“Do you know the safest route to Lugg?” Norman asked for the 14th time in a row.

  “HUUUUH? LUGG? YEAH I KNOW IT! GOOD VILLAGE, THAT PLACE!” The old lepui woman behind the counter yelled back. She looked at least a hundred years old, and despite her large bunny ears, she couldn’t hear a thing.

  “HOW DO I GET TO LUGG?!” Norman yelled back. Monotone yelling is quite difficult to pull off, so the fact that Norman could yell was impressive… sorta.

  “DIRECTIONS, EH? JUST GO NORTH AND FOLLOW THE ROAD SIGNS! THERE AIN’T ANY BANDITS ‘ROUND THESE PARTS! THAT’S JUST WHAT WE TELL THE CHILDREN SO THEY’LL BEHAVE!” The bunny woman cackled in that way only old ladies can.

  Norman felt a sense of triumph when he finally got directions out of the granny. He’d spent almost an hour getting her to present the needed items for their journey, and that was his final question. While he was rummaging through his coin pouch for payment, he felt a tug on his sleeve. When he looked down, he saw not one but two children looking up at him. He internally panicked at the thought of his responsibilities doubling.

  “Mister! I want this one! Look! It’s got lotsa flowers on it, ya see? Serena picked it out for me! She’s my new pal, ain’t that right? Her grandma runs this store! Ain’t that cool?” Pail babbled excitedly as he put the satchel on the desk. Serena nodded shyly in agreement at being called a friend.

  Norman sighed in relief when Pail confirmed that the girl wasn’t another helpless orphan. He was happy that Pail had found a friend his age; it meant he wouldn’t bother him today. Though that probably meant that he would be doubly as bothered tomorrow when they had to leave the girl and the village behind. As Norman put the payment on the table, he felt another, much gentler, tug on his sleeve.

  “Excuse me, sir… could I play with Pail for a little bit? I’ve never seen such pretty hair before, and uhm… Pail agreed to let me brush it… if that’s okay,” Serena asked shyly, hiding her face behind her ears. Her voice was so gentle that it was barely audible.

  Norman was about to agree when he was cut off by the woman behind the desk “OOOOH! YOU GOT A FRIEND, DID YOU? WHAT A CUTE LITTLE THING!” She leaned over the desk to get a real good look at Pail. “YOU WANNA DO HER HAIR, HUH? I HAVE JUST THE THING!” Norman was baffled at the fact that the woman could hear this very quiet girl this easily but not a grown man yelling.

  After a good bit of rummaging through one of the many drawers in the back, she nodded knowingly when she found what she was looking for. Her furry rabbit paw reached out to Pail, holding two sage green ribbons with a small lace trim on the edges. They were rough looking but clearly made with love. Norman guessed that they would be pretty pricy in this world.

  “THIS IS FOR YOU TO KEEP, DEARIE! THINK OF IT AS A GIFT FROM GRANDMA!” The lepui laughed endearingly at the children’s amazed expressions. “SERENA’S GOT MATCHING ONES, YOU SEE! YOU’LL LOOK LIKE SISTERS!”

  “Thank ya very much, granny! I’m gonna treasure ‘em! And the bag too! Thank you lots for the gift and for lettin’ me see ya treasures!” Pail thanked her as politely as he could, holding the ribbons close to his chest. He’d gotten so many precious things these last few days, and he promised himself that he would treasure them for as long as he lived.

  The kids quickly darted upstairs to Serena’s room, and Norman was left with the old lady. Norman had never been comfortable with gifts as he didn’t know what the proper response to receiving one was. He tried to pay the granny for the ribbons but was quickly waved off for all sorts of reasons until he relented. All he could do was profusely thank the woman as he headed out with his items.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  [YOU COULD HAVE JUST ASKED YOUR QUESTIONS TO ME.]

  Norman saw those words right as he stepped through the door to their room at the inn. He wanted to punch Savant for not speaking up earlier and making him suffer all for nothing. He wanted to punch Savant even harder when he felt the joy radiating through their mental link, confirming that it didn’t speak up on purpose. Stupid parasite.

  After calming down, Norman threw another piece of jerky to Pretty before getting to work on packing for their trip. He bought himself a sturdy backpack with many side compartments for easy access to essentials. He packed a large waterskin, two days' worth of travel rations for both him and Pail, jerky for Pretty, a handheld hatchet, a bar of soap, a proper fire striker, and his coin satchel in his bag. He ideally wanted a tent of some kind, but he would have to go to a proper town to buy one of those.

  In Pail’s bag, he put a smaller waterskin, a proper rag for cleaning, gauze, and a small dagger. He didn’t know how to feel about giving a knife to a kid who couldn’t even dress themselves yet, but according to the granny, it was normal in this world. He would have to hold a crash course on knife safety before he handed it to him, though. He’d rather not have to deal with any missing fingers or eyes.

  SAVANT HAS CONNECTED

  [YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD VISIT.]

  [LOLLLL THEY DON’T! WHERE DID YOU HEAR THAT? THAT WOULD BE STUUUUPID!]

  [HE VISITED ME. I WAS VERY NERVOUS.]

  [ARE YOU CERTAIN?!?! IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A WANDERING SOUL!!!!!]

  [OMG NO WAAAAAY FOR REAL? IF MINE VISITED ME I WOULD TOTES DIE!!! I AM CATFISHING HIM HARD LOLLLL HE THINKS I’M HIS ANCESTOR XX]

  [I AM SURE. I HAVE A FRAMED PHOTO OF HIM ON MY DESK. THEY LOOKED THE SAME.]

  [...WEIRDO...]

  [THAT IS UNUSUAL, BROTHER!!!! MAYBE YOU HAVE A SOUL BOND LIKE MY HOST HAS WITH HIS SPIRIT EAGLE!!!!]

  [WE HAVE A SPECIAL BOND. WE ARE SOULMATES.]

  [NO WAAAAAAY!!!! IS THAT WHAT YOU TOLD HIM? THAT’S SO STINKING CUTE!!! I DIDN’T THINK MY LITTLE BROTHER COULD BE THIS CUTE!!!! XX]

  PROPHETESS HAS CONNECTED

  [WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, DARLINGS?]

  [SAVVY TOLD HIS THAT THEY’RE SOULMATES!! IT’S SO CUTE I’LL DIE!!!!!]

  [I DO NOT SEE WHAT IS CUTE ABOUT IT, SISTER SIREN. ARE WE NOT ALL SOULMATES WITH OURS?]

  [...WE ARE THEIR MASTERS… WE ARE NOT EQUALS…]

  [THAT’S RIGHT, DARLING. WE ARE THEIR MASTERS. WE KEEP THEM ALIVE FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES.]

  [WE ARE SOULMATES.]

  [WE ARE THE SPIRITS THAT GUIDE THEIR PATH, BROTHER!!! LIKE A GREAT BEAR PROTECTING HER CUBS, WE PROTECT OURS!!!]

  [LET HIM BELIEVE IN LOVE, GUYZZZ! OUR YOUNGEST BROTHER SHOULD KEEP HIS INNOCENCE!! XX]

  [LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! LIVE YOUR TRUTH, BROTHER!! LIKE A BEAR!!!]

  [ARA ARA! WILL THERE BE A WEDDING?]

  [NOBODY IS GETTING MARRIED. IT’S NOT LIKE THAT.]

  [...SAVANT GOT REJECTED… AS EXPECTED…]

  [I DID NOT GET REJECTED.]

  [SO YOU HAVEN’T PROPOSED YET? XX INVITE US WHEN YOU POP THE QUESTION!!]

  [I AM NOT PROPOSING TO ANYONE. OUR SPECIES ISN’T EVEN CAPABLE OF ROMANCE. STOP TEASING ME.]

  [I WOULD NEEEEEEVER TEASE MY LOVELY LITTLE BROTHER!!]

  [...I WOULD…]

  [I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TRYING TO SOCIALIZE WITH THIS FAMILY OF MINE.]

  SAVANT HAS DISCONNECTED