Chapter 171 - A bard’s jaunt
“So, how are we doing this?” Allyssa asked Rosa as the girl leaned closer to her, eyeing the list Scarlett had handed them. “I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know where you can get any of this stuff, but any apothecary or potion emporium should at least have most of the reagents we need.”
“Hmm~” Rosa observed Allyssa for a moment. The girl had her blonde hair bundled up in a braid today, with those amusing little goggles perched atop her head, even in the middle of a crowded city. “How about we split up? You peachy young‘uns can handle all that dangerous-sounding stuff, while auntie Rosa here deals with the remaining errands our dear, aloof icicle of an employer assigned us. These streets are as familiar to me as the hymn to Ittar.”
Both Shin and Allyssa exchanged glances.
“Is this where you admit you don’t know the lyrics to it?” Shin asked.
Rosa grinned broadly. They were catching on. “Not a word. But I’ve got an uncanny sense for these things.”
She turned away, feigning interest in the neighborhood as she scanned around, concealing the pretense behind her grin. It was bittersweet to realize that these kids had been hanging around her long enough to know her this well.
That went double for Scarlett.
Pointing to a street on their right where a few wagons passed by, Rosa directed the two youths’ attention to a storefront with a sign advertising books and similar articles. “See? I’ve already pinpointed a prospective first stop for the first item on the list. A map! The rest will be a pinch.”
“It’s not that I doubt you,” Shin said, “but splitting the list would mean you have to deal with half of it all by yourself.”
Rosa snorted as she waved her hand dismissively. “Details, details. Who am I to get in the way of the bonding time of this country’s younglings? Now, shoo, shoo. Go and do whatever modern diversions kids these days do.”
Both gave her long looks, and she couldn’t help chuckling a little at their reactions. “Okay, maybe not. But I think I’ll manage just fine. Might even take this opportunity when our noble overlord isn’t watching to hit up some intriguing locales and pocket some extra coin. We weren’t given a time-limit, after all.”
Her smile faded when she instinctively reached both hands to her side and realized she didn’t have her klert. She had left it in the carriage.