A merchant’s credibility was the mass placed on the scales to judge their quality. Lawrence wasn’t sure if this was what Eve was implying, but he knew she was trying to judge him by the quality of his answer.. so that was probably it.
Eve listened to his answer with a dark smile. Her face then returned to it’s default expression and she raised her cup.
“Sorry.. I do want to trade with you.. I shouldn’t be asking such strange questions.”
The corner of Lawrence’s left lip rose, and he raised his own cup to meet hers. He didn’t actually clink his cup with hers, since that might blemish good silverware; it was a way to show one’s opponent they were a match for them.
“I told you that I envied you and your companion.. I’ve never felt that more strongly than I do right now.”
Eve smiled and shrugged. She then diverted her gaze to Cole, with her usual merchant-like demeanor.
“Well, it seems true that you’re not the apprentice of Kraft Lawrence. Personally, I genuinely find that a pity.”
Cole’s eyes became round upon hearing that, before looking at the ground. He seemed not to know what to do. Lawrence smiled; in his heart he agreed that it was a shame.
Cole surely must feel divided because he knew he couldn’t accept Eve’s implied suggestion. Eve seemed to understand this as well.. she smiled and closed her eyes. When they opened again they were looking at Lawrence.
“I suspect you know that Diva’s search for these bones isn’t something that’ll just cost you a hundred Lumione. If you recklessly interfere you’ll realize how cheap our lives really are. That said, I trust my judgment as a merchant.. and I’m willing to extend that trust to you.”
After turning the cup in his hands slowly, Lawrence took another sip. If he didn’t exaggerate things here, Holo would be angry with him.
“I chose life over money.. but my companion is worth more to me than my life. And.. I’m also quite looking forward to this.”
He echoed the words he’d spoken when he and Eve had their past confrontation over the value of a life. She smiled.. it was the kind of smile Holo would have worn in her wolf form.
“Once in a while, a good treasure hunt can be fun. So alright.. you want to learn about D’Jean’s links with Diva? Then I’ll write you a letter of introduction for D’Jean Company. After that..”
She closed an eye and tilted her head.. it was a pose that screamed confidence.
“It’s up to you.”
Her charm was undeniable. Holo would surely be upset if she heard that, but Eve’s expression and pose were dazzling. She was a real merchant.. talented, knowing what to say, and how to say it with the right gestures. He lowered his head in praise. Merchants on the golden path sure were inspiring..
* * *
Eve sliced off a piece of expensive parchment with a knife, wrote on it, and sprinkled some sand on it to dry the ink. While she waited for it to dry she readied a horse-hair string and a bit of red wax. After counting enough time for the ink to dry, she rolled up the parchment, sealed it with the wax, and tied it up with the string. Her hand-written letter was ready.
It might appear rather ordinary, but such letters represented pure profit to a merchant. Lawrence suspected that Eve spoke the truth about wanting to trade with him.
“Barring any accidents, I’ll be leaving town tomorrow afternoon. I’ll travel south by sea, leaving this cold region behind.”
“Then let’s have a farewell celebration so I can express my gratitude. This’ll be the last chance I have to see you before you strike it big as a merchant.”
Lawrence received her letter, and Eve smiled and nodded.
“I must rest up today before I depart. But if you return at night I can ask a servant to prepare dinner for us.”
“How about tomorrow at dawn?”
Eve’s smile was probably one of the same surprise most people would show with their entire face. She sat like that for a moment before crossing her arms and sighing.
“But I’ll be alone at dawn.. well, I suppose that will give me a chance to prove my abilities.”
Back in Lenos, Eve had joked with Lawrence about her how confident she was in her appeal.. maybe it wasn’t a joke after all. She spoke so gently that it matched her noble lineage. Her hoarse voice only amplified that effect. Cole’s jaw dropped as he stared at her. If she wore the right clothes, she would seem every bit a baroness.
“It seems it’s not just pork and beef on the menu tonight.. I’d best be careful.”
“Oh ho.. if your companion is in a good mood, bring her along.”
“Certainly. I thank you for the letter.”
Eve waved, then closed the door gently behind them. Merchants didn’t wave their hands in farewell, but Eve clearly waved at Cole. Lawrence carefully put her letter in the pocket inside his coat, then took a peek behind himself. As suspected, Cole was staring at the door.
“She’s quite the interesting one, isn’t she?”
Lawrence stepped away. Cole snapped out of it and followed suit.
“Ah.. um.. yes.”
“She’s the one who gave me this wound.”
Lawrence pointed to his ointment-treated cheek, but Cole didn’t seem to understand at first. A moment later he spun around to look at the door again, a look of disbelief on his face.
“There was a dispute, and it was resolved with the handle of a cleaver.”
“I see.. ”
“Though she’s surprisingly personable, it’s not good to be careless. Just like there’s a pretty face under her scarf, the are other terrible layers under that.”
Cole frowned, not quite sure what Lawrence was working at.
“Now you know why Holo was so wrathful last night.. because Eve nearly killed us.”
“Ah!”
Cole shouted out, not being able to imagine that someone so pleasant could be the bravery and cruelty of a thief. Lawrence wanted tell him that humans were creatures of many faces and hidden weapons, to make him aware of the real world, but he spied a serious look on the boy’s face. He was so honest he might oppose the attitude to suspecting others. But when he raised his head, his face was full of puzzlement.
“What is it?”
Cole was always like this. No matter how brilliant one was, they could never be a merchant if they couldn’t control their facial expressions. But Cole would be a wonderful member of the clergy, so that was alright.
“If we want to survive, we have to behave like that, don’t we?”
His voice was tinged with remorse.. like a young knight stepping out onto the battlefield, all the while chastising himself for not working hard enough. Lawrence didn’t quite grasp what he was talking about.
How did their nearly being killed by Eve relate to living in the world? Did he mean he had to learn how to survive facing a situation like that where he might be killed? Lawrence wasn’t sure, but Cole continued speaking.. so he waited patiently.
“Of course I’ll never accept the principles of the Church.. and this sort of thing happened even in my village.. I know we must learn to think in different ways.. but even though it’s not my place to say this, reality sure is harsh..”
Cole walked with his eyes glued to the ground in front of him. He just kept talking. Lawrence, on the other hand, stared up at the sky as he walked. He had no idea what Cole was going on about.
“Well-”
Lawrence interjected, and Cole quickly raised his head.
“No, no! I did not mean that you were wrong, Mr. Lawrence.”
The look of fear in his eyes made Lawrence’s own eyes open widely in surprise.
“I.. I just don’t understand what you’re saying. I can’t figure it out..”
As Lawrence said that, Cole looked at the ground again, his look of fear replaced by one of embarrassment. Lawrence scratched his head. He was completely stumped. He really didn’t get it. But it looked like Cole wanted to change topics, so Lawrence did.
“In any case, let’s go back to
the inn before we go to D’Jean Company.”
Cole nodded in silence.
* * *
“And that’s basically what happened.”
Holo had told them that the ointment was just too pungent to stand if she didn’t cover herself. Right now, only her head was outside of her blanket.
“Truly?”
“You would know if I was lying, right?”
Just as Lawrence stepped into the room, she had awakened. She then sat up tall to look at them. It struck Lawrence as strange, until he realized it was because she was able to move. In the morning she wouldn’t have even sat up, but now it looked like the pain had subsided to the point where she could bear it.
“It really is good medicine..”
Lawrence decided that he ought to take her with them to D’Jean Company. But that smell had to stay behind.. so the ointment would unfortunately have to be washed away. He asked Cole to go prepare some hot water for them.
“I cannot fault you for not understanding Cole.. it would be like discussing fish with a butcher.. entirely out of your element.”
Holo leaned on her pillow while yawning. She would only speak this way to provoke him.. was she making sport of him again? He sighed in surrender, knowing better than to antagonize her.
“I’m aware of how slow my mind is.. but I can’t just will it to be faster. In the end I still won’t understand.”
He had raised the white flag.. but there were tears on the edges of Holo’s eyes and she looked quite upset.
“What’s wrong?”
Holo smiled at his question.
“Um.. it seems I was too easy on you..”
One of her ears twitched.
“What do you mean?”
“I just cannot bring myself to be hard on you if you are going to act so meekly.”
“...”
What was Holo expecting? He put his hand to his forehead, which was apparently a satisfying-enough reaction for her. She finally smiled her normal mischievous smile.
“Indeed, you are aware of the truth, so it is difficult for you to see it any other way. Do you really not understand how others would view the relationship between you and that fox?”
She spoke while smiling.. which meant she had given him all the hints he needed. Lawrence would have to try to think from her perspective to figure it out. It was the type of challenge a merchant couldn’t refuse.. she was testing him once more. He tried to think like Cole, about what had taken place between him and Eve.
He had been injured by the handle of a cleaver.. nearly killed. Holo had lost her temper. After hearing that, Cole’s expression had twisted, his face red in embarrassment..
“Ah.”
Lawrence figured it out. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, much like beer, though it also made him want to laugh.
“Oh, ho. Lucky you.”
Holo grinned happily. She knew Cole’s take on the situation was impossible. Lawrence raised his palm to his forehead and sighed. It was too easy to be misunderstood.. no, it was actually kind of hard to accept that someone like him would be misunderstood this way. All he could do was smile.
“Then he thought I’d cheated on Eve, and she retaliated violently? I never would have guessed.. so that’s why he told me he didn’t think I was wrong..”
Lawrence actually had half a mind to joke and say “so he thought I cheated on you,” but joking with Holo that way might be life-threatening.
“Both that fox and I are females.. you are a male. For me to fight that fox, there would only be one reason. What I don’t understand is why your kind fights over shiny pieces of gold. I could be bought for sixty coins, was it? Ah, me, I simply cannot comprehend you humans.”
Hearing her annoyed tone made Lawrence think back to all the things he had done for Holo that required money. He was depressed that she didn’t realize he would fight for money partly for her sake, but she was the Wisewolf of Yoitsu.. she seemed to notice his reaction.
“But your behavior was oddest of all, coming back for me like that.. I just cannot understand how your mind works.”
She set her face down on the pillow, but still kept her eyes on him. There was no way he could get angry or turn away from her, not when she was being so supportive. So he just shrugged his shoulders and caved in, brushing his hand across her face.
“Is that it?”
She whispered, squinting her eyes and rolling her ears happily. Lawrence could hardly believe it, and so he prepared himself for the worst. He looked around to make sure no one was watching them and took a deep breath. Then he moved his face closer to hers, as he had done in Lenos.
But unlike that time, just as their faces nearly came into contact, there came the sound of knocking at the door, snapping him back to reality.
“I have the hot water!”
Cole’s voice rang out as he pushed the door open with his back. He entered the room carrying a large bucket. It was not a light one, and for Lawrence’s sake he had carried it upstairs on his own. There was no way he could be faulted or punished. Lawrence stood up beside the bed and forced himself to reply.
“Thank you.”
A cold sweat had broken out on his back. Just as the door was knocked, Holo had revealed an evil smile.. she had been turning her ears toward the sound of Cole’s footsteps.
“What happened?”
Lawrence could act tough, but it wouldn’t change the atmosphere in the room. Cole was already confused. But Lawrence still acted tough, knowing that Holo would be grinning behind his back. After all, she had set this trap to see him panicky and flustered. But that wasn’t the most upsetting thing for Lawrence. He touched his face, pretending to scratch it.
“The water may be too hot.. if it is, I’ll bring some cold water.”
Cole set down the bucket and immersed two towels. If such a clever kid could be his apprentice, Lawrence felt his travels would be a lot easier.
“Yes, thank you.”
“There is nothing to thank.. I asked you to bring the water, so that’s the least I can do.”
Cole’s guileless smile was the kind that would inspire people to buy him seconds at dinner. If Holo had such a powerful smile, Lawrence was sure he would be bankrupt within a month.
“Then I shall wash myself. The ointment was good for my body, but terrible for my nose.”
Holo spoke while hopping off the bed, leaving Cole a bit flustered.. he had never considered that the ointment would have that problem.
“Hmm.. the water is just right. We should wash up before it gets cold.”
As Holo stirred the water, a cloud of steam spread upward. It was probably because of how cold the room was and not due to the water being terribly hot.
“Good. Just don’t catch a cold.”
As he spoke, Holo wrung out a drenched towel and threw it to him. It was hot, but he held it while he pondered whether he should remove the ointment as Holo suggested. He wanted to move the towel to his face, but felt a little uncomfortable.. Cole was standing there, with a sad look on his face. Lawrence was unable to ask him to leave, but Cole caught on and spoke first.
“Ah.. I’ll leave for a while.”
He then smiled thinly.. something was on his mind. As he walked to the door, he glanced back wordlessly, a serious look on his face like a messenger swearing he wouldn’t reveal an important secret. Lawrence understood, and turned to Holo as the door closed. She was strenuously wringing out her towel.
“From the look on his face, your talk with the fox must have been quite pleasant.”
That’s why Cole was so serious. To him, Lawrence had argued with Eve because she was jealous. That meant the two of them were close. But Lawrence knew he shouldn’t take it so seriously, or he’d be teased.
“The look on his face was saying ’I’ll keep your secret, Mr. Lawrence.”’
Holo raised her head in laughter.
“Hohoho.. and he looked at me so apologetically..”
She then sat on the floor and bent her
knees, supporting her chin upon them.
“If you were more like him you would be far more lovable.”
Lawrence took his time to respond. He pulled the bandage off his right cheek and felt his wound. It wasn’t very swollen, and no longer hurt. The ointment was definitely effective.. perhaps effective enough to earn him some profit.
“Well, those who live near a copper mine will become tinted red, and I’m less lovable because I’m always around you.”
Lawrence fired his shot before rubbing his face. The towel’s warmth was very comforting. Holo mimicked him, but rubbed her neck instead of her face. Her ears flicked up and down, and the towel was so discolored by the ointment that she seemed surprised.
“Well, the copper analogy is certainly apt.. your face is always red around me.”
Lawrence flipped his towel around and rubbed his face again with it’s clean side. It felt terrific. He then turned to Holo and replied.
“It hasn’t been red recently, has it?”
“What a load of hogwash.”
From her answer it was clear that she was playing with him, but his emotions got the better of him. When he noticed the smile on her lips, he knew he was trapped once again.
“Oh, you do not agree? Then I suppose the boy’s intelligence is rare.”
Holo tossed her towel at Lawrence, stripped off her clothes, and cast them aside. Lawrence just sat there, unable to respond. She posed with her hand on her waist as if straightening her back.
“Would you rub my back for me?”
Holo didn’t mind him seeing her naked body, but Lawrence did mind. It was obvious she was messing with him yet again.. just making sport of someone who was trying to be a gentleman. He excused himself, tossing the towel back to her like a child throwing a pillow.
Cole’s ointment was almost miraculous. In such a short time, Holo went from being unable to move to only feeling slight pain. It was so effective that Lawrence’s face had nearly recovered.. but now Holo’s face was more twisted than before.