Chapter Seven - Walkabout

[doradoradora]

7 - Walkabout

This time was different. She never lost consciousness and was keenly aware of the exact moment where her feet touched the ground. She felt a strange pressure in her chest and a crackling of static electricity as her feet landed softly on the cobblestone street. She opened her eyes to see her hair and Corwyn's floating around them as though they were both suspended in water. Then the electricity faded, the pressure released, and she stood, hands clasped with Corwyn's, staring up into his mask-like face.

So this place is a place dear to you? he inquired, cocking his head slightly to one side and stepping so that they were side-by-side. His fingers reluctantly slipped out of hers, but she did not offer her hand again.

She took a deep breath and took in their surroundings. They did, indeed, stand in front of the Sunset Cafe, but the light filtering over the roofs of the surrounding buildings and the distinct lack of patrons implied that they had arrived at sunrise instead of the time Len (and the name) had implied was their busiest.

"Yeah," she replied finally. "It reminds me a lot of a place my dad took me when I was younger, and the people I met here were really nice. It's got a good feel to it."

Corwyn nodded. It looks pleasant, but it seems that if it is occupied, they are asleep. Perhaps we should go?

"Nah, I think I'll hang out here until the owners get here," Yuri said. "I promised them I'd visit next time I was in town. I didn't really expect there to be a next time, but since I'm here..." She trailed off, finishing her thought with a shrug.

Fair enough, Corwyn said. I believe I will part ways with you, then, at least for now. I do not know how long I've been a prisoner to myself, but I am anxious to see how life has gone forward in my absence. Perhaps I will be able to find another friendly face. He turned to face Yuri again, and she received the distinct impression that he would be smiling warmly, if he could. I would be most pleased if we could meet again before you leave.

"Um, sure. But, if you're going off on your own, how will I get in touch with you?" She gestured at the Cafe before them. "I mean, I'm not going to spend my whole time here. I don't even really know how long I'm going to be here anyway."

I have a perfect solution, Corwyn said, the base of Yuri's skull prickling from the pleasure in his voice. With a pale, slender hand he reached into his red shirt and pulled out a delicate pendant made of something that looked like snowflake agate wrapped in braided gold wire. He reached under his hair and unclasped the chain before extending it to Yuri. This was given to me as a gift. It has been with me so long that it is practically a part of me, and if you were to speak something to it with the intent of speaking to me, I will hear it.

Yuri cupped her hands under the pendant, and Corwyn allowed it to fall into her grasp. "Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm going to head out. Um, try not to get in trouble, I guess?"

The same to you, Miss Yuri, Corwyn said. He then turned sharply on one heel and simply disappeared before her eyes, swirling out of existence as though submerged in water. Yuri couldn't help feeling discomfited and mildly dissatisfied as she climbed onto the porch of the Sunset Cafe and hunkered into one of the chairs in one corner.

Ultimately, it came as no surprise when she jerked awake to see a cup of tea, a small plate of something that looked like strudel, and Len all sitting across from her. Seeing Len smile at her somehow made her keenly aware of the fact that her hair was likely a mess, she had yet to brush her teeth, and she was still wearing her obnoxious green and pink pug pajamas.

"I will be completely honest," Len began when it was clear that Yuri was both awake and listening, "I had pretty much expected to never see you again. But I'm glad that you thought to visit. I take it you are no longer colossally lost?"

Simultaneously straightening in the chair and adjusting the camisole top of her pajamas, Yuri nodded. "Yeah, I actually came here under my own power this time. Sort of. So, um, how long has it been since we met?"

"A month or so," Len replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "As I said, I really didn't expect to see you again. Admittedly, the next time you find yourself her outside of business hours, you really can walk around back and knock. Chances are good that I'm awake even if Mercutio is not." He picked a strudel off the plate and took a bite out of it. "What brings you here, if you aren't lost this time?"

Yuri could feel her cheeks reddening, and she turned to look out to the street in hopes of hiding the worst of it. "Well, I was having a nightmare, I guess, and when I woke up I was here." At Len's quirked eyebrow, she blurted, "But I know where I am, and I know how to get home now, so I'm not lost lost. Just... um, 'on walkabout,' I guess."

Len nodded, still favoring her with the ghost of a smile. "Well, Mer and I had been planning to take the day off, perhaps head to the Library, maybe wander to the bazaar and see how preparations for Festival are going."

"Who's going to run the cafe while you're gone?" Yuri asked, immediately feeling silly as soon as the words had left her mouth. She began studying the cobblestones closest to the cafe with a fierce intensity that might have set them on fire, were they combustible.

If Len found her inquiry to be silly, he gave no sign. Instead, he shrugged and said, "We are the Sunset Cafe. Most of our patronage happens after night has fallen. Besides, even though Mer prefers to work the shop himself, he does keep a handful of staff. They usually arrive later in the day, though." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him finish the strudel and then pull out one of his aromatic cigarettes. "At any rate, if you would like to accompany us, you would be most welcome."

When Yuri could feel most of the heat leaving her cheeks, she cautiously turned to the plate with strudel on it and began picking one apart and eating it. "That'd be cool," she said at length. "I mean, I'd really like that, but I'm afraid I don't have any shoes." She began to study the vivisected pastry with the same intensity she'd favored the cobblestones. "I mean, I didn't exactly go to bed dressed for a day in the city."

Leaning back, Len looked her over, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, you seem to be about my height, and I am quite sure your shoulders are thinner than mine, so I should be able to loan you a shirt." He ducked under the table briefly, then shook his head. "Nothing I can do about shoes that fit. But I can loan you something to keep your feet safe, though we will need to find something comfortable for you if we will be walking all day."

"That sounds good," Yuri said cheerfully, pulling her legs up to her chest and curling her toes over the edge of the chair. "So, when were you two planning on heading out? And what are the chances you know where Jer-- Kiih lives? I think he has some essentials of mine."

Len scowled, looking for all the world as though he'd swallowed something slimy. "That depends entirely on who's been polishing his sword recently, and I frankly would not care to know." After a moment, his expression settled into a mild grimace. "Sorry, that was very unfair of me. There are two places you are likely to find him, and I know both of them."

"Wow, I know Jerkface is kind of a... well, jerkface, but there's a lot of animosity between you two, isn't there?" She rested her chin on the top of her knees and began to fidget with the hems of her pajama pants' legs. "I mean, when I first saw you, you looked like you would've hauled off and decked him right there if he'd blinked wrong. And he kind of looked like he would've been happy if you'd given him an excuse to do the same."

"Don't misunderstand me," Len said, sighing and casting his eyes downward, "Kiih means well most of the time. However, as strange as it may seem, we have known each other for a very long time, and we have both said and done things that aren't easily forgiven or forgotten." He shrugged. "Anyway, if he has something of yours that you need, we can pass both places today if necessary."

The front door to the cafe opened, and a disheveled (but significantly more hale-looking) Mer stumbled out clutching a steaming cup in both hands. His eyes swept over the porch, and he slumped into a chair next to Len. "'Mornin'," he grumbled, hands fumbling over Len's person until he retrieved a cigarette. While Yuri and Len stared incredulously at him, he blearily set it between his lips and snapped his fingers several times until a small flame appeared between his thumb and forefinger. When it was finally lit, he seemed to relax.

After a moment, Len cleared his throat. "I don't think I will ever stop being surprised at how much you don't respect personal boundaries, Mercutio," he said, tone of voice clearly indicating how appalled he was.

"Yeah, and I'll never stop being surprised that you can get a pretty girl to talk to you," Mer muttered around the cigarette, smoke chasing his words. Len shook his head, holding out his own cigarette for Mer to light.

"So, anyway," Mer said, "I was thinking that we could just get a coach for the day, because, frankly, I'm too delicate a flower to let wilt in this sun, and if Miss Yuri is here, then it'd probably be a good idea to let her see the city in comfort, instead of on foot." He began to idly blow smoke rings over Len's head. "Sound like a plan to you?"

"Some days, I think I hate you," Len responded drily, waving away the rings over his head and blowing a little smoke out of his nostrils. "But yes, that sounds fine."

"This might seem a little bit dense," Yuri said hesitantly, sliding into the lapse of conversation, "but, um, did you just set your finger on fire?"

Mer glanced up at her, looking genuinely surprised. "Oh, this?" he asked, snapping his fingers again to produce a flame. "This-- this is nothing, this is just a parlor trick. I wasn't trying to startle you." He shook his hand and the tiny flame died. "So, I'll just go make arrangements to get a carriage when I'm done, then."

"We'll be making a detour," Len said, taking a drag and then crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ooh, I love detours," Mer said with a sudden cheer that Yuri could only attribute to the fact that he now had nicotine and caffeine in his blood stream. "So what're our new plans?"

"It's nothing major, just paying Ro a quick visit, since it seems he might have something Miss Yuri left behind last time," Len replied as nonchalantly as he could.

Mer grinned. "Fantastic. Maybe we can see if we can drag him along. It'd probably do him some good to get some fraug and watch the Festival preparations." He pulled a heavy glass ashtray toward him and energetically stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette. "Right. I'm going to go make arrangements. You kids do whatever it is you kids do. This party is leaving in half an hour with or without you." He stood, gulped down the entirety of the mug he'd brought outside with him, and left it on the table as he strode purposefully back into the cafe.

In his wake, Yuri said softly, "Seriously, you don't have to call me 'miss.'"

Len favored her with one of his disarming grins, took a very long drag from his cigarette, and snubbed it out. "I didn't want to offend you by acting familiar with you," he explained. "Here, let's go get you a shirt and see if my shoes will fit you well enough to do until we make it to the bazaar."

"I'm sorry that Mer seems to want to bring Jerkface along with us," Yuri said as she pushed herself out of her chair. "We can skip it if you want. Doesn't he know that you two don't really get along?"

"He understands that we don't care for each other," Len said with a shrug. "I think that he chalks it up to professional differences, and it isn't really important enough for me to tell him otherwise. I doubt that Kiih and Ro will be able to come with us anyway." He rose and gathered the dishes from the table. "You may have noticed that Ro and Kiih live a relatively regimented lifestyle by necessity, and anything unscheduled is usually not welcomed."

Somehow, while balancing all the dishes on one arm, Len held the door open for Yuri and gestured for her to go on ahead of him. "Just go up the stairs in the back. My room will be on your left. Feel free to see if there is anything you'd be willing to wear in public."

Yuri followed his directions, heading for the narrow door in the back through which she'd seen Mer, Ro, and Kiih disappeared on her first visit. As Len had implied, the door led to a short hall that ended at right angles to a set of narrow, steep stairs that creaked no matter how lightly Yuri tried to tread on them. The landing at the top of them was covered with a thick rug that felt pleasant under her bare toes and was lit by several tall windows through which warm sunlight spilled invitingly. To her left, a door stood slightly ajar, while the other three doors stood open. One was obviously an office of some sort, a desk featuring prominently in what she could see of it. Another was a bathroom with a white porcelain sink and claw-footed bathtub. The other seemed to be Mer's room, as evidenced by the fact that Mer was sprawled on the bed against the far wall.

Feeling vaguely self-conscious, Yuri slipped through the door Len had indicated. His room had the air of a place in which someone stored their things but did not actually live. It was clean, neat, and sparsely furnished. A small, neatly made bed occupied one wall; a worn chest of drawers with a mirror on top occupied another. A rug similar to the one that covered the landing was thrown over the vast empty space in the center of the room, which caused Yuri to suspect that they had both been Len's personal touches.

She drifted to the dresser, trailing her fingers lightly over the chipped and scarred finish. The top of it was mostly bare, though there were a few pieces of jewelry scattered on it. From one corner of the mirror dangled a leather thong to which several colorful feathers and beads had been attached. Yuri instinctively knew these items to be the only things in the room that gave even a small indication of its occupant's personality.

Shaking her head, she pulled open the drawers until she found the one which seemed to contain most of Len's shirts. Most of them appeared to be white button-down shirts like the one she'd first seen him in. She set these aside, assuming that they were his work shirts. In the back of the drawer, she located a handful of large shirts with laces at the neck and cuffs, which she immediately found to be suitable. She picked one made out of a soft, neutral colored fabric, which she slipped on over her pajama top.

A quiet knock came from the door, followed by a call of, "Excuse me, may I come in?"

"It's your room," Yuri called back, replacing the things she'd pulled out of his dresser and pushing the drawers back in. When Len opened the door, she straightened and tugged at the shirt to make sure she hadn't left anything exposed.

"Well," he said judiciously, hiding a smirk behind one hand, "it fits you, but I cannot say that it goes well with what you're wearing."

Yuri sighed. "I know, I know, but what can I do? You've got some seriously skinny hips there, and if I could squeeze into something of Mer's, it would probably be too long."

Len gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, his brow furrowing and the hand that covered his smirk dropping to cover his chin. Finally, he said, "I might have something, but I will have to stress that it is not something to be worn lightly." He walked over to the bed and reached under it, pulling out first a pair of thong sandals that looked a bit like Birkenstocks, then a wide and shallow box made of some sort of fine blonde wood. He set the sandals next to Yuri's feet and placed the box delicately on the bed.

"What's that?" Yuri asked, inching closer.

With great care, Len slid the lid off the box and set it aside. "This is one of the few things I kept with me from home when I came to live here." He reached in and pulled out a supple length of tooled leather. "This is a Vienni kilt. Originally, they were the garments of the Harpy tribes but were soon taken up by the rest of the inhabitants of the Vienni province because of their flexibility. This one in particular was given to me by my father, and it is decorated with symbols describing our family line." He laid it out flat and indicated several strips of leather attached to what Yuri assumed was the top. "It wraps around the waist and fastens using these. It would easily accommodate for the fact that your hips are not the same size as mine."

"I couldn't possibly wear that," Yuri protested, staring at the leather in nearly slack-jawed awe. "Your dad gave that to you! I don't want to mess it up because I'm a klutz sometimes. I mean, you don't put your family tree on something that you just wander around in because you can't find pants that fit."

Len chuckled and folded the kilt into a square and set it on top of the lid to the box. "I understand your feelings, but part of why these became so popular is because they are very durable. No, the special one is here." He pulled another length of leather from the box. This one was much longer, about twice as thick, and stained a dark red. The details on it looked similar to the other one, but it was accented with brassy studs and rivets. "This is a Vienni war kilt. It's made to be worn into combat, and the designs on it depict victories of members of my family. I inherited this from my mother."

"Wow. That's amazing," said Yuri. She reached out and lightly felt the leather of the first kilt Len had shown her, pleasantly surprised by how soft it felt under her fingers. "Okay, if you're willing to let me borrow the kilt your dad gave you, I'd be honored to wear it."

"Wonderful. Here, I'll show you how to tie one." He carefully laid the red war kilt back in the box and picked up the soft brown one. Holding one end under his navel, he wrapped it around his waist twice and used the strips of leather to tie it into place. "Simple, right? You probably won't be able to wrap twice, probably just a time and a half." He undid the ties and handed the garment to Yuri. "If you need my help, I'll be right outside." Giving her a jaunty smile that made her stomach flutter a little, he gathered some of the jewelry off the dresser and left.

After a moment, Yuri set to figuring out the kilt. Trial and error told her that it fit best when she took off her pajama pants before trying to tie it, and when she tucked the shirt into it. Len's estimate of a wrap and a half had not been wrong, and when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile at how strangely snazzy she looked. She slipped her feet into the sandals that Len had laid out for her, noting how comfortable they were despite how much larger than her feet they were, and opened the door.