Chapter 16 - Roadtrips are fun, right?
Scarlett and Kat both sat in the carriage as it moved through the bustling streets of Freybrook. Kat wore the outfit she usually wore when they weren't going out on any of their dungeon runs—a piece of black and brown clothing that was easy to move around in—but had her hands on her legs and looked uncharacteristically orderly, Scarlett noted.
Scarlett herself wore a dark red dress that reached her shoulders and flowed down into a fancy neckline. The dress only covered half of her arms and had far too loose sleeves for her tastes, as well as a waistline that was just a little bit too tight. It wasn't something she would usually choose to wear but since she was going to a wedding, and she didn't know much of the local practices, she'd asked the servants to pick something for her. She was starting to regret that choice now that they'd left the mansion, however. The only pieces of apparel that she'd chosen herself were the half-circular [Charms of Apperception] that hung from her earlobes and the [Ring of Umbral Defiance]. She doubted anything bad would happen at the wedding, but that didn't mean she would leave all her means of self-defense behind. And it just so happened that the amber gem affixed to both the earrings paired well with her dress for the day.
"Ehm....Where exactly was this wedding?" Kat asked as the carriage passed by a large square with several market stalls set up in rows across its center. The woman seemed to startle a little as Scarlett turned to look at her. "...My Lady," she added on quietly.
Scarlett examined Kat's face. Not once during the past week and a half that she'd known her had Kat bothered to use any kind of special address when speaking to her.
"Did no one inform you?"
Kat shrugged her shoulders, but quickly paused and lightly shook her head instead. "I just heard we were taking the carriage and that you'd be..." She seemed to think about what word to use for a moment. "...attending by yourself."
Scarlett gave the Shielder another look, before turning away to the window. "I see," she said and observed the buildings outside. She was starting to recognize the surroundings from the game now. They had moved into central Freybrook where many businesses and shops made their residence. In stark contrast to many of the other districts in the city, the buildings around here were old, and most only had one floor. It made for a much more pleasant atmosphere than the claustrophobic feel in the district where the Snow-show Fishery had been located. The roads were also wider so there was a decent amount of carriages and wagons that traveled back and forth.
Scarlett's eyes locked onto a large structure further down the road. "I appreciate that you still chose to join me, however," she said offhandedly to Kat. "As for where we are going — the reception is held in Ambercrest."
"Ambercrest?! I thought it was in the city?"
"You thought wrong."
"Wait, are we taking the Kilnstone there?"
"We are," Scarlett answered Kat's question as she watched the carriage drive down the cobbled road towards a wide circular square where it met up with several other roads. At the center of the square was a large platform with an open marble structure supported by several pillars in a ring. There were two queues on either side of the platform. One of them was noticeably longer than the other and was mostly filled with people and wagons that looked like they might belong to different kinds of merchants. A few of the insignias on the sides of the wagons were ones she recognized from storefronts in the city. The other line, although being much shorter, clearly housed the more 'important' people. There were no people in it per se, but rather several expensive-looking carriages and their horses. She could only assume the emblems on the sides of those carriages were the coats of arms of different noble families. Their coachman soon began steering the vehicle around the outskirts of the square before turning towards that second line.