Chapter 7
Kiiren was a marvelous city that never really slept. People were constantly leaving and arriving at all hours of the night by carriage, by airship, by boat, and by all manner of other types of transportation but especially by train. All trains end up in Kiiren, as the saying goes. It was natural, after all, since the steam engine was invented in Kiiren. Well, depending on who you ask, anyway. Every major nation in the world claims that the steam engine was invented in their nation but Augustus Train stole their plans and… Well, you know. The rest is history.
So because there were trains arriving and departing at all hours of the day and night, there were all manner of shops and restaurants and what-have-you that were also open all day and night. The closer you got to the train stations the more densely packed both the buildings and the crowds became. I told our carriage driver to pull up beside one such shop and let us out.
“Thanks for the ride, and you never saw us,” I said, handing the driver a sizable tip. He grinned and shook my hand, and we stepped out into the busy street. The train station was blocks away but the buildings were lit up and the crowds were thick. It was likely that there were several people on the lookout for us at the train station itself, but this far out was far less likely. We were still in the fancy outfits we’d worn to the Opera, but I’d be fixing that soon.
“Come on,” I said to Rashaga, and together we entered the shop that I’d told the driver to stop at.
Gilliam’s was a whole lot of things. It was one of those shops that you just had to experience to really understand. Explaining it to someone unfamiliar was impossible, but anyone that had been inside for even a second knew exactly which shop you were talking about if you mentioned it to them. This was mostly due to the fact that the owner, the eponymous Gilliam himself, was a man of many, many, many interests and hobbies. Gilliam seemed to acquire a new hobby every week or so, and you could tell which were his most recent ones by what items were on sale and where they were placed in his shop. The further back you went in the shelves and shelves and shelves that packed the back of the surprisingly large store, the older the hobby was. This week, it seemed, he had looped back and rekindled his love of making enchanted knicknacks. Excellent.
Gilliam also never slept, or so it seemed. I’d been in his shop in the middle of the afternoon, early in the morning, and in the middle of the night, and without fail every time I stepped inside, no matter my clothing or hair color or disguise, he always greeted me the same way.
“Is that Spikora Mori! Darling, it’s so good to see you! Come in, come in!”
And I returned the greeting in kind, just like I always did.
“Gilliam, it’s been way too long. You’re looking fabulous as always.” And he really was, as always. I’d never seen him in the same outfit twice, and today he was dressed all in greens. A green bowler hat sat atop electric green hair that was styled into blunt bangs and a long braid. A forest green shawl covered a pale green tunic. A deep, dark green leather skirt and matching high-heeled boots completed the look. All of the jewelry he was wearing — and there was a lot — was either solid green or silver set with emeralds. His makeup sparkled, yet more green eyeshadow and lipstick. The only things that weren’t green about him were his eyes, the same red as always, and his skin, the same dark tan as always. And I got the feeling that if he’d figured out how to make his eyes and skin green, too he totally would have.
Gilliam was one of my oldest friends in Kiiren. I’d stumbled into his shop within my first week of moving, and I’d made it a habit to visit at least once a month, usually more often. I could always count on finding something new every time I stepped in, and tonight would be no exception.
“And who is your handsome friend?” Gilliam asked as Rashaga awkwardly stepped into the shop behind me, shutting the door behind him.
“Gilliam, do you remember what happened with Koreo?” I asked, and Gilliam’s eyes lit up with understanding. He nodded. “It’s like that. We’re actually going to be getting on a train soon, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit my favorite shop in all of Kiiren.”
“Oh, going on a trip are we?” Gilliam asked. “Well, you’re going to need some travel clothes, certainly, and I’ve just got to show you what I made last week!” Gilliam disappeared into a row of shelves, and Rashaga stepped close to me.
“What are we doing here, exactly?” he asked.
“Shopping, obviously,” I replied. He rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” he asked. I shook my head.
“Trust me, Rashaga, if anyone is following us they would have to be a complete idiot to come in here after us. If Gilliam doesn’t want someone in his shop, they will not be in his shop.”
“Okay, but—” Rashaga started.
“And besides, we need to change out of these fancy clothes. We’re way too obvious. And you definitely need travel clothes. We’re killing two dragons with one spell,” I replied. Rashaga seemed mollified by that.
“By the way, please just call me Rasha,” he said. I nodded. He slowly looked around the shop. “What is this place, anyway?” he asked.
“Gilliam’s,” I answered.
“I got that,” he said, sounding exasperated. I shrugged.
“Gilliam’s is… an experience that you just have to have before you can understand it,” I tried to explain.
“Right you are, Darling!” Gilliam said, announcing his presence. He was carrying what looked like an entire outfit draped over one arm, and in the other he had what looked like a metal jar with a strange lid. He put the jar down on an empty counter and approached.
“Try these on, you’ll love them,” he said. He evidently had two entire outfits on his arm, because he shoved a bundle of clothing at Rasha and a separate bundle at me. He turned specifically to Rasha. “Changing rooms are in the back, dear!”
“I’ll lead the way,” I said. Rasha nodded, looking bewildered. “Don’t worry, whatever he picked out for you will be great. It always is.”
“Aw, a rare compliment from Spikora!” Gilliam teased. “I think I feel faint!”
As a rule, I generally prefer to pick out my own clothing. I have a very strong personal style that I’ve worked very hard to curate. That being said, Gilliam has literally never handed me a bad outfit, and in fact many of my favorite pieces of clothing have come from him. That night’s outfit was no exception. I went from the bold, flashy purple to nice but unassuming shades of green and brown, perfect for blending in both in a crowd and a forest. Gilliam had handed me a matching sleeveless green tunic and skirt that went over a brown high necked sweater and a pair of the softest brown tights I had ever felt in my entire life. A brown shawl and a pair of green boots completed the look, and to my delight my favorite brown belt went with the outfit perfectly.
Rasha, meanwhile, was in blue and silver. It struck me as ironic that we’d basically switched color palettes from earlier in the day. He was wearing a long navy blue coat, nearly ankle-length. There were silver buttons, but he’d chosen to wear it open, possibly because of the extremely cool swirling silver design on the lining of the coat. He was wearing pants and a sweater that were a few shades lighter but still blue. A silver belt and boots completed the look. He was frowning a little as I assessed the outfit.
“I don’t usually wear blue, but I have to admit I really like this outfit,” he finally said. I laughed.
“See? I told you, Gilliam’s a pro at this,” I said. “Now, c’mon, let’s see what else he’s got for us.”
Gilliam looked thrilled when he saw us emerge from the back.
“Oh, you two look fantastic. I knew you would! Spikora, honey, those browns and greens look great with your complexion, and Rasha, babe, those colors pop on you!” Gilliam gushed. I grinned and Rasha looked nervous.
“B-babe?” he asked. I shook my head and chuckled.
“He does this to everyone, don’t worry about it,” I explained. Rasha still looked nervous, but thankfully Gilliam shifted from complimentary friend mode and into salesman mode. I could see it in his posture.
“Now, honey, have I got some cool things for you to buy! I’ve been busy busy busy since the last time you were in!” Gilliam bragged. I nodded, stepping up to the previously empty counter that he’d put the jar down on. It was now chock full of a crazy assortment of things. Most of them were odds and ends that were so obviously radiating magical energy that they practically glowed. I had rightly guessed, then, that he was focusing on that this week. Gilliam launched into a frenetic explanation of all of the items and what they did, and all I could was just try to keep up with him. I did notice Rasha stepping away and leaning against a shelf, looking relieved to be out of the spotlight for now.
Gilliam’s is where I’d gotten the two hair changing necklaces that we were using, so I was thrilled when he unveiled three more necklaces: a bright, vibrant reddish-orange, a cool stormy slate gray, and a dark mossy green. I immediately equipped the green, because of course I did. Surprisingly, all three of us agreed that Rasha should wear the red one. It was a little attention-getting but would definitely throw any pursuers right off of our tracks. After all, they were looking for a man with dark hair.
Another item of great interest that was an immediate sale was a set of enchanted makeup brushes. Now, let me set the record straight: I don’t wear makeup. Ever. Unless it’s part of a disguise, anyway. I personally think it’s a stupid waste of time and money, but, listen, sometimes you just have to hand over some gold when you can buy some enchanted makeup brushes that will put the makeup on for you without you having to buy seventy different products and applicators and also have to possess the ability to draw on your own face and not have it turn out looking like hot garbage. And of course you’re going to buy enchanted makeup brushes when your brilliant and talented friend with an eye for makeup better than you could ever hope to have enchants the brushes to give you a face full of makeup that both looks amazing and makes you look like an entirely different person. And also does the same for your… friend that you now legally own.
So long story short, I bought the brushes.
Gilliam sold me a few more magical odds and ends, but the big ticket item, the one that interested me the most, was that metal jar he’d brought out along with our clothes.
“I call this one the Flavorful Jar,” Gilliam said, looking very proud. “I came up with it a few weeks ago when I got really into making different cocktails.” He set it down in front of me and gestured to the lid of the jar. There was a raised design on the brass lid, a circle divided into nine sections like a pie. In each section was a different symbol. All of them were easily recognizable — a cluster of grapes, a bellberry, a slice of a citron, Ama leaves, a cour melon, a coffee bean and strangely, a cow. The remaining two were blank.
“To make this bad boy work you just fill it up with water — and it’s gotta be water, by the way. You’ll see. Anyway, fill it with water, put on the lid, and then you press down on whichever flavor you want with your thumb. And then, bam!” He put his thumb on the raised symbol of the bellberry. There was no water so nothing happened, naturally, but Gilliam went on with his explanation. “This one turns the water into bellberry nectar.” Next was the citron. “And this one turns it into citron juice. See where I’m going with this?” I nodded.
“The cour melon should be self explanatory. But these last three, oh man. Get this, the ama leaves turn the water into tea. It’s automatically a cold brew, but if you think hard about it you can make it sweet or warm or sweet and warm if you want, and then you can just kind of tap the citron or the bellberry and it’ll add a little bit of that flavor to the tea too. Same thing goes for the coffee bean and get this, you can make the coffee as light or as dark as you want. If you need energy just envision a nice, dark roasted bean. And you can add a dash of milk if you tap the cow. Oh, and speaking of the cow! This thing makes milk as creamy and frothy as you like it, warm or cold. I highly recommend putting a dash of bellberry in it.”
“Wow,” I interjected, and Gilliam was positively vibrating.
“It gets better, darling. See the grapes? That turns the water into wine. Any kind of wine you can think of! A dark red, a crisp white, a nice balanced rosé! That one was the hardest to program, let me tell you.”
“This is amazing, Gilliam,” I said. I could tell that even Rasha was interested. “What about the blank one?”
“Just fill the jar up with anything other than water and infuse it with some magic and it’ll turn water into whatever you put in it. With some limitations, of course. It can’t do things like blood or holy water or potions. Not yet anyway,” Gilliam explained.
“That’s handy,” I replied. He nodded.
“It only lasts for a day, but here’s the thing: just have it make a jar of the drink, pour it into another cup, and then once it resets pour it back in and do it over. It just takes a little mana, that’s all. And before you ask: yes, my dear, it works with batteries!” He nodded in satisfaction. “You have to charge it a little every once in a while to get it to work, but it really doesn’t take much.”
“How much is it?” I asked. He brought a hand up and rubbed his chin.
“For you, darling, I’ll give you a big discount,” he said after a moment. I nodded. “How about this? For the outfits, the pendants, the brushes and the jar… especially the jar… I could do it for a million.”
“Let me pick out a few more accessories and you have a deal, Gil,” I said. He smiled broadly.
“Just don’t go overboard, darling,” he said. I matched his grin.
“Any recommendations?” I asked, and his face lit up.
“I thought you’d never ask! Okay, I know you aren’t much for hats usually, but I think I have just the thing to complete this forest nymph look we’ve got going for you. And don’t worry, handsome, I’ve got something for you too!” He leaned around me to look pointedly at Rasha, who looked nervous. “I’ll be right back with them,” he said.
“I’m going to look at gloves while you’re gone,” I announced.
“I’ve got plenty of those from last week! Go nuts!” Gilliam said, his voice fading as he disappeared into the shelves.
“Want anything?” I asked, approaching a basket filled to the brim with gloves of all kinds.
“I think I’m good. If the outfit you bought me earlier is in that bag, I have a pair of gloves already,” Rasha said. I shook my head.
“Rasha, Rasha, Rasha,” I said, mock disappointment in my voice. “You can never have too many gloves, my good sir. Or too many socks, or too many pairs of boots, or scarves…” I trailed off with a grin. “Now, get over here and pick some out for yourself or I’ll do it.”
“Fine,” Rasha sighed, but he smiled a little. “I think it’s possible you have an addiction to shopping.”
“Me? Never,” I said, tossing a couple of pairs of gloves onto the pile of things I was buying from Gilliam. To be fair one pair was a nice brown that matched my outfit and the other pair was a nice seafoam green, a color I didn’t have in gloves yet. I surrendered the space in front of the glove bin when Rasha joined me and moved over to dig through a bin of knit socks that were undoubtedly a product of a week Gilliam got really, really into knitting. Or maybe the week he made a knitting machine and got really into designing knitted patterns? In either case, I found some very nice socks and tossed several onto the pile. I couldn’t help grinning when I saw Rasha toss some gloves onto the pile as well, then leaned over to inspect the socks bin.
“I found them, my darlings!” Gilliam announced, reappearing with two hats, one in each hand, as well as several scarves draped around his neck. He handed me a moss green hat that, honest to god, was shaped like a mushroom. He handed a very round blue cap with a bill on the front to Rasha. Then he started pulling scarves off of his neck. “And while I was getting your hats I found a whole bunch of these scarves from that week I was all about making dyes out of all the flowers I planted during the week I was super into gardening!” He handed me a deep purple scarf, almost the same purple as the dress I’d worn into the shop, and then draped a very, very soft brown scarf around my neck. The smell of coffee hit me instantly. It wasn’t overpowering, but a nice subtle scent. He handed a blue scarf with a checkered pattern on it to Rasha.
“You infused this one with coffee?” I asked, and Gilliam nodded, looking pleased. Rasha blinked, then ducked his head a little as if to smell his own scarf.
“And this one smells like cour melon?” he guessed.
“Right you are! And the purple one smells like lilac, naturally,” Gilliam said. “Now, I don’t want to take up any more of your time, darlings. You’ve got a train to catch, don’t you?”
“I could spend all night shopping here, Gilliam,” I said. But he was right. I got the coins out and paid him, and he waved us off as we left the store with different hair, different outfits, and different faces. And an enchanted jar that could make fucking coffee on command.
“I wonder if I can find an infinity flask around here,” I mused as we set off for the train station. “And I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“A meal would be nice,” Rasha mused. “Though I’m worried if we stay here too long…”
“The restaurants around here all make their food so you can take it with you if you need to,” I explained. “Like, say, if there is boarding a train in your immediate future.”
“Smart,” Rasha said, looking around.
“They’ve got all kinds of food here. Take your pick. Do you want something local, or maybe you want some food you’re more used to?” I asked. Rasha shrugged.
“To be honest, anything would be good at this point. All they fed me for weeks was terribly cooked meat and bland vegetables,” Rasha answered. “I guess I’m glad they fed me at all, but ugh…”
“Hmm… well, we should at least rule out spicy foods, since we’ll be on a train for a few hours,” I mused. I was looking around, both trying to spot any potential problems but also looking over the selection of restaurants as we passed them. “Got anything you can’t eat?”
“Not really. No allergies, no restrictions… well, technically there are a lot of restrictions I should be abiding by but I’m not really a religious guy,” he replied.
We turned a corner and my eyes lit on one of my favorite places to get food in all of Kiiren. It was a charming little corner restaurant. A wooden bar with brightly colored stools framed three sides of the square building, inside of which was the kitchen. A married couple owned and operated the restaurant. They along with their two teenaged kids did everything — cooking, taking orders, serving, cleaning, the whole nine yards. They had an assortment of street foods for sale, a few sweets, and they sold a beer so delicious that even I liked it. But the thing they were most known for, the thing that they did damn well, was noodles. And the best bowl of noodles I’d ever had, the thing I kept coming back here for, was their seafood noodles.
“Kiiren’s specialty is seafood,” I explained as we made our way over to the noodle bar. “And this place has some great seafood noodles. Ever had any?”
“Noodles?” Rasha asked, baffled. “Of course I’ve had noodles.”
“Noodles like these?” I asked, gesturing to the menu.
Rasha studied it for a moment before answering with a sheepish “No.”
“Prepare to have your tastebuds blown away, my friend,” I said. I sat down on a bright blue stool and patted the red one next to me. Rasha sat. Almost immediately the familiar, round face of the wife appeared.
“What can I get started for you folks?” she asked. I grinned. I was a regular customer here. I’d been coming for nearly all ten of the years that I’d been living here, actually. The fact that she didn’t recognize me in the slightest was a testament to the handiwork of Gilliam and those enchanted brushes.
“Two of the seafood special and—” I turned to Rasha. “Do you drink alcohol?”
“Occasionally, yes,” he replied, and I nodded decisively.
“Two of the seafood special and two beers, please,” I said, handing over a gold bullion. The lady nodded.
“Let me get you your change, and—” she started, but I shook my head and held up a hand.
“Keep the change,” I said. She blinked at me.
“Are you sure?” she asked. I nodded, and noticed an inkling of familiarity pass over her features. She leaned a bit over the bar and studied me for a second before leaning back with a pleased smirk.
“Ah, it’s miss Spikora, isn’t it? Well, I won’t pry about the makeup or the hair. Or this handsome man you’ve got with you,” she said. “And don’t worry, you were never here.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” I replied with a grin. She moved over to talk to a couple that had sat down on one of the other edges of the bar.
“I didn’t take you as the beer type,” Rasha said, after a moment.
“I’m not, but the beer here is so good that even I want to drink it,” I replied. “But what about me makes you think that?”
“Something tells me you’re more of a wine person,” Rasha said.
“Guilty as charged. Was it the jar?” I asked.
“It was the jar. You looked pretty excited about the wine feature,” he said. “But not as much as the coffee.”
“That jar is worth every single bullion I spent and then some,” I said. “Especially if I can find an infinity flask. Why don’t I already own one?” I wondered. “Wait...maybe I do?” I tugged open the Infinity bag and rifled around until I found and extracted the inventory book I kept in there. Skimming through it quickly, I discovered that I in fact had owned one, but it was crossed out. “Koreo is borrowing” was written next to it. Right. I wondered if she still needed it? Probably. She would probably want to borrow or outright buy the jar from me, too. I wondered if Gilliam had made any more of them? It seemed pretty customizable, too. Maybe once this whole situation with Rasha was resolved I could set up a meeting between Koreo and Gilliam.
Our noodles arrived hot and steaming and our beers icy cold, and it wasn’t until I took the first bite that I realized how hungry I truly was. Rasha too, if the way he gobbled down his noodles nearly as fast as I did was any indication. I drank down most of the beer but in a moment of brilliance I poured the remainder into the jar and pressed down on the blank spot, battery in hand. When I removed my thumb there was a picture of a stalk of wheat. I was impressed. I was equally impressed with Rasha, who had finished his noodles and raised the bowl to his mouth to drink up the rest of the broth. He’d already finished off his own beer.
“Still hungry?” I asked when he set his bowl down on the counter, completely empty.
“That was quite filling but, sadly, yes,” he admitted. I flagged down one of the kids, the elder of the two.
“Do you have any of those sampler packs today?” I asked.
“I’ll go check. What size?” she asked.
“The extra large,” I said, thinking about how we were going to be on a train for a few hours, and after that we’d probably be in a carriage or wagon to go the rest of the way. The daughter nodded and disappeared back behind the dividers that separated the outside of the restaurant from the kitchen. She reappeared with a big wooden box that was stuffed with an assortment of their street foods, all artfully arranged and packed together. I gladly paid her and we headed to the train station. On the way I stopped by a vendor that was selling drinks and scooped about a dozen bottles of water into the Infinity Bag. It got a little heavier, but it would be worth it.
Approaching the station I noticed that they had a small counter dedicated to sending and receiving mail, and I suddenly remembered the merchant on Seece street who I had promised to pay. It was easy enough to exchange some coins for a bank note, and fortunately the mailmaid on duty was able to help me find the address of the shop. While I was there I sent a letter to my landlord, an old but spry man named Mr. Carus, basically letting him know I’d be gone and asking if he’d water my plants while I was away. After that we entered the station.