[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

I sit there, shoulders tensed in my chair as Swiftant, Suzette and Aisha have a debate... I lower my chin and breath a sigh. Grabbing the arms of the chair, I lift myself up and look towards Nozomi, who is standing there, elbows raised and lip curled gazing off at the others as they bicker about.

I scratch my temple and think to myself "We don't have time for this..."

I shuffle over to Swift and place my hand on his left shoulder.

"Whatever you decide, I am relying on you to settle it. Where we set up shop is of great importance. Make sure you see to it..."

The three of them are silent for a moment. "I'm taking Nozomi out into the village to gather some supplies. I want her well equipped for her journey northwest."

Nozomi heads out in front of me, and I meet her on the porch...

She stands there out on the landing, the wind lifting strands of her hair.

"So Nozomi, and preference on where to buy?"

She shakes her head. "I never went into any of the shops around here. I stayed indoors for the most part. I was more or less nervous about venturing out."

I smile. "It's quite all right, we'll make it up as we go."

We proceed to take the old dirt trail east through a small grove, and we exit out onto a main road. The morning commuters tapping across the pavement.

I survey the immediate area. Some sort of plaza. I think to myself. I'll need some parchment supplies to make summons. We'll also need a decent amount of food, as well as some new traveling/combat clothes. This tunic has seen better days. Most of my garments are frayed and the seams are coming undone.

We find an Emporium not far from our current location. They have a pretty good deal on enchanted scrolls. Now I'll have the medium I need to generate a summon.

Back on the streets, Nozomi watched me as I roll up the parchment into my pack.

"So..." She speaks out to catch my attention. I look up at her.

"I have always meant to ask how those papers work. But whenever you use one of them, it is always in a serious moment."

I let out a chuckle. "Enchanted parchments are used for a multitude of purposes...Obviously I use them to generate a summoning contract. My father came from a line of summoners. A very old, and lost Art. Most people in this day no longer know how to summon. Most summons are linked to a summoner by a contract. Not all summons require a contract. Some might just demand compensation for their time...Others have rules have need to be met, some have goals.

Each summon demands something different. All my contracts were passed onto me from my family....The parchment possesses just enough magical attributes to materialize a said summon. I need only scrawl out the seal of the summon on this parchment. I am not as in tuned to my magical energies as I used to be, so this is an aid for me. I also have a master scroll, it's a list of every summon in contract to me. If I ever forget a seal, I can use it for reference before I make a contract. Though I have committed the majority of them to memory."

Nozomi stares blankly at me, and when I start to laugh out loud, she hops about shouting out that she understood every word.

"Hahaha, fret not Nozomi, not many understand the superb Art of summoning, you'll understand the concept all in good time.

As we wander about, the day progresses quickly. We gather some food items, and we dine out as well. If I remember it, the last time I ate in a tavern was back in Disan, where I met Nozomi's acquaintance.

After we stuffed ourselves on bread and meat, we found a tailor to have some new clothing made.

The new costume that I had prepared for myself was a deep mahogany sleeveless vest, it was designed as a pull over the head. The front had no ties or buttons. But at the collar it had a cross-stitched V-neck, The inside of the vest was also padded with a thicker reinforced layer for stability. Underneath the vest I wore a half sleeve navy blue light material shirt. Around my wrists I wore arm guards that had secret built in storage compartments, where I could keep some parchment stashed. Just in case I was separated from my pouch, I would have a back up. I could not part from my beloved cloak, so I just had it dyed the same color over, and had some repairs made to it. I swapped out my white pants for a black pair. More form fitting, and I had a pack placed on my right leg with some projectile weaponry. Projectiles aren't really my style, but it is best to be well rounded.

Nozomi stuck with her same outfit, she just got it in a deeper color.

Decked out in our new clothing, and our packs and stomachs full, we head back to Aisha's house at high noon.