"Alright, I’ll stop." I stood up, holding the envelope in one hand, and my staff in the other. "I don’t know how much I should trust you, Plaguy,"— I ignored the odd look he gave me at his nickname— "but I don’t even know your name, nor do I know much about this King. I am not just going to waltz into what could possibly be a trap you’ve set up for me, and even if you’re telling the truth, neither am I going to simply trust you, a complete stranger to me, when you tell me to trust another complete stranger to me."
"That is a fair assessment."
"However," I said, holding a finger up. "It’s not like I have anything else planned in mind. So while I’m not going to just do as you say, I am going to scope this place out. Make my own judgement on whether to approach this King. And decide what to do from there."
With that, I slipped the envelope into my bag.
"I see," the Plague Doctor stood up as well, following me out into the streets. "So would you rather me withhold my message telling him of your arrival?"
"No, then I’d be screwed if I lose this letter you gave me."
"Then what am I supposed to say, Melas?"
I chewed my lips for a moment, hesitating. Then I shook my head, casting aside my worries.
"Tell him— instead of telling the King of my name or appearance, tell the King that… the [Witch] might come to him. And that she’ll need his help."
I almost felt embarrassed saying that; but I had already decided that that was what I was going to call myself from now on. I even bought the clothes to match and everything too!
It was better than just telling everyone my name— especially if the Holy Xan Empire decided to do just a little bit of investigation about me. Ask anybody in Villamcreek what my name was, and they would have made the connection in an instant.
"Very well," the Plague Doctor said. "I will let King Adilet know that my friend, the Witch, might seek him out for sanctuary."
"I— yes. Thank you, Plaguy." I smiled.
I heard a muffled snort underneath his mask, and he retorted. "My name is Felix."
"Alright, Felix," I said. "Thanks. For doing this for me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t really know what to do after I leave this town."
"And I am glad to have met you, Melas. I don’t know your story, and neither do you know mine. But that is the beauty of secrets, is it not? It makes you curious. It makes you want to learn more about others. And maybe one day, we will meet again."
"Is this supposed to be a goodbye?" I asked, my smile withering away. "I’m not good with goodbyes. I don’t think I’ve said goodbye to any of my friends when I left them."
I thought of the people I had met in this world. All the friends I had made— however briefly we knew each other. From Rin, to Ihsan; Gessitt, to Theodore; or Karna, and Adrian. Even someone like Mr Walden, whom I barely even knew anything about, was included in that list. I never had the chance to say anything to any of them before I left, and I felt a tinge of regret about it.
"Perhaps that’s a good thing. Some believe that goodbye is final. That you only say it to people you’ll never meet ever again. If that’s the case, then by not saying anything to them, it means that you’ll eventually see them again. Whether that means sometime long in the future, or tomorrow, is something that only you’ll find out."
"That’s a nice way of putting it," I said, leaning onto my wooden staff. Still not smiling. But not feeling as bad as I did about it.
The sun stood high in the sky. Our shadows were mere specks on the ground. I watched as people came and went, passing us by every second. I saw faces I had never seen before, and names I would never get to know. I held my breath for a moment. And when I opened my mouth to speak—
I smacked a hand on my head.
"I forgot to collect my hat!" I exclaimed.
"Your hat?" the Plague Doctor asked, quirking his head to the side.
"My pointy hat— my [Witch’s] hat." I spun around, briskly making my way for the hat shop.
"...pardon? Do you need it now?"
"No," I said. "But it’s important for the mood of this scene! I mean, look at you."
I gestured at the Plague Doctor, dressed in his full plague doctor outfit. Meanwhile I was….
"You look cool in your costume, while I’m not even wearing mine! It’s the same as if I’m half naked, talking to a fully clothed man!"
"...I don’t think that’s equivalent?"
"Yes it is," I insisted, walking around a group of people blocking the way. "The hat is the most important part. And I want to look cool too!"
"Most important part of what? You being a Witch?"
"Mhm," I made a sound in agreement. Then I stopped, and pointed at him. "And by the way, it’s pronounced [Witch]," I corrected him.
"That’s what I said?" the Plague Doctor— Felix— just stared at me in confusion.
"No, no. You said Witch."
"Yes."
"But I’m saying [Witch]."
"What’s the difference?"
"You’re pronouncing it wrong! Look, you need to move your mouth like this— see? [Witch]."
"Wit[ch]."
"No, start with an ‘O’ shape—"
We arrived at the hat shop after we finished our entire discussion on Witches. I gave up trying to correct Felix after he inquired on how he should spell the word in his letter to the King of Taw; I obviously did not know what to tell him, so he ended up settling
