"Urgh…" Keylla's fingers tapped on the table. Something wasn't right. Something was making her ears burn, and it wasn't just because she was seated below one of the gas lanterns that were hung around the walls of the pub. If there was something her old grandmother was right about, it was that if you looked at somebody and they made your ears burn, there was something suspicious going on. It was just a matter of finding out what that thing was.

She picked up her mug and took a long drink of her coffee, all the while watching the stranger across the pub. She wasn't blatantly staring at the guy, but he was watching her.

Keylla heard Roni say something, "Yeah sure, sounds good…" he didn't even pay attention to what he agreed to. Many of the pub's patrons were smoking cigarettes and cigars, which lent a layer of fog through which Keylla could hide her lingering glances at the stranger.

The stranger was dressed in nearly all black, his face was covered by a strange mask—looked like one you'd see out east. It had designs on it that Keylla couldn't quite see from where she sat. The masked man had a dark navy shirt on underneath his black cloak made of wool. He had black and plum colored scarves and bandanas tied around his head, securing his mask and mostly covering whatever hair the guy had, if he even had any. By the way his cloak was settled, Keylla could tell that the stranger had at least one sword on his belt.

The thing that made him even more suspicious in Keylla's eyes was that he had two huge black dogs sat next to his feet that snarled each time a patron passed by.

Keylla had seen oodles of people come through Southwest Vigoreaux and tons of them wearing all dark clothes and masks and the like; it came with the city having a harbor, however, something about this man was making Keylla's hair stand on end. Especially the dogs.

Roni snapped his fingers in front of Keylla's face suddenly.

"Helloooo? You there, buddy?" Roni asked, now waving his fingers around in front of Keylla's nose.

"We've asked you a few times now where we can go find some new glasses for Roni…" Gemma said quietly, giving Keylla a concerned look.

Roni and Gemma had finished their meal and drinks and had stacked their plates neatly together to provide less mess for the wait staff to clean up.

"Oh, sorry about that, must have been daydreaming…" Keylla mumbled, finishing off the last of her coffee as she left a few coins on the table. "Let's go, follow me."

She led the way out, passing by people nursing their glasses and ale, some flirty women, and a young girl who wandered in demanding a bowl of stew. The smoke from the patrons' vices made the air heavy, which he only really noticed once he started walking.

As they reached the door which opened to the cobblestone street, Keylla gave a last quick glance over hwr shoulder and saw that the stranger shrouded in black was watching her back with a wintry glare.

"Okay, so which way, Miss Treasure Hunter?" Roni smiled, looking this way and that, clearly enjoying seeing his city in the early evening.
Keylla nodded her head to the north, "This way, luckily for us the clothing shop doesn't close until ten. The oculist rents out part of the shop, so we can kill two birds with one stone. Gotta get some more clothes for us all." He made a motion with his hand for them to follow as he started walking away from the pub. Gemma and Roni followed along at a slower pace than Keylla, both wanting to take their time as they took in the sights of the city.

The cobblestone streets of Southwest Vigoreaux were lined with tall black gas lanterns, some of which had metal street signs nailed to the stand indicating which street was which. There was a pair of teenage boys in linen button-ups and brown caps going to each lantern to light them for the evening.

One of the pimply teens gave Keylla a big grin when they passed by, and the other one winked and blew a flirty kiss at Gemma. Eyes wide, unsure of how to respond, she just gave a shy smile and hurried along to catch up to Keylla's side.

The evening air was warm and humid on Gemma's face. She was so glad to finally be in a town where the weather was actually comfortable. The castle was very hot, being in the desert, and Gelid was snowy and icy, so being in Southwest Vigoreaux felt like such a treat.

Keylla led them by tall buildings, many of which were houses built against the towering stone and brick walls that surrounded over half of the city.

There was one enormous house set apart from the rest. It was built in a different style from the others, with darker wood on the outer walls, and brick going up one side where chimneys stood high above it all. The tiles of the roof were darker too, to match the wood, and there was a part of the face of the house that had huge pieces of glass which formed a great window. The curtains were drawn to for the night, so Gemma could only guess at what they were hiding. Perhaps it was a dining hall?

There were walkways connecting buildings above the city streets to where somebody could go from one shop to the next without stepping foot outside. The walkways were built to look seamless with the buildings they connected.

As the trio passed underneath one of these to follow the road to the shopping district, Gemma noticed an odd form in the shadows. Once Roni walked ahead, she could see that the form was a young couple wrapped up in each other. She wondered why they were hiding away instead of being at home.

She just sighed and continued on by Keylla's side. Perhaps she could find a book somewhere that could explain these things. When she last spoke with Keylla about it, the treasure huntress was using sarcastic remarks, teasing as some form of distraction though Gemma noticed Keylla blush and seemed to want to change the subject.

Gemma didn't notice that Keylla had seen the couple as well and was watching Gemma's face from the corner of her eye to see how she would react. She was curious about whether or not seeing the city and all of the people would trigger any new memories.

They passed by a large water wheel working away at the end of one street where a bridge crossed a stream that ran through town leading into the sea. It powered a generator for the black smithery and bakery on either side.

Roni spotted the sign for the clothing shop first and implored his friends to hurry along!

A bell rang once they entered, and they were met with an older, well dressed gentleman seated behind a long counter where he was working a sewing machine. He did not show any sign of hearing them come in and did not look up when they approached the counter.
The shop was neatly organized by the type of clothing and had a section for shoes, an area for customers to get measured for new garments and try on the pieces they chose. There were mannequins placed round the store wearing the latest fashions. Ruffley dresses adorned with lacey sleeves stood by sleek suit jackets and crisp button-up shirts complete with ties. They even had smaller mannequins which modeled children's clothes.

"Pardon me, sir," Roni said clearly, hoping to be heard over the roar of the sewing machine. The man didn't hear him, too focused on his work. Keylla shook her head at this, and then slapped the counter a few times close to where the old man was working to grab his attention.

The man got startled by this and nearly toppled over the sewing machine. He turned it off and cleared his throat, "Hello there, sorry about that. I was working on a commission that's rather urgent from what I was told."

"Oh it's alright, sir," Roni replied before Keylla could respond. "We would like to purchase some new clothes! Many of ours are quite worn down by our travels."

"Why of course, of course," the gentleman smiled and came around from behind the counter to show them what he had ready on the shelves. He introduced himself as Mr. Howard and asked what they would like to see first. Keylla said that some new jeans would be good, so Mr. Howard pulled out a tape measure to get his and Roni's measurements.

He was able to find a couple pairs that were Keylla's size, and pointed to the dressing area so Keylla could try them on, but she did not have any that were long enough for Roni. The king was much too tall. Mr. Howard promised however, that he could have some prepared by the next morning if he could take a few more measurements of course.

Gemma wandered over to the women's section as Roni was getting measured up and found a rosy-pink dress hung with others like it in different colors. It had short puffy sleeves and was fitted under the bust and flared out to where the hemline stopped at the knee. The material felt smooth and light, like it would be comfortable to move around in.

"That would look very nice on you, Gemma," came a voice. Gemma jumped and snapped her head around and saw that it was just Keylla who snuck up on her. She was holding the two pairs of jeans she tried on so she could buy them.

"Oh my, yes it would my dear!" cried Mr. Howard who peeked around from Roni's shoulder. "Try it on! Do try it on!"

Gemma exhaled deeply, feeling her heart calm down after the scare, and nodded. She picked up the dress and went over to the dressing area. She went behind the long cream-colored curtain and found that the space housed a seat and two floor length mirrors.

She removed her cloak and sat it on the chair, and then pulled her golden dress up over her head. Luckily, she had left her scarves in her bag back at the inn or else she would have to untie them all and then retie them again.
The rosy dress fit her almost perfectly. It was too loose in the chest but felt wonderful everywhere else.

Gemma took a moment to examine herself in the mirrors. She hadn't had much of a chance before, other than glances at her face in bathrooms. The shade of pink went well with her pale skin and golden blonde hair pulled up in her ribbons. It seemed to bring out the bright shade of amber in her eyes.

It was interesting seeing how a new dress made her look so different. Upon further inspection, she saw that the fabric had light flower patterns that seemed to blur into the main color of the dress from farther away.

She stepped out from behind the curtain and found that all two men stood around waiting to see her.

"Oh my dear! You look so lovely in that dress!" Mr. Howard cried, "You know, my daughter designed it! She has a talent for making flattering dresses if I do say so." He hurried over to inspect how it fit her.

As Gemma lifted up her arms so Mr. Howard could see if the dress needed any alterations, Roni was rubbing his chin in thought, "Hmmmm! That color is indeed lovely on you dear!" He made a show of stepping forwards, furrowing his brows, and turning his head this way and that, as if he were a critique trying to see a piece of art from all angles.

She saw that his eyes locked in on her legs, "BUT! Gemma dear, your legs are much too lovely to be hidden away like that from the world!"

The king came over and lifted the hemline up a bit to her middle thigh, "See, Mr. Howard, what I mean? I think THIS length would suit her much better! She wears stockings anyways, so it's not as if she's 'exposing' herself or anything."

Keylla rolled her eyes at the statement, "Great, now Kingy thinks he's an expert in fashion."

Mr. Howard stepped away so he could see what Roni meant, hmm-ing as he took in the possible alteration, "Oh ho, you do have quite an eye for what suits a lady! That length would be flattering, but elegant all the while! And that style is indeed in with the young folk nowadays."

Gemma felt her cheeks get warm at this commotion and settled her arms down at her sides, looking away from the two jabber on and point at her dress with whether to put lace here or there. Her eyes went to Keylla, who was standing near the clothes rack where her dress came from and noticed that she was not participating in the conversation.

Keylla was looking at her, yes, but in a much different way than Roni and Mr. Howard were. Those two were just going on about the dress itself, but her slate eyes were moving up and down her form. This made her feel odd and warm, so she looked away quickly from her.

"OH! Another thing, Mr. Howard! We may have to do some alterations at her bust. It seems a little loose there." Roni pointed at the area in question, to which Gemma flinched away and folded her arms over her chest.

"Uh huh, I did notice that as well Niro." Mr. Howard nodded his head, "That will be an easy area to fix."

"Or we can always just add a little padding! The dress is beautiful otherwise!" Roni exclaimed, flourishing his hands to Gemma in adoration.

Gemma heard Keylla cough, "Hey Ron, how about you go ahead and see the oculist. They're through that door over there."

"Huh? Oh yes, you're right, I need to take care of that quickly before we leave!" and with that Roni hurried away to the oculist's side of the shop.

Mr. Howard had Gemma turn around so he could examine her back. She was glad to do so because her face felt like it was getting warmer by the second. She saw that the tailor was scribbling down some numbers and notes on his pad of paper. "Now young lady, do you like this dress, or would you like something else?" He asked once he was finished writing. "Because if you do, then I'll make the alterations to your liking. Your friend had some very good ideas, but it's your dress after all!"
Gemma nodded at Mr. Howard and smiled, "I would like it taken in a little, please. But I like the length just fine."

"Splendid! I'll have it ready for you when you all come back in the morning to pick up Niro's new pants!" He gave her a toothy smile and gestured for her to change back into her clothes.

When Gemma went back behind the curtain, she heard Keylla say, "Hey Gem, if you need anything else in here, go ahead and pick it out. It's on me!"

"Okay, thanks!" she replied softly. Again, her voice gave Gemma a little scare with how close it was and how suddenly it came. She turned to the chair where her cloak and dress lay and saw that her cheeks were more rosy than the dress in the mirror.

Maybe it was just stuffy in the shop.

Roni said that he would pick up their new clothes in the morning, so he held onto the receipt for them. He was sitting across the room at the table with his notebook and crossbow and a bunch of tools and oddments of metal skewed across the tabletop. Gemma didn't know what he did with the vase of flowers.

He was wearing his new glasses while he worked and seemed very happy with the silver frames he chose. Luckily for him, his eyesight problem was a common one, so he was able to buy one of the readymade pairs of glasses instead of having to wait a week for the oculist to make him a pair of lenses from scratch.

Gemma sat on the side of her bed smoothing some lightly scented lotion on her arms and face. It was a small gift from one of the maids back at the castle who told Gemma in a very serious tone that a young lady needed to keep her skin moisturized to stay healthy, especially while traveling. She pushed a few tendrils of her damp hair back over her shoulder and with a final rub, all the lotion was applied. She twisted the cap back on the bottle and tucked it back into her pack. She pulled her legs up into the bed and sat with them folded at her side and smoothed out her new lavender nightgown from Mr. Howard's shop. It was her turn to take the first bath of the night so she could have plenty of hot water.

She had really wanted some time to herself after being out shopping, so finding solace in bubbly bathwater was a good chance.

The bubbles tried to assure her that she was normal. That getting red in the cheeks was normal. That Keylla was just admiring her new dress, and Roni was just being…Roni.

She could not figure out what it was about the way Keylla looked at her that made her feel embarrassed. What was it about seeing that couple in the shadows under the overpass that made her mind wander into hazy territory?

She felt like she should know what it was. It was like that feeling was just barely there out of arm's reach. She wondered if she had ever felt that way before the slave crown. Maybe her past self knew exactly what those feelings were. Maybe she had done something like that couple in the shadows did.

"Hey guys! They were having a three for fifty gil sale at the apothecary on tonics!"

Keylla's voice drew Gemma back out of her head as she shoved the door shut with her foot.

The thief jostled over to her bed with her heavy paper bags and sat them down carefully so as not to break anything. She started unpacking everything with the vigor and glee of somebody unwrapping a gift.

She had definitely stocked up on tonics, and potions and antidotes and eyedrops and even spare pairs of socks! Roni sat his crossbow down and went over to Keylla's side to look at everything his friend had brought them.

"Hmm, good idea with getting more socks. I forgot to buy a few pairs at the clothing shop." Roni said as he picked out a couple black pairs from the pile now taking over Keylla's bed.

"Goodness Keylla," Gemma said quietly, looking from her spot at her bounty. "Do you think we'll be able to carry all of that? I wonder if everything will fit along with our new clothes."

"Huh. I guess I didn't really think about it that way." Keylla turned her head to face the blonde and gave her a silly grin and a shrug.

"There's only one way to find out!" And with that, Keylla started organizing everything by what was what, and then dividing everything out equally between the three of them.

She ended up giving Gemma four tonics, a potion, a new sleeping bag, three bottles of antidotes, and asked her if she wanted some socks, or if her stockings were enough for her. Gemma accepted everything but the socks and watched while she sat the bottles down on her bed so she could put everything in her bag. Keylla didn't like the idea of messing with her stuff... much.

"Thanks for the sleeping bag! This is perfect!" Roni said from his bed where he was attaching the straps from the sleeping bag to his bag so it would hang underneath it comfortably. Gemma watched the king do this for a moment before deciding to put her sleeping bag on the floor next to her pack. She would deal with attaching it to her pack in the morning.

"Here, I'll go ahead and tie your sleeping bag to your pack, okay?" Keylla had snuck up on her again. And she was acutely more aware of how close the treaaure huntress was when she crouched down at the side of her bed and set to work by doing some sort of knot.

"There we go! I'll show you how to do that knot once we're on the road again," She flashed her that silly grin once more and sprung back up to her feet.

Roni let out a long yawn from his bed, "Gosh, I'm ready to get some beauty rest!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to scrub up first, Kingy." She scratched at his bandanas as he said this, "I'll try to be quiet in there."

Gemma got out of bed and went over to the fireplace to blow out the candles sat on the mantelpiece and then to the gas lamps fixed into the walls to snuff them out while Roni let out another luxurious yawn, complete with stretching like a happy cat. "Thank you my dear!" He said before going into a sigh.

"Hey Keylla, want me to leave one lit so you can see when you come back out?" Gemma asked, looking over at him by the bathroom door, waiting for his response.

He shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine, don't worry." And with that he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind him. Gemma went over to the last lamp and snuffed it out.

"Goodnight Roni," she said softly in his direction, to which he said the same. She stepped as lightly as she could over to her bed and climbed into the freshly washed blankets and sheets.

It felt lovely getting to sleep in a bed every night. And to have access to a big bathtub and soaps and fluffy towels and a warm fire. Was this what it was like living at home?

She gradually drifted off to sleep, listening to Keylla hum a song in the bathroom while she was shuffling things around in there.

Gemma woke up to Keylla and Roni bickering in whispers about whether they should order tea or coffee from room service and how many pieces of toast and about what they think she would prefer.

"I'm telling you, tea is the best option first thing in the morning! It's lighter and not as hard on the stomach!" Roni whispered haughtily. "You can get your roasted bean water at a café after breakfast!"

Keylla huffed at this, "Well I need a kick in the ass when I'm eating breakfast or else I'll be in a bad mood! Your leaf juice is too damn weak!" She wasn't doing a good job at whispering at all.

She didn't seem to be in a bad mood when they were travelling alone together before they got to the castle though? Gemma wondered if Keylla had some coffee stashed in her bag back then and just drank it before she woke up or something.

Gemma rolled over onto her side and saw that they were not even dressed for the day—just in their sleep clothes still. The sky on the other side of the curtains was dark. It must be really early. How did they have so much energy already? She just wanted to sleep more before eating. For some reason she did not sleep very well.

Peculiar dreams plagued her in her sleep. She remembered lots of warmth, too warm, almost like she was about to step into a fire. But it wasn't like when she was casting a spell. She remembered feeling something really soft and smooth and sighs and a smile that seemed to draw her in closer.

She must have let out a sigh, because Roni suddenly cried, "Gods man, you woke her up!" The king was not even bothering to whisper now. "You're so inconsiderate sometimes!"

"Well, no point in trying to go back to sleep now." Gemma opened her eyes again to see Roni grab up his hairbrush with a scowl at the thief and plop down at the table.

Keylla came to sit down on her bed facing Gemma and sat leaning forwards, elbows on his thighs, no shirt? She could have sworn that Keylla wore an old sleeveless shirt to bed like the other night.

"Well that must have been a bad wake-up call, Gem, sorry about that." She said, giving her an apologetic smile.

That smile. It was the one from her dream!

"It's okay," she replied softly. She propped herself up on her arm, "What time is it?"

"I think it's about seven; a maid came by and asked if we wanted breakfast because the kitchens were starting to prepare." She explained, watching as Gemma rubbed at her eye with the palm of her free hand.

"So what would you like? They have all sorts, eggs, bacon, ham, oatmeal…" the thief continued listing off things until Roni cut in. "Which would you prefer for a drink Gemma? Tea or coffee?!"

Keylla shot a glare at the king.

"Why can't we order both?" Gemma asked, confused as to why they were having the debate in the first place. They looked at each other.

"Well Gemma dear, we were planning actually on surprising you with breakfast until somebody woke you up," the king stood up, brush in hand, "But I suppose that plan fell through!" Roni flounced his way to the bathroom.

"You two go on and order. I'm going to freshen up!" He called from the bathroom.

Gemma pushed back her blankets and settled her legs over the side of the bed. Her nightgown had managed to ride up a lot in her sleep, so as she smoothed it down, she said, "Honestly Keylla?"

The thief looked back at her, "Hmm?"

"I'd like some milk with my food instead of tea or coffee." She smiled.

The markets of Southwest Vigoreaux were such a rush of activity and things to see that Roni felt that it would take him days to see everything. He loved how his city evolved from the time he was a boy when his father was on the throne to now.

There were many advancements in the machinery now thanks to his work. The chimneys now released a mist like steam from their openings instead of black choking smoke from burning wood or coal directly. He had developed special boilers which still used coal, but in a more concentrated way so they could burn less and the steam they produced is what powered the engines for power in the city, his castle, and parts of Gelid. Their alliance meant that he traded some of his blueprints and machinery with their engineers and they provided his realm with coal and metals extracted from their mines.

The king could see evidence of his inventions everywhere, from the waterwheels powering more than just a mere granary to the machines the blacksmiths used to pound iron and steel into tools and weapons efficiently instead of relying on the muscles in their arms. Everything ran smoothly and streamlined.

Since he did not have much time as of late, what with dealing with the Empire, the Reigniters, and managing his kingdom, he hardly had time to just enjoy himself.

He followed Keylla and Gemma through the marketplace, watching as merchants shouted at passing people to inspect their wares! They had the best meat! The best beans! At the cheapest prices!

Families gathered at the produce stalls, each carrying different items for their lunches and dinners while the mothers or fathers paid. Young children clung to their mothers' skirts, crying for sweets as they shopped, and teenagers wandered over to stalls that sold jewelry and trinkets from around the world.

Gemma stopped outside of a flower shop where there were large displays of plants in clay pots and wreathes woven with both flowers and herbs for special occasions to help bring luck and happiness. Keylla had wandered away a few paces, still yakking at her before noticing that she had stopped and backpedaled to her side. Roni came up to his friends and saw that Gemma was running her fingers against a huge ashy white flower with curled petals the size of dinner plates planted in a large pot with intricate designs painted all over it.

"The petals feel like velvet…" she whispered as she looked at the flower in awe.

Keylla reached out to touch the petals too, "It's called a ghost rose. People keep them in their houses to keep their ancestors near."

Roni was about to ask how in the world Keylla knew what it was when they suddenly heard high-pitched barking.

A fluffy brown dog scrambled out of the crowd and stopped at Gemma's boots and started sniffing around at her feet.

"Huh? What's this?" Gemma kneeled and held her hand out to the dog, which sniffed her and then started licking her in between yips and whines.

"He must be lost, poor thing," Roni said and leaned down too so he could pat the dog on the head, which it accepted with slobber on his hand. "Yech…" he grimaced and stood back up while wiping his hand off on his pants.

Then, a finely dressed woman emerged from the crowd with tears running down her cheeks.

"HOWIE! HOWIE-BOY, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!" she cried out, twirling from one direction to another, desperately looking for wherever this Howie was. Her calls drew the attention of the dog at Gemma's feet, and apparently the dog did not want to be part of whatever this woman was doing, so it hid behind Gemma's leg. But the woman saw this and hurried over to the group. She grasped Gemma's hands in both of hers and sobbed.

"My dear! My dear! Oh, you found my Howie!" More tears pooled in the woman's blue eyes as she said this.

"Oh, you mean this dog?" Gemma asked, looking down at the now cowering dog.

The woman's voice was eerily familiar to Roni, and her dress. Especially how low cut the neckline was. It really showed off her…assets. "Yes! My poor Howie got lost while I was admiring some pearl earrings they shipped in from Shenar just now. Thank goodness he didn't get far!"

Yes, her voice rung a bell, badly. The king backed up quickly behind some of the large lilies and hanging plants before the woman noticed him.

"I'd be lost without my poor puppy!" The woman gushed, and Roni saw her swoop down and gather up the dog into her arms. "I just got him a few weeks ago, so he's still learning how to stay by my side. He could have gotten injured or stolen!"

Keylla crossed his arms at this, "Maybe if you kept the mutt on a damn leash…" The king was not able to hear the rest of his friend's grumbling over the woman now going on about how grateful she was to Gemma, who kept stammering out protests that she really didn't do anything.

"I'm Mrs. Steward, by the way, dear!" the woman drew in close to Gemma with a big smile on her painted pink lips. "I would love it if you would come to my home for some tea as a thank you!"

He knew it. Mrs. Steward! He stepped back as far as he could, hiding his face and turning his head away.

"Well, I don't know, I mean, I don't want to intrude, Mrs. Steward," Gemma tried to say, but Mrs. Steward would not have it. He was able to see the lady grasp Gemma's hand with her free one while the dog squirmed around and practically begged Gemma to come as her guest and that she had the most delicious cake her cook prepared that morning and that she wanted to show her the greenhouse her husband had built for her and went on and on until Gemma finally agreed with a small smile.

"Oh wonderful! Come, come, follow me!" and with that, Mrs. Steward pulled Gemma away into the crowd towards the residential district.

"H-hey! Gemma! Wait!" Keylla called and made after them only to be grabbed roughly on the shoulder by the king.

"Ron, we gotta hurry! Who knows where that woman lives!" Keylla practically yelled in Roni's face.

Roni just sighed and said, "Look, she's a Steward. Head to the biggest mansion and you'll find them." The king let go of Keylla's shoulder, "I'll meet you guys at the pub later."

Keylla didn't question him and took off, leaving Roni partially hidden in the strong aromas of pansies, roses, and honeysuckles. He let out another sigh, and emerged from the plants, hoping that he did not draw any attention.

"I think it's time to find a copy of today's newspaper and a cup of tea." Roni pulled a thin scarf from his pocket and went in the opposite direction his friends went. The last thing he needed was dealing with the silly Steward family again. The gentleman had the backbone of a jellyfish, the lady acted like a twit, and the children were rowdy and got under foot too often when they were discussing the more intricate details of the Steward's shipping goods around the realm. He tied the scarf loosely around his hair in a style like Keylla's, and swiftly walked along the outskirts of the market.

He saw the sign for one of the bakeries a few of his maids often squealed in delight to each other about and hurried to the door. It was called The Pumpkin House Bakery.

The aroma of nutmeg and pumpkin pies wafted out into the street as he opened the door, and his sinuses seemed to clear up instantly after taking in a few breaths of the spicy air.

The bakery doubled as a bookstore, according to his girls, and he saw that this was not an exaggeration in the slightest. He figured that they meant perhaps the bakery sold newspapers and some of the popular novellas of the season, but no. There were several huge bookcases lining much of the shop on the customer side. Roni moved closer to read some of the titles and saw that they carried everything from mystery novels to cookbooks, histories to technology, and everything in between! He found himself excited by this and grabbed a couple books on machinery and a history of legends through the ages.

"Hey sir!" came a voice nearby. Roni turned in the direction of the varnished counter and saw that a young man in an apron, not much older than fifteen, stood with his hand on his hip. "How about you come order something to enjoy while you read, eh?"

"That is indeed a splendid idea, young man!" Roni went up to the counter and sat his books down. The teenager started punching buttons on their cash register and jerked his thumb up at the large wooden sign hung above the racks of bread and muffins behind him with items painted neatly in white paint.

"There's what you can order. Of course, we can modify it to whatever you want," Explained the youth while he waited for Roni to decide. The king lifted his glasses off his face so he could read better without the glare of the little lanterns hung around the shop.

He decided on a cup of red tea with cream and a pastry filled with raspberry jam, but he trailed off, noticing in the corner of his eye a fresh newspaper from the Vigoreuxan Post. He grabbed up a copy from the display stand in front of the counter and asked for it as well. The teen rang all of this up and said the total was thirty-seven gil. Roni handed over the money and as the teen handed him his receipt and swept over to get his tea, his could not take his eyes away from the photograph covering the top half of the newspaper's cover page.

"Oranda Burns, Ashes Fall, Another Country Kneels to Erthil's Regime!"

"Here you go, mister!" The teen came back to Roni with a fluffy curled up pastry with cream drizzled on top in curly-cues and a large steaming cup of nearly blood red tea.

"Thank you very much," Roni replied, and folded the newspaper under his arm and balanced his plate on his books as he made his way over to one of the cushiony dark-leather armchairs. There were other people in the bakery as well, each with hot drinks and some sort of treat. A trio of young ladies sat around a high round polished table in matching stools sharing a plate of cookies and giggles. An elderly wispy white-haired woman was seated on one of the leather love-seats with her knitting, and a man who looked a few years older than Roni was taking over a table next to one of the bookcases where he had papers and open books about and scribbled furiously on a sheet on paper. This reminded him of how he tended to be when he was working on designs in his notebooks back in his workshop in the engine rooms.

The king gave a long sigh as he sat his things down on the dark wooden coffee table covered in pretty doilies. They were just like the ones his mother made.

He wished to be home, with Matron and all of his dear people. Perhaps one of the Reigniters at the hideout knew any information about the state of his home. He had not seen anything about further attacks on his castle besides the news that it had been attacked and sunk into the desert a few days ago. Nothing more. There were, however, plenty of stories in the papers speculating about why Fload and his men attacked in the first place, whether or not their king had angered the Empire or broke the alliance, or that the fight was actually caused by King Roni himself! One paper said that King Roni decided to make the first move and attempted to assassinate Fload with some poisoned tea.

That story had made Roni feel slighted that some of his own people would think such a thing! As if he had so little class as to poison a man's drink instead of having an official duel. He was a king after all! He was raised to act with respect and honor, even with enemies!
Of course, it's not as if Roni could rush into the writer's home and complain. That would definitely blow his cover, as Keylla put it. 

Roni picked up the newspaper and unfolded it all the way so he could read the entire front page while holding his teacup with his other hand.

In today's edition of The Vigoreauxan Post, we finally have the full story of what happened in Oranda just days ago.

The moon had just begun to show its face when the townspeople of Oranda saw an all too familiar sight approaching them. But instead of it being just another visit from the Emperor, the Magitech Knights were on another mission.

Missiles fired upon the city with rapid succession, and soon soldiers bum-rushed the people with guns at the ready.

Atop the largest Magitech armor rode the youngest general under Emperor Erthil's command, Cirrus Cole. Known for his cold demeanor and strong sword skills, the young general also happens to be one of the Emperor's Magitech Knights, bred for battle before he could walk.

He led the attack upon Oranda late into the night and did not stop until the royal family were all slain by his own blade. Our source claims that he came out onto the balcony of the royal family's home holding the head of the prince for all the citizens to see and proclaimed that Oranda shall assimilate with the Empire or everybody remaining in Oranda will perish.

Needless to say, the citizens of Oranda bowed down to the general and to the Empire.

Our source has declined to be named. (Perhaps for fear for their life?)

Above this article was a photograph of Emperor Erthil, General Theo, Fload, and General Cirrus all saluting.

Roni could not take his eyes from the page. How could a young man like him take down Oranda?

The photograph was in black and white, but Cirrus's face was crystal clear. He tried to see any hint of the vile person the newspaper described, but he just found it so unbelievable that a young lad could do such things.

Pictures were misleading of course. Roni found that out the hard way when he was still young and being forced to choose to date young ladies by just pointing at pretty photographs or paintings. Once he finally met them in person, they were either just as sweet as their portrait, or horrible in personality and speech, despite their long fluttery lashes and perfectly pointed noses.

He took a sip of his tea, expecting it to be hot, but found it had cooled quite a bit, nearly cold completely. How long had he been reading?

Roni gulped down his tea and decided to head over to the tailor's shop to pick up their new clothes before going to the pub to meet Keylla and Gemma for lunch. He ate his pastry in four bites, gathered up his things, and went up to the counter to return the teacup and plate.

"Why Rene!"

Roni spun around quickly and saw a middle-aged woman gazing up at him. She frowned.

"Wait a moment, you're much too short to be Rene." She said, bringing her hands up to pull her shawl closer around her shoulders.

"Sorry the for confusion, young man. You look just like somebody I know." The woman turned and made to leave before Roni grabbed her hand.

"Hold on, you know Rene?"