Another busy morning. Verosh sighed as he walked through the bustling markets of Neued, the hybrid far more comfortable in the depths of the forest and away from this crowded place of buildings and others. Still, he had to make his monthly trip to get supplies and trade for medical herbs that he could only get from traders coming in from countries further away like Zena or even Belrea. Speaking of Belrea…Verosh made a face as he noticed one of those earthlings from the strange country standing behind a market stall. Belreans only appeared on the rare occasion, finding only one in their market maybe once or twice a year, but Verosh’s father enjoyed picking up rare herbs and potions from them whenever they actually did show up in the Neued markets. Since his father couldn’t walk well then it was up to Verosh to make the long trip from their home village into Neued to find some talkative b*****d whose very personality was the opposite of Verosh’s reserved nature.

“See something you like?” Unlike Verosh who was barely wearing anything save for leggings and an open vest, the Belrean was dressed up in a full outfit with even a long sleeved coat as if the heat wouldn’t bother him. Verosh scoffed at the very notion because surely the orange haired earthling with his wire glasses would either have a heat stroke or remove the jacket by mid afternoon to save himself. “Do you understand common or should I-?”

“Yes.” Verosh found himself snapping at the man as he cut off his words, not even wanting to try to figure out the rest of the question. “I can very well understand common.” Even if he had trained under Aishans, the man had also been taught academics by his father who was a healer and scholar. It didn’t matter if he dressed in more tribal attire and lived mostly in Jahaur, the man was fully capable of speaking in several tongues including the Aishan one. “I’m here for a variety of herbs on this list. Do you happen to have any?”

Surprise flickered across the Belrean’s face as he studied the list. “This is quite a variety of herbs you’re asking for. Do you understand their capabilities?”

“Do you think I'm some idiot who would just request various things without understanding them?” Snapped Verosh, his prickly exterior making the Belrean frown in response. “I just want the herbs on the list and I can either trade you local herbs in return or in currency.”

“Fine, fine.” The man bristled but set to placing things to gether when another appeared around the corner. Verosh was surprised to see that it was an Aishan hybrid but that she had orange hair similar to the Belrean and bright purple eyes to match.

“Are you being rude to my uncle?” The girl asked, her lips pursed into a frown as she studied Verosh. “You should know that he travels all the way from Belrea just so we can visit my mother’s family for a few weeks.”

“You only visit family here.” Repeated Verosh with disdain. “So you live overseas in those cities?” Willingly?

“Yes and I plan on staying there so that I can study and become an alchemist. Is there a problem with that?” Her Aishan markings and antenna made Verosh’s frown deepen as he truly could not understand why anyone who had Aishan blood would opt to avoid the warrior’s path, especially when the other choice was being smothered in a city. Even if he had been born from an earthling more inclined to life in the city Verosh could not imagine staying there instead of returning to his mother’s home to train with other Aishans. It seemed like such a waste of their strength! He truly respected his father, but his father was a frail earthling so it only made sense that he would find other skills to help the world. This girl though seemed like she had plenty of strength, Verosh could see it in the way she moved about and helped her uncle pack the requested herbs. He had simply shaken his head in response to her question and in return she opted to ignore him the best that she could while preparing everything for his order. “There.” The girl ended up shoving the requested goods towards Verosh while her uncle gave her a concerned look. “I mean…” A slight flush of frustration covered her cheeks since she still felt like Verosh was judging her. “I’m happy with my choices and you seem happy with yours. I hope you enjoy your day and your life here in…Jahaur.”

“It’s not bad living near Aisha.” Replied Verosh quietly as he opted to pass over a mixture of currency and some herbs in trade, the uncle helping to calculate everything on the side while Verosh pondered his feelings and words. “Maybe I don’t truly understand your decision to avoid her, but I will never regret living here instead of following the earthling ways.” He acknowledged before finishing the trade and packing his belongings. He was a warrior through and through who would never settle for a comfortable city life that would only soften him instead of allowing him to grow stronger, at least that was how Verosh reasoned about the whole situation when reflecting upon the strange Aishan hybrid from Belrea who had opted to stay overseas instead of in Jahaur.

[908]