Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-One - Bookseeking

Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-One - Bookseeking

Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-One - Bookseeking

The first order of business, now that the Beaver was sorted, was checking up on Booksie! Since it was such an important mission, I decided that we should go out to scout as a big team, but Amaryllis said that I couldnt bring all of my friends at once.

Caprica wanted to poke her head into the Sylphfree embassy anyway, and Calamity said hed go with her, to make sure she was safe, which was really nice of him.

Is everyone ready? I asked. I was standing on the edge of the gangplank, one step away from leaving the Beaver. I had my usual outfit on, with my turtle helm plomped onto my head, mostly because it provided great shade from the sun poking through the clouds.

Otherwise, I was dressed in the more casual clothes wed picked up in the Snowlands. A big teal sweater that was very comfy over a pair of loose pants. I had a nice blouse under it, but it was mostly hidden by the cozy sweater. I liked the look. I think sweaters just made people so much more huggable.

Amaryllis and Awen were standing behind me, also in more casual wear. Amaryllis in that all-white tracksuit-looking-outfit wed picked up, and Awen in a long blue dress with a thin jacket atop it. Shed let her hair go loose, and it was catching in the wind.

Ah, Im ready, Awen said. She clutched onto the satchel hanging by her side and it clinked metallically.

Are those tools? I asked.

You never know, she said.

Well, I supposed I didnt always know. Maybe wed run into some bolts that needed tightening? Alrighty then! Lets go!

It was interesting to step off the Beaver. My ears tingled for a moment, and then it felt like I was pushing through something like a warm waterfall. I noticed it almost right away as my sense of the Beaver grew distant. I was still vaguely aware of the ship and the crew on it, but it was like hearing a song you knew that was being played from a few rooms over. The notes and noise was all mushy and distant and indistinct, but still recognizable.

You look weird, Amaryllis said. If you need to use the head, you might as well go now before were halfway across the city.

No, its not that, I said with a grin. Just my Captaining skill being weird. I cant feel the ship as well. I glanced down, just to confirm that I really was only one step away from the Beaver.

Hmm, well, I suppose it is a skill meant to be used on a ship, and youre no longer on it. Amaryllis slipped past me on the gangplank on her way down. Highly specialised skills are just like that. Now, speaking of highly specialized skills, can you blast me with cleaning magic?

Huh? I asked as I walked after her.

Broccoli, this entire outfit is white, and while Port Royal is definitely one of the cleaner cities Ive ever been in, its still dusty. Im going to be a mess of stains long before we arrive at Booksies shop, so I might as well leave the Beaver looking proper.

I laughed, then pushed a nice amount of mana into my cleaning aura. It wallopped away any dust and grime, leaving the three of us as neat as clean as though we'd spent three hours at the baths and laundry.

Thank you, Amaryllis said. Now, to the book shop, right?

I think thats where well find her, I said. Unless she moved in with Rhawrexdee already?

A-already? Awen asked. They cant have been dating for more than two months! Thats... almost scandalous.

It would be outright scandalous, but hes a dragon, Amaryllis said.

Does that make it less scandalous? I asked as we started towards the city. There was a wall separating the docks from the city proper, though it looked a bit old, as if Port Royal had outgrown it a long time ago.

Booksies bookshop was a tall but narrow building, squeezed in next to a butchers shop and an apartment building along a side street. There was a sign out front, a book with a pair of bunny ears sticking out of it.

Is it open? I asked as I walked up to the windows and pressed my nose against them. There wasnt much light inside, but I couldnt see far either, not past the stacks of books by the windows. I pulled my head back, then cleaned off the smudge my nose had left on the glass.

Ah, its not locked, Awen said as she tugged the door open.

I smiled, but in reality I was feeling... I didnt know how to describe it, actually. Something like worry? Trepidation, maybe? It was a tingly swirly feeling in my tummy, excited but also a little scared.

I pushed past it. Broccoli Bunch wasnt going to pass up a chance to meet an old (relatively) friend just because of a little bit of worry!

Slipping into the shop, I was struck by the smell. I took a big deep breath while the bell over the door continued to jingle.

One moment! came a call from the back of the shop.

I grinned wider. Booksie!

There was a clatter, then the thump of a heavy book hitting the ground, then a pair of black ears poked out from above a bookstack. Broccoli?

Booksie came around a pile. She was in a summer dress covered by an ink-stained apron. She had more ink on her hands, I noticed, and a long smudge across one cheek. The smudge shifted as she smiled wide.

Hi! I said.

Then we bounced towards each other for a hello hug. Id forgotten how nice it was to hug a bun. The ear hugs were very comfy and nice. I sagged into it and felt Booksie do the same.

Broccoli! I havent seen you in forever, Booksie said. She looked past me and to my friends. Amaryllis, Awen, hello!

They got hugs too, of course. Then lots of apologies as Booksie spread some of the ink from her apron onto Amaryllis outfit. She squeaked and smudged it around with a handkerchief until I wiped the stain away.

Ah! How have you three been doing, Booksie said as she settled back onto her heels. Are you still exploring? Scolding handsome dragons?

We are, I said. Well, maybe not the dragon thing. But we have been travelling a heap, making new friends, seeing stuff, Ill have to tell you all about it. But what about you? I glanced at her hands. There was a ring there that I couldnt recall seeing. Is it true that youre getting married?

Booksie flushed red, from her cheeks up to the base of her ears. You heard about that? she squeaked.

All the way off in the Snowlands, Amaryllis said.

Booksie hid her face with both hands. Oh no!

Oh no? I asked. Its not true?

Booksie smiled, sighed, then waggled her hands uselessly. Its a long story, she said. And one that needs to be told with tea while were not standing by the entrance. Come on, I have a reading room in the back. Ill explain the whole thing.

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