My stomach dipped suddenly. Fuck. Was that…guilt?
It’d been one thing to have Theo buy us dinner and a hotel room. He benefitted from it—at least partially. But now I was giving away his money for something completely unrelated to him.
I swallowed, forcing the feeling down. Now wasn’t the time to question the one-sidedness of our dynamic. I needed help. Ida needed help. If he wanted to offer it, it wasn’t my responsibility to hesitate on his behalf, even if I thought his reasoning for owing me his life was bullshit.
“Here you go,” I said, handing over the easily identifiable coins.
Spending Theo’s money wasn’t much easier at the next shop, where it cost five times as much to buy Ida new footwear. They unfortunately didn’t offer discounts for only purchasing the left shoe.
I reminded myself that feeling guilty wasn’t going to help anyone as I weaved through the market. Better to get over it while the day was young.
“Theo and Ida weren’t kidding,” I muttered to myself as I stepped into the shadow of the largest building in town…by far. “Can’t miss it.”
This store specialized in sewing, crafting, fabric, and dye. Ida mentioned Drifael was famous for its rare pigments—primarily sold by this business—so it wasn’t a surprise that I could hear people loudly bustling within its walls before I even entered.
The building was essentially one giant wooden barn lined with rows of tables and shelves, and divided into sections. Dyes. Raw materials. Premade goods. Tools. Private cubbies for seamstresses to create custom pieces. I veered to the far left to start my rounds. This would take a while. Sewing was something between a love language, a hobby, and a necessity for Ida. Much of what we carried back would be from this building.
After a good turn around the building, the many soft things I’d gathered rendered my satchel no longer able to close.I made my way to the tools section to complete my list. Scissors. Needles. Buttons. Laces. Wire.Allllllthat good stuff.
“Wire to attach crystal to choker,” I muttered to myself as I checked through the list.
My eyes landed on a coil of thin metal. I grabbed it off the hook, fidgeting with its loose end to confirm how twisty it was with my fingers.Should work.
“Metal eyelets…” I read out loud before quickly locating the shelf containing the small circular rings.
“Excuse me.”
Why was there so much variety to choose from? Did it matter what kind of finish I got for her? Most of what she’d used on my garments was silver. Was that because she liked silver? Or because she ran out of copper and gold from preferring them?I wish I had a cell phone so I could call and ask.
“Miss? Excuse me. I was wondering if you could help me?”
“Sorry, are you talking to me?” I looked over my shoulder.
A handsome Mercurian man stood to my left, a pair of scissors in hand. Seafoam green markings branched out from under the cuff of his rain cloak. Something about him was unexplainably different from the locals, so I assumed he was a fellow visitor.
“I’m shopping for my sister, and I don’t know what a rotary cutter is. Something tells me it’s not the same as scissors.” He scratched the back of his neck, his well-maintained scruff dimpling with a sheepish expression.
“Oh no, it’s different.” I turned back to my right to grab the tool with a circular blade and pass it to him. “There you go.”
“Are you from around here? I don’t suppose you know where Evaline’s is? They were out of Pacikmla. Shop keeper said I should check there next.”
I wasn’t sure if there was a wrong answer, so I said honestly, “I’m new to town too, but I’m sure someone else can point you in the right direction.”
“I’ll ask around.” He smiled while his eyes scanned the crowd as if looking for the most “local” looking person.
“Best of luck to ya—"
“Cassius,” he offered his name, holding out a soft hand. Tropical waters swirled and bubbled within the cracks of his skin.
I didn’t see the need for introductions but decided to not be rude. “Vivian.”
“Thanks, Vivian.” He turned on his heels, then glanced back, “Before I go, can I ask where you got that necklace? I’ve never seen anything like it.” His eyes fixated on the fabric strapped around my throat.
I stiffened slightly, but remembered itwasan abnormal amount of neck coverage. A fashion statement bound to stand out. “It was my grandmother’s,” I lied.
“Ah, well it’s lovely. Thanks again for the help.”
The man disappeared into the crowd, and I wasted no more time finishing my list. The excessive chatter in this building was starting to give me a headache; I wasn’t used to “people noise” anymore.
