"You should be more careful about starting altercations, son of a merchant or not. Next time, if you have concerns, find a guard first." The female guard's tone softened slightly.
Heron remained with the guards as participants disbanded. As he returned to the bakery, the white-haired man's composure still puzzled him. Despite the harassment, despite being outnumbered, he had remained utterly controlled. Almost as if he had never been in any real danger at all.
He returned to the tavern carrying the bag with the cream rolls, but he'd been much less enthusiastic about giving them to Emilia. He was about to skip the whole idea when the voice surprised him from behind.
"Do I smell cream rolls?" It was Emilia with a joyful smile.
"Oh, yeah," Heron turned to her, trying to fake a smile. "I thought I'd bring you some as a thank you for the help."
"Thank you," Emila said, grabbing the bag with no hesitation.
"What's bothering you?" She suddenly changed her tone and posture.
"Nothing, really. What made you ask that?"
"Heron, I've been a tavern's assistant for three cycles now. I can tell when a customer seems troubled or distressed. So tell me, what happened?"
Heron sighed, then shared the information about the event.
"I see. You are an idiot." Emila replied flatly.
"Who are you calling an idiot?" Heron said, more surprised, she plain out said it.
"You, of course. I don't see any other idiots around. You don't play the hero unless it is your job! Get it?"
"I wasn't raised just to stand by when someone is being strong-armed into giving money to his attackers."
"Well, time for new education. Unless you have a badge, helping out, as you put it, is seen as a disturbance of the peace. Didn't you mention Philip told you to stay out of trouble? Even Marcus mentioned not to seek it. And yet here you are, less than two hours into your first walk, and you get into trouble. You need a nanny to watch over you."
Emilia gave Heron quite a rant, but then she calmed down. "I'll be done with my shift in two hours. Then you can take me to lunch, and in return I'll keep you out of trouble."
"Why would I take you to lunch?" Heron asked confusedly.
"Well, you have to pay for my nanny services somehow. I do accept coins, too, if you're more comfortable with that."
"I mean, why would I do any of that. I'm fine on my own." Heron scoffed. How could I make the cut in party selections if I couldn't even get by in the city by myself?
"Thank you for offering to go with me, but I should probably do it myself."
"You know, being in an adventuring party does mean to rely on your comrades? No need to do everything yourself."
It was Marcus who jumped into the conversation. He was behind the bar, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Marcus?" Heron was surprised by the man's voice.
"Listen to the girl, Heron. Let her take you around the city. And in turn buy her lunch. And also, it doesn't hurt to make friends with her. Her being my assistant and knowing other customers can provide you with some necessary intel." Marcus kept going, greasing up Heron to say yes to Emilia's proposal.
"Well, it does make sense. I'm sorry, Emilia, I didn't want to come off rude. I wasn't in any mood for company, but once you get your shift done, and I get a little rest, I am sure my mood will be better, so if your offer still stands, I'd appreciate your help with traversing the city."
"Deal!" Emilia mumbled as she stuffed a roll in her mouth before Heron finished his request.
Two hours had flown by for Heron. He was having a long shower, still replaying the scenes from the earlier confrontation.
I'm not even a real merchant's son. What was I thinking? A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Ready?" Emilia stood in the doorway, having changed out of her work clothes into a simple green dress with a brown belt. Her braided hair was tied with a fresh ribbon. "I'm starving, and you're buying, so let's go before I change my mind about being your nanny."
"Sorry, please give me a minute," Heron yelled as he was rushing out of the shower. He quickly dressed in his spare clothes, but his hair was still wet. Time to try the blower thingy, Emilia mentioned.
-.- .. .-.. .-.. / -- .
There was something that sounded like a breeze of wind in his mind that carried an audible sound as Heron turned on the blower.
"Are you alright in there?" came a muffled sound from Emilia. Heron was still hearing the same breeze. This was not coming from the blower.
"Hey, is everything ok? You don't need to use it that much; you are dry." Emilia told Heron as she shook him.
"Oh," Heron almost yelled as he stepped back. "I didn't realize you entered the room."
"I've been outside the door for ten minutes. It is not nice to keep a girl waiting, you know," she said, pouting.
"It was ten minutes? I'm really sorry. I seemed to have zoned out. I remember holding the dryer and pressing the switch, and next thing you know, you were talking with me."
"Whoa, that's weird. Well, your hair is dry, but all messy. You should use a comb to fix it."
"I don't have any." Heron shrugged.
"I think there is one in a drawer," Emilia said, and went to the bathroom. "Here it is."
"So just make it wet a bit and comb your hair."
Heron did as asked, but after he was done, Emilia chuckled.
"What?" Heron asked, annoyed.
"Nothing, it's just your bangs look funny when straightened. Let's fix that." She approached him, coming into his personal space, and then using her hand to mess his hair up a bit.
"There you go, much better." She smiled, leaving Heron silent, beet red.
"Okay, we should go. Got only a few hours to spare, and places to visit." Emila said, gesturing toward the door.