Matt finished speaking about the academies, moving towards another house that seemed to be in better condition than the last one. It was the same size, quite small, but it was well-kept, with no mould, the wood being in pristine condition. It had only one window on the right side of the home, the glass of which was completely intact. Inside, I saw slight movement before my Earthen Sense told me that there were two people inside at the moment.
Matt approached the sturdy wooden door and knocked on it loudly. With a loud creak, the door opened slightly, revealing a man who seemed old but was still younger than the commander.
"What do you want?" He asked
With my skill, I can tell that there was someone behind him
Matt answered him with a smile.
"Well, the people of the medical centre and I were wondering if you would be willing to take this girl in for a while until something else can be figured out?" Matt bowed as he pushed me forward.
"Good morning to both of you. It's a pleasure to meet both of you. "I am Luna," I said, acknowledging the man and the person who stood behind him, out of view. Giving the man a smile and a slight bow, the man turned his head back as if waiting for approval. After a moment, he shut the door fully before unhashing a lock that had kept the door closed for the majority of the way.
Reopening the door, it swung quickly before stopping slightly before striking the wall. The man was quite large, towering over Matt; he must have been at least 6'6". He had deep brown hair with grey specks running through it and a big, bushy beard. He wore simple clothes, and his hands had rough skin with a few scars. Behind the man stood a woman who was slightly taller than I was, her wrinkled face standing out as a full grey head of hair fell over her green eyes. She seemed much older than the man, and she stood as if her body were at the point of exhaustion.
"Nice to meet you, Luna. I am Ben, and this is my mother," he told me while pointing at the woman behind him.
"As you can see, my mother is not in the best condition, so it would be very difficult for me to support the two of you." He said, while holding his mother's shoulder.
Suddenly, Matt chimed in, speaking from behind me.
"Actually, if you take her in, one of Lady Liora's apprentices, such as myself, will stop in once a week to examine and see that Luna is doing well. If you would like, we could take a look at your mother at the same time?"
The offer seemed to intimidate the man, as he bent down and whispered into the man's ear. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to agree, until his mother began to whisper back. She coughed as she did, but the man's face turned from readiness to cold.
"It is a wonderful offer, but I will have to refuse, as my mother has decided that she does not want to have the burden of a mere child placed upon us."
Slowly, he ushered his mother back inside before closing the door slightly. As it was about to close, the man spoke once more.
"I am sorry, it's an amazing offer, but my mother has decided against it; she wants to spend what little remaining time on me. I wish you luck, Luna.' The man barked out quietly before fully shutting the door.
Matt sighed as the man closed the door before moving on to the next house. This one was close, only being a few houses down. It was quite large, actually, having at least two floors, with windows lining the top and bottom. The wood was in decent condition but not flawless, with some dark, drippy spots forming on certain logs.
Knocking on the door, I could sense three vibrations coming from within: two small and one of average human adult size. With the three vibrations reaching the door, it flew open, and two small children rushed out, surrounding Matt and me.
The children jumped around me, playing with a toy.
"Wow... She's so pretty!" The first child said
"Her hair looks so soft..." the second commented before circling me again.
In the doorway was a woman who stood almost a half foot taller than me. She wore long, baggy pants, and beneath her eyes, massive black bags formed. Her skin was dark, and she had long, curly black hair that fell to her shoulders.
Yawning, she looked at Matt and me before speaking.
"What can I do for you two?" She asked.
Matt began to open his mouth before being shut down by me.
"Hi there, I'm Luna, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" I told her with a slight bow. Continuing after ensuring that she was paying attention.
"Lady Liora and her apprentices were wondering if you'd be willing to take me in for a while until they can figure out what to do with me," I explained calmly.
The woman rubbed her chin before turning to her children.
"Mark, Phillip, do you want a new sibling?" She asked them
Matt's and my heads shot towards the energetic kids, waiting for their response. They both looked at each other before both yelling at the top of their lungs.
"No!!!" They screamed; it was loud enough that I thought my ears were about to bleed.
The woman looked back at us, sighing in disappointment.
"I always wanted a daughter, but these two angels are my world, so I'm sorry; if they say no, I say no...
She called her kids back inside before slowly closing the door, her dark brown eyes disappearing behind the wood.
Matt bit his lip before turning away, moving us towards the next house. It was massive, made of beautiful wood and carved stone. People walked in and out of the building; there were so many that there was even a line out its doors. As we reached it, I noticed movement in the window, and in the next moment, a woman rushed out, grabbing my hands firmly.
"Oh my, Oh my," She repeated, as she looked upon my body.
"No flaws, no marks, she's gorgeous."
She rolled up my shirt slightly before Matt stopped her.
"Loraia, calm down," he said as he grabbed her wrist.
"She's the best bitch that I have ever seen, Matthew. How much for her?" She asked.
My eyes widened in surprise as she still held onto me firmly.
"She's not for sale, Loraia. You already know this: unless she is indebted to you, there is no way to control her like you do your other "employees."
She stared daggers at Matt before looking at me.
"What's your name, dear?" the woman asked.
My eyes examined her; she was much shorter than I was and seemed to be around Lady Liora's age. She had jet-black hair and golden-yellow eyes; she wore a beautiful outfit that showed off her best assets, and as she stood in the open, men in the line seemed almost to drool.
"I'm—I'm Luna," I stuttered out, slightly uncomfortable with the proximity of the woman.
She smiled as I said my name.
"Such a pretty name, for a pretty girl such as yourself. You should come work for me; my establishment is always in need of more stars, and don't you worry, with a body like yours, you may make more than I do with just tips..." She grinned.
Seeing multiple gazes of people around me, I smiled awkwardly.
"I'll think about it..." I told her.
The woman smiled.
"Good, give it some thought." She finally looked at Matt.
"So what does an apprentice of that old hag Liora want?"
He bit his lip before responding.
"Well, you see, Luna here does not have a place to stay, and we were wondering if, somehow, we do not find a place for her, maybe you would be able to take her in, but as a normal girl and not one of your employees." Matt bowed slightly, his cheek turning red from biting it.
Loraia hummed for a moment before looking me up and down.
"I can agree to that... But under one condition, if I convince her to work for me while she is with me, then you, or any other person in this village, can't try to take her away." She smiled greedily.
Matt's face was beet red, and his hand trembled slightly.
"Fine," he said.
"If we do not find someone else, Luna and I will be back here tomorrow morning. Is that clear?"
"Clear," the woman said.
Matt began to turn away, but as he did, the woman grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down towards her. Whispering into his ear.
"I'll give you 10 silver if you can't find anybody else." She told him, shaking a pouch that seemed full.
Matt wavered for a moment before his entire body began to quake; his face was plastered with anger, and he quickly pulled out of the woman's grasp. He slapped the bag away before turning and walking away.
"Let's go, Luna," Matt yelled, signalling for me to follow.
Looking back, I saw the woman frown for a moment before a wicked smile appeared on her face. She disappeared back into the big building. Matt turned a corner, and we left the area that contained the establishment.
Matt looked at me, regaining his composure and smiling a soft, gentle smile.
"Wanna get some food?" He asked.
With the words, I nodded rapidly and ran to match his pace. After a few more turns, we entered a small building, and the aroma almost brought me to tears. Around me were all kinds of food that I had never seen before. There were what seemed like berries of all kinds! I ran through the building, examining all the items it contained. On some of its shelves were red berries, with a light blue inside; next to them were long green berries with a yellow core.
Looking around, they all seemed delicious! I recognized some sylberries on display in the corner, but the rest were a mystery to me. My smile was huge, and I almost seemed to glow with excitement.
Matt watched me run around for a few moments before calling me over to the front of the building, where a man sat behind a wooden desk.
"Tell him what you want," Matt said.
"I want them all!" I basically shouted, realizing what I did; I quickly covered my mouth.
The man looked at me before he burst out laughing. The man was shorter than Matt but much bulkier; he was bald but had massive eyebrows that framed his blue eyes.
"I don't know if you can afford all that, little miss," The man bellowed, while still cackling.
Matt looked at me.
"Pick three, Luna, any that you want; it's on me."
I frowned slightly as my options had been reduced to only three, but as soon as I began to search for the ones that I wanted, my smile returned. There were too many amazing choices, and they all seemed very good. The only problem was that I was worried that I would waste one of my three choices on a berry that I don't like. Sighing, I picked up the nearest one; its orange exterior was slightly transparent, its core deep purple, and it seemed to vibrate warmly.
"What's the name of this one?" I asked.