Travelogue 2

The grand western gate stands tall, welcoming rows of travelling vehicles inside. I can smell the sea air blowing in from the east. What a location for a city! It's easy to surround with defensive measures, but it's probably just as easy to assault it from all sides. The arrogance of the people who settled here is on display, that's for sure.

As we pass the final checkpoint of our journey... well, until we have to make our return trip... I take note of the surroundings. The streets are open, paved, and surrounded by the sounds of consumerism. Yup, the very first sight is a trader's market of some kind. This must be where merchants try to flog their unsellable wares before leaving the city.

"Yes, we came from Shum."

I overhear Sera's mom chatting with the guard. Was the village named Shum this entire time? What an ugly name! Hmm... It's not the prettiest village, so maybe the name suits it.
Anyway, if my pre-trip info is accurate, the west of the city is focused on street business, the east on industry, then housing is in the north and south. Government and army buildings are up north, too, so that's probably where the richer citizens live.

"Right then." I stretch into a yawn, then return my attention to my party. "Let's have a rest day while we get used to the city, and then we'll look for a vantage point tomorrow. Sound good?"
Everyone agrees. Sera's mom is particularly eager to explore.

"I've found that man a hundred times. He won't be hard to track down!"
"Any ideas? You think he's in a government building?"
"Definitely! I brought my Husband-detecting compass with me, and it's pointing north!"
"Don't all compasses point north?"
"They do when your husband's there!"

She gives Sera a kiss on the forehead and then marches off into the city, her determined eyes glued to a compass.
"She's not going to find him, is she?" I resign myself to the inevitable.
Ms. Tsa, on the other hand, hasn't even left the coach yet. She's still sitting inside, focused on weaving.
"You don't want to come see the city with us?" I ask.
She shakes her head, then shakes the incomplete chainmail a bit.
"Oh. Well, when you're done, let's go eat." She must be starving. I didn't see her snack on anything during the ride over.
She nods, then returns focus to her work. Wow, she's actually giving up a trip to the city in order to finish making a gift for me. That's so sweet, I could almost cry. If it were a gift I actually wanted, I'm pretty sure I would cry! I'll have to repay the favour somehow. I really should
"And then there were two." Sera approaches excitedly. "Time to explore."

We wander along the wide market street with vague shopping goals in mind.
The streets aren't overly busy, but they're definitely lively. A street musician plays to a transient audience. Couples browse the stalls, as do children with a parent or two. There are men here! I never thought I'd be so happy to see another man! They exist in this world!
What strikes me more than anything is... how everyone looks. It's all over the place. It's as if all the world's people have gathered right here.

"It's a really diverse population here, huh?" I point out the obvious without much thought. "That's a trade capital for you."
"It's not just that." Sera appends. "The land here used to be very different."
"The land was?" Are we talking about a continental drift kind of change, or what?
"See? Over there!" She points towards the ocean and directs me to look. "A long, long time ago, this land was connected to its neighbour in the east, Itlan."
In the far-off haze of the ocean air, I can barely make out the shape of mountains.
"That's Itlan?" It looks like somewhere a demon king would settle.
"Mhm." She lowers her arm and turns back towards me. "You could walk from here to there, apparently, but... it's all ocean now."
Her smile is bittersweet, as if nostalgia has found her.

"Did you hear about this in another fairytale?"
"Of course. Mom and Dad would always try to discover the local legends."
"So they could share them with you?"

Sera nods quietly. I'm glad she had such a good family... which makes finding her father an even more important goal.
Still, comparing this place to Shum, the difference is staggering. Everyone in the village was in the same boat; similar appearance, similar clothes, all struggling to survive. In the city, everyone looks different, everyone looks rich, and everyone looks happy. It's hard to believe there was an uprising not long ago; it almost looks like a utopia.
Maybe I'm not the best judge, though. I might just be shellshocked from seeing the world beyond Shum for the first time.

"Hey Sera, do you think the people here look happy?"
"Hmm... I think they're trying."
"To look happy?"
"To be happy."

I watch a child race down the street with his arms out wide, laughing the whole way.
When I was maybe 10 or 11, a teacher said to me that, if the children of a country are happy, it must be a nice place. I took that as truth, but when I was older, I learned that the children of Kowloon Walled City were the same as anywhere else: playful, mischievous, and happy.
A lot of kids can find happiness where there is none - Maybe that's the truth, or maybe it isn't. I really have no idea.
I bring my hand up to touch my face, which so often wears a smile.

"How do you tell if someone is happy?"

It's so much easier to tell when someone is sad.

◇ ◇ ◇

During our wander through the city, three thoughts came to me:
1) I'd like to know more about this world.
2) I'd like to learn the language, or at least to read a bit of it.
3) I really need something to do on the trip back.
Upon voicing all of this to Sera, she came up with an ingenious solution to all three! So now we're in a bookshop.

"Tsa wanted to steer the Kicth, so I can relax inside this time."
"Sorry, I have no idea what you just said."
"Hmm? What don't you understand?"
"...that's hard to pinpoint. I guess, what's 'Kicth'?"
"The Kicth is what pulls the carriage!"
"Oh! Okay, that makes sense. So Tsa's driving instead of you?"
"Correct."
"Got it."

Language barriers are a confusing thing, especially when 99% of the words make sense to you.
What all this means, anyway, is that Sera will be reading me some books on the way back.

"What about this one?" Sera shoves one such book into my face.
"Wh-" I step back a bit. "What's it called?"
"Umm..." She takes a breath. "It's called 'A Recollection of Tales Attributed to Various Local Siters Compiled for General Consumption and Commentary.'"
"Catchy name." I can't tell if that title is too vague or too specific. "Does it have any good stories in it?"
Sera pages through the book quickly, then nods pridefully.
"Okay, sure. I look forward to being impressed." I'll just trust that it's good.
Next up, a gift for Arya.

"What about this one?" Sera shoves a fine shield into my face.
"Wh-" I step back a bit. "Why would she want that!?"
"Umm..." She takes a breath... Nothing follows.
"Sera, would you want a shield as a souvenir?" I worry for any girl who says 'yes' in response.
"Arya might..." Oi, you don't sound very convincing, Sera.
"You've known her longer than me, so maybe I'm wrong here," I begin with a preemptive defence, "but... Arya's definitely an attacking type. She doesn't care about defence."
"But that's why we get her the shield!" Sera fights back. "She probably has lots of weapons already!"
"Wait, seriously?" Is she actually a weapon junkie?
"Maybe..." Oi, you don't sound very convincing, Sera.
"Can't we just go with something simple?" I give up. "What's wrong with a necklace?"
A wave of sadness washes over Sera's face. Oh no, did I just say something rude? Is there like... a negative connotation to buying someone a necklace in this world?

"I don't want to spend that much on her."
"I thought you were best friends!?"

A merchant's daughter is possessive of her coins.

◇ ◇ ◇

Before heading back to the carriage, I went and bought one last thing: a notebook and a pencil; not being able to write anything down is surprisingly debilitating.

Upon our return, we receive two great pieces of news!
Firstly, Ms. Tsa has finished my chainmail! I um... I put it on immediately. It was a bit embarrassing to change in front of three women, but I dealt with it. It's not comfy to wear, but I'm dealing with it. I'm doing my best here, man.
The other, more important bit of news is that Sera's dad is surprisingly close. There's a government building dealing in overseas documents along the northern wall, and he's been staying in a military building within the wall itself, in the very northwest of the city's perimeter. We're at the western gate right now, so it's basically a short walk away.

So tomorrow, we'll look for a vantage point, test out the cube, then meet up with Sera's dad before we leave. It's a shame we don't get to stick around any longer than this, but... I dunno. Do I have time to waste? For all I know, a day here could be two on Earth. The time I waste can never be returned, so let's just focus on returning without wasting time.