A familiar ceiling greeted him as he opened his eyes.For a moment, Ronan just lay there, staring up.
Every time he woke and saw that same wooden ceiling, he felt a small relief.
For him it meant he was still secure for now that is . With a groan, he pushed himself upright and sat on the edge of the bed.
He felt his body lighter due to him being 21 copper crowns less . No point regretting it now that it had already happened.
At least the strange thing hadn't tried to kill him . That was worth something. He reached into his pocket and took out the familiar watch.
*Click.*
The cover sprang open. The first thing he saw wasn't the clock. It was the words written opposite it.
*I'm Ronan.* The bold English letters stared back. He remained staring at the words before
Nodding to himself and then glanced at the watch itself. It was still early 6:20 am .
Which was an ideal time for him to wake up today or rest of days to come atleast .
With only five copper crowns left, taking carriages every day was no longer an option. Not unless he wanted to start eating air for dinner.
Ronan snapped the watch shut and slipped it back into his pocket.
As he stood, his eyes drifted toward the locked drawer beside the bed. After watching it for a moment, Ronan looked away.
"Let's keep it that way."
Ronan now made his way to the washroom to freshen up. He reached for the small basket that held his toothbrush and paused.
The charcoal paste was gone. Completely.
Ronan stared at the empty container for a few seconds, then sighed.
That last brushing had finished it. The sight reminded him of Harris. Harris had been the one who taught Percy how to make toothpaste from raw ingredients. Back then, Percy had paid for the knowledge with four days' worth of drinks.
An expensive lesson. Though one that eventually saved him money.
Ronan pushed the thought aside. He didn't really need Harris for that anymore. Percy's memories held the process well enough.
The real problem was money . Even if the ingredients were cheaper than buying toothpaste outright but they still cost something. And he didn't have much of that left.
Five copper crowns was too little of a saving but he now have to use ut for the toothpaste ingredients since he can go hungry but bad breath the whole day at his work wasn't an option.
Keeping an upright image at work was one of Ronan and Percy's similar factor .
He now went to the kitchen where he found some bread, eggs and few odds and ends. Enough for breakfast atleast.
After a moment of thought, he closed the cupboard which now had barely anything inside it now .
"Guess I'll have to miss a meal."
The small breakfast was manageable for now.
Ronan wasn't starving, but he wasn't full either.
The walk to the workshop had already burned through some of the energy he obtained from the breakfast.
Still, he pushed on. A few minutes later, Beningham Styles came into view.
But something Seemed off as the wooden sign hung outside as usual, but the shutters were shut and the entrance locked.
That's strange If the shop was closing for the day, Mr. Bram or Silia would have told everyone beforehand.
They always had before. Slowly, he approached the storefront.
The Bram family lived in the house attached to the workshop, so he expected some sign of activity. But the place was completely quiet.
"Hmm…"
Some kind of emergency?
He stepped back and waited. The other workers should arrive soon enough. Miss Gracy especially , she was usually early. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be her.
But Minutes had passed and still nobody came . Confused Ronan took out his pocket watch.
*Click.*
The familiar English words greeted him first.
*I'm Ronan.*
Only after seeing them did he check the time.
Past eight forty . Now this is a bit strange, what's going on here ?
Wait a minute....
A moment later, realisation came , along with that his hand covered his face.
"…For fuck's sake."
Today was Sunday hence the workshop was closed. He was simply an idiot.
"How did I miss that?"
Ronan stood before the closed workshop, feeling increasingly foolish.
"Idiot." Of all the days to forget what day of the week it was, it had to be the one where i was already worried about money and food.
"Not only did I walk all the way here. I wasted energy doing it."
For a while, he just stood there, quietly insulting himself. Eventually, he sighed.
"Well… look on the bright side."
He straightened a little. "I don't have to work today."
He had wasted time and energy, sure. But at least he wasn't about to spend the next ten hours bent over fabric and stitching.
"Yes. Think positive, Ronan."
His gaze drifted across the street. The town was quieter than usual. There were still people about but nowhere near the usual crowd.
Most were probably at service. The Hilton Church.
This town's faith centered on the Goddess Sisters Serionah and Zeriya. Twin goddesses. Daughters of Soliora, the Mother of Souls.
All three were worshipped across various nations, but each country tended to favor one over the others.
This one held Serionah highest. Even so, prayers and offerings were still given to Zeriya and Soliora. The three were rarely spoken of apart. To worship one was to acknowledge the others. Percy's memories held plenty about them.
After all, Percy had grown up in an orphanage run by the Church of Serionah. Raised by nuns. Fed by the church even educated by the church.
And yet Percy had never been particularly devout and neither was Ronan.
He wasn't hostile to religion. He wasn't a believer either. It simply wasn't something he spent much time thinking about.
His eyes drifted toward the distant spires rising above the rooftops.
The bells were ringing softly. Calling worshippers to prayer.
"Well… It wouldn't hurt to check it out while I'm here."
With that, he adjusted his coat and started toward the church.