Encounter

Luca boarded off the bus and onto the bustling streets of the Outskirts Marketplace.

For a place that was farther out, it was surprising to note that the air still hummed with the chatter of different people and sometimes different species.

Most were haggling in their own particular way—some with words, others with tentacle gestures, and one particularly enthusiastic blob creature that communicated solely through what looked like an interpretative dance.

Luca found everything so novel and interesting that he kept on stopping every now and then.

Ollie found the behavior adorable. Maybe Luca, as the heir to the dukedom, never really got the chance to go out like normal people, so he may be too fascinated with the sight he's never seen.

Well, that was partially true, but it wasn't exactly just because of that.

Luca was dazzled by the neon lights that were still on despite the time. It was just around noon, yet they had such displays.