The night sky was cloudy, but no one let it bother their spirits. The entire crimson Isles are celebrating the first tide. Stalls and tents occupy the streets, while families and friends journey towards the shoreline. The day had already passed, but the festivities kept the city awake.
"Look, we lost most of the fun already! Why did you spend so much time with that doctor!" Mathias complained adjusting his brothers' garments
"You forced me to try 15 different gowns, and only after did you decide to lend me one of yours." Vero remarked bothered.
"I thought we had time. They release you from custody yet force you to run around every day. We could have bought one several days ago... If Mother were here they wouldn't have held you for a single day. " Mathias gave a final pat of approval on his brother's shoulders.
The siblings both wore dark blue garments with red specks, a representation of their province and their household. Mathias however was sporting a much more military version. On the other hand, Vero wore a refined and less practical version. In his hand, he held a couple of shrimp skewers, each seasoned differently.
"Do you expect trouble?" Vero asked casually eating a shrimp.
"Not much. Father's absence was... tough... but we prevailed, and the empire showed its worth. No casualties in the last 4 years. Nevertheless, the risk is always present with several wounded every year."
Despite being back for nearly 2 weeks there was a lot to readjust to, after all, he had spent half his life away from a civilized society.
But he was no longer a 10-year-old with light responsibilities.
"They mostly focus on territory security." Mathias added
"Not a bad trade" Vero finished the first skewer, politics weren't his thing.
"You don't need to worry about that stuff. Tonight just look pretty and healthy"
"Just like a princess"
Mathias looked at him confused.
"I guess you haven't met any yet..."
The two young brothers strolled the streets a bit more.
Many of the stalls sold seafood, some others held games with prizes, favorites amongst the young ones, and most sold sea-related items. These ranged from handmade trinkets to battle gear, with some highlights in the occasional spiritual essence these might hold.
Many people greeted the siblings, Mathias was locally recognized as the young master, and it was not difficult to assume the young man next to him was the returned youngest brother.
The child that had been declared dead ten years ago alongside the last King.
Nevertheless, most were curt and polite, leaving the siblings to their own devices. The siblings browsed some trinkets and artifacts with an occasional stop to restock Vero's snacks.
He had missed a lot in 10 years, food being at the top of the list.
Eventually, some loud laughter caught Vero's attention.
A crowd gathered around a unique stall. A water tank around waist level was present beneath a cloth roof with an old lady sitting on a rocking chair next to it.
Inside the tank a graceful fish, a mix of a catfish and a betta fish, with long fins resembling cloth surrounding the orange and white fish.
"The sea maiden" Mathias explained. "Not sure if you remember, but she's here every First Tide"
"You need to tag the fish to get a reward right?" Vero recalled.
"Yes, the fish or, 'The Maiden' will glow upon contact, and prize you with an orb from its collection."
"Is it the old lady's bonded spirit? I see it but I can't pinpoint its essence."
"Yes. It's extremely elusive and a bit whimsical. Sometimes it will evade you endlessly only to end up directly tagging you before you give up, other times it will gently tag you as you begin."
The sibling stood a fair distance away, enough that even the small crowd surrounding the stall had not been aware of their presence.
They were able to identify the source of the loud laughter as a trio of men in yellow garments who spoke particularly loudly around the stall.
"And the orbs?" the brothers kept observing.
"The maiden's ability"
Vero remained silent.
"It looks like a dirty pearl until you pour a little essence and it will reveal your true prize. Mostly pearls and pretty shells, sometimes trinkets, very rarely the true prize...spiritual beast eggs."
The tallest man of the trio sporting a shaved head and thick sideburns approached the tank, he wore a sleeveless jacket revealing a prominent line tattoo of a wasp.
He stuck his arm inside the tank with a powerful punch displacing a lot of water out of the tank. His attempt was extremely poor as the maiden didn't even evade and kept swimming in the same direction.
One of his companions laughed loudly, nevertheless, he was not yet swayed and kept pursuing. His movements were rash and brutal, throwing wave after wave out of the tank.
The maiden's fins acted as large pieces of cloth, dancing in the water and caressing the man's arm. They were the key to the maiden evasion, dancing around her body growing and thinning, occulting and revealing her movements and position.
The bald man kept trying to catch the maiden to no avail, as more water poured out of the tank with his brute movements, he started to curse loudly.
"Oh, he's not going to win." Mathias remarked.
Vero gave him a questioning gaze.
"He didn't ask permission to play" Mathias put on a solemn smile as he approached the stall.