Five Months later:
After several months had passed, it was once time again to visit the market, stock up on materials and fill up on food. I had to buy a bit more now that I was no longer the only man in the household and I actually wanted to offer some variety in food to Zephyr, who by now considered herself to be my wife. Even though we never really got married I was fully content with her calling me her one and only husband. She said it was a monster thing and I more or less decided to roll with it.
Maybe one day we would have had a real marriage. It was still a distant dream and the order would probably not allow it, but with Zephyr around, I've learned to expect the unexpected and go with the flow of things.
I was just heading home from the trip to the distant market, having collected a full sack of varied yarns and fabrics and loaded my haul onto a community caravan that commuted between my hometown Walakai and one of the larger cities.
As the stopped carriage started rattling again, I noticed that there was someone else riding along. "Mikhail? What are you doing on a caravan?"
From another carriage that was moving close alongside my own, he called over to me. "Archimedes? Is that you? Greetings my friend! Just came back from a short trip to the cane sugar plantations. You know, the nectar we use is great and all, but it isn't exactly easy to use for baking treats. What got you into this neck of the woods?"
"Not exactly woods. I'm heading home from the big city. Clients are going wild over my stock lately. They say it somehow sets an amazing mood when when they're close to it. Like it gives the room a lot of energy or something. Either way, great business; lots of materials needed. This must be the third trip this month. Heh, I'm almost worried Zephie is gonna start thinking I'm using these trips as an excuse to meet someone."
Mikhail smirked and laughed along in empathy. "Yeah, I noticed that you've made quite a catch with that little wife of yours. Thought I'd actually have to play matchmaker for you but it seems like you got your ways with girls after all."
"Shut up! I'm lucky enough to have found someone like her. Guess it was just meant to be."
"Yeah, and you've fallen for her big time apparently. You even changed the name of the store thanks to her."
I chuckled. "Heh, don't you think "Zephie & Archie" sounds a lot better than "Archimedes' Fabrics"?"
Mikhail put his arms behind his head as he leaned against a pile of hay and contently stared at the sky as he continued talking to me. "Certainly does. Elora fawned on your new banner as well. Said the red flower in between your names was a nice touch. Kinda represents Walakai a lot more now that I think about it. Seems like you got infected by the town's spirit."
I rested my arms on the outer railing of the carriage as I basked in the beaming summer sunlight. A smile crossed my face as I looked at the clear blue sky. "Yeah... yeah I guess it has. And as long as I'm not gonna mess up all of my fabrics the way you and Elora do, that's fine by me."
We cracked up laughing as we relaxed on the way back home. The horses prattled along the stony paths until, after a long journey, we finally arrived. While Mikhail didn't really have to get off at that point, he decided to join me for a small refreshing drink after being exposed to the burning heat for so long.
I went behind the counter of the reception desk as I filled two cups with fresh, cold wine. While I filled them, Mikhail looked around the store with a suspicious look. "Huh, kind of quiet in here. Where has Zephyr gone off to?"
Now that he said that, I noticed it as well. I thought she might've been sleeping in the storage but... she wouldn't do that while the store was still open. I ruffled my hair cluelessly. "I... huh... that really IS unusual. Zephyr was supposed to take care of the shop while I was gone. I'd have expected her to be flying into my arms by now."
"Maybe she went off to buy groceries?"
"Not likely... I've already taken care of that." I rubbed my neck worriedly. "I really hope she wasn't mad."
"Mad?"
I sighed guiltily. "She really doesn't like being apart from me. Neither do I but if I hadn't gone to the city, our supplies wouldn't have lasted. Maybe I should've taken her with me after all."
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it, I bet she's fine. And... well... taking her to the city... so close to the order's main territory? Yeah, not a good idea."
I smiled weakly, realizing once again that being with a mamono in times like these was still a risky thing. Here in Walakai we were lucky enough to go mostly unnoticed. Some people already consider this to be a demon realm, even though the area turned more green and beautiful instead of dark and twisted. I dreaded the day that those rumors would reach the Order, but all I wanted now was to live my life with Zephyr as long as it would last. Everything beyond that... we would find a way to stay together. "You're right. I don't know what I would do if Zephie got caught or hurt even. I don't... I don't think I could imagine living without her anymore."
Mikhail shot me a supportive smile and clinked his cup against mine. "You've got all of Walakai behind you, friend. Nothing's gonna happen to us as long as we have the last word. To the future of our community."
"To our community!" I said as I raised my glass and downed our wine before letting out a refreshed sigh. "Hmmm... I wished Zephie were around for this. Kind of feels wrong to celebrate without her. If only I knew where she... hnnngg..." My hand tightened around my cup and I slammed it onto the desk as well as the palm of my other hand. I let out a heavy breath and balled my hands into fists as I leaned on the desk.
"You alright there, buddy? This wine didn't burn that much, did it?" Mikhail asked with a concerned, raised eyebrow.
I raised my hand in denial and forced myself to maintain a calm expression. "Yup, everything fine over here. Guess it had a tad more of a punch than I expected."
"It didn't when I took a sip. What are you..."
"You know, funny thing... I just got an idea of where Zephie might have gone off to." I cut him off right in the middle of his sentence with my mind racing at a hundred miles and my fingers digging into the wood. I took a deep breath and smiled unconvincingly. "You should probably leave for now, I'll just clean up the shop and go looking for her."
Confused at my sudden mood switch, Mikhail looked at me with suspicious eyes. "Wait, why are you in such a rush to get me to... oh..." Suddenly, his expression changed from confusion into an almost devious smirk. "...ohhhh... I get it."