“Another week,” Nozumu said solemnly.

Ivory let loose a magnificent, almost unending groan.

“I’m gonna lose it.”

His head was in his hands, groaning again. They had been at sea two weeks now—he’d been counting—and he was veritably over it.

“There will be a magic ban as well, he told me. Krakens are about.”

The groan turned into a maniacal squeal.

“I’m going mad. I really am. Remember those jails I told you about? I need to be chained down with a straitjacket.”

“That was a good reaction. I was pulling your leg.”

“Oh, you absolute bastard,” Ivory laugh-shouted. “I’ve taught you too well. I deserved that. Yep. How long though, actually?”

“An hour.”

“Yyyyeessss! Hallelujah!”

Even Misoe looked bored by it all. A boat was no place for a seal, after all.

The three of them sat in the packed rec room. That in itself should have been the indication that they were close. That last leg of the journey; the calm before the storm. The storm here, of course, is the selling of Drathian artefacts and other doodads that always went like hot cakes. Ivory had learned that the room was enchanted with [Hush], so he felt no remorse at his loud episode.

“I was going to have a whole thing on ‘what we want to do’ when we touch down. We need to do this quickly, then!”

Ivory whipped out with record speed a notepad and a pencil.

“Good morning, Nozumu and Ivory. May I have a moment of your time?”

The two of them recoiled in fright at Hidenori’s sudden appearance.

“Far out, man. You scare the soul out of us every time you do that.”

The Drathian man grinned cheekily and bowed shallowly, and then took a seat at their table.

“As Nozumu has no doubt told you, we will be arriving at the docks of Phel’s Light within the hour. I have been asked by Dejima’s [Dean] to relay some information, and some requests—” Nozumu’s talons audibly gripped the wooden table —“for the both of you. Nozumu, you have been retroactively awarded permission to continue your studies abroad, acting as fellow to Ivory Henderson. You are requested to attend your local Mage’s Guild every 30 days to report your progress, achievements, and anything else noteworthy. This will be done via [Speak].”

Nozumu’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

“That… wow. I was sure that I would be in a lot of trouble. Please let the [Dean] know that I of course will comply, and I am extremely grateful for his…”

Nozumu was doing his best to speak his utmost best—but this was difficult in another language.

“Forbearance? Tolerance?” Ivory added, helpfully.

“Yes. That.”

“They would be fools not to have,” Hidenori said, suppressing his desire to pinch both their cheeks. “I will be sure to let him know. And to you, Ivory, I have a message of apology. The [Premier] of Dejima sends her sincere regrets that your life was put in any danger, and to tell you that the threat has been neutralised. In addition, you have been offered passage back to Drath at your request, with the hopes that you will meet her for tea.”

“Wow. Absolutely!” Ivory said with a great grin. “They really must have screwed up for them to offer me that! And to meet their [Premier], heh. Maybe a holiday is on the cards…”

“Indeed. Please excuse us a moment. (Your flock has sent their well wishes, and ask that you send them a [Message] every so often. The Mage’s Guild you go to will be able to accommodate you.)”

Nozumu hunched ever so slightly.

(“... Thank you. I will do so.”)

(“Enjoy yourself, Nozumu. This is an excellent opportunity. Stay safe.”)

Nozumu nodded in response. Ivory had an idea of what had been said—change to native language and mention ‘[Message]’ could only really be a few things.

“I believe that is all the business I have with the two of you. My apologies for interrupting—what were you writing down?”

“Oh. We were just making a list of things we wanted to do. I was hoping to do this a bit more in advance, but can’t win ‘em all. I know I wanted to stay a night or two in Pheislant before heading back to Calanfer, but we hadn’t really talked about anything before you came.”

“I see. Nozumu, you will need to go to the Merchant’s and Mage’s Guild, as a priority. You will require an account with them, and then to communicate with the Mage’s Guild so that your Abroad Studies stipend can be transferred. It will cover your basic necessities.”

“Excellent! Wow, Nozumu, look at you! Paid to ‘study’! That’s the dream, right there.”

“Very generous, though I cannot help but feel that I am undeserving of such treatment—”

“Ha,” Ivory boomed. “Welcome to the club, mate.”

Nozumu awkwardly bowed; not because it was a feat of flexibility to bow when sitting ‘Drathianly’, but because he wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

Hoooooooooonk.

“Ah, we are about to dock. It seems the wind was at our back at last. Come, meet me on deck once you have your things.”

The two shared a look of ‘oh shit’ before dashing back to their respective rooms. Misoe was hot on their trail, merrily zooming through the air.

It took only a few minutes for each to pack up; Ivory barely had anything, and what he did have he could just shove back in his Bag of Holding. Nozumu, on the other hand, had a whole bag full of stuff.

“How’d that damn book even fit in?” Ivory asked, seeing Nozumu lug the great bag up the steps.

“It can shrink.”

Ivory rolled his eyes.

“Of course it can. More fool me for not guessing that. Yes, well, thank god we’re here. Welcome to Terandria!” Ivory said, assuming the ‘here’s your new car!’ position.

It was late morning, and the pier was almost unrecognisable to Ivory. Where before there were some merchant ships and a few customers wafting around, there were considerably more ships, and it was packed. Curiously, too: they had docked in the same place they had departed from. Hundreds upon hundreds of heads turned as the Drathian crew began moving their stock onto the deck of the ship. It was, comparatively, rare for Drathian [Merchants] to sell their goods.

“Now what?” Nozumu asked.

Ivory turned to his side and blinked a few times.

“What do you mean?”

“When can we get off the ship?” he asked innocuously.

“When everything’s unloaded, I can only assume?”

“There’s no one going now, can’t we just quickly go?”

Ivory gave him a quizzical look—and he thought he was sheltered!

“No, mate. Well, we could, but all things considered, it would be pretty rude to just run off before everyone’s finished. We’ve been been on this boat forever, but another ten minutes won’t kill us. And that’s coming from me!”

Nozumu blushed slightly and nodded.

A quick look over the side of the ship made Ivory gasp.

“Okay, that must be a Skill. They’ve already set up their booths!” He immediately spun 180 degrees. “Gotcha!”

Hidenori was walking towards them, eyebrow raised.

“Pardon?”

“Every time I say something that you could have an answer for, you appear. I was ready this time.”

“I’m afraid I did not hear what you said.”

For all that he was telling the truth, he nonetheless enjoyed Ivory’s frown.

“Nothing. Nozumu’s getting last second cabin fever.”

“I was wondering why you were still on board; I just came up to check why.”

Nozumu turned dramatically and gave Ivory a long look. He just lifted his hands up.

“Well, shoot me for trying to be a nice guest.”

“I’ll take you both down.”

Ivory soon figured out why Nozumu was mildly insistent on getting off this ship so fast: what was something that a Drathian, the ever cultured lot, sequestered from the rest of the world, was not used to?

“Jesus fuck, it’s loud.”

[Merchants] hawking their wares with screams, along with the cacophony of bartering, arguments, and god knows what else. Hidenori brought the two behind one of the larger stalls and they all sat on the standing-stools.

“I recommend going to the Merchant’s Guild first, then the Mage’s Guild, and back again to the Merchant’s Guild. Would that it were a bit more simple. I trust you know where to go, Ivory?”

Ivory looked at the slightly troubled look on Nozumu’s face before responding.

“I know where the Merchant’s Guild is, but I can just ask there how to get to the Mage’s Guild. Should be ‘right.”

“Excellent,” Hidenori said with a clap. “Off you go, then. We’ll be docked here for a while; we never sold all our stock last time, after all.”

“We’ll come say hi soon. Let’s jet, Nozumu.”

“Uwah.”

“You and me both.”

“Which way?”

“Okay, okay. Follow me.”

Misoe was babbling blithely as her Uber and Nozumu power walked through the crowd. They barely had 30 seconds of minor traffic before they reached the fish markets.

“That’s better,” Nozumu remarked. “This is a bit like home.”

It was notably less loud—perhaps from ‘black metal ear splitting’ to ‘concert for pensioners’.

Not that the place was filled with old people—far from it. But the style of ever-present talking was more… civilised.

“Well, not for me. I can handle the smell for a while, but I don’t want to linger. Let’s keep your pace from before. We’re almost there… though I have the feeling it’ll be packed. No, don’t look like that—we’ll probably just have to wait a little bit.”

On and on and on they went. Several times they had to wait as huge nets of fish were hauled from trawlers, which would have been annoying if it were anything else. The lobster pots with dog-sized lobsters were his favourite so far.

“‘Ey, there. Ye’ve got a good haul, rare—interested in sellin’ ‘ah?”

A [Fisherman] who couldn’t have been younger than 70 approached the two, staring at Misoe with as toothy a grin as he was capable.

“What?” Nozumu and Ivory said simultaneously, but for different reasons.

“That there seal. Whaja want fer ‘uh?”

“Nothing? I mean, she is not for sale—she is my companion,” he said, holding her a bit more tight.

The [Fisherman]’s smile turned sour.

“Yer wunna those weirdo types keepin’ those animals as pets! Pah!” he spat to his side. “Yer ruinin’ livelihoods, lad. Tides’ve been poorly of late; a’course some squirt makes merry with the catch of a lifetime!”

Ivory was shocked into silence. She wasn’t even from here! Nozumu’s beak was wide open—he could only understand bits and pieces, but it was enough to get the gist. Some onlookers were staring; they knew the score.

“See? Nothin’ ta say. Yer as bad as the rest of ‘em.”

Before Ivory could make a retort, Misoe started growling—a sound Ivory had never heard her make thus far.

“Back off, old man. Let’s go.”

The [Fisherman] just stood there, shaking his head. It wouldn’t be fair to call him too great a villain—seals were documented to turn up here, if rarely. One every few years—and that’s just the ones that were seen, not caught—not that they understood the significance of Misoe’s particular sub-breed. One may go for as much as a hundred coins, mostly for prestige. Like finding a blue lobster, but rarer.

Flustered, they set off—but not before Misoe levitated out of Ivory’s arms and parked inches away from the [Fisherman]’s face. They turned back in shock—just in time to see Misoe puff a small gout of flame at his face.

“Aeeaear!”

His [Slipless Strides] prevented him falling backwards and breaking a hip, as Misoe did a few spins and flew back into Ivory’s arms, laughing all the while—a heeheeheeheeheeeing kind.

Ivory burst into laughter with her.

“Get fucked, prick dog,” he called back. “You are such a clever girl! Remind me not to get on your bad side!” he said to a now preening Misoe.

Nozumu, meanwhile, was wondering whether it was a good idea to have even come—if only for a moment.

“What was that, Ivory?”

He paused for a moment; the satisfaction of telling off that old boot was fading quick.

“I really do not know. I wasn’t even here for a day earlier… maybe there’s some shortage of fish? I guess they would be rare here, and their fresh meat and skin would be better quality than the imported stuff. Still, to accost someone. Probably a good idea to get out of here quick.

“She is not even a pet, or from here. I hope I will have the confidence to speak up next time. Oh, hello.”

Misoe, clearly pleased with the support she was receiving, wiggled out of Ivory’s loving grip and into Nozumu’s; she had enough magic to be semi-floating still.

They eventually reached the end of the fish markets, and passed the Seashell Grotto. He mentally bookmarked it—they could stay there the night.

“Alright, here we are. Here’s hoping it’s not too busy. Fewer lunatics too, hopefully.”

He pushed open the door, and he had realised that he had yet again been transported somewhere upon entering through a doorway. This time, it was into hell.

“Kitsune preserve us,”, Nozumu muttered. The place was absolutely bursting at the seam.

“Good morning. What business do you have with the Merchant’s Guild today?” a voice said. The two turned to their right to see a well-dressed young Human, his hands behind his back. A [Concierge]?

“Hi. We’re looking to open an account, first of all.”

The [Guild Greeter] was silent for a few seconds, before nodding and responding.

“Excellent. If you would please head to the third line from the left and wait to be served. Good morning, welcome to…” he trailed off, addressing the next customers entering.

The two followed his direction to one of the many long lines.

“There wasn’t anyone like that when I came last. Maybe only when it’s busy?”

“Perhaps you should have explained with a bit more detail what we need…?” Nozumu replied. It was a reasonable question.

“Nah, nah, trust. This time I’m right. This is just like a bank from…. home,” he said with a whisper. Subtle.

“Are they always this busy?”

“Nope… people usually do their banking online,” he said, and Nozumu affixed him with an exasperated glare. “The principle is the same, though! Don’t get your feathers in a twist. It’s just a bit of waiting.

Nozumu sighed deeply, and audibly; a slight rumble ran through it, startling Ivory.

“Okay, I’m with you. This is awful,” Ivory said softly, leaning towards Nozumu. It had only been five minutes. “There’s still like ten people in front of us still. And there’s no air con. Surely they could invest in cooling runes or something! I’ve only been here for a blink and I know you can do that!”

He felt a bit better after that little whinge. Nozumu meanwhile was fanning himself with a half-moon fan with a pattern reminiscent of a magnificent peacock’s plumage. He was receiving the tail end of the draft, so that was something.

Five minutes turned to ten, that turned to 20 and then 40. They were now just second in line.

“You know,” Ivory said after a half an hour’s silence, “I saw Jiji cast this epic spell: [Earthen Staircase]. Or was it [Steps of Earth]? Regardless. I should have practised something like [Earthen Chair] from all that dirt in the little garden area they had. I’ll put that on the li—”

“Next waiting!” a voice rang, bringing both Ivory and Nozumu immediately forward with rapt attention.

“Well good morning to you both—my name’s Evangelinda, but call me Linda. What can I do for you today?” spoke the woman behind the counter. Her silky, drawl enunciation made his stomach drop.

“H-hello, Linda. I’m looking to set up an account for my friend here, Nozumu.”

“Hello.”

“A pleasure! Now, Nozumu: pardon my assumption, but I can only assume you are from Drath. Did you have an account set up back home?”

“I do not think so… everything was organised by the academy.”

“I thought so. Let me check. Trusty Skill, don’t fail me now… there we go,” she said with a click of her fingers and a healthy prod of something on her desk. “You have one managed by the Dejimaean branch of Drath’s Academy. I’m sure it sounds much more impressive in Drathian!” she said with a polite chuckle.

“It does, actually,” Nozumu replied with a beaky smile.

“Not surprised! Okay, I’ve started the account creation process for you, Nozumu: I will need either your signature and a statement by truth stone, or a magical signature, to finalise the process.”

Evangelinda pulled out two pieces of paper and a little rock.

“I suggest signature and statement.”

Nozumu nodded and took the biro looking quill and wrote, in block letters, “NOZUMU”. Evangelinda, ever the professional, gave it no second thought and held up the truth stone.

“Are you Nozumu, who has provided their signature at this point in time at Phel’s Light Merchant’s Guild on this day?”

“Y-yes, I am.”

The little rock shone blue.

“Wonderful. You have not elected to include a surname, so I’ll need to add some extra identification. May I include ‘Peacock Beastkin’? It will be listed also under ‘race’ in your account details and it will, if I may say, make proving your identity instant for future visits.”

“That is fine.”

Ivory couldn’t help but think that she would have been immediately sent to HR for sensitivity training back home had that happened on Earth.

“Perfect! We’re all done. Will you be wanting to make a deposit of any gold today?”

“We will be heading to the Mage’s Guild afterwards to collect the money sent by the academy to be deposited. Will they be able to do that, or do we need to come back here?”

“With any luck,” she said with a thoughtful twist of her lips, “they will be able to transfer it then and there. But don’t be holding your breath, now. It all hinges on which crankypants you get over there.”

“That sounds very good. Thank you for your time today.”

Nozumu bowed deeply. Evangelinda put a hand to her chest.

“Such flexibility! I envy you. Before we finish up, may I ask you a quick question?” she said, turning to Ivory.

“Go for it.”

“Where are you from?”

Ivory’s breath caught in his mouth. The dark skin, the Southern American accent—but after the episode with the Drathian [Merchant], he didn’t want a repeat of that.

“A little village, you probably haven’t heard of it,” he said with a wave of his hand, his heart beating hard. “I live in Calanfer.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t be so sure! I also never heard your name?”

“Ivory.”

“Ivory, I’ve definitely heard your accent before… I just can’t put my finger where I heard it,” she said, tapping her chin.

Ivory looked straight at her and replied.

“The village is called Australia.”

“Ah, of course. You’ll excuse me yet again, but you are no half-Elf. No pointy ears! Goes to show we shouldn’t be judging people by their appearances!”

Ivory stood there, still as a statue. What in the hell was happening?

“He was adopted,” Nozumu butted in. “His parents were mauled by Kaaz lions and he was adopted by one of the villages in Erribathe.”

Ivory and Evangelinda shared a visceral reaction. She put her face in her hands for a moment, looking extraordinarily embarrassed when her face appeared again.

“I am so sorry… I’m from Kaaz, see. It happens. Thank you for your patronage. Good day.”

She gave them a pained smile and disappeared out the back.

Ivory similarly made a quick exit, with Nozumu in tow.

“The hell was that?! Shit.”

Ivory slid down the facade of the Merchant’s Guild until he was sitting down, his head between his knees.

“You were struggling. She bought it!

“Half-Elf village named Australia… I can’t believe it. What in the shit. I was so certain, too.”

“I am not sure why you are being secretive about it. What is the worst that could happen? Magic is… unpredictable, so different worlds might not be too hard to believe.”

Ivory looked up at Nozumu and sighed.

“You’re right, honestly. It’s a little bit exhausting. That’s the first time anyone’s ever actually pointed out my accent. Guess I’m lucky I ended up on Terandria.”

“It is as you said—Drath is similar to your “Asia”. It is possible there are more similarities.”

“Australian half-Elves… I don’t even want to think about it.”

At that, they both laughed. Nozumu helped Ivory up, and set off for the Mage’s Guild.