Late at night.
“Mr. Chen Mian, what is the Ice and Fire Festival like?” Flora asked, her eyes shining bright as she lay in bed.
“I didn't happen to run into the Ice and Fire Festival when I came here before, so like Flora, this is my first time participating too,” Chen Mian said after a moment's thought. “But I'm actually very familiar with the festival's activities. That fellow Glen wouldn't stop talking about it when he was forging his greatsword, to the point where I practically memorized it all.”
“So what kind of activities are there?” Flora asked again.
“Keep up the anticipation, curious baby,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
“Curious... baby?” Flora's voice grew quieter, her ears flushing slightly.
“Aww!” Loviki's teasing voice chimed in from behind.
“There's a good baby, Loviki.”
The room fell silent for a brief moment.
“Wow, Flora, you've gone bad!” Loviki suddenly sat up from beneath the covers, her black hair cascading loosely over her shoulders. Her expression hovered somewhere between shock and feeling betrayed as she reached out to pinch Flora's cheeks. “You! You were never like this before! Did you pick up bad habits from Chen Mian?!”
Flora pulled the blanket up, her shoulders shaking slightly as her laughter muffled under the covers.
“I haven't gone bad.”
“And you still claim you haven't?! You would never have called me baby before!”
“But Loviki was clearly the one who wanted to respond.”
“I-I-I—that's different!”
“Is there a difference?”
“Of course there is!” Loviki retorted self-righteously. But after opening her mouth, she realized Flora's point actually made sense, which only made her more annoyed. “Anyway, it's just different!”
Chen Mian leaned back in his chair, resting his arms behind his head as he watched the two of them bicker in the dimly lit room.
Loviki could no longer win an argument against a Flora who actually wanted to strike back. This was a pattern Chen Mian had noticed recently. In the past, Flora would only blush and feel at a loss, but now she had learned how to counter—and from rather novel angles, too.
“Go to sleep.” Loviki finally gave up the argument, lying back down and pulling the blanket over her head, curling herself into a ball.
“Goodnight, Loviki baby,” Flora's voice muffled from her pillow, this time carrying a clear note of amusement.
“Stop calling me that!”
“Okay, Loviki baby.”
“Flora!”
The wood in the fireplace crackled occasionally, throwing off a few sparks. The room was warm and cozy; as long as one relaxed even slightly, sleepiness would easily take over.
Chen Mian listened to the two of them bickering until it drifted into incoherent murmurs, then into steady breathing, before he slowly closed his eyes.
Outside the window, the snow continued to fall.
The nights in Wigtan were long, yet they didn't seem quite so long tonight.
...
When daylight returned once more, the Ice and Fire Festival began.
By the time Flora woke up, the bed beside her was already empty, and Loviki's blanket had been folded neatly.
Flora sat up, running her fingers through her somewhat messy hair.
After a quick wash in the room, she opened the window.
The sound of children's laughter drifted in from outside, far livelier than the day before. Walking over to the window, she saw the streets already packed with pedestrians and all kinds of stalls.
“Morning!” Chen Mian's voice came from behind.
Flora turned around to see him leaning against the doorframe, holding two steaming mugs in his hands. He was wearing a dark gray coat, looking as though he had already been downstairs for some time.
“Did you sleep well last night?” He walked over and handed her one of the cups.
Flora took it with both hands. The rich aroma of milk drifted from the mug; since it was freshly heated, a thin skin of milk had formed on the surface.
“Very well,” she said, taking a sip as a comforting warmth spread through her body.
“Did I oversleep?” Flora set her cup down, feeling a bit self-conscious.
“It's still very early. When Loviki got up, she snuck around like a thief because she was afraid of waking you. Usually, you're always the first one up, Flora. Now that you don't have to get up to cook, you should get some proper rest,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
“Mr. Chen Mian, you seem a bit different today...”
“Different how?”
“Nothing~” Flora said with a smile, her ears turning red.
“Where is Loviki?”
“Downstairs, debating with Noxie.”
“...Debating?”
“About which spot has the clearest view during the Ice and Fire Festival parade.” Chen Mian took a sip of cocoa expressionlessly. “They've been debating for quite a while now.”
Flora let out a soft chuckle.
A sudden clamor drifted in from outside—a mix of drums and horns, growing louder as it drew closer.
“The parade is about to start.” Chen Mian walked to the window and glanced down at the street.
Flora placed her mug on the windowsill, deftly pinned her hair up with a wooden hairpin, then pulled her white scarf from her bag and wrapped it twice around her neck.
“Does it look good?” she asked, turning around.
Chen Mian glanced at her. “Yes.”
Flora's face flushed slightly, her lips curving into a tiny smile. “Mr. Chen Mian, let's go watch the parade!”
“Alright, but you have to eat breakfast first.”
“Okay!”
...
Quite a crowd had already gathered in the lobby downstairs.
The elderly dwarf woman had changed into a navy-blue festive dress today, with a snowflake brooch crafted from frost steel pinned to her collar.
When Chen Mian and Flora went downstairs, she was standing behind the counter, handing a small bag of candy to everyone heading out.
“Frost-pistil honey candy. Let it melt slowly in your mouth,” she instructed each person who took a bag. “The people of Wigtan believe this keeps your mouth sweet for the entire year.”
Loviki had already received hers and was leaning against the door, rolling the candy between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. Her cheek bulged slightly, making her look like a completely different person from her usual cold, noble lady self.
Noxie stood beside her, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at the street outside. “I'm telling you, when the parade turns the corner from the port later, standing right here by the inn's door is the best spot! You can advance to attack or retreat to defend!”
“Are you fighting a siege battle?” Griff's voice came from the direction of the stairs.
He had changed into a clean linen shirt today, his hair neatly combed back with pomade.
Noxie looked back, her mouth dropping open slightly. “Griff, you actually look like a decent human being today.”
“I don't look like a human normally?”
“More like a carriage driver who's completely exhausted after hauling cargo all day.”
Griff took a deep breath and turned to Bagins. “I'm holding back. It's a holiday today.”
Bagins said nothing, merely pulling a small flask from his leather pouch at his waist, taking a sip, and then handing it to Griff. His meaning was clear: take a drink and cool off.
Flora popped a frost-pistil honey candy into her mouth and followed behind.
“The Ice and Fire Festival parade is about to pass by,” Chen Mian said as he stepped out of the inn and stood by the door.
At this moment, the pedestrians and vendors in the Old District streets stood on either side of the road in tacit agreement, leaving the center of the path clear.
Rate on N.U.
