Renault yawned and stretched his arms above his head. The road was more maintained now and there were small offshoots. They were close to the city it lead to. About damned time too. He was looking forward to sleeping in a real bed and eating food that he hadn’t caught himself. 

Mina had been awfully quiet since last night and kept staring at both him and Boris. She hadn’t even really said anything that morning when they’d had to eat the last of the ration bars. 

He slowed until he was next to her and placed his hands behind his back. She glanced over at him and then steadfastly fixed her gaze forward. 

Renault couldn’t hold back the snort that left him, not that he tried. “Am I too dashing to look at?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Maybe in your dreams.”

“Ah, there she is.” He grinned at her.

She glanced at him but quickly looked away. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re never this quiet. Not unless you’re thinking real hard about something or are disturbed by something.” Renault shrugged and glanced back down at her. 

“I’m not thinking about anything,” she retorted.

“Oh? If you’re not than I’m a monkey’s uncle. You clearly got something on your mind, and I’d wager a guess it’s got something to do with me and the raccoon up there.”

Boris glanced back at them with an arched brow and stopped, waiting for them to catch up.

Renault sighed as Mina’s jaw tightened as Boris walked next to her. Whatever was bothering her, she certainly wasn’t going to talk about it now. Whatever. If she didn’t want to actually talk about it, that was on her.

The walls of the city rose up before them as the sun began to set below the horizon. They were brown with wooden spikes sticking out of the top. Dark-skinned women strolled along the top and two more women stood on either side of the entrance into the city. 

A lake glistened just barely in sight behind the city, alight with reds and oranges. Santyrm. This had to be Santyrm. He’d seen it on the map when they’d been planning their voyage to Ashora. Frederick had said they’d need to stop here first to get the High Chieftess’s blessing to use one of her boats. 

Foreigners apparently weren’t allowed to use them without her blessing. Strange, but he didn’t see why they wouldn’t get permission. 

Renault stared as they passed the guards that didn’t even give them a second glance. They wore nothing but cloth tied around their waists and a small round shield tied to their backs, the string cutting between their very…perky…breasts. 

The buildings inside of the city were made of the same material as the wall save for the fact that they were either white-washed or bleached by the sun. It was difficult to tell. There were several of the buildings that were made of actual stone, all of them had the same, round shape as the huts. 

How had they gotten the stone to curve like that? He glanced at Boris, the raccoon would probably know. Did he really want to ask him? He’d think about it.

They got a few curious glances, but most of the people there didn’t pay them any mind. It was busy the further in they went, vendors shouted their wares and children dashed around and between the adults. 

Renault glanced around at the various foods and weapons that were being sold. All of the swords had strange shapes; not a single one was just straight. There were curves, hooks, and just bizarre in general. A few were even serrated. 

The food he recognized a bit better: fruit, vegetables, ducks, pigs, nuts, and bread for the most part. 

They stopped at a quiet part of the market, ducking into an abandoned alley. Renault scanned the area quickly, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword despite not seeing anything out of the ordinary. 

“How are we going to get an audience with the High Chieftess? I doubt we can just walk right up to her and demand to talk,” Mina said leaning against the mud wall of the building she stood next to. 

Boris’s ears twitched slightly. He stroked his face and stared down at the ground. “We could ask around? Maybe guards will know, we could ask them.”

Guards. Renault scowled at the thought. He and guards never got along. “We could make a ruckus and get her attention that way.” 

Mina arched a brow. “What would that accomplish aside from getting us either killed or thrown in jail? I doubt we’d be brought before the High Chieftess for that.” She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. “We may need to wait for Frederick to get here. He probably knows the best way to contact her.”

“I don’t want to wait on the prince, who knows how long it’ll be before he gets here? I say we try to figure this shite out first.” Renault stamped down the irritated feeling in his chest. He had absolutely no reason to be jealous of Frederick. He wasn’t with Mina, and he wouldn’t be with her. Why did he care if she wanted to rely on the other man?

She crossed her arms and stared upwards. “Then I think the only thing we can do is ask around.” She lowered her head to look at him and Boris. “I say we do that in the morning though. I’m tired and am looking forward to a real bed and hot food.”

“Aye.” Renault nodded. That sounded like a great idea. While he didn’t mind sleeping on the ground and against trees, he’d never pass up the chance to sleep in an actual bed. 

“Right, now that that’s decided, time to find an inn.” She paused and frowned. “Does anyone have any thrones?”

Renault blinked and stared at her. “You don’t have any money?”

“Killing orcs isn’t exactly a great money maker,” she retorted. 

“It could be if you accepted jobs for it,” he said with a shake of his head. “I wonder how you survived this long on your own.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch and tossed it up and down in his hand, the jingle of coins coming from within. 

“I’ll add it to your tab,” he said, winking at her. “Now let’s find a place to sleep and drink.”

He strode out of the alleyway and glanced around. It was nowhere near nightfall. He walked over to a stall with a bright blue and red canopy. He couldn’t resist the smell of freshly-baked bread. 

The vendor smiled at him. “Hello sir! What can I interest you in on this fine day?”

Renault glanced at the wide man. His clothes were covered in flour and it looked like he liberally partook of his own wares. That was usually a good sign, if the baker was willing to eat what he made, then it wasn’t usually bad. 

“How much for a loaf?”

“Three juiea.” The man held up the same amount of fingers.

Renault pulled two golden coins out of his leather pouch. “Two thrones work instead?”

The man frowned and eyed the two coins and then held his hand out. Renault placed both in the vendor’s outstretched palm. 

He held them up and scrutinized the coins and then bit into one, pulling it away from his mouth and examining it again. He nodded. “They’re acceptable.” 

Renault nodded and picked up a loaf of bread, ripping a piece of it off and eating it as he turned. Mina and Boris were standing behind him. “What?” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. Is rude.” Boris shook his head. 

“We still have a couple of hours before the sun even starts to set. I want to explore.” Mina glanced round, her eyes wide with wonder. “I’ve always wanted to travel out of the country.”

He shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt. Meskonga wasn’t really anything special, but he’d travelled the world. He remembered the first time he visited a new country outside of Rathys. How long ago that seemed. 

“Alright, I don’t mind wandering out,” Renault said. 

Boris nodded along in agreement. “Could find new, interesting things to study.”

“Do we split up or explore together?” Mina asked, her lips twisting to the side.

“I don’t care. If we all think we can meet back at the same place when the sun starts to set?” Renault suggested.

“I think I’ll be fine doing that,” Mina said with a nod. Renault glanced towards Boris and blinked. He was already gone. The man hadn’t even waited, just fucking left. 

“Alright. See you here at sundown.” Renault tipped his hat towards Mina and turned on his heel and meandered into the crowd. He snacked on the bread as he weaved his way through people, keeping an eye out for anyone that might bump into him. 

He knew the way. Someone bumped into you, and suddenly your coin purse was gone. He’d done that trick many times while growing up, and the amount that it worked was worrisome. People really didn’t pay attention when they thought they were in a safe area. They got lazy.

Would Mina be okay by herself? Maybe he should follow her just to ensure that no one bothered her. He stopped and frowned. The fuck was he doing? He didn’t need to keep an eye on her. For one, despite her inaptitude at actually surviving in the wild—really it was a miracle she’d done so as long as she had—she was capable of taking care of herself. She’d gotten better at not relying on Ariadne to fight. Albeit, she wasn’t an expert, there was no way that could happen in a few short months, but she was getting better. 

No, he didn’t need to follow her. He had no reason to.

“Wanting to make sure she stays safe is not a bad thing,” Kenshin said from his right. Renault looked over at the Spirit and scowled. 

“Nobody asked your opinion. Stop trying to play matchmaker. You’re bad at it.” Renault dodged a child that was barreling through the crowd, giggling and laughing as a dog chased her. 

Offense overwhelmed Renault’s senses. “Stop that shite.”

“Do not be rude, then,” Kenshin retorted.

Renault rolled his eyes and stopped at another vendor, glancing over the strange looking blades. He was very tempted to buy one just to see how it felt in hand during an actual fight. A glance down at his sword had him rejecting the very notion. He didn’t need to piss the blade off or make it jealous. 

The hair on the back of his neck raised and he looked around, trying to find the source. Someone was watching him. His eyes landed on an incredibly tall woman wearing the same clothes—or lack thereof—as the guards at the gate had been. Even from this distance he could see her golden eyes. If the fluffy, pointed ears on the top of her head were anything to go by, she was a wolf fera. 

The woman was built. Every line of her muscles defined and honed. Tawny fur began at her taloned finger tips and made their way up to elbows.

Renault tilted his head at her and then made his way over. “You know, the view is much better when I’m not wearing any clothes,” he said when he reached her.

The woman frowned and looked down at him. Holy Talyx he hadn’t realized how tall she was. He had to crane his neck to look up at her face. She wasn’t quite the height of William, but damn. 

She didn’t say anything, just crossed her arms and turned her gaze away to survey the rest of the crowd.

He tilted his head to the side, trying his damndest to not stare at what was right in front of him. They were right there though! How could he not stare? He would just give up on not staring.

“You are new to the city.” 

The plan to give up on staring was abandoned. He dragged his eyes up to her face. She was staring down at him. 

“Aye.” 

“What is your business here?” She asked. 

He was half-tempted not to answer, why should he? He hadn’t done anything wrong so why was she questioning him like he had? Though, they could very likely just be suspicious of all foreigners, but that wouldn’t make much sense. Santyrm was the capital of Meskonga, they would have foreigners all the time. 

Lying to her wasn’t exactly a good idea though. If she found out he was lying that would just end poorly for him. 

“Wanting to get an audience with the High Chieftess,” he said. 

The woman narrowed her eyes on him. “For what purpose?”

“Can’t say, kinda secret.” Renault put a single finger on his lips. He couldn’t give everything away, and there were way too many people here for him to actually say. If someone overheard it, the panic that would likely ensue was not good. 

His eyes were dragged down to her chest as her arms crossed under her breasts, pushing them up. 

“Are you sure?” she purred, leaning slightly forward so that her chest was mere breaths from him. 

Cotton had somehow gotten into his mouth and he couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

“Renault. Focus.”

He blinked and shook his head, taking a step back from the guardswoman. “Aye, I’m sure.”

She pursed her lips and placed a hand on her hip. “Do you even know how to get an audience with her?” 

“No,” he said after a moment. Hiding it wouldn’t do any good, it would be rather obvious especially if she asked him how. 

She sighed and her tail flicked. “You have to speak with the Shaman first. The Shaman will then speak with the High Priestess and then let you know when—and if—a meeting is approved.”

“How do I get in touch with this shaman?” Renault asked. He was keeping his eyes strictly on her face, despite the slight bounce everytime she shifted her weight.

“You really came here with no idea on how to get in contact with her?” The guard shook her head. “I can escort you to the Shaman’s hut if you wish.” 

Renault frowned and sucked on his teeth. “I am here with others, they would need to come with us as well.” 

She arched a brow at him. “I see.” Her lips thinned and her ears flattened against her head. “Meet me here at first light and I will take you there.”

He stared at her for a long moment and then nodded. “Alright.”

Renault leaned against a wall, watching the sun sink beneath the horizon. Mina leaned next to him as they waited for Boris to arrive. 

The raccoon showed up just as the last rays disappeared. His pockets bulged more that they had when they’d parted ways earlier that day. 

“I found inn,” Boris said. “It’s why I was late.”

The inn that he’d found was one of the stone buildings. A stable was at the side with a few horses and a black and white cow. 

Renault frowned and his mind flashed to the horses that they’d left at that military outpost. Hopefully Frederick or William had sent someone to collect them. 

They stepped inside. It was cozy, a fire crackled merrily in the center of the room with low tables surrounding it. A circular hole allowed smoke out through the ceiling directly above the flames. 

A man in colorful clothes sat in a back corner, strumming on a lyre and singing off-tune. Several people sat at the tables eating and drinking. A few glanced up when Renault and the others walked inside. Boris headed for the back bar where a large man with small, round brown ears stood polishing a glass. 

The bartender wasn’t quite as tall as William, but he was wider. Renault hadn’t known that was possible. The man yawned and sat the cup down and glanced down at Boris. 

Renault and Mina stepped next to the raccoon. They were speaking in Ashan—or he assumed that’s what it was. 

The gigantic man glanced at the two of them and Boris slid a few thrones across the bar to him. 

“Three rooms. Upstairs, two next to each other at end of hallway, other one on left at top of stairs.” The bartender pocketed the coins and pulled three metallic keys from his apron and placed them on the counter. 

They all grabbed a key and headed up the stairs. They stopped at the first door and each tried their key, since none of them had room numbers or anything like that. 

The key Boris had lead to that room. He bid them good night and headed into the room. 

Renault headed to the end of the hall and tried his key on the room at the very end and it worked. He opened the door and glanced over at Mina who was staring at her hand wrapped around the handle. 

“Did you want to talk?” He asked. She’d helped him, she’d let him talk and vent, it was only right he’d do the same. 

She glanced over at him and chewed on her bottom lip, then nodded. “I…think that would be good.”