The domain of Gelin is a city always bustling with activity, the long and wide cobblestone roads were pristine and inviting, announcing its prosperity to all who walked upon it. Its central street stretched on from the city gates toward a massive fountain in the center of the city, shops open up and down along it, with a clear view of the city’s grand church to the Northwest. People walked and rode along the streets trading for all manner of wares or seeking aide from their colleagues at Guild Way upon the intersecting street at the central fountain. It truly was a city always thick with activity and information alike as common and noble folk freely wandered it.

The day Gillian and her allies arrived was no different. What Xenia and Aria had said about it seemed to understate how busy it was, Gillian eyeing the streets with awe and curiosity as they rode into town. The townsfolk buzzed through the central street; Gillian’s eyes drawn to the numerous spectacular items being exchanged. Food, books, fuels for their furnaces, magical items, weapons and armor, even elegant clothing from all over Gaia of varying colors and sheens the likes Gillian had never laid eyes upon. They were likely common and mundane to the people of this city, but to her, they were phenomenal wonders that entranced her. Gillian’s eyes gleamed as she looked excitedly through her window, desiring to visit the many stalls.

Merchants had taken to Gelin quite fondly and were eager to make deals with one another and the local guilds, haggles, barters, and other types of deals being made a common sight on such streets. As their carriage passed one such trade, Gillian could eye a large gentleman with a hammer discussing with a merchant a purchase of horseshoes, wheels, and an assortment of other goods made of steel from a local blacksmith. She witnessed another by a fancifully dressed man discussing a trade with a farmer to export his wares. She witnessed yet another pair, a man and woman, the man demonstrating some magical object as it seemed to fry some sort of sprout into a delectable treat which made her mouth water. She began to grow restless and eager to explore, Mable giggling at her childlike wonder.

In due time the carriage finally began to slow to a crawl as they arrived at their destination, Chateau Luminous, a fanciful and large Inn well suited for nobility and royalty alike. Its elegant white façade was both gorgeous and inviting as an embellishment of two women bordered the entrance, their arms held aloft across the doorframe, as if to welcome them. The inside was even more elegant, flooded with golden light lighting it’s warm yellow walls and warm wooden furniture in the lobby. Small magic lamps lined the walls and extravagant chandeliers hung from the ceilings, from which the warm downpour of water emerged. On the right was a small rest area complete with a fireplace, while the left were a collection of tables and chairs where nobles were enjoying their meals, a woman playing dulcet tones on the piano in the corner.

“It’s so beautiful in here,” Mable said with a pleasant sigh.

“Tis even nicer than home,” Gillian giggled.

“Yeah, they really pull out all the stops here,” Aria chuckled. “It’s even more impressive this time,” she said as she eyed the woman playing the piano, Gillian following suit, feeling a sudden strange twist of emotion that were difficult to untangle, her face sinking into a blush, her mouth slightly agape.

“Alright,” Xenia said, plucking their attentions toward her. “Aria, you know your duty?”

“Yes, ma’am, I shall scour the streets for intel. I’ll see you all later then,” she waved as she exited the building to go on her patrol.

“That’s a tad quick, don’t you think?” Mable asked. “Shouldn’t she rest first?”

“You do not need to worry about that. You know she can be quite rambunctious. She rather enjoys taking the first patrol,” Xenia explained.

“I had no idea,” Mable said before noticing Gillian being strangely downtrodden. “Gillian?”

“Oh, huh? Sorry, were you saying something?” she said, the quiet embarrassed blush catching her cheeks alight.

“Aria left to go on patrol. But are you okay? You were spacing out?”

“I am fine. I was just thinking,” she said fidgeting slightly.

“Gilly…”

Xenia looked at the two of them with slight confusion then shrugged. “At any rate, I have some knights moving our luggage. We will be staying here for a while after all. You two should go and explore the city while you wait,” she suggested.

“You did want to explore,” Mable said looking at Gillian expectantly. “But, what about protection?”

“I think it best if you wander on you own. Having knights accompany you may draw undue attention. Besides, between the city guard and our surveys, you should be safe. Just don’t go wandering anywhere out of view. Now then, go and enjoy yourselves.”

“Yes, that sounds like a fun idea,” Gillian nodded. “I have been rather eager to go exploring. I would like to go back to the main street and go explore the shops if that is alright.”

“Certainly!” Mable nodded. “Let’s go,” she darted out the door, Gillian quickly following.

“Have fun you two,” Xenia chuckled as she turned to resume her other duties.

The two made their way down the wide street, passing the carriages and what appeared to be several types of assembly halls for different guilds. A merchant guild, a textile guild, a bakers’ guild, a mage guild, even a construction guild, many men of different sorts running between them. At first, they felt out of place as all the people here were clearly working, but once returning to the main street they began to relax, as the other townsfolk scurried the streets as Gillian had witnessed before.

“Thanks for accompanying me, Mable,” Gillian said graciously as they walked through the street toward one of the local grocers. “I have always wanted to peruse a local market like this,” she cheered, bringing her hands to her chest in glee.

“It’s no problem,” Mable said shyly.

“Do not act like that. I know that you dislike crowds, and I am very appreciative that you were willing to do this for me.”

“I’m just glad to help you out like this,” Mable’s voice was quiet as she looked down and rubbed her hands together nervously. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hesitant to be out here, but it’s better than being stuck in the Inn’s lobby all day.”

“I agree.”

The two continued down the main street, Gillian’s attention continually being pulled in all directions as she asked Mable about the variety of shops. She was fascinated by the energy of people meticulously looking over the wares she barely recognized and determining what to buy, discerning the differences between individual items to make the best purchase. She was entranced by how different shops, even similar ones, could be. She was also intimidated, feeling shy when others would speak to her, but Mable’s support was quite the comfort

They visited no less than three bookstores, and while some items were consistent, they all boasted a different variety of different ages, genres, and presentations. She was particularly fascinated by the books full of colorful dynamic images which the owner called a ‘comic book,’ the one catching her eye being about a girl in land of tall buildings which were so shiny that clouds were reflecting on them. The girl on the cover wore loose clothing and ventured to take ‘take pictures,’ on her magical rectangle, it was practically otherworldly. It was apparently a popular item, a fantasy title that had become popular of late. She did not fully understand the subject matter, but she convinced Mable to purchase several tomes of it.

The friendliness of the merchants running the stores, and the warm attitudes of the workers were what she liked best though. She engaged in several conversations, curious to learn about many products, they were so warm and willing to talk. They were very inviting, assuaging her nervousness, nothing like her captain or teachers who scolded her all the time, nor the soldiers who seemed to pity her had they not been so distant. She got into a particularly deep conversation with the burly owner of a local antique store discussing local history. However, Mable shot down her desires to buy some of the artifacts that she really enjoyed.

Eventually they stumbled upon a story called “Rosey’s Roses,” a charming store full of flowers. Gillian was entranced by the deluge of lovely scents and colors that filled the store. She always enjoyed the gardens back home, but she had never seen half of these plants. She very much enjoyed the honeysuckles that were on display. They had a soft sweet smell to them that made her hungry and the clusters of flowers reminded her of plump spider webs. She was also entertained by the cattails and their big bushy brown stalk, apparently, they were from quite far away. Mable tickled her with one of the cattails resulting in a mild laughing fit. She could not care for any of the plants now, but maybe she could grab some when they returned home and add them to the garden later, especially the honeysuckle. For now, though, she managed to get an encyclopedia all about flowers. They laughed as they left, happy with their time preparing to go back when Gillian’s eye was caught once more.

“Illustrious Visions?” Gillian read the sign above a quaint little store, a painting of a fairy in the window.

“Want to go inside?” Mable asked.

“Are you certain? I would think you were getting tired,” Gillian asked, with a slight frown. “We have been out for a while.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go!” Mable said as she pulled Gillian’s arm and into the store.

What greeted them was long rows of art throughout the store. From small watercolor paintings on paper, to large oil paintings on canvases larger than themselves. It was a store full of artworks of all sorts. The two wandered through the store marveling at the beauty of the works on display. Gillian could feel something stirring inside herself as she gazed upon the incredible works before her. The immense beauty made her want to cry, she may have even felt a few tears rolling down her cheek. One painting was of a cliff overlooking a forceful waterfall, the trees and water kissed by twilight, the vague watercolor giving an ethereal energy. Another, this one an oil painting, depicted a young woman sitting beneath a tree, the dappled lighting dancing on her cheeks, as she held strands of her hair to her cheek as the rest were lifted into the air by the wind along with some petals, depicted with great detail. Yet another was surprisingly detailed watercolor painting, colored with exquisite blend of detail and color. A trio of fairies dancing in a field of pink flowers. She felt something powerful as she looked at these paintings. A desire to adventure, and a desire to share, welling up inside her. It was hard for her to grasp.

“Oh my, I’m sorry!” a high voice screeched from the back. A young girl emerging from behind the counter. “I didn’t realize anyone was in here.”

“It’s okay, we were just browsing,” Mable said, as Gillian wiped away her tears, still fixated on the paintings.

“See, the thing is we’re actually closed right now,” the girl explained.

“Why’s that?” Mable asked.

The girl clasped her hands together, pleading for forgiveness. “See, my mother normally watches the store, but she’s out of town right now, and my father’s preoccupied, so no one is able to attend the store. I accidentally left the door open when I came back from lunch.”

“It’s okay, really, we understand, right Gilly?” Mable tried to reassure the girl before realizing that Gillian was still looking at a painting of a fairy flying in the air. “Gilly?”

“Oh? Do you like that painting? I painted that last year when some fairies visiting Gelin. They were so pretty, I wish I got to paint them more,” the girl explained enthusiastically.

“C-could I ask a request?” Gillian asked.

“Sorry, but this one isn’t supposed to be for sale or anything, I…”

“Could you maybe teach me a little bit about painting?”

“Huh?” the girl answered confusedly.

“Gilly? What are you talking about?” Mable asked surprised by her sudden request.

“I have always loved looking at the paintings back home, and looking at these, I can feel the love and excitement of the artists trying to convey the wonder they feel. And I think I just realized, I want to do that too,” Gillian replied, her voice still distant as she looked on with a smile.

“You two are visitors, correct?” the girl asked.

“Yes, but we’re more so passing through. We’re only here for a few days,” Mable clarified.

“That’s probably not enough time, is it?” Gillian sighed sadly.

“Maybe not, but you could maybe get some of the basics down,” the girl cheered. She looked at Gillian with a smile. “And really, that would be enough to get started in my opinion. Well, that and maybe some books.”

“Wait, are you saying?” Gillian blinked excitedly.

“I’d love to teach you! I love helping others learn how to paint!” the girl continued to smile with cheer.

“Really?” Gillian said, nearly on the verge of tears from happiness.

“Definitely, my name’s Hannah by the way.”

“My name is Gillian, and this is Mable, and thank you so much!”

***

Hannah showed Mable and Gillian to her backyard as she carried a box full of paints and brushes. The three laughed as they joked about how funny a situation it was. The backyard emptied into the local park, the city’s river blessing it with bountiful greenery which served as the muse for many a local artist. Hannah led them to a tree on a hill which overlooked the rest of the park, the city stretching on in the West, and the vast green of Luxur fields to the East.

“I think it would be best to start you with watercolors,” Hannah said. “They’re less expensive and easier to travel with in my experience. You just need a place where they can dry safely. They can be a more difficult to get exact details down with, but for starting, I think they’re pretty great.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gillian laughed. “I really enjoyed the watercolor paintings inside. So how do we get started.”

“Well, first I suggest you decide what you want to paint. You can start with something simple. Once you’ve decided on it, I recommend making a basic drawing to help guide you,” Hannah explained.

Gillian looked around her in search for inspiration, her eyes falling upon the tree they sat beneath. “Would the tree work?”

“Of course, that’s actually what I started with too,” Hannah laughed. “It can get challenging with the branches and leaves, but that should also give you a good understanding of how the paints behave.”

Gillian made a rough sketch of the tree, taking some of Hannah’s other advice to keep the shape uncomplicated and to ignore a lot of the branches. Next, she began with painting in the sky with a blue paint. At first the colors spread well and easily, but the amount of color was inconsistent and light. She decided to use more color, in her haste using an all too wet brush. The color smeared upon the page, settling into a dark blob of blue. Panicking she tried to pull the wet blob in another direction, as it smeared over the branches. She tried again and again to control it, making more mistakes as she did so, as the colors began to run and finally, her brush pierced the page itself. She looked on in despair.

“I…I guess I am not cut out for this after all,” she sighed.

“You made a mistake,” Hannah said, “but that doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for it. How about this, do you know what you did wrong?”

“I let my brush get too wet, I suppose.”

“Yes, but the bigger thing was that you got really hasty,” Hannah explained. “You didn’t dry your brush enough and you were too forceful when you dabbed it against the page. Watch me for a second,” Hannah motioned to her as she took her brush and gently took her brown coated brush and gently pulled it across the page. “You have to be gentle, if you want more color, you can always come back and add more to it. We have limitations, like the durability of the page, but you can also use that to your advantage. Take things gently, take deep breaths, and build upon your work, and work with your mistakes. Don’t overthink things, just relax and clear your mind.”

Gillian nodded as she tried again, the sun slowly easing away into the horizon as she diligently moved from page to page. Each time she made a mistake, she tried to remember Hannah’s advice. ‘Work with her mistakes, consider her limitations, and the limitations of her tools.’ The following day she continued to work with Hannah’s guidance, maintaining her calm breath, and not overthinking things, finally managing to complete a painting. It was far from perfect, being rather flat and dull, but she learned a lot from it.

“I…I did it,” she said in amazement.

“You sure did,” Hannah giggled. “What do you think?”

“The colors look very bland,” she lamented.

“Mhmm, that’s because you went a little overboard in filling everything it. That’s fine for now, but one of watercolor’s strengths is how you can drift between tones and intensities. Try to play around with how much you fill it in, I think you’ll get it.”

Gillian nodded as she made another sketch. As she applied the paint this time, she began to notice how the depth of the color changed with her movements and the amount of the paint. As she filled in the colors, she began zone out, losing track of the world around her. Even the brush itself seemed to vanish, as if she were applying the paint directly, a smile growing across her face as she did so.

“Wow, that’s a real improvement,” Hannah giggled. “I can see the texture of the tree even.”

“Y-you think so?” Gillian blushed a little embarrassed as she subconsciously pulled at the fabric around the chest of her dress.

“I think she’s right,” Mable added, pulling herself away from her book. “You’re really starting to get the hang of this.”

Gillian smiled in satisfaction from their kind words as their second day ended. Her first attempts were rough. The colors were splotchy and uneven. Deep dark browns patched some parts while others seemed as if the white page had a simple scrape of green or blue. She knew it was not very good, but she made it, and that made her happy.

It was a bittersweet feeling as the day came to an end. She had spent two long days laboring over learning the basics of painting, and with each passing moment she had come to enjoy it more and more. However, as she left for the third day to learn from Hannah, she knew it would likely be her last as the caravan quickly finished its preparations. She left as soon as she could with Mable to enjoy the most of her last day, even failing to inform Xenia of her destination in her excitement.

Her dark blue dress draped upon her in as she elegantly and eagerly moved through the streets, maintaining a refined manner, with her hands neatly resting upon the simple fluttering skirt. The dress was exquisite, regal in its deep hue from top to bottom, only broken up by its v-shaped opening from the waist towards the feet, a lighter blue fabric filling the space between. Its long sleeves made it a fine fit for the cooling weather, matching it with both regality and comfort, attributes which contrasted rather decisively against Mable’s much more stable and utilitarian garb. The two swiftly arrived to find an equally excited Hannah, who once more guided them to the back.

“That’s it!” Hannah smiled. “Remember to wet and wipe your brush,” she instructed as Gillian worked on her next work. Hannah deciding to challenge Gillian with something new, had her choose a different subject.

Gillian gently moved her blue filled brush across the page, welling a darker saturated hue and letting it fade as she pulled it upward, slowly filling in the contrast of the lake’s surface. She painted the scene before her, a beautiful hillside overlooking a calm lake, full of crisp golds and greens, signifying the onset of autumn. While she had struggled to apply the paints with consistency over the past two days, she was now starting to have a consistent feeling to her work. She still had difficulty matching the shapes and sizes, but the general picture was coming into focus, clear stalky trees upon a warm green plain, shaded by the mixing gold and green leaves overhead, all onlooking a beautiful lake.

Mable looked on in awe as Hannah continued to coach Gillian, prompting her with ‘easy,’ and ‘refresh you brush’ and ‘don’t get it too wet,’ to instruct her. Gillian received her words well, and she was slowly integrating the advice without her intervention. The session continued on for over an hour as she filled in the page. “Okay, I think it’s time to let it set a little bit,” Hannah said, prompting Gillian to sink her brush into the cup of water and set it down to dry. “Let’s have some lunch.”

Hannah was kind enough to offer them some sandwiches she made, made with local cheese and garlic marinated peppered ham complete with her family’s special mustard. The three joyfully bit into the scrumptious snack, occasionally sipping the bright lemonade Hannah had also brought.

“Thank you for the food,” Gillian thanked, delicately placing her hand on her chest to demonstrate her thanks before resuming.

“No problem, it’s been a lot of fun spending time with you, so I don’t mind,” Hannah chuckled.

“Hey, do you hear that?” Mable said looking to the side behind Gillian. As Gillian turned, she tried to listen, hearing the distinctive giggling of children, spying several children frolicking in the field of flowers below. “Children?”

“Yeah, a lot of the little kids come over here to play,” Hannah explained.

“They look to be having a lot of fun,” Gillian smiled wistfully, briefly recalling the days when she played with her siblings, Xenia, Aurith, and Lillia, and how they’d play with Mable and Aria. They would do much as the kids here were doing, jumping around, playing make believe with the others, and playing with the plants. She recalled one time when playing with Lillia’s stuffed toys and dolls with the others, she played with a plush fairy that was dancing with Lillia’s stuffed bear, while Aurith would enthusiastically pretend to play the villain with his toy dragons. Xenia and Aria played hero, while Mable would play the doctor, it was good fun as they created a fantastical and absurd story. They all had such good fun back then.

She was pulled away from her daydreaming when one of the kids started crying, having tripped and fallen down. She wasn’t sure why, but she was suddenly compelled to run towards the wailing child, giving in to the compulsion before she even realized what she was doing, while Mable and Hannah followed. She approached the kid and leaned next to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“M-my arm,” he sniffled, “it hurts.”

“Is it alright if I take a look?” she asked with a warm kindness leaning down next to him, the child nodding. She delicately grabbed his arm and looked at it, seeing a chunk of skin that had been scrapped away. It was red and clearly hurt, but there was no bleeding, which was good. “Mable, do you have a bandage?”

“Yes, sure,” she said, pulling a thing of gauze from her pack, handing it to Gillian. “Here’s some ointment I prepared for the road too.”

“Thank you, Mable,” she nodded, turning her attention back to the boy. “This may sting for a second, but this will help you, I promise,” she smiled as she applied the lotion, causing the boy to yelp a bit as it stung. She then wrapped his arm up in the gauze to form a bandage. “Now do not go picking at it, understood.”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded. “You’re a nice lady,” he grinned

“A…nice lady?” she blinked.

“Wow, she helped him,” one of the girls said as the kids started to gather around them.

“Look at how blue her dress is,” another kid giggled.

“Ooh, ooh, I wanna play with the nice lady too!” said one of the boys. The other kids quickly joining in on his idea, each asking to play.

“Uh, well,” she said nervously looking to Hannah and Mable, the two nodding in encouragement. “Oh, okay, but only for a little bit,” she smiled as the kids cheered.

They began to pull her in all directions asking her to all manner of things. Play hide and go seek with them, tag, and even make flower crowns, which the girls teased her for being rather clumsy at. She felt strangely comforted by their presence, slowly finding herself filled with a warm feeling. However, before long the sun began to set, causing the kids to complain about not being able to play more.

“But I wanna play with the nice lady some more,” complained one.

“Oh, now, now, all shall be okay. I am certain we will be able to play again,” she smiled. “Now head home before your parents gets worried, okay?”

The kids nodded and left one after another before they were all gone. “Well, I guess we’re done for the day,” Hannah laughed.

“Sorry, I did not realize how late it had gotten,” she apologized as she looked toward the dimming horizon.

“No problem,” she chuckled. “It was worth it seeing you play with all those kids. Besides, you’ve learned a lot. I’m sure you’ll develop well from here without me.”

“Thank you,” Gillian smiled.

“We should get back to the Inn,” Mable interjected. “Your sister is probably getting worried.”

“Yes, you are correct. I wish I had not forgotten to tell her this morning,” Gillian sighed as Hannah giggled.

The group parted ways, waving goodbye as Gillian and Mable returned to the main street. The street began to fill with loud banter as the indulgences of the late day began to overtake the streets. Hard work called for hearty relaxation, and no better restorative than the fine selection of beers that populated the local pubs. However, the merriment made the street more than a little inconvenient to traverse, the two deciding to duck through an alleyway they had found the day prior on their way to see Hannah.

As the two continued down the darkened street, the searing twilight of dusk cooling into the thick blanket of night, their giggles filling the night sky over the joyful day they had. However, it was not long until their giggles ceased, as they caught notice of an ominous shadow stretching from behind them. Nay, it was not just the one, but three.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? What’s a couple of cute girls doing in a back alley like this?”

They looked back, three silhouettes standing in the shadows behind them. They had been followed and outnumbered, their panic lost into the night.