BXBX NOVEL Chapter 95 Go Out
Xzavier soon left the mundane ambience of stone, granite and marble in the hallways of the mansion, and stepped into the comfortable and pleasing section of the dining area. Just as Xzavier crossed the threshold and opened up the gigantic doors, he saw his target clutching cutleries and arraigning the dining sets on the table in an orderly and fancy manner.
She had on a white flowing gown and a dark blue apron that was typical of the maids and female servants of the governor's domestic staff. As always, the table was bedecked in a shiny, brilliant white table cloth. Although Xzavier didn't see the point to it since it was noon and bright outside, but there were several silver colored candle holders that were separated at even distances across the large table.
Adalia was so engrossed in her duties that she didn't even notice when Xzavier's tall frame emerged from the entrance. It was only when the door creaked when Xzavier twisted the iron handle, that Adalia knew that someone was present. Instinctively, she jerked and spun her head in that direction, eager to see who had intruded into her space when she clearly hadn't called for lunch yet.
Once again, Xzavier dealt out his favorite hand- the card of surprise.
A stunned look quickly registered on Adalia's face. This was clearly a surprise for her. Xzavier was by far the last person she had been expecting to see. Especially with the way their last dialogue had ended.
"Xzavier?! What in heaven's name are you doing here?"
With a little, and yet sizeable distance between them, Xzavier strolled confidently towards her as he answered in a serious tone.
"What do you mean? Am I not allowed to be here?"
Slowly regaining her composure, Adalia sighed as she answered;
"Well, after the way we ended things last time, I figured it would be a while before we see each other again…"
"Don't be absurd. We are both adults, and we are very much allowed to have different perspectives on any subject."
She scoffed mischievously.
"How mighty mature of you…"
Not recognizing her mischievous tone, Xzavier took her compliment to heart.
"Thank you." He replied seriously.
Adalia shot him a disbelieving look, and shook her head as if she couldn't imagine he had actually said that. She turned her back on him and continued to set the table as she spoke to him.
"So, what brings you here at this time? I know for certain that it's definitely not because of lunch."
Xzavier wasted no time in laying bare his request.
"This place is still very strange to me, I was hoping that you could maybe explain some things to me."
"That's reasonable, but I am currently working right now Xzavier."
She knew Xzavier wouldn't give up on this. So, she quickly presented an alternative.
"Why don't you go and explore?"
Xzavier paused hesitatingly. Adalia noticed, and encouraged him;
"You're the governor's guest Xzavier, surely you do know no harm would come to you right?"
"It's not that…" he said and paused yet again, hinting at the fact that he had more to say.
Adalia raised her eyebrows questioningly. When Xzavier still refused to complete his sentence, she was forced to egg him on.
"Well? If it's not that, then what?"
He inhaled deeply.
"Recently, while it is not my intent at all, it seems to me like I always end up in one trouble or another because of my ignorance of the way things work here..."
Reluctantly, he added;
"So, I need you by my side to explain some things."
In that moment, Adalia felt a little sorry for the young man. He had killed a chief orc, and scared off an entire tribe of orcs, and yet, he still couldn't conquer basic societal norms.
"Now that you put it like that, I think I understand."
Adalia began to draft out the best way to enlighten Xzavier, and she soon came up with the perfect idea.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed as she snapped her fingers.
"Words are wind. They don't really do much in the capturing of the essence of an entire culture, so, what you need is a firsthand experience!"
She shivered with excitement as she relayed her idea to Xzavier.
"You should see and experience Victoria city for yourself on the streets just like most of us! I am sure you will come to love and appreciate it more at the end of the day."
Xzavier highly doubted that, but because she was his guide, and was therefore bound to be hyped about showing him around her city, Xzavier tolerated her exuberance.
Fueled by her new found goal, Adalia glanced around briefly, scanning the table and factoring all other possible factors that could influence her getting her work done faster. After a brief assessment, she announced the plan to Xzavier;
"I should be done here and ready to go in about an hour and a half. So, can you hold on till then?"
Xzavier thought for a few seconds, he had nothing lined up for the day. So, he answered her positively;
"Affirmative."
"What?"
"I meant that's okay."
So, after about twenty five minutes, Adalia finished up with her domestic chores. Happy that she had beaten the clock, Xzavier got up happily thinking she was ready to go.
"Errr, what are you doing?"
A confused look crept across Xzavier's face.
"You're done here, I assumed you were ready to go?"
Adalia almost burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter.
"Come on, did you really expect me to go out into the streets with my maid uniform?"
She stared hard at Xzavier, genuinely hoping for an answer. It turned out Xzavier had none. He genuinely hadn't considered that fact.
She sighed as she made her way towards the door.
"I need to get dressed. I'll be back in thirty minutes."
She ended up taking a whole hour and an additional thirty minutes.
By the time she came back, Xzavier had almost gone nuts because of the boredom. But as it turned out, the wait was worth it. In truth, Adalia's apparel was very modest. It was a long cream colored gown with colorful embroidery that accentuated her ample features. Especially her notable thick waist. It was all that he could to keep himself from gawking. Of course Adalia noticed, and was pleased.
A few minutes later, with Adalia in the lead, both of them headed towards the gate of the governor's mansion and burst into the street. Adalia was very familiar with this neighborhood, so, she knew virtually everything about it. So, as they walked through, she enlightened Xzavier on the owners of the different mansions she let him in on all the spicy gossip going on around regarding the neighbors. Adalia led them down a series of shortcuts and before long, Xzavier and Adalia burst into a nearby busy street, leaving the posh neighborhood behind them.
Xzavier couldn't help but notice the sharp difference between both regions. This side of town reflected the hustle and bustle of the city. Chariots roared past. Women clutched their shopping baskets as they hopped from one stall to another, looking for good deals. As both of them walked along the curb, Xzavier was once again confronted with the issue that was the vintage architectural style of this age. The shopping complexes he was used to contrasted sharply with the stores lined up on both sides of the road. In them were different kinds of wares. There wasn't any form of homogeneity. All of them were different in nature and in products.
Amongst the plethora of goods on sale, Xzavier sighted several antiques that he had only seen in museums in his past life. Of course, here they weren't really antiques but regular goods for sale. The brightly colored tea pots and sugar jars reminded Xzavier that this was indeed a period where Europeans were infatuated with tea and coffee. Umbrellas, trinkets and decorative pieces stood out of the herd.
Xzavier's eager eyes swallowed the entire scene. Enjoying every detail and committing every aspect of it to memory. The crowd was alive, and made it seem like the city itself was a living, breathing being. The whole thing was dream worthy. Xzavier had only seen scenes like these in dramas and movies on television. So, for him to find himself walking and moving in such a dream-like scene was very bizarre.
Among the several groups and classes of people present on the ground, Xzavier and Adalia came across a beggar. The tattered clothes and the bowl were the universal sign of the beggar, and it seemed like they were present even in this time. As soon as Adalia spotted the beggar, she was moved with compassion. Xzavier was not easy to sway emotionally.
The beggar was a man who looked at least seventy years old. He was missing one arm from the shoulder and he appeared to be blind in both eyes. Xzavier took one long, hard look at the beggar and instantly spotted some glaring discrepancies.