205 The Full Papillion Experience

Vy could not help but roll her eyes upon the realisation.

How backwards were these people? 

From the corner of her eye, Vy noticed a shop selling beautiful antique jewellery pieces in the windowsill. Both siblings stood as they viewed the craftsmanship from beyond the glass. Each piece of gemstone was painstakingly carved and cut to form the shapes needed for the jewellery pieces. 

Each of them was a work of art. 

Vy could not wait any longer, she wanted to enter the shop to see the items up close. Since these pieces were unlike any she had seen before, she was certain that she could easily resell them back in the Prism Sector for a high price. 

It was an added bonus as all the pieces on display were themed around nature, and elves loved nature. But before they could even step foot into the shop, the shopkeeper promptly stopped them from entering. 

"I'm sorry, but can you even afford anything in our store?" the shopkeeper asked as he readjusted his glasses. 

The shopkeeper eyed both of them from top to bottom with a disapproving look. Having experienced this before, Vy was not about to take it lying down. 

"Do I need to show the money I have to prove it to you?" Vy asked as she folded her arms. 

Angered by Vy's response, the shopkeeper simply closed the door on them, refusing them entry completely. 

-That was rude.- Aether hissed. 

"Rude indeed," Vy muttered beneath her breath. But instead of getting angry about it, she simply moved on down the street. 

This must have been what Anja had meant by the full Papillion experience. Vy looked all around her at the people that were walking down the streets. She noticed that everyone was wearing similar styles of clothing on the common streets with a few slight variations. 

Needless to say, it was completely different compared to what she herself and Lycster was wearing. 

"I think we need a change of attire, Lycster," Vy turned to her brother and said. 

Lycster looked around, then back at his sister, "I think you're right."

Uncertain of where they could get some new clothes, Vy tried to ask some of the people they passed by. But most of them just gave her a weird quizzed look when she approached them and quickly moved away. 

Despite a couple of failed attempts, Vy remained positive. Finally, one of the people she asked was kind enough to point Lycster and her to a shop. Following the instructions, they came to a market stall selling fabrics and ready-made outfits. 

Seeing the stall reminded Vy of the first time she had visited Carole's stall in Timbretune. Funny how some things seemed to parallel one another. A young man came out of the stall to greet them and offered his assistance. 

Vy wore a long-sleeved linen blouse with an overall skirt that cinched at the waist and reached her ankles. To keep her hair out of her eyes, she tied her hair into a single braid and wore a dark red hairband to keep random strands of hair in place. 

Lycster, on the other hand, wore a long-sleeved linen blouse and a red sleeveless vest. Lucky for him, he did not need to change his pants for a skirt. 

With their new outfits on, the siblings continue to explore the market square they were in. There were a variety of stalls selling many different products, from fresh produce from the fields to handmade trinkets. 

It was easy to see that most of the stalls were run by men, with almost not a woman in sight. But this only served to make the stalls that were run by women stand out even more. Vy monitored these stalls from the corner of her eyes and noticed that only women would make purchases from these stalls. 

After some time, Vy approached a candle stall. 

"Brighter days to you! Please feel free to browse our wares! All these candles have real dried flowers. Grown from our own garden." the older woman said to Vy. 

The fragrance of the flowers enveloped their sense of smell like a loving hug. Vy picked up a dark purple candle and brought it close to her nose. The smell of lavenders relaxed her mind and calmed her soul. 

Lycster was intrigued by a scented candle that contained pieces of dried lemon in it. He carefully picked it up and brought it close to his nose. The refreshing scent awakened his senses, making him more alert than before. 

"I'll take this one please!" Lycster said jovially. 

He placed down the candle and tapped his spatial necklace to bring out the coins he needed to pay for his purchase. Vy had ensured that Lycster had enough money kept with him, just in case he needed to buy anything on his own or for survival. 

With the coins in his hand, he reached out his hand to hand it over to the older woman. However, the older woman did not take the money from him. She was busy with Vy's purchase instead.

Lycster turned his attention to the younger woman who was attending to the stall as well and wanted to hand the money to her instead. Just as she was about to take the money from him, the older woman saw it and immediately swatted the young woman's hand away from Lycster. 

"What do you think you're doing!" the older woman said to the younger woman. 

The young woman was surprised by what had just happened and so was Lycster. Vy was also surprised. 

"I'm sorry, is something the matter?" Vy asked out of curiosity.

"But he's just a boy, mother!" the young woman defended herself to the older woman. 

"You're unmarried and you're still young! What if someone saw that? Do you know what they would say?" the older woman rebutted. 

Not wanting to cause any further commotion, Vy quickly took the coins from Lycster and handed them to the older woman. 

"Sorry about that, my daughter is still young," the older woman apologised to Vy as she took the money from her. 

Vy was not certain what to make of the situation, but she simply played along. Lycster was confused. He was worried that he had done something wrong. After they left the candle stall, he could not stop thinking about what he had done wrong.