Garzgania

He must've sat there staring at the wall for a while as his back began to ache from sitting in that same, hunched over position, prompting him to stand for a minute as he looked outside of the window.

It was the climax of the sunset, with the orange, warm sky beginning to shift into a star-filled night with the city quieting down.

Why do I have a feeling you orchestrated this, old man? He thought, looking towards the sky past the window pane.

Breathing out slowly, he looked at the faint reflection of himself visible in the window, seeing those bored, exhausted eyes of his that still didn't open even to a world of fantasy.

I guess…I might as well sleep. I did tell him I'd go into the city with him, he thought.

Without much energy to his movements, he slumped into bed, feeling his body sink into the cushiony mattress, though he could almost feel the history of another person having used it before.

He laid there, staring at the ceiling with vague, sparse thoughts before finally allowing him to fall into slumber.

Surprisingly, he slept well. Though it was likely because of the sharp contrast of comfortability between the bed and the grass, soil, and roots he had to make due with during his time in the forest.

As he slept, he dreamt of nothing. It wasn't any different than the dreams he experienced in recent dreams, or the lack thereof.

It didn't feel like very long until he was woken by the boisterous call of the hospitable, middle-aged man.

"GOOD MORNI—NG, ELIAS–!" Klaus yelled throughout the house at the top of his lungs.

He immediately sat up with dreary eyes, rudely awoken as he brought himself out of bed with a yawn.

"I'm up…" He muttered annoyedly.

Ruffling his snow-white locks as he left the bedroom, the fragrance of breakfast, confirmed to be unmistakable even between worlds, met his nose.

As he stood at the threshold of the hall, looking into the main room as he saw Klaus standing with two plates and a smile, he felt his stomach finally combat his reluctance to his ear with a grumble.

Klaus chuckled, seeming to find his opportunity to display his culinary tact now, "Would you like some?"

He hesitated to answer for a moment, "..."

Finally, he nodded his head slowly, "I'll give it a try."

"Great! I happen to think my eggs come out pretty well, you know? It's a technique my grandfather passed down onto me," Klaus lowered the plate onto the table present in the center of the room.

As he sat down in front of the plate, he looked at its contents. It wasn't just eggs, but also a roll of bread with a magenta substance resembling jelly, and a glass of piping hot tea beside the plate.

"Go ahead," Klaus smiled, sitting across from him.

Even though he said that, Klaus didn't waste a moment digging into his own pile of eggs on his plate.

"...Thanks for the meal," he said quietly before grabbing the fork.

He wasn't exactly used to eating using a fork, but it wasn't a difficult utensil to understand as he stabbed into a serving of the fluffy, golden eggs, bringing it close to his mouth as he stared at it for a moment.

Just out of the corner of his vision, he could see the hospitable man waiting for him to try the fresh meal before finally bringing the nicely textured eggs past his lips.

The room fell silent as he chewed it, swallowing it down as Klaus seemed anxious to hear his response. He didn't really feel strongly one way or the other, but it was obvious the man wanted an answer.

"...Not bad."

"Hah! Really? I guess I'm not as inept in the kitchen as I thought! Ba-ha!" Klaus laughed.

Watching the quiet, stoic young man actually eat, albeit slowly and seemingly against half of his will, the man smiled warmly.

After the meal was finished, Klaus handled the dishes, washing them thoroughly before he waited at the front door, sliding a verdant vest over his long-sleeved, white tunic.

"Elias! Ready to head out?" He called out through the house.

He begrudgingly walked out to the living room, fiddling with the short-sleeved, black tunic given to him as he held a slightly disgruntled expression.

"It's a perfect fit," Klaus said, "I knew his clothes would fit you."

"It's a bit itchy…"

"Ga-ha! You can handle it," Klaus said, opening the door.

As soon as the door opened, the bright rays of the prenoon sun soaked in, hitting his eyes directly as he raised his pale arm to try and block it out.

"Garzgania is beautiful year round, isn't it?" Klaus said, stepping outside, closing the door behind them and locking it.

Following the man out, he looked up towards the pale, blue sky that was occupied by fluffy, silent clouds, "I wouldn't know."

"I guess that's right," Klaus laughed.

Heading into town, he felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people filling the width of the streets. They were all of a foreign world, he recognized that–some even being of a foreign race, displaying animalistic features.

Merchant pop-up shops inhabited the sides of the streets, vendoring off fruits and other goods to both civilians of the city and tourists, all while carriages passed through and street performers danced and sang.

It was an incredibly lively city, he could take note of that with a single stroll through it.

"Hey, Elias…I've got some business to go handle, so how about exploring a bit on your own, yeah?" Klaus held his hands together in a slightly apologetic manner, already stepping away.

"Huh? Seriously?" He asked quietly, a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, sorry, here–!" Klaus said, dropping a mix of silver and gold coins into his hands after retrieving them from the pouch tucked in the side of his belt, "If you find something you like, feel free to buy it."

"Oh, urr…thanks," he nodded his head, looking down at the coins.

In another moment, Klaus was gone as the bustling crowd made it so that a few steps of distance was practically an immeasurable distance.

"Something I like…?" He mumbled to himself.