"How long will it be till Shashi returns?"
Pranee looked expectantly to Kiet to answer but he only kept his head down as he worked. They haven't spoken a word to each other since they got back inside.
"Hmmm, not sure." Chann mused as they tossed a handful of fish food into the river. The still water exploded with activity as the fish splashed and leaped at each other, fighting to get to the food first.
The rain continued to drizzle over the river and Pranee watched the sellers cover their goods with cloth or retreat into their shops only to watch the rain with unease. The boardwalk of the market luckily had wooden roofs to protect the civilians that decided to stick around but most of them had left, leaving the marketplace to be quieter than earlier.
"What are they even doing?" Pranee asked, hoping that someone would answer but Chann only shrugged their shoulders.
"Who knows. They're a mysterious fellow."
Pranee frowned, unhappy with the answer and looked back outside.
"I want to look at the other shops. Is it alright if I do?"
Chann looked back to Kiet for confirmation only for Kiet to form his lips to pucker into a circle and shake his head slightly. Judging from Kiet's wide eyes and his general confusion, he had no idea whether Pranee was allowed to just leave.
"Well, the marketplace isn't that big so it should be okay. We don't have an umbrella to lend you th–"
Before Chann could finish their sentence Pranee had already left the shop to explore the rest of the market.
She began to walk along the boardwalk, taking in the calmness. She couldn't help but feel herself frown often as she wasn't able to learn magic as she planned. She wondered what Shashi would think when they found out about the situation.
"What does your face look so ugly like that?"
"Excuse me?"
Pranee looked around her to see who had said it and she saw a woman sitting inside a shop.
She was wearing a dark red cloth that wrapped around her body and her hair was messily pinned up in a bun. She had a knife in one hand and had a rose apple in the other, carefully cutting off slices before popping them into her mouth. She couldn't help but watch the woman's movements but also noticed another oddity about her. Her index and middle finger looked like they were fused, acting as one finger instead of two. She had no problem with performing her task. Pranee caught herself staring and moved her eyes to look at the shop instead.
The shop itself was barren and the walls and floors had many dents and scratches. Pranee couldn't tell what the woman was selling as there were only two chairs and a low bamboo table but she figured it was probably some kind of magic shop.
"Did something catch your eye?" The woman brought another slice to her red lips and ate it.
"Um, no. Nothing," Pranee stuttered. "Did you ask about why my face is ugly?"
"Yes, I did. You look like you're about to cry."
"Ah, I see." Her eyes dropped to the ground only for her to quickly look away from the lady.
She had one leg shorter than the other, the shorter foot hanging just below her other knee. The sandal was fitted to be taller than the other, probably making it easier for the woman to walk. Pranee could feel herself blush in embarrassment. She still wasn't used to meeting people who looked different from her.
"Don't need to be shy. Take a seat. If you need to talk about your frustrations to a stranger, feel free to do so." The woman chuckled and held out a slice of fruit towards Pranee. "Do you want any?"
"No, no. Thank you for the offer though." Pranee gave her a weak smile and the woman shrugged.
"Alright. What's troubling you anyways?"
"I was promised to be taught magic but I apparently wasn't fit for it."
The woman's mouth formed a thin line before swallowing what had remained in her mouth. Pranee couldn't help but stare at the woman as she was more alluring than any other woman Pranee had met. Her hair was long and silky which framed her round face, drawing more attention to her dark eyes.
"What country are you from?"
"Isla."
"Was whoever teaching you, also from Isla?"
Pranee thought for a moment, unsure of where Kiet was actually from. His name was common enough in her country and his clothing was familiar to her as well, unlike Shashi's.
"I think so."
"Did you know that they heavily regulate the magic in that country, unlike the neighbouring country, Aslo?"
"They... do?" Pranee knew that magic was forbidden to an extent but never why.
"Yes, they do." The woman placed down the fruit and knife on a small table next to her and retrieved a staff. She held it out towards Pranee for her to observe.
"You see how this staff has a line down the middle?" She asked Pranee.
"Yes."
"Inside is a special powder that makes people able to use magic. The more of this powder there is, the stronger the magic. Too much magic though leads to danger."
"What does this have to do about the countries?"
"There's two types of magic right?"
Pranee thought back to how Shashi couldn't break the seal on the door at the tower and slowly nodded. "Yes, I think so."
"The one that originates from Aslo is magic that relies on the user to use all of their physical capacity. Essentially, it's strength."
"Ahhh."
"And the magic from Isla... requires lots of emotional control."
Pranee could only sit there quietly as she remembered the staff shaking violently. "If the wrong people learn magic..."
"It would mean chaos for all. This is why the king put so many restrictions on this magic. If someone wanted to learn magic, you need the king's blessing and even then, you need a teacher that's approved by the king as well."
"That's..."
"Of course, there are still people that don't listen to the rules and are now respected magicians." She pulled the staff away and placed it back on the ground. "Do you know what's the biggest risk for using that magic?"
The woman took the remaining rose apple and took a bite.
"The king may detain you?" Pranee thought about her own detainment. It was lucky that she wasn't actually alone in the tower.
"That's a risk, but not the biggest." The woman gave a dry chuckle which only confused Pranee more.
"What's the biggest then?"
The woman chewed on the last remains of the fruit, allowing herself to eat slowly before swallowing.
"Have you heard of... Krasue?"
"Pranee!"
Pranee jumped at the sound of her name being called and turned to see a furious Shashi.
"Get away from her."
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