SWISH!
With sheer velocity, the door to Bridges clothing store burst open.
"We're back!"
"Coming through!"
"E-excuse me."
"Hm."
"Oh my." Silvia covered her mouth, watching our ragtag crew scramble in like we owned the place.
"Do these kids have no manners? Who taught them to waltz in like that?" Relentia said with disappointment as she looked at Glyffe, Silvia, and Zecko. Well, that's probably on you as parents, I thought.
"I'm back, Mum, Dad," I said, stumbling into the shop.
I wandered over to Glyffe's and Silvia's side as Relentia and Zecko berated, or rather, instructed, the other members of the Little Dreamers.
"Looks like you've managed to make a friend or two, good for you, Reno!" Glyffe said as he vigorously patted me on the back. Catching up with Zecko must've put him in a great mood.
"Thanks, dad!" I smiled. His pats were heavy, but the affection behind them was heavier.
"It's getting late now, it's about time you all headed on back home." Glyffe—no, Zecko said, taking charge.
"What? Already? But—"
"No buts, Jamie." Zecko interrupted firmly.
Bill's eyes glistened as a lone tear rolled down his cheek."I feared as much boss..." he whispered.
"I-it's okay boss!"
"Fear not, we'll meet again, boss."
"Hm."
"Y-you guys... " Jamie stuttered, his eyes glimmering like Bill's. "Stay strong everyone. Oh and don't forget about tomorrow!"
"You're so dramatic, Jamie." A concerned mum sighed. "You must have got that from your dad."
Zecko's eyebrows twitched. "Enough waterworks. I'll take them home, Relentia. You stay and watch the shop."
"Aye aye captain!" Relentia nodded as Zecko shepherded Bill, Phill and Finn out the shop.
"It's about time we got going too."
"Already? But you just got here Silvia?" Relentia cried.
"It's been five hours." Silvia smiled. Relentia froze for a moment. Five hours already?
"Oh..." Her face fell briefly, but she quickly recovered. "Make sure you visit again, okay?"
"Of course!"
"And bring Reno along so Jamie can play with him again. I haven't seen Jamie this sad in a while. Those two must be best friends already." Relentia smiled.
Actually, the expression she wore earlier when she heard Silvia was leaving was the exact same one Jamie had now. Like mother, like son.
"Mom, you're... embarrassing me," Jamie muttered. It's rare seeing him this flustered.
"Hahahaha!" Glyffe laughed heartily. "Not to worry kid, I'll bring him back, and you two can play all the time!"
"Really?" Jamie's face lit up.
"I guarantee it." Glyffe said as he ruffled Jamie's hair. We headed towards the door.
"Okay!" Jamie said as he turned to face me. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Reno! Don't forget about our competition!"
"I won't, I promise." I said softly. Saying goodbye was bittersweet—maybe all farewells are.
"Visit again soon!" the mother and son called out as we left. They really were like carbon copies of each other.
As we stepped out into the familiar central district, Silvia's voice rang out.
"Competition? What's that about?"
"Oh that... " I chuckled nervously. How was I supposed to explain that we'd just committed several crimes and were participating in a competition to reduce our sentences? "Just you know... some races with the pre-scouts and stuff. We're going to figure out which one of us is fastest."
"Reno, did you—nevermind."
"After all that running around, you still don't know?" Glyffe asked, amused.
"Well, I was trying to be polite. Of course I'm the fastest." I said, bragging slightly as I rubbed my nose.
"Hahaha! That's just like my son!"
Silvia smiled lightly but stayed quiet on the topic. "Stox should be done making the swords now. Between that, the clothes I bought from Relly, and the book from the bookstore, that should be everything for today."
"Not a bad haul," Glyffe added.
"Before we head to Stox's shop, there's somewhere I want to go first. Is that okay?" A childish voice piped up. It was me.
"The inner district? Why did you bring us out here? Did you lose something?"
"That's not it."
"See a toy you want?"
"Nope, not that either."
"Want to show us a place?"
"Not quite."
Silvia was remarkably quiet, her face angled slightly, a trademark sign she was in deep thought. "Reno, you didn't play chaos tag, did you?"
Huh? Caught already?
"C-chaos tag? What's that?" My voice cracked a little.
"Hmmm..." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Ah... I did." I cracked under the pressure.
"I thought so." She sighed audibly. "Then this place you're taking us to is?"
"Yeah..." I scratched my head. We were walking through a very very familiar aisle. One in which previously spices and metalworks covered the air as fruits and coins flooded the floors. And of course, various plants did too.
With every step, my heartbeat grew louder, echoing in my ears like a drum. We passed Bill's scarves, Phill's metalworks, Finn's crates of fruit, Jamie's rare coins—and then, the world seemed to slow. We stopped in front of a plant stall. One I remembered all too well.
In front of us was a young lady, perhaps younger than even Silvia. She had brown hair, black eyes and an extremely gentle smile. She was tending to her pots and plants, readying herself to pack up for the day.
"Oh, it's you..." she said softly, her face pained slightly. "Can I help?" She turned to Glyffe and Silvia.
"I-I..." The words caught in my throat. The words I'd walked all this way to say. Just say it damn it, Reno.
"Come on, Reno. You came all this way," Silvia said as she gently nudged me forwards.
"I'm sorry!" I suddenly blurted out, my eyes watering slightly. "I'm really, really, sorry." I spoke slowly and intentionally, feeling the weight behind each and every word.
Her face widened in shock, as if she hadn't expected me to apologise. Can I really blame her for being surprised considering how happy I was earlier when I knocked over her stall? Still, I didn't want to be the kind of person who had to knock others down just to feel a little joy.
"It's okay, you're still young. I understand." Her voice softened, tinged with something bittersweet. "My little brother used to play those wild games too… back when we were kids." She let the memory linger in the air, her gaze far off for a moment.
Then she looked at me again and smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. The fact that you knew it was wrong and still came all this way just to apologise... that means more than you think.".
When she smiled, it felt like a heavy weight had lifted from my chest and the knot in my throat came undone. I could breathe easier, and for the first time that day, the world felt a little clearer.
"Thank you!" I smiled. "Actually, I'd like to buy some seeds and a few plant pots if that's okay?"
I'd been thinking about gardening ever since I got to Butter Town. It wasn't something I did often in my past life, but I'd always liked it. Apart from being a calming hobby, I wanted to see how the plants in this world grew—and mess around with them a little.
"You'd like to buy something? With whose money?"
"Ah." I coughed. Really?
"Glyffe." Silvia nudged him.
"Yeah, yeah—I guess the answer is with my money then." Glyffe followed up. Silvia just glared at him but let it go.
"Ah, so you're here to buy something after all?" she said, a soft smile returning to her face.
"Yes, we are." Glyffe forced a smile. "What is it you want, Reno?"
"Hmmm, how about..." I looked around as if I hadn't already mentally decided which seeds and plants I wanted a long time ago. "That one, that one, that one, and that one—and of course, that one too! Oh, and that one."
"Haah, give me a break." Glyffe sighed.
"Honey it's just seeds and plants. They're not gonna be that expensive."
"That'll be roughly six hundred Teaves." The lady smiled.
"S-six hundred?" Glyffe stuttered.
"Such a cheapskate. That's not much to you at all."
"R-right..." Glyffe handed a bill and two coins over to the lady. "Are you really going to take care of these plants, Reno?"
"Of course!" I said, full of confidence. Probably. Maybe.
"Don't forget to water them, okay?"
"I won't!"
"Thank you for coming back—and for your kindness. Take care on your way home, alright?" The stall lady said as we began to leave.
"Alright! I'll come back again—next time, just to buy something." I smiled as we walked off towards Stox's store.
It was just a small apology—but it made the world feel brighter. Maybe growing up meant knowing when to step back and apologise—so you could move forward.