Suna paid little heed to the strange conversation she had just had. And she walked on.
She passed by wagons. She passed by some groups that traveled on foot. She passed by small towns – at times a mere scant few buildings – that usually provided some basic services or wares (She had no money). She sometimes took small trails that branched off from the road, that would lead her to small vistas, or to lakes and streams. She bathed.
Whenever she heard sounds of fighting or yells, even when they seemed to be very far away, she always checked. But surprisingly, every such party she came across that was fighting all seemed to be more than capable of defending themselves or hunting their quarry. So she left them alone, never revealing her presence.
She came across old structures, statues, and shrines, which depicted strange-looking figures. What were they? What were they for?
She encountered interesting flora and fauna. She was particularly surprised by a mobile plant, one that laid a small vine out onto the road, trying to ensnare Suna when she walked over it. She dispatched with ease the hostile plant. She did not ever think once she would one day fight a plant. She was cautious around each subsequent plant she came across, thereafter.
The closer she got to Alduress, the more people she encountered. Until, the road basically always had people on it. The sprawling network of roads were relatively well-maintained, and she observed what she thought was the occasional patrolling guard. The more she walked, the more she came to appreciate the complexity of the machine that was this Society. She didn't realize how productive and efficient a well-functioning civilization could be. Hers was definitely not either of those two things.
Alduress. It had a tint of blue. She would later come to find out that it was because of a certain stone that was mined nearby in abundance, one that radiated a subtle blue glimmer when coming into contact with light. She found it mesmerizing. Another reason for her wonder was its sheer size. This felt like the first real city she had come across. New Vall was the largest one she had been to, and this one seemed to be roughly triple, or even quadruple, its size, just based off of her visual estimates.
Were the people as happy as they were at Girgess? It was hard to tell. For starters, there were simply a lot more people, who were additionally a lot more varied. Their sentiments widely varied; trying to judge the city's mood as a whole was basically a futile, pointless task. Some people seemed to rush urgently to their destinations, whereas others seemed to relax. Some argued with others, about plans or material things or exchanges, whereas others seemed to be wholly content with whatever service or purchase they acquired. Suna wasn't really overwhelmed by the numbers. Thankfully, the city was not a literal sea of people. She wouldn't risk entering such a nightmarish city, under any circumstance.
So. With little else to do other than wait for her Friends, she just wandered, and observed. Even though she went "slowly" to Alduress, she knew just how slow and time-consuming a wagon ride was. She estimated she had a couple days, give or take, before her Friends would arrive. How would she find them? She didn't think too hard about that. If they were both deadset on finding each other, then they would. That's how Suna thought about it.
Perhaps she could use the time to indulge herself in a visit to the library, or the Hunter's building? And then she remembered. I still can't Fucking read. She facepalmed. She looked to the sky, lament in her eyes.
For she had actually tried to get Angie and Lilt to teach her. One would think, that because she could communicate with them, that it would be a simple matter of learning what written letters corresponded with hers. But no. Oh no, it just couldn't be that simple.
Learning the letters and associating them with sounds and syllables was easy. But as soon as a basic sentence was put before her, she came to a horrific, nightmarish conclusion. What in the fuck is this grammar? None of the parts of the sentences were where they belonged, she spoke essentially backwards and erratically to the people around her. And they understood her. There was really only one logical conclusion to be made here. Ei. She once again thanked, bittersweetly, for just the opportunity to communicate with the people here. She couldn't imagine how miserable she'd be if she was reduced to some sort of wordless, mute troglodyte, who had to communicate through signs and gestures. She'd literally rather never interact with another person again, if that were to be the case.
So. With no money and being unable to read, what was she to do with her extra time? She could just wait idly, watching the sun make twice its journey as she sat under some tree. But that wasn't her style. She didn't want to spend so much time doing literallynothing. So she psyched herself up. She was going to do something she had never done since arriving to this world. She was going to… talk to a stranger. Of her own volition. (The robed person didn't count to her.)
"...U-Um…!"
"I-, I-...!"
"I, I wanted, to say…!"
She was failing. How would anyone ever understand what she was saying? How did she ever talk to anyone? She didn't give up. She persevered, she kept trying.
"Um! I, I! I! Agh!!"
"So. Um… How, um…"
"Goddamnit!!"
"So, um… this, um, this city! Sob."
"What are you doing?"
"AAGHHHH!!!"
Suna jumped in fright. Her practice was rudely and abruptly interrupted. She huddled against the wall that she had been practicing talking to just then.
It was a young man. Young adult? Around 20? Or younger? It was hard for Suna to pinpoint. After all, her heart raced, her face was nearly beet red, she waved her arms in front of her, as if that would deter the enemy that was attacking her.
"..." He stood motionless.
"...?"
"Haahhaahahah!!" They erupted into a fit of laughter, clutching at their stomach.
Suna was humiliated. She was kind of miserable.
The man wasn't heartless, they didn't ridicule her or anything. But suppressing their laughter was an entirely different story, it was virtually impossible for them to stop their mouth from turning into a grin, which would devolve into small giggles and chuckles. Suna looked down. In defeat.
"Hah, hah, haha, you're, you're too funny! Hahaha!"
"E-Enough! Stop it!"
"Haha, alright, alright, I'm trying! I'm trying! Hahahah!"
Suna groaned and pouted, irritatingly. The man's laughter eventually died down.
"Hah, so, so what are you, even doing?"
Annoyed, Suna turned her gaze down to the side. "I, I was practicing, okay?"
"P-Practicing? You call that practice?" They struggled to keep their boil of laughter from rising over the edge. "Pfft, I, haha, Alright, Alright! Don't look at me like that! …pfft."
Suna had enough of this humiliation. She turned to leave the clean alley that wasn't far from the main roads.
"Hey, Wait! I'm Sorry! I'll, I'll make it up to you! I'll treat you to some food, how does that sound!"
It wasn't some sort of trap. It seemed they felt some amount of genuine pity for Suna. This did not make her feel any better.
She wanted to decline. But… but she needed practice…
She stopped in her tracks. And she slowly rotated her face, so that she could see him out of the sides of her eyes.
"Um, will you… can I practice? With you?"
It was a genuine request. The older teen endeavored with all they had, to suppress his reaction to the absolute ridiculousness of the girl's words, of this whole situation.
With great effort, their voice unsteady and forced, they eked out the words. "Y-. Yes. You can." They turned around, so that they could spare the girl their expression of absurd amusement.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go." Suna walked up to the older boy, waiting for them to lead the way.
"You're weird. You know that?"
"I've been getting told that a lot. It's annoying." Suna munched on a bun of sorts, one filled with a sort of ground up meat and vegetables, in the shape of spheres and chunks. It was savory, and delicious. The young guy found her expression of delight amusing. In general, she didn't hide or conceal her expressions. She simply said and expressed whatever she thought and felt. It was amusing, but it was also really refreshing.
"I'm Stilt. Nice to meet you."
"Suna." Suna stuck out her hand. It was shaken. She retracted it.
"I'm uh… I'm sorry. About laughing at you back there." Suna did not want to be reminded of the occurrence that had just taken place, not too long ago. "I know you must have been earnestly trying. I didn't mean to come off, like, demeaning. Or something. You know?"
Suna nodded, accepting his apology.
"Haha, glad to see you're not holding it over me. Hey," They gestured to Suna's attire. "Judging by the way your dressed, you must be a Hunter, right? Must be tough."
"Hm? It's not tough. It's easy."
"Hah, easy? Not sure how being forced out of a job is easy, but, Shrug."
"? What's going on with the Hunters?"
"Oh, you don't know? You must have just gotten here, then." They looked out the window of the establishment they were currently in. "This City's always been kind of archaic, it's always been a bit of a mess. You got people in charge that just cling to things, the way they used to be. They just can't accept change." They let out a large sigh. They cocked their head to the side, looking at Suna. "So now, the City's Hunters are all mad. They're on strike. If only we had the guts to stand our ground, too…" They gazed, emptily, at the air.
None of what they said made any sense to Suna. "So, we can't take commissions?"
"Hah, not if you want to piss off a whole bunch of people. People love this city, they've been here their whole lives. There's a lot of heated emotions right now floating about right now, in general. Sigh, it's just so annoying…" That tone. But this person wasn't malicious, or evil. She was starting to become confused.
Suna tilted her head. "If you don't like it, why don't you just move?"
"Haha, you're funny. It costs money to move, it's uncertain if you'll like where you end up, it's an abrupt change to every aspect of people's lives. And some places just aren't as safe as here. And, well, just ditching everything, that's kind of like giving up, in a little sense, isn't it?" They looked at Suna. "I'd rather stay and fight. Fight those annoying people in charge, you know what I mean?"
Suna's head remained tilted. Then she resumed eating her delicious meat bun. "...Sounds complicated. Sorry."
"Haha. You're really free, aren't you?"
"...Free?"
"Yeah. You don't seem to have anything tying you down. You're not beholden to some sort of mess of human cogs. Don't you get lonely?"
"Mm. Sometimes. But I have Friends, now."
"Oh. That's nice." Stilt looked back out the window. "I… I wanted to be free, too. I… I left everything. I left my stupid parents. I left my small village. I told myself, I'd be free. I'd find it. I'd do whatever it takes." The look on their face was hard to describe. "...I… I don't know. If I ever really found it…" There was a concealed solemnity to them. "...I'd say I envy you… but I know." They looked at Suna. "...That there's a price for Freedom. It's not free. Heh." They snickered, at their unintentional wordplay.
They just looked at Suna, pondering. Suna ate her bun. She thought it was delicious. She didn't mind their sort of incessant gaze. They were being delicate. They were vulnerable, in this moment. She didn't mind honest people. She liked honest people.
"...You're a nice guy, Mister."
"Mister? I'm, like, 17??"
"How am I supposed to know that, Mister?"
"Haha, I just can't win against you. I can't believe you were talking to a wall-" Suna glared at him. "...Hahah." They were amused. By Suna.
She eventually finished her bun. Her second one. After finishing the first, she looked sad, so Stilt bought her another one.
"Mister, where are you staying at?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"Um. Just curious."
"I have an apartment."
"...Can I stay over at it?"
"Haha, Suna, you can't just ask that."
"Why not?"
"Because. Kids should be with their families."
"I don't have a family."
"You don't?"
"No."
"Well, then you should be at some sort of orphanage, right?"
"...I'm not."
"Huh. That's weird. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Ummm…" Suna really had to think. This was not an easy calculation. How was she going to quantify the hazy, trance-like months spent hiding in dark bunkers, where time seemed to pull and push, like some sort of tide? How was she meant to keep track of time when the Sun itself vanished behind the veil of thick storms of ash? Could she even answer this question?
"16. At the very least."
"Wha-! No, you're joking."
"No, I'm not joking!"
"16!? Did you ever even grow?"
"Yes, I did." Suna crossed her arms. She liked her short height and stature.
"Ugh, you're just messing with me."
"I Am Not!"
"Like, what do you even do??"
"I'm a Hunter!"
"Yeah, and being an F-Rank Hunter doesn't mean you're a real 'Hunter', okay?"
Suna pulled out her card. Her card, which glowed with a silver gleam. Huh? Did I rank down to Silver?
Stilt was stunned speechless. "Wha, H-Huh?? P-Platinum!?" They looked back and forth at Suna and the Card. They were flabbergasted, jaw agape. Seeing this reaction reminded her of a certain other easily-surprised Friend.
Suna wore a smug look. "See, I told you~"
Stilt didn't have a retort. "...W-, Wow. I, uh… wow…"
Suna couldn't help but let out a giggle in victory.
"...um. Where's your Hunter's Party? Are they here?"
"They're on their way here. I ditched them, but I promised to meet them here. They're gonna take a few days, so I have nowhere to sleep."
"Hey, don't treat me like some sort of idiot! If you're a Platinum Hunter, then why don't you just get yourself a nice room at an inn!?"
"My Friend has all our money."
"Huhhh?? Um, why wouldn't you at least, you know, spare yourself just a little change??"
Suna didn't think of that. "...I dunno."
Stilt facepalmed. "You're really strange, you know that?"
"Stop! I, I don't like being told that, over and over!"
"...Sorry." Stilt looked apologetic. "...but you really are, though…" They muttered.
Suna glared at them. "Anyway. If you're not gonna let me sleep at your place, then I'm going to go sleep outside."
"Wha, you can't just do that! I'll, I'll pay for a room for you."
"No! I don't want to owe anybody anything!"
"But, I bought you food, though…?"
"That was because you made fun of me earlier!"
"I didn't, though?"
"Don't play dumb, you were clearly making fun of me in your head earlier! You, you ridiculed me, you laughed at me!!"
"Haah, you're so stubborn, you know that? Ugghhh, fine, fine! I'll let you stay. But only because you're a Platinum Hunter!" They shook their head in annoyance. It seemed they had a sort of respect for Hunters. It seemed most people did.
Wait. Suna didn't want to extort this person. She didn't want to burden them, to intrude upon their living quarters.
"Wait. Never mind. It's okay, I'm good." She began to leave.
"H-Hey, where are you going? Are you seriously going to sleep outside? I can't just let you do that!"
Suna paid no heed to the words directed her way. She hastened her steps, ignoring their objections and shouts, which grew fainter the further she got.
The sun had nearly dropped. The sky was dark, only echoes of a distant, dying sunset fading, beyond the city's high obstructions of sight.
Suna looked back. She felt bad. She had to apologize to Lilt later. She must've been inconsiderate back then. She grimaced. Am I… THAT abnormal? Suna felt bad. She felt down. She felt like an outcast. She just didn't fit in, she didn't get it. She didn't understand. Anything. She felt stupid. And dumb. She couldn't read, she couldn't talk to people without being rude.
She looked around. Most of the tops of the buildings had graceful style built into their angled and decorated rooftops. But some were simple and flat. She leaped and climbed, from building to building. Ah. This place looks nice. There didn't seem to be any doors or ladders leading to the top of this building. She should be undisturbed, sleeping here.
She was confused. By this city. By people. She wanted to be back with her Friends. She missed them. She missed them greatly.
The last words of the robed man flashed through her mind. Why did they say that? Did Humans betray them in the past? Or was untrustworthiness a common shared trait of Humans in general? That person didn't seem to be a Human, the way they vanished from Reality, so suddenly. Am I… a Human? Suna pondered.
It was cold. But Suna had long grown numb to the cold. She drifted in her thoughts, letting them carry her from place to place. She let herself be surprised, she reassured certain conclusions; she saw, the whole, heaping, ocean. She always found it to be beautiful, to be wondrous. The ocean of her. Her collective thoughts and feelings, her. She let herself be her. The doubt seemed to dissipate and fade. The bustling city and its nightly noises vanished, smothered, amidst the calm, all-consuming thing that was her. She lost herself. In Her.
So she slept. Peacefully.