Later that night, Ari brought Earl and Aria to enjoy the night markets of Dai.
Countless vendors lined the streets. Even though it was night time, it seemed as though the city really only became alive at this moment. On top of the street lamps which gave the harbour city its source of light, all the street vendors also had their own lamp hanging from their shops.
And because each shop was using a different kind of lamp, the entire street had a unique feel. Some had lamps that were warmer, some were colder, some were larger, brighter, smaller. The list goes on.
There was a large number of people looking around each vendor, but it did not feel cramped.
Ari held Earl's hand, and Earl held Aria's hand. Earl enjoyed feeling the different kinds of softness from both ladies' hands. As someone who's brain was constantly thinking about females, Earl was on cloud 9. He had a perpetual smile on his face.
When he drew closer to his mother, he would smell her unique, milky smell. And when he drew closer to Aria, he would smell her unique, grassy smell.
It was something he has never smelled on anyone else. He assumed it must be a unique property of Elves or Dark Elves. It was like Aria had a permanent perfume of vetiver and sandalwood on her.
When they passed through a crowded place, Earl would use the situation as an excuse to draw Aria into a hug, feeling her soft, developing body against his own. He would then ask her in his best manly voice, "Are you alright?" Which of course, did not work well in his favour because of his child body but it was better to give his best shot than to not do anything at all.
Earl figured he should try to charm Aria to a certain degree. She would not be a very comfortable company if she hated his guts after all.
"Is there anything you want, my Earl?" Ari asked while they continued to go by vendors.
Earl pondered, then suggested. "How about we play a little game?"
"Hm?"
"You choose something for me, and I'll choose something for you!"
"Fufu, okay." Ari ruffled Earl's hair lovingly.
He enjoyed her touch. At the corner of his eyes, he could see Aria looking at them interact with a complicated look to which Earl took note of.
With a goal in mind now, Ari brought them to an accessory shop.
While weaving through the crowd, Earl whispered to Aria, "Are you thinking of your family?"
Aria was startled hearing Earl's voice. "Yes, master."
As usual, she only answered the bare minimum and only when Earl asked.
"Good, don't forget them." He told her. He could see her shoulders dropping slightly from his words. Was she expecting him to say something like 'Don't worry, you're family to me now'?
Unfortunately, Earl only wanted to get her used to talking to him and saying such words were too risky. Who knew how her family treated her? If she felt an extremely deep bond with them it could even make her think hateful thoughts like 'You would never be comparable to what I've lost!' or something like that.
The most important thing right now was to ingrain into her mind that she was the slave, and he was the master. It was a natural conclusion to come to. Even for someone like him who lived an entire lifetime not caring about slavery.
They arrived at an accessory vendor. Various items were laid out across the counter. It was a bit different from all the luxurious places that Ari usually brought Earl to, but not everything had to be luxurious.
In all areas of life, there was always something to be enjoyed and appreciated.
The shop owner was just a simple gruff old man. "Hello! Can this old man help you with anything for today?"
"We're just looking around!" Earl told him.
"Alright, little fella! Let me know if you need anything," The old man nodded and went back to doing what he was doing before.
The items that were on the counter ranged from simple necklaces, to elaborate rings.
And one item immediately caught Earl's eye. It was a ring. A simple, silver ring with an amethyst gem. The purple stone which had the same colour as Ari's eyes.
He picked up without a word and looked at it again before finally smiling.
"This one!"
The shopkeeper took it from his hand and polished it with a piece of cloth. After polishing the ring, he placed it into a ring box.
"Anything else?" The old man asked.
This time, it was Ari who answered. "I'll take this enchanted locket."
She picked up a locket from the counter. It was round in shape and glossy white in colour with gold trimmings.
Like before, the old man quickly packaged the pendant. After Ari finished paying the shopkeeper she asked Earl.
"Do you know what's special about this locket?" Ari placed the locket around Earl's neck.
"What's special about it?" Earl held the locket in his little hands.
"Open it and see." She told him.
Click.
The locket opened. It was a picture of Ari and Earl together. Earl was sitting on Ari's lap while she hugged him tightly within the picture. He felt his heart grow warm seeing this. It was something that they do together every day, but there was something different about it when he saw it in picture form.
"The enchanted locket. It's something that can capture a fond piece of memory. Amazing isn't it? Every commoner family uses it to capture their family picture."
"Yes... it's amazing." Earl nodded softly. "The ring... I'll put it on for you later, okay?"
"Hm? Of course, fufu."