Silkhollow

Flying through the air was quick, but pleasant, all due to the influence of Kerron’s air affinity and strong magic. Despite their speeds, the wind blowing at them felt no more forceful than a pleasant breeze running through their hair. They needed to make haste as their destination was a settlement a bit of a ways away within a valley located in a forested mountain area. By foot it would have taken them five days, without taking a single break. As it was, through magical means, they were making good time and would arrive within two hours, giving them enough time to do their shopping.

“You can also have a look around as well,” Kerron added. “I doubt you have ever been in an elf village before, so you might want to take a look around.”

“Oh, that’s thoughtful of you…I guess I could look around, yes!” At first, mentioning anything other than ingredients shopping and purchasing of tools for her kitchen didn’t interest her, however, Yuzuki had to remind herself that she was in a new world, a new place. While she was intent on going home no matter what, Yuzuki would still have to live in this world until she could find her way back. It would be smart to get to know the world at least a little bit.

Survival is in what you know and right now, I’m just a novice cook who only just picked up their first knife! So…to sharpen that knife, I have to learn the ways of Vestia.

Yes, she was fired up!

They began their descent and, unafraid now that she knew it was safe, she peered over the side of their boat and watched as the ground slowly came closer. Yuzuki was surprised when she saw nothing, but treetops, though, expecting buildings and the like. However, this looked to be a forest exactly like the Forest of Spirits. Had Kerron gotten turned around or something? Azura and Crim did allude to the guy basically living alone and only living to work, living off of the land, so maybe he forgot where the nearest village was?

However, those doubts were squashed the moment they broke through the tree canopy.

The elven society was built within the trees and around the trees. Rope bridges spanned from one large, ancient tree to another; they must be old, because Yuzuki could not fathom trees big enough to support a whole society in their branches and trunks. She could see all kinds of people making their way through the forest town, many headed towards a central area – a tree so large it could rival a skyscraper in Tokyo!

Many heads had pale hair, similar to Kerron’s, either all white or with a silvery sheen, but not a single elf had any color to their locks. But that was their only similarity. Each person was recognizable, different and undeniably gorgeous.

Yuzuki balked at that, her brain needing a moment to catch up with the sheer amount of beauty surrounding her and making her feel woefully inadequate. Goodness, maybe she should have done a bit more with her appearance; her hair was wind blown and her apron was stained. Her hand came up to flatten and smooth out her hair as they made to dock on one of the landings.

New world, new first impressions, she thought to herself. At least she didn’t look as dirty as she had when she arrived at Kerron’s castle. Showing up like that once had been enough.

After disembarking, Kerron took her towards the central tree, where the market was. As they crossed bridges from one tree to the next (with Yuzuki telling herself not to look down), many of the citizens of the village nodded towards Kerron, respectfully. Some even greeted him openly.

“Lord Kerron! It’s been so long. How many years has it been…30?”

“Well met, Lord Kerron.”

“Lord Kerron, happy greetings to you, my lord.”

“Wow, Lord Kerron, welcome back to Silkhollow.”

Despite being a hermit who lived with the dead in the middle of nowhere, it would seem his fellow elves knew him well enough. Then again, if these elves were as long lived as they were in fantasy stories from her world, they most likely crossed paths and had good memories.

Meanwhile those who were not of the elven persuasion decidedly ignored Kerron. Or outright avoided his path. Yuzuki peered momentarily at those who jumped aside for him, noticing the ornate staves they carried. Magic users?

As a contrast to Kerron, people looked at Yuzuki funny. Mainly her eyes. More than once she caught someone staring at her face, openly gawking in other cases. Whispers burned her ears once more like they had back at Pruzia’s royal castle.

What was it about different coloured eyes that disturbed them so? Again, it was the non-elves who treated her differently, while the elves may be curious, they at least had the decorum to not say anything, even if she could clearly see the questions on their faces. Something to ask Kerron later when they were alone.

As long as I can get some service at the market, I guess it’s fine. Gossip is just gossip. I’ve had worse from drunken salarymen crying over their drinks back at the restaurant.

It’d been a while since the last time Yuzuki had entered a large market to buy ingredients. Since management changed, the ritual of getting up at 4 am to go and grab fresh items from a bustling and noisy market or selecting vendors had come to an end. Everything they received was picked by the owner to be cost effective and time saving. Cutting the time of the workers for prepping items so they could concentrate on dishing out food to paying customers. It was a contributing factor to why the restaurant was shutting down – who wanted to eat only frozen and reheated meals?

Growing up with her grandfather, waking up so early was brutal, however, it was a time of bonding between them before she went to school. It was exciting going to the fish market near the harbor, listening to the high energy of sellers and buyers bidding for the best catch of the day. There was a high energy that woke Yuzuki right up, with everyone’s voices rising high that got the blood pumping. She learned to speak out this way, because if your voice could not be heard, you could not be served and you ended up missing out.

People called out from their stalls, trying to catch the attention of morning shoppers. Peddlers that came from outside were setting up temporary spots on large blankets that were littered with their wares. Locals and passersby with bags and baskets already beginning to bulge with their purchases, gathering at new stalls or standing in groups talking in a lively way.

Yuzuki didn’t know where to look first. What kind of ingredients could she get from an elven society who lived in the trees?

Something fluttering caught her attention.

With an ethereal shimmer, fabric hanging off of some poles near a stall were being allowed to gently sway in the breeze. Drawn to it, Yuzuki came up to the stall to really have a look at it. The material looked so fragile! Yet it had such a lovely look to it.

“You can touch it, if you like,” the female elf at the stall said, “Fabric is all about feeling the texture!”

“Oh, can I really touch it?” Yuzuki asked, feeling like it may be blasphemy if she got her hands on it.

“Of course. What’s the point in getting fabric, if you can’t feel it to see if you like it first?”

Yuzuki hadn’t come to the market to get fabric, in all honesty, but Kerron had encouraged her to take a look around, not just do business.

Reaching out gingerly, she carefully grasped the fabric and ran her thumb lightly on it. The fabric weighed nothing at all, but she could feel its solid construction and luxurious, silky texture. There was a pleasant coolness to it, too, that she knew would be great on the skin.

“It’s our famous elvish silk, the best in the world, found only here in Silkhollow. No other elvish village can boast silk as incredible as ours.”

“I can see that.” It was truly a breathtaking material, but considering her occupation, there really was no reason to get it. However, if she did buy it, it would probably be for…

“This would be great for a wedding dress,” Yuzuki stated aloud without a care.

The merchant reacted with more excitement than the cook could ever expect.

“A wedding dress, you say?! Oh, are you a new bride looking for her perfect dress! I can help you with that. Tell me, my dear. What kind of dress are you dreaming of? Are you looking to wear a dress fit for royalty? Or are you more into a modest dress? Whatever you want, I have the fabric for you to get your groom’s heart racing!!”

Overwhelmed by this sudden sales pitch, Yuzuki turned to Kerron for help with this misunderstanding, however, he was walking away discreetly. He was already two stalls away by the time she noticed he’d started moving.

Hey, don’t leave me here alone with this lady…!

It took her a good while before she could get away from the overly enthusiastic fabric merchant…