Off-Brand Fantasy Village
The town itself seems welcoming enough and not too different from what you know in FΓ³dlan - clearly the author was adept at writing what they know. The villagers, however, all possess a variety of animal features, and you learn quickly that the elderly goat-headed man is their leader. While theyβre polite to you, they are quite confused about who you are and where you say you come from. Talking with them reveals that they hardly know how to respond to anything that isnβt simple smalltalk.
Kiran expressionlessly gazes at their opponent. With a flick, they send wooden trinket rolling in a halfhearted circle across the table. βCheckmate,β they say without any inflection before plucking up the piece and setting it back on the board when they reset the pieces. Their opponent, a woman with a bear head, practically roars when she throws her head back, somewhere between a mix of frustration and laughter.
They return the king to his throne. Here it comes. Their mouth follows along silently with her outburst.
βIβll be, Keeran! Whatuh game. Yer bite is worse than yer bark. Here, take it. Ya deserve it!β With a big claw, she pushes several gold coins across the table.
βAlways a pleasure, Ursula.β No use counting. Itβs 10 pieces exactly.
β10 gold pieces! Heh. Thar goes my treasure of the week,β Ursula raises a claw to scratch her nose. As she calls out for another drink and a warm brisket, Kiran slides the gold into their satchel and leaves the tavern.
The town is bland and predictable. Shop names are unoriginal or nonexistent. Every place is referred to as what it is. And the people β they stop a young fawnn from running into a hawk carrying his merchandise and only turn her around in the direction she came from β are straight out of a fairy tale. Not even. Probably closer to a small budget rip off of a popular movie. They wouldnβt judge it so harshly if they werenβt sucked into this world.
Theyβve gambled with Ursula three other times before this. Itβs like the day resets with minor differences between each one. Ursulaβs always got money, and she likes a good game. Challenging her to a game of chess is the fastest way to make money.
βG'day! Hot one today, ainβt it?β Sheila the innkeeper greets Kiran as she walks through the door.
βSure.β Kiran tosses two gold pieces on the counter. βFor our rooms. Know anything about a way out of a book that can suck people in yet?β
The innkeeper stares at her. Kiran stares back.
βStaying another night?β
They sigh quietly. βSeems like it,β they call back to her as they trot up the stairs.
Kiran knocks on the door at the end of the hallway and calls to Siegbert on the other side. βHope youβre decent. Iβm coming in.β The handle clicks, and they push the door open.
βUrsula uses different moves, but theyβre all basic. Probably a novice incorporating chess into her character.β As she talks, she briefly holds up the satchel of gold and drops it unceremoniously on the desk, before flopping on his bed with a long sigh. Feh, their trusty companion, flies from the desk to sit on their chest with a quiet hoo.
If only they had Breidablik. They mightβve been able to summon Alfonse or Sharena to get them out of this mess. And then Veronica to close it up.
βAny progress on your end?β
βSo, to confirm, you and everyone you know here were born in this village?β
βAnd youβve never met any travelers until my group arrived?βΒ
βAnd do you find it at all strange that most of our party lacks the unique features many of the townsfolk share, including yourself?β
That was met with a blank stare. It was nothing unlike what heβd found yesterday or the day before that. Fingers prod at his temples as the beginning of a headache came on, something becoming more common by the day. Siegbert musters the strength to bow politely out of the conversation, but by the droop of his shoulders or his heavy sigh upon turning around, he wasnβt happy.
Was it so hard to write a town with just a little bit more life? Although Siegbert didnβt consider himself an author by any means, he was no stranger to dabbling in the world of fantasy. The stories he spun as a child had far better color than this quiet little village. At least his worlds were interesting. But this, this? It was nearly enough to make him want to pick up a pen for the first time in years.
Well, the animal features were compelling. It certainly put a new spin on kitsune and wolfskin. (Siegbert had become quite fond of a little fox boy that trailed him whenever he ventured by the cobblerβs place.)
βGβday! Hot one today, ainβt it?β Shiela chimes and Siegbert sighs. βSame as yesterday,β he manages, and in retrospect would be quite disappointed in his quickly-falling care for manners.
Kiran handled all their money. At least he didnβt have to worry about his room. It was, perhaps, the only comfort he had in this drab worldβKiran at his side, that is. And the beds were decent. Beats sleeping on the ground.
For what it was worth, Siegbert was decent by the time Kiran barged in. He turns from his spot standing in front of a small vanity, shirt unbuttoned just enough to cool down and hair haphazardly pulled back with a tie that he was only now in the process of redoing.
βIn all fairness, I think everyone might appear a novice when put against you for chess.β Fingers run through curlsβtanglesβand work his hair into something a little more presentable.
βI talked to the seamstressβs husbandβthe one who lives on the edge of town. No oneβs ever heard a thing about anyone coming or going, and everyone around here has lived here their whole lives, even the elders. Donβt you find it curious how none of them are afraid of us?β Ribbon follows through, finally tying a neat bow at the nape of Siegbertβs neck. Heβll brush it after he next bathes; for now, in front of Kiran, he couldnβt be bothered. They didnβt care.Β βYouβd think theyβd be scared of outsiders.β
Days passed like this. The same routine, the same useless information. The same meeting at the end of the day before they finally trudged downstairs for dinner and drinks before retiring for the night. Rinse and repeat.
And yet he hadnβt the gall to ask until now.
Prince extends a hand towards beloved owl, waiting for approval before reaching to give well-deserved scratchies. Fehβs hoo peters through the air a few moments before Siegbert speaks once more.
βIβd like to learn something useful today, you know. Kiran, why did you leave so suddenly?β I was worried. But now wasnβt the time.
