As soon as all the books were paid for, the two exited "The Bookstore", famously known as "A Land Lost in Time".
Well, at least in his mind. Dreamers would always remain dreamers, and that didn't wane the moment the sun shone on him.
Tao Hua squinted as his sunblind vision finally returned, revealing the ever-familiar street ahead.
Fortunately, the crowd wasn't nearly as bustling as it had been earlier that day. Tao Hua wasn't entirely sure how long the pair stayed in that quaint little bookshop, but it was certainly longer than Lord No-Name had anticipated.
Partly Tao Hua's fault, but not entirely. All the while standing in front of the shopkeeper's desk, Lord No-Name made a second attempt at trying to extract information out of the old man. As guessed, it ended exactly where he started. More confused than satisfied. But Tao Hua had to think—if he just wasted this man's time a little more, the sun wouldn't be beating down on them, and instead, hidden behind the trees.
"Where to?" asked Lord No-Name. He slid the shop's door shut and stood next to Tao Hua.
In all that was hopeful, Tao Hua's head shot up, revealing the tiniest sliver of hope in his not-so-subtle eyes. He repeated, "Where to…?"
"Your home...? Assuming you live here, of course," he started, reaching a hand up to his mouth and hovering his finger between his lips. "Oh, what was it—you work for the headman, Master whatever-his-name-something-with-a-T? Can't travel the woods? Don't care. There's no way you'd travel for a job that wouldn't pay nearly as much as the Imperial Capital."
"Ah…that," Tao Hua briefly hesitated, and from his look of hope to downcast eyes, he glanced away from Lord No-Name and towards the street. Many eyes, all pointed at him and Lord No-Name. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual, however, was that none tried to approach Tao Hua. That was new.
"Yup. I do. Through and through," he lied, ever-so-weakly. With a few inches towards Lord No-Name, Tao Hua used him as a human shield. This was effective when hiding from scrutinizing stares. "Why?"
"I'll take you home." Spoken like a true gentleman, branched from the Asshat family.
"N-No!" shouted Tao Hua. Though he didn't want it to be obvious, he was anything but inconspicuous. He leaned back once to catch the whispering of many on the street. Though he couldn't hear them due to the distance between The Bookstore and the stalls, it wasn't hard to tell what this late-afternoon gossip was about. "Um, no. It's okay, I wouldn't want to burden you…or anything. I'll be fine here!"
No, he wouldn't.
But nothing was worse than being caught in the midst of a lie, in front of a touchy stranger who was his only possibility of a genuine connection. Words he'd soon swallow and vomit out violently.
The thing was, his lie wasn't even that big of a deal; you couldn't tell an overthinker that, however. With every lie uttered, the stakes rose. The problem with high stakes wasn't what they posed, but what they did. You didn't even have to be a vampire to understand that fear.
"Here is fine," said Tao Hua. He shuffled a bit forward and hunched his shoulders. The onlookers were better left ignored. "Siyue Town isn't dangerous."
Tao Hua awkwardly held out the books and started to lift each, reading the titles. Over and over. None of it was retained, but it was enough to successfully avoid that knowing gaze painted in white.
"Oh, I don't know about that." The knowing eyes reeled towards the street with only a single offer of a glance before returning to Tao Hua.
A shadow cast over Tao Hua, and with a few blinks, he glanced up to find Lord No-Name watching as he fumbled each book, nearly dropping them. Lord No-name had his hand pressed to the hilt of his sword, and when side-glanced the ground, an annoyed smile crossed his lips. "Seems you guys have a serious vulture problem."
Even if Tao Hua tried to look past Lord No-Name, it was difficult. The street was entirely blocked off. So, he directed his eyes up and into the clear blue. "We do?"
There was an innocence in his words. Whether that innocence was rooted in genuine belief, or Tao Hua was too caught up in his racing thoughts to realize the truth.
"Yup. It's real bad, too."
Regardless of his attempts, Tao Hua couldn't quite catch a glimpse of these supposed "vultures". And he tried, too! The only birds to grace the heavens were the occasional summer birds. Those weren't new.
Tao Hua was even more confused than before. "I don't see any."
"Hard to catch. Come on—" Lord No name nudged his head. Moving aside, he stood behind Tao Hua and placed a hand on his back. This sent a shiver straight down his back, nearly causing him to jolt forward. But Lord No-Name paid it no mind and said, "No need to cut this moment short. Let's go together."
He smiled down at Tao Hua, who met him with that oh-so-familiar expression of wonderment; as if it were frozen in time. The only hint of life found in this poor soul was the faint tint that spread across his face. Now, the thing was, Tao Hua was used to being embarrassed, but he couldn't quite seem to control it this time. It was a new embarrassment, rather.
So, to respond, he simply cradled those books tightly and gradually dipped his head in a nod. He tried to match Lord No-Name's smile, like a parrot would its master, but it looked more bent than it did charming.
"Good, you can listen," Lord No-Name teased, directing the pair into the sea of onlookers' delight. "It looks better on you. Where should we go?"
Though his teeth, Tao Hua sharply inhaled, and from one side to the other, he examined the street carefully.
"That way," he said, pointing in a random direction entirely. "I just need to be brought to the end of the road—"
But he paused, walking back his words.
"You know, strict family and all," he lied. Kind of.
"And if one of those vultures lunges at you? What will you do?" Lord No-Name asked in jest.
"That's easy," replied Tao Hua in all that was earnest. "I'll just do what I always do."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Hide."
Lord No-Name laughed. "Ah, well. We can't have that, can we? Not only are vultures repulsive, they've got the ugliest attacks too—it's not at all dignified for someone like you. You need to be attacked with care."
Chapter end.