave Dante a big smile.
"Show those kingdom snobs what a Riverant baby can do!"
"You got it!" Dante said as he stood up and looked back at Rita, she looked at him with full eyes as she walked up to him and began to adjust his clothes. From gently fixing his ponytail to making sure his shirt was straightened out. She stepped back to take a look at him and nodded.
"You look the part alright Dove."
"Well, it's only thanks to you Rita…"
"Yeah, yeah. I know."