The Wall

"What was your life like in Sajungdr, Maria?" Nikolas asked, sitting across from her in the carriage. "I don't hear anythin' from you, so I'm curious."

Maria nervously ran her hands through one another. "Uh... I... well... it wasn't all that special. I was a farmer-- I think I've said at least that much before."

"A specific tree, right?"

"Yes, it's a fruit tree. They bloom in the winter like a flower, but they have little edible bits of fruit that look like petals. Either that, or we make transactions and such. I... I suppose it's more accurate to say that I come from a Merchant family. They don't serve under a Mercant Lord, though."

"So you work on imports in Sajungdr, or those fruits and stuff."

"Dryad Trees. They have a natural warmth that can melt a bit of the snow around them. They absorb bacteria and don't rely on the sun for nutrients."

"I've never actually tried one of those petals before."

"They technically count as a type of citrus."

"You gotta show me them one day."

"If we ever come across my hometown." Maria chuckled.

Aspasia sighed. "Think about becoming a better fighter first before you go on making plans. We don't want you dying prematurely."

Maria's mood deflated, and Nikolas's brow furrowed. "Hey, you can't go sayin' shit like that, its rude." He looked at Maria. "I'm sure we're all gonna be alright."

From where they were, they were about a day out from The Wall, having to stop as the darkness of night overtook them. They set up camp, Horus sparking the fire as everyone sat in wait.

Diego approached Horus, "I can handle cooking today."

Horus nodded, but the interest of the cohort piqued. Nikolas leaned in, "You can cook?"

Diego nodded. "I can."

"Well, shit... You should have said something earlier."

Diego took out a survival kit from one of his packs and began setting up a cooking rack on the spit Horus created. From the rations they had stored up, Diego had begun to make something for the group.

"Where'd you learn how to cook?"

"My mother."

"You have her recipes or something?"

Diego glanced at Nikolas. "You could say that." Diego seemingly began to make what looked to be a stew, putting all sorts of spices that he had stored in his pack along with various meat rations and vegetables. "The... recipes don't have a name. I'm aiming for a more creamy stew here with various meats and the like. We don't have rice, so I make do with thickening it with any oil, powdered milk--"

"Powdered milk?" Nikolas blinked. "How the hell do you make that?"

Diego looked at him for a moment. "Yeast as well helps." A beat. "It's a long process. The alchemist taught it to me. The milk... I mean. Anyways, the aim is to make a creamy broth for the stew. It'll help fill stomachs at the very least. Putting in strong spices will give a nice taste to it without making it plain or gross." Diego placed a lid over the pot. "Let that sit for an hour."

Nikolas rubbed his hands together. "Anyone got alcohol?"

"Why would--" Before Diego could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Aspasia pulling out a wine bottle from God knows where.

Aspasia shook the bottle. "Here."

Maria looked concerned. "Should... should we be drinking right now?" She looked to Horus for some assistance, but he didn't seem to care.

Nikolas smacked his lips, taking his flask and dumping what remained of his water onto the grass. He shoved it over in Aspasia's direction. "Fill'er up."

Aspasia held up a finger, taking a knife to the cork within the bottle and popping it open. She proceeded to slowly pour into the flask, putting both bottles lip to lip with each other before pulling away, taking out a couple of flasks of her own for her maid and herself.

Nikolas smirked, bringing a toast to the air with a motion of his flask before taking a sip. "Oh, Gods... that's good. How old is that?"

Aspasia took a swig herself. "A good sixty years."

"As expected of a noble." A beat. "Hey, Diego, want a drink as well?"

Diego looked at the two and shook his head. "Not much for alcohol."

Nikolas nodded before turning to Maria. "What about you?"

Maria hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "O-Okay... I won't have much though."

"How much can you handle?"

Maria pursed her lips, giving Nikolas a worried expression. "I come from Sajungdr, what do you think?" She then proceeded to empty her flask as well, crossing to Aspasia so she could pour one out for her.

Eventually, the stew had finished, and the party was already going through half of the bottle before food was passed out. Nikolas took the first bite, and his face lit up as he continued to tear through his bowl. "Oh~... that's a nice smokey flavor."

Diego had begun to eat as well, spacing out as he stared into the fire before him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ever-extroverted Nikolas. "Hey, so... I noticed. What's the whole deal around touch and all that?"

Diego looked at Nikolas and then pointed at himself with a questioning expression.

"Yes, I am indeed asking you."

Diego sighed. "I... Some shit from when I was younger. I don't like being touched, simple as that."

"Why, though? What happened?"

"I... don't want to ruin the mood."

"Come on, man. You're amongst..." He looked at the group. "With open-minded people, at the very least."

Aspasia shook her head. "I don't get the point in all this socializing. Wouldn't it just be better if we kept our mouths shut so we don't have another... incident. It's better if we don't have to worry about each other." Aspasia is leaning on her maid as she sips her wine.

"Says the one slingin' themselves around with a maid at their hip. I noticed how close you guys are."

"Don't go worrying about me." Aspasia sighed.

"Well, I don't care about all that, and I wanna get to know you guys. Learning to care, gaining experience with new people. Learn about different stories or lives... isn't that what makes us human? We learn from others and what we personally go through. I think of everything as a learning experience."

Diego looked at Nikolas. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I am a curious being by nature."

"It's... a condition I developed. I was twelve years old. Back then... I worked for the mob as a thief. The guy back then, Vincent-- they owned a brothel. They were... a second family-- this was after my Mom passed away, of course." Diego swallowed. "Like I said, they were like a family to me. It hurt watching them get hurt, and they took care of me. Some of the more rowdy... of those in the brothel decided to throw me a birthday party on my twelfth birthday."

"When is your birthday?"

"It passed not that long ago. 25th of Pijotero." A beat. "Uh... they... thought it was..." Diego shared a pinched look with the cohort, licking his lips in anxiety. "Hurt people hurt people. They thought that... since I was a boy... I'd-- Anyhow, I ran away. Not all of them agreed with what they did, but their words stuck with me... saying I was too sensitive-- 'maybe he swung the opposite way'... shit like that."

Nikolas nursed the flask in his hands. "Are you sure you don't need a sip?"

Diego looked at the flask in Nikolas's hands. "I'm alright." Diego paused, looking out to the deep black that surrounded them, taking in the night air. "There were other incidents, but that was the one that cemented it. I already hesitated with physical contact, but that incident in particular made me resent it."

Nikolas scratched his head. "That sucks. I'm sorry, not sure what to say other than that."

"That's alright..."

***

In the morning, they prepared to leave, reaching The Wall by the end of the day, crossing the bridge, and being met by a smaller gate leading into the city. As they made their way into the city, Nikolas broached another one of his dumb questions. "Hey, out of our party, who's the most handsome?"

The entire party paused, astounded by what he had just asked. Diego looked at everyone else and spoke up. "Including the girls?"

"No! The men, of course!"

Aspasia put a hand on her chest and smiled. "I'm the prettiest."

"Wh-Where the hell did this playfulness come from? Just last night you were talking about how I shouldn't be trying to socialize with my party cause 'we might die'." He waved his fingers around and made a 'ooohhh~' noise, mimicking a ghost.

"I'm stating a fact."

"I beg to differ; our prettiest goes to Diego here."

Diego whipped his head around in alarm. "Not handsome?'

"Nah, man... you're too effeminate.

"Uh... I don't even know how to respond to that?" Diego rubbed his chin. "I apologize if I came across in a certain way, but I don't swing that way--"

"I'm not talkin' about that, asshole! I'm saying 'objectively'!"

Horus sighed. "I'm unsure if I could say that this is an objective assessment."

"Alright, humor me. Imagine Diego wearing a girl's attire or putting on some make-up. Maybe lookin' like a cabaret boy or somethin'!"

Aspasia rubbed her chin. "Hm... he could pass."

"I don't like this discussion." Diego grimaced.

Nikolas shrugged. "I'm just saying, you are an objectively pretty man."

Maria hummed. "Now that I think about it. Honestly, most Carmesi I've seen are mostly clean-shaven, no? Maybe that's why he's maintained such a smooth complexion?"

Nikolas nodded. "Most Carmesi I've seen are quite good-looking as well. Blessed, I say."

Diego sighed. "What was that about being the most handsome?"

"I think I look pretty good personally."

Aspasia shrugged. "Don't have an opinion."

Maria smiled. "I think you look nice."

Charis chimed in with a comment. "Horus probably wins."

Nikolas wagged his finger in disapproval. "Yeah, but can he pull?"

"Pull?" Aspasia scoffed.

"Yes, can he pull a lady? Or a man, I don't judge."

Horus shook his head in disapproval. "What are we even talking about?"

"Could you put the moves on a guy, or a girl?"

"Why'd you sta-" He rolled his eyes. "Just quiet down."

After a bit of walking, they all finally entered the city, met with a sprawling mass of buildings that layer atop one another, bridges making paths across their limestone surfaces. They have finally arrived at The Wall. Some Kalpit flew through the air within the city-- pointed ears with carapaces lined across their bodies, capable of flying through wasp-like wings.

On the ground, the group could even spot a few Orkar-- a race that sported tusks that curved around one side of their face, whilst their female population sported a jutting horn on their foreheads. They have rough appearances, but they were much more homely to foreign species compared to those of their race.

The group didn't have much time to sit there in awe as they were escorted to what was known as "The Tower" of The Wall, which was the Haflastus Military base for said city.

Once they arrived at the Tower, Horus turned toward the group. "Alright, you all are free for the remainder of today and tomorrow. After that, we'll be moving to patrol the wall for the remainder of that time. That'll be four days of patrolling the city, alright? After that, we move to Osuna. This time, though, we won't have to walk." And then he left the party to their devices.

Nikolas let out a massive sigh of relief, stretching as hard as he could, an audible crack escaping his back. "Finally! Some respite! Being able to sleep in a proper bed!"

Maria looked at the sight of the wall behind her. The Tower was set on a higher elevation than the rest of the city, so the soldiers who resided here got a great view of this sprawling labyrinth; they could even see the train station from here. She took a deep breath. "We're finally here. Admittedly, the air isn't as clean as it is out there on the field, but... It's amazing to look at, no?"

Diego looked out at the city as well, admiring the sight. "I suppose so."

Aspasia spoke up. "Diego."

He turned to look at her.

"I need to teach you some techniques, remember?"

Diego blinked. "Shit."