Aku woke up in a cold sweat, bolting upright in his bed. The white abyss was gone, barely an echo in his head now.
'You just don't have the knowledge needed for us to talk about anything useful.' The figure's words echoed in his mind.
He groaned laying back down on his bed. 'What the hell is that even supposed to mean?' He mumbled internally, rolling onto his side to face the window. It was early morning, the sun just beginning to rise over the distant city wall. The ruby roofs of Genesis looked even more stunning under the orange glow than they normally did. The city, which he now knew belonged to the god, Life, looked like a canvas of fire under the blazing star.
He reluctantly pulled the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a few moments, just looking out the window, thinking.
The day ahead was going to be a long one, he knew. Bast was most definitely going to work him to the bone training him, he was sure. And on top of smithing, there was a lot to learn about living here in Genesis. He had to learn how to blend in as a normal citizen now that he knew he was going to be staying here a while, and it wasn't going to be easy. He was fairly sure more than a couple people saw the scuffle at Geoff's yesterday, too.
He rubbed his eyes, groggily rising from the bed and starting towards the door when he stopped himself. He looked down at the tattered rags that he was wearing. He'd woken up in them and had yet to find a new pair of clothes to wear, which was an issue, because those things had certainly seen better days. Granted, they were still in one piece, albeit barely. The black pants he had were in better shape than the rest, not having many holes, but they were by no means clean.
He walked to the dresser by the door and opened it, and his eyes brightened at what he found. Inside, there were several clean shirts, pants, and undergarments he could wear. He pulled out a white shirt and black pants, setting them on his bed. He took his robes off and set them aside as well, then put on the fresh clothes. The shirt was form fitting, accentuating his muscular torso and arms, and the pants were loose, letting him walk freely. He picked up his old clothes and folded them as best he could, then set them on his desk.
'I'll have to ask Bast if there's some place for those to get repaired.' They were good clothes, after all. Tattered, but still good. Once, at least.
He stepped out of his room and walked into the kitchen, where Bast was already eating a bowl of what seemed to be porridge of some kind at a wooden table beside the counter.
"Morning kid, your bowl's over there." He pointed over to the counter, where a second bowl of porridge was sitting, a few red berries sitting on top. "Sleep alright? Thought I heard something going on last night, but I wasn't sure."
"Ah, that was nothing, don't worry. Just… dropped God's Bane." He lied, picking up the bowl and sitting down beside him. He took a bite, the creamy texture soothing his throat, which was dry before.
Bast cocked an eyebrow at him, tilting his head. "You dropped what exactly?"
Aku almost choked, realising he'd used the name the voice had given his dagger. He took a moment to swallow the porridge and compose himself, then slowly said. "Oh, right, it's what I named the dagger we made. God's Bane." He decided to leave out the part where he'd gotten the name from a disembodied voice in the middle of the night. He didn't think it would bode well with the old man, who he was fairly sure still hadn't fully acclimated to Aku's presence himself.
Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Bast shrugged and took another bite of porridge. "Interesting name choice. There a reason you named it 'God's Bane'?" He mumbled through a mouthful of oats.
"Not particularly, just… thought it was cool, I guess." He shrugged, poking the red berry with his spoon.
"Cool, huh? Hmmm." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You youths certainly have an interesting definition of 'cool'." He scooped the last bit of his breakfast out of his bowl and gulped it down, then set down his spoon. "Anyways, it doesn't matter. I won't question your questionable naming choices. We have important things to do today."
Aku scooped the berry out of his porridge and bit into it, wincing slightly. He chewed for a few moments, his expression shifting from a grimace to a small smile as the berry changed from sour to sweet. He gulped it down and looked up at Bast, who was eyeing him with an amused grin. "What?"
He held up his hands placatingly, leaning back in his seat. "Nothing, nothing. It's just interesting, watching you."
"Interesting, am I? Huh." He scoffed, but couldn't keep a smile from creeping its way onto his face. "Well, whatever. What's the plan for today?" he asked, finishing his own porridge.
Bast stood up and put his bowl away in the sink, using the counter to lean on, before taking Aku's from him and doing the same with it. "Today, you learn the most important thing you'll learn from me." He smiled, leaning back on the counter. "How to act like you belong here."
Aku tilted his head slightly. "Elaborate?"
Bast laughed and took his cane from where it was leaning on the wall. He hobbled over to Aku and poked his chest. "You, kid, stick out like a sore thumb here. You don't know the city, the people, or the food. When I first saw you, it was like watching a lost puppy walk around looking for its mother."
He frowned, tapping his foot. "Ok, well, what do you want me to do about that? I don't imagine there's some kind of handbook for acting like you belong here."
"No, there is not. There is, however, me." He smirked, looking up at Aku. "I'll teach you how to blend in with the crowd and not get yourself put on a list."
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Alright, fine. What's first?"
Bast turned around and started for the door, reaching back to hook his cane around Aku's neck and dragging him along. "Cmon, I'll show you."
"Ack! Damn it, old man, watch it!" He grumbled, unhooking the cane and falling into step behind Bast.
They walked out of the house, then down the street, which was gratefully less busy than the other night. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Aku looked down at Bast and cocked an eyebrow. He had assumed the old man would be teaching him something, but he was just walking, not saying a word.
"Are you watching, kid?" Bast's words jolted him out of his reverie, making him realize he'd been staring at the shorter man.
"Watching what?"
"The people." He said simply, not looking back. He kept his voice low, trying not to be overheard. "Look how they walk, talk. Listen to the phrases they use. If you want to look like you fit in here, you'll have to learn these things. It'll take time, no doubt, but I'm sure you can handle it. Young minds like yours pick up on these kinda things quick, after all."
He understood now. Bast didn't want to teach him by telling him how to act, but by observing the people around him. It made sense, if he wanted to learn how to act like these people, he'd have to know what they're like, what they do.
Taking his advice, Aku looked around at all the passersby as they walked. Many of the people dressed in colors of white, red, or green, which seemed to be the color scheme of the city. Thinking back, he remembered how the soldiers at the gate, as well as the group of Inheritors at Geoff's inn, had also been wearing red and white.
Kids were playing in the grassy yards outside shops and dwellings. He saw one group all playing a game with a leather ball, blowing it around to each other using wind magic. One boy used too much force and the ball went flying out into the street towards the two of them.
Aku snatched the ball just before it hit Bast in the head, then turned to the boy, who was running over.
"Sorry, Mister! It was an accident!" The boy cried, stopping in front of Aku. "Can I um…"
Aku grinned as the boy trailed off and handed him the ball. "Here you go, kid. Be more careful, yeah?"
The boy took the ball with a large smile on his face and nodded enthusiastically before running back over to his friends, who were laughing at him. He turned around and waved at Aku.
Aku smiled and waved back before resuming his walk down the street.
"Not bad, kid. Keep that up." Bast said, finally looking over at him with a proud grin on his face.
Aku turned away, pretending to look at a shop on his right. "Mhm, sure."
Bast laughed, hobbling faster on his cane. "Cmon, we're going somewhere."
"Where?"
"You'll see, boy. Let's go."
They walked for another ten or so minutes before arriving at a familiar inn, the sign above reading 'Geoff's Bed and Breakfast'. They walked inside and sat down in a far corner booth, away from most of the other patrons. There weren't too many others inside, only a group of four men playing cards, a young looking couple, and another group of men, among which he recognized Alek, the old drunk he'd met his first time here.
"Ah, well if it isn't the broke boy and the old geezer!" A familiar voice called out. Aku turned to see Geoff walking over to their table, still bandaged from the other night. "You're looking better, kid. Not in those rags anymore, at least. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, leaning down on their table.
"Afraid I can't say the same about you, Geoff. You look like you got mauled by a pack of Blumrirs." Bast said, smirking. He set his cane down on the table, leaning back on the leather booth seat. "I'm just showing Aku here around the city, getting him acquainted. Figured your old shithole was a good stop."
"Ha! Aku, is it? Never did catch your name the other night. Not surprising, considering." He grimaced, rubbing one of the bandages on his arm. He had the most bandages on his chin and head, where the man named Andre had punched him, but there were others on his arms as well, presumably from the shattered bottles of alcohol. "Anyways, what can I get you two gentlemen? Something to drink?"