章 37: Cream Porridge (Not that Cream you Perv)

Exiting the bookstore with arms full, Noah paused and turned back to Xisaya, her form having returned to her original human appearance. "thanks for these, I guess," he said.

"No problem. If you ever have more time in Redle feel free to pop on by, I should be here for a few more months at the least," Xisaya shrugged.

"Should be? You're leaving?"

"Of course," she glanced around seeing no peeping ears were listening, "with the war going on I'm expecting Redle to get caught up eventually and considering how antsy Kanyon is with us demi's, I have no interest in being strung up from a tree. Probably run off back to Grealira all things considered." She shrugged.

Noah wasn't quite sure about all of this world's geography, its kingdoms and the like all sort of blended together for him. 'I really need a map,' he thought. "Will do, if I'm ever back here that is," he mumbled and looked into the street seeing all the women clad in sodden, form hugging clothes, very few in dry dress as they'd only freshly come out of the stores and the like when the rainshower quickly dissipated.

Taking a few backwards steps away from her, Noah made way into the street, "I'll see you another time them." He waved and spun just as she spoke.

"May your penis be wet and your asses plump, till then Noah." The phrase drawing Noah to a sudden halt, hearing the door of her store creak shut and latch to a locked state.

'That… please tell me that's just something she says and not actually a phrase,' he truly pleaded, feeling within him that it was just a quirk of Xisaya's perverse mind, 'could also be a succubus thing…' the shiver coursing his spine told him that was likely it.

Noah shook his head, throwing the strange thought process away as he made the minute-long trek back to the meeting point but found neither Liora or Caina anywhere nearby. Likely still busy with their shopping or making their way back to him, though he couldn't see them whenever he looked around the large marketplace, bustling with the inhabitants of multiple villages.

Deciding to bide his time for a bit by wandering between the closer stalls. The first one he went to, he followed his nose to find and no sooner was he stood before a shaded stall where the faint crackle of a warming fire echoed and the soft pop of water boiling reverberated. The closer he got, he found his nostrils assailed by a pleasant, saccharin tone, the smell of something creamy but simultaneously sweet and honeyed with a slight addition of a blend of other spices.

Stood behind the stall was a young woman, blue in hair from the familiar accessory he saw in it and eyes a bright and regal gold which looked more natural than anything. 'hair's normal but eyes are more colourful?' he questioned no one in particular as he approached the stall and looked across the low table and the baskets.

The baskets held but a few bottles all neatly lined within a cushion of hay and sealed with a thin leather like film keeping the milky white fluids safely stored within without dripping out. On the table was nothing but a few wooden bowls and smaller ones filled with small, dried raisin sized red berries and another with a fine crystalline powder he recognized as sugar. At least he hoped it was sugar.

"Good evening!" the thin girl bounced rising half a centimeter off the ground before landing back down, "can I get you anything sir?" she asked quickly launching into another sentence, "we've got some nice cream porridge boiling away if you'd like anything warm to snack on for a bit. Also got potato soup if that's to your liking." Eyes sparkling all the way.

His nose guided him, sniffing in the blended scents to realize there was a more savoury component to the smells, though he found himself more attracted to the sweet side of things. "how much is it?"

Her expression sparked to utter happiness and she exclaimed, "just two buckles for a bowl, five if you'd like a bottle of milk to go with it." Noah could see the dollar signs flashing in her eyes, hungry for his money.

He glanced to the milk and twitched, "where does it come from, the milk I mean?"

"My uncles got a ranch up near Heine only a five hour ride by carriage away, so I can assure you everything's still fresh and raring to go. Now, can I get you anything?" she sparkled.

'I mean, she answered my question,' its just, not the right 'where' he was talking about. "The porridge then," he looked to the bottle of milk again and shrugged, "hell, might as well take a bottle then," he dug through his satchel, plucking the five of the remaining bronze buckles he was left with after paying the tailor and laid them down on the table. The moment his hand moved away, the girl lunged, scraped them from the table and buried them into a bag where they clattered behind the stand.

"Great, great, just a moment then," she spun to face the large grey cauldron and stirred it with a metal ladle before scouping a bowl full and held it out to him. "Here's you go sir." Noah took the bowl with a smile. The porridge was quite thin from what he could tell, to the degree he argued to call it a real porridge like he was used to. The grains used to make it also weren't milled as fine as he was used to, likening it more to rolled oats than anything. Lifting it to his nose, he sniffed it and found a clove and creamy smell, though was quick to furrow his brows when he noted how off it smelled. Not in terms of being past its due by date, but with how lacking in substance it was. Narrowed in eyes, he asked the girl, "you wouldn't happen to have spoons would you?"

"No sir," she was quick to respond, "ain't got the buckles to afford them and pops never saw the point to carving some when you can just eat porridge and soup with a bowl."

'I mean, he's not wrong,' he shrugged and brought the bowl to his lips, blowing on it to cool the steaming off white porridge enough that he could tip a small bit into his mouth and taste just how off the porridge was. 'There's no substance. It tastes like she used milk diluted with water and just ruined the fullness and richness of good milk.'

Lowering the porridge, he moved to the bowls of additives on the table and asked, "can I use these?" getting a swift confirmation of 'go right ahead,' from the girl and plucked from the first bowl a few of the red berries, tossed them into the porridge then a good pinch or two of the sugar, something that made the girl twitch a little but she kept quiet. He had after all payed already, and more than both the porridge and milk's worth combined.

With them added, Noah lightly shook the bowl to get them all incorporated into it and returned to tasting it. The disappointing taste of diluted milk was still there, and just a bit sweeter—less so than he preferred but he kept himself from tipping that sugar bowl into it to fix that issue, he wasn't that rude—and the berries, they were just dried cranberries. Nothing special. All in all, it was a disappointing bit of food—in reality he'd consider this more a drink from how thin it was—he didn't blame the girl, but her ingredients. And as much as he tried to hide his disappointment, it still seemed to show on his face.

"Is… it not to your liking sir?" she gulped nervously.

"What? Oh no, no. It's good, the milk used is just a bit thin is all. Did you dilute it with water?" He could understand if she did, it would definitely mean she'd would have to use less milk and make more at the same time.

She quirked her head, confused at his wording but was quick to surmise he meant something else, "no sir, I don't thin it," she sighed, a saddened look partaking her expression, "the holstaurs at the ranch have been ill, their milk just ain't what it used to be. Uncle's hoping to get another one or two at the next fair up in Tallmire. Hopefully that'll help the holstaurs fix up their milk."

'Welp, that answers the question of cow or human shaped cowgirl,' Noah surmised, finding a bit of curiosity at this fair she was talking about. "What's this fair about?" he questioned continuing to sip on his soup… porridge.

"Nothing too big," she shrugged, "there's going to be a market and a few auctions for some monsters. Nothing like the fairs up in Klaae, no fish market or any special imports. Ain't anywhere close enough to the sea for that," she chuckled.

"Huh," he mumbled, throwing through the thought of buying human shaped creatures like it was nothing. As he thought that, his caught in his peripheral vision an approaching Liora and Caina. The bowl he was tipping into his mouth halted and his throat stopped swallowing the porridge, letting it build and eventually overflow across his cheeks. Ultimately ending with him sputtering as a drop ran down the wrong pipe sending him to swallowing the rest and coughing.

"Are you alright sir?" worriedly, the girl exclaimed as Noah laid the empty bowl down and wiped his mouth down.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," coughing out the last sputter of porridge. "Thanks for that," he gave her one last smile and reached out for a bottle, plucking it from the basket. Holding it up in gratitude to the girl before making his way to meet Caina and Liora halfway.

The closer he got, the reason behind his sputtering only became clearer.

Their entire bodies were caked in water, their hair matted into strings, Liora's red locks flat and glued to her skin and gown, while Caina's was parted at the front, pushed out of her eyes. Their clothes stuck so tightly to their skin that each and every curve was visible and utterly alluring to a boy his age.

Forcing an awkward smile to his face and laying down the bottle of milk atop his other arm where his new books and clothes were dryly placed, he noted that both the girls were carrying with them a few wicker baskets stuffed to the brim with various things, fruits vegetables, and even a small box similar to the freezing onnaire he'd used to make Liora's food a few days back.

"I can see you've had an eventfull runaround," Liora's lips beautifully tilted at the ends as if to accentuate their fullness while she glanced to his arm, "was Ingvar doing a sale? I can't imagine you got all of that with only two hundred and fifty buckles." She mused, hoping he hadn't stolen anything. Inwardsly, she knew he didn't but having the confirmation was better than doubting him.

"I got the books for free," he chuckled a response, "the store was overstocked and needed to get rid of a few copies, so I ended up getting this while passing by," opting not to reveal the succubus, he kept quiet about Xisaya and their conversation.

Noah's face had long since gone a slight shade of pastel red as he attempted his utmost to force himself from staring at the hugged forms.

"Really? That's good then. Shall we head back to the tavern then?"

"Please," Caina grumbled, "I'm going to get sick otherwise… Can't believe you made me walk through that downpour."

"Come now Caina, it wasn't that bad. Don't you feel lighter from it washing away the dirt?"

"No. I feel wet. And not where it counts. Let's just get back. I feel sick already," lugging her basket with her, Caina strode past Noah and made her way down the street leaving Noah and Liora to watch her back. Noah's eyes inadvertently running down to her rump where her skirt had creased into her crack, something Caina was quick to fix by pinching the fabric and plucking it free only for it to return to its place between the cheeks.

Liora shook her head but smiled all the way, "shall we?" she asked looking down to his arm, and pondered, "do you want to put that all in here?" she opened up the basket for him, offering him reprieve from his added weight.

"No, no, it's fine, its not that heavy." He responded.

Liora nodded then shrugged and closes the basket, her shoulders rolling for a little as she felt a slight creak from its weight. Nothing painful, but enough for her to realize her rapidly aging body was only getting older.

Noah noted the slight, squeak of a grunt she let out, "I can carry that if you want?" he offered his hand out to take the basket from her.

"That's alright, it's not that heavy," she winked at him. "Just a little stiff, haven't gone shopping like this in a while," her expression suddenly turned dark and her lip trembled, "not since Harv passed. He always used to carry everything even when there was too much to carry…"

His heartstrings were plucked and his lips were sucked in. He held a breath then let it out slowly, purposefully and bowed his knees just slight enough that he could reach out, grab the handles of the basket and took it from Liora. Her mouth opened in protest but Noah beat her to the punch, "I may not be Harv. But so long as I'm staying with you I'll do whatever I can to help you, doesn't matter what. Just ask it and I'll try my best to help."

He kept walking but Liora had paused in stride. When he realized this, Noah slowly spun around and his heart halted a bit. There, Liora stood, clad in sodden clothes, misty eyed and tears trickling down her cheeks. Her head bobbed and her lips turned to a solemn smile. She didn't say anything, not for a few seconds, "thank you Noah."

***

Yo, sorry about nothing yesterday. Took the day off for my birthday.