“Welcome to Tackles and Bits!” a cheery voice said as soon as Yuriko entered the shop.

She still had her poncho’s hood over her head, leaving her face in the shadows. The young man behind the counter didn’t seem to mind that, and in fact, there were a few other customers who were concealing their faces, too.

The boy’s eyes shifted to the twins who entered behind her, and his eyes widened in recognition. “It’s you! Been a while, eh?”

The inside of the shop was a long rectangle, with goods displayed on the long sides. The counter was on the far side, but there was a guard standing right next to the door. Yuriko noticed the man even before she entered, though he would not have been visible from outside. The man was taller than her, though not as tall as Heron. He was wider than both of them put together, and he had strange floppy ears, almost like a dog’s. His nose twitched as she entered, but he made no other reactions.

The youth gestured to someone out of immediate sight, then he slipped out of the enclosed counter and charged up to Orrin and Braden, who slipped past her.

“Izna! Good to see you!” Braden laughed and clasped arms with him. Orrin clapped a hand on the youth’s, Izna’s, shoulder and said, “How’s your old man?”

“Good, good. Ah, sorry,” he said to Yuriko. His eyes darted to her outfit, then went from top to bottom, lingering on her knees and boots. Erm, she was wearing the outfit given to her by the council, meaning that if not for the gendered poncho, few hints could be seen from her body.

Then, seeing a couple more of them follow behind her, Izna nodded and said, “Friends of yours?”

“Yes,” Braden said. “These are Yuriko, Gwendith, and Asami. We’ve been travelling together,” Then his voice dropped into a whisper, “away from the Empire.”

“Ah, got it. Got it.” Izna nodded sagely, then went back to grinning. “Well, friends of this banger here are friends of mine.”

He extended a hand to shake, which Yuriko took. His grasp was firm, and he tried to squeeze hard but it only felt as if something was tickling her.

“Charmed,” she said dryly.

“Oh, what a wonderful voice!” he chuckled. “And such beautiful blue eyes.” He was close enough, and short enough, to be able to see up her hood. Yuriko’s lips twitched. Desire didn’t have her illusion up since she was concealing her face anyway.

“Now, now. No need to put on the slick.” Braden laughed, but his eyes had turned hard.

“Right, right! So, what can I get you folks?”

“We’ll just browse,” Gwendith cut in. “I’m sure Braden and Orrin would like to catch up with you.”

“Oh, right, of course, of course.”

“It’s been a couple of years, hasn’t it?” Orrin said as he and the other two walked up to the counter. Izna ducked under the divider and popped out behind the counter, displacing the young girl that had taken over the registry.

Yuriko’s invisible perception aura spread out and encompassed the entirety of the store. She noted that the other customers had quickly pointed out what they wanted from the display, had an attendant hand it to them, and left as soon as they paid. Their expressions weren’t quite ill at ease, but it was all business. Most of them ignored Izna’s hearty banter, though they glanced at the twins every now and then. One of the female customers eyed the twins with twinkling eyes and pursed lips.

Hmmm, why did that annoy her?

“Yuri,” Gwendith dragged her over to one of the counters. She pointed at a few things. “Do you need pads?”

“Huh?”

“Uhm, you know? For your period? I forgot to pack more than my usual,” she muttered.

“Both of us did,” Asami muttered as she eyed the cloth strips. “Can you give me a set of these?” She asked the little girl Izna displaced. The kid, maybe nine or ten years old, grabbed a sample pack.

Yuriko’s aura washed over it. It was quite clean, actually, but she noted the shoddy needlework. Those things wouldn’t last more than a dozen washings.

“I don’t need them, actually,” Yuriko murmured. “Mishala technique prevents it from happening.”

“Eh? Teach me!” Gwendith practically yelled.

“Me too!” Asami clutched Yuriko’s poncho.

“Er, sure? But I think you have to have Mishala blood to use it.”

“We won’t know unless we try!” Gwendith insisted.

“Alright,” Yuriko chuckled.

The few times she’s had her period were quite memorable, and she’d rather not repeat it. She remembered Aunt Layla warning her about excessive use, but with her Radiant Body Refinement ongoing, she felt that the technique’s side effects would be mostly nullified. Besides, she’d rather not experience heavy cramps, moodiness, and crankiness for days on end.

After half an hour, they left the shop with a bag of goodies. Tackles and Bits had an assortment of travel goods. They stocked up on Wayfarer’s bread, which was the Federation equivalent of ration bars, except, well, not as nutritious. One would have to supplement eating the bread with dried meats and vegetables. They did have one thing over the bars though, they were actually tasty, even if they were more like soft rocks than actual bread.

Tackles and Bits was on the opposite side of the city from the Solemn Flower Home. They had cut through the central boulevards to get here in the dawn’s light. But now, it was nearly midmorning by the time they arrived back in the inn.

They took the public carriages though, otherwise, it would have taken them hours to walk. While the city was about a league in diameter, the walled part anyway, the twisting and meandering streets meant that the actual distance travelled was at least twice or more than the direct distance. Gwendith and Asami headed back inside and Desire came out to accompany Yuriko.

They needed to buy fresh food for tonight’s and tomorrow’s meals, so they headed to the nearby market.

In hindsight, they should have gone here first. Most of the stalls were empty, and the few that had any kind of produce looked withered and sad. Still, better than nothing and now they knew better. Her Chaos Lord stopped at every intersection to meditate and focus on her senses, but she caught nothing. Meanwhile, Yuriko wondered if they’d have to go towards the City-state of Uaran. Since that was where the Federation’s Chaos Channel was located, it was only logical to assume that the nameless entered the plane through there.

After spending far more than she expected on vegetables and meat, twice what Sheamus spent on that farmstead, they returned to their inn. The Cheldan adventurer scout had already paid for their next night’s lodging and was currently grilling some cutlets for lunch and dinner. Neither of the twins was in their room, though Heron and Gwendith were training in the courtyard. Heron was focused on his body, while Gwendith sat in meditation. Sparkles in the air caught Yuriko’s eye while the other girl experimented with her aura. Thankfully, there were no bystanders around.

After depositing their loot in the room, Yuriko and Desire went on a walking tour around the city, though since they were in the western quarter, the Bonifar Distract as opposed to the Lorenti District in the east, the streets were noticeably in poorer condition, and the houses and surfaces were just that much dirtier. Her perception aura, which she occasionally expanded and contracted, gave her every little detail hidden in the mud.

There was a commotion in the intersection ahead, a small crowd gathered next to a billboard. Someone in official-looking clothes hung up a poster filled with Wojan letters and a painting of a warrior holding an upright spear.

She stared at the poster for a long moment, not quite understanding the words but she could make out the context anyway. Recruitment?

“...how can this be? Is the First Councilor insane? Bad enough that they’re conscripting for a war, but to lower the age limit and…”

“...anyone not studying in the academy, or those who are apprenticed to unessential services…”

“...but my son just graduated…

“...my daughter is unmarried…”

“Oh, land gods…”

Yuriko exchanged glances with Desire. What was going on?

The uniformed man who hung up the poster stared at the crowd sternly, and the people collectively took a step back. His eyes swept through them, then he frowned as he saw Yuriko and Desire.

Yuriko forced herself not to react. Her hood was over her face and he shouldn’t have seen her…ah! She nudged Desire, who promptly whistled a tune to cast an illusion over Yuriko’s face. When the Chaos Lord tapped Yuriko’s hand. She reached up and pushed the hood off her head and allowed it to settle around her shoulders.

The man had started to walk towards them but paused when she did that. She looked at him innocently, and he pursed his lips while his frown deepened. Yuriko readied herself to fight if it came to that.

The man’s escort was only a couple of people. They were wearing armour, of sorts. A leather overcoat that looked thick enough to stop cuts from a blade. They had short swords strapped around their waist, as well as a crossbow with a quiver of bolts. They were holding the crossbows like Plasma Caster, business end pointed down, but ready to raise to shoulder lever and loose in an instant.

The man apparently decided that she and Desire weren’t a threat since he spun on his heels and moved on. Yuriko briefly contemplated following behind him, but that would be too suspicious. Instead, she eavesdropped on the crowd and their reaction to the recruitment poster.

Or rather, a conscription notice.

From what she could tell, any youth, male or female, of fifteen years at least, were to report to their respective barracks for training and assignment. Only those apprenticed to essential services were exempted, or those enrolled in their academy’s special classes.

Wait…did that include them?

They were posing as refugees from the surrounding farmlands after all. And all of them were included in the minimum age requirement. Well, if they lay low, they shouldn’t be noticed…

Burning Moon! That man already did! Shaking her head, she expanded her discrete perceptive aura and looked to check if someone was watching them. There were a few but wasn’t sure if they were the problem.

“Let’s go back,” she murmured to Desire, who nodded.

They didn’t quite sneak away, but they were certainly more subdued. No sign of the nameless, even though they should have been streaming up north every day. Far more likely that they were on the docks, going up the river from Kadrac and Uaran. The river docks were a couple of longstrides from the city wall, and Yuriko wasn’t keen on entering through the slums. There was a thoroughfare between the Bonifar District and the docks, but it was well guarded. She and the others could probably sneak through anyway, and it looked like they would have to. But, without knowing when the nameless would pass by, they’d be stuck there all day. Not something she was looking forward to.

Orrin and Braden adamantly insisted that finding lodging in the slums was foolish. They’d stick out too much and would draw attention. Or rather, Yuriko and the other girls would stick out too much. Saki would be fine. Hmmm, perhaps she should send her attendant there instead? If she hadn’t already gone earlier.

Thankfully, when they returned to the inn, no one had followed them. At least, no one who was suspicious. There was the general harassment though, that was more than annoying to Yuriko. Even with her hood over her head, more than a few boys, and even some girls, whistled and propositioned her. Worse was when they walked by a tavern. The layabouts near the windows jeered and catcalled, a few even reaching over to grab, pinch, or whatever. They dodged out of the way and hurried, pursued by the sounds. Then again, Rumiga City wasn’t any better, Yuriko thought, still remembering that incident in the Blue Butterfly Inn.

At the Solemn Flower Home, the nine of them convened, ate dinner, and made plans. Saki had explored the slums and docks after all but wasn’t able to find anything. It looked like she and Desire would need to go there after all. But on the off chance that the nameless didn’t use the river to travel, they might all go through the central palace district instead, or maybe through the outer training camps?

So the next day, Yuriko and Desire headed towards the palace square. And walked right into a riot.