Miss Kii Kalira,
First of all, I would like to offer my apologies to have left you waiting in uncertainty for so long. There have been some...complications, here in San d'Oria. To make the matter brief, my father Gervaine Richille died last June. To the end he was against me staying in contact with you. I don't think he ever found out Endahren was willing to help us stay in contact. I felt guilty over this, and could not continue. While he did have opinions that differ drastically from mine, he was still my father.
Endahren left for Bastok today. I think that is what made me take up the pen again. With him gone, I realized that San d'Oria will not offer me any more. I have decided. As soon as mother and Triene are settled down into this new life well, I will leave San d'Oria. I wish to see the world. Even if I've hurt you with my inconsiderate behavior, I hope you can still be happy for me. If you still wish to stay in contact with me, you can once again reach me at my home, at least until I leave.
Respectfully,
Jenare Richille
The sun shining into Jenare's eyes woke him from his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he went through a momentary confusion. The surroundings did not look familiar to him, and everything was constructed in an unfamiliar way, out of unfamiliar materials. Then he remembered. This was Windurst, the capital city of the Federation of Windurst. The ancient capital of the tarutaru, mostly destroyed in the Great War twenty years past, but since rebuilt. The history of this place was overwhelming. He had been looking forward to this journey for weeks beforehands, even though a good portion of it would go to aiding his father in business matters.
Jenare smiled and dressed for the day. If all went well, his father would allow him the free time to look around Windurst today. Gervaine wasn't too interested in the history of other nations, even though he kept bringing up the grand history of their home nation San d'Oria. He was a true patriot, although sometimes Jenare thought his opinions about other nations and other races of the Goddess went too far. They were all the Goddess' children, there was no reason to shun others, even though their appearance was different. Personally, he felt curious about the other races. There had never been much opportunity for him to interact with them, other than with the occasional hume.
"Father? Are you awake?" Jenare passed the screen separating the space into two. Most likely he wasn't, as he would have waken Jenare up if he had risen already.
"Mmm. Ah. Morning already?" Jenare nodded seriously. Lately, his father had been sleeping more than before. He wasn't certain if it was serious, since it wasn't instantly obvious and happened only every now and then. Still, only several years before he had never caught his father sleeping, no matter how early he woke up himself.
"Shall I head down for breakfast?"
"You do that. I will join you in a moment. We have a lot to do today." Now that he had woken up, Gervaine was full of energy. There was business to be done, deals to be signed, and wares examined. Jenare smiled faintly.
"Alright." With that, he headed down the stairs to the eatery. Their lodging fee included a breakfast for every morning they would spend here, and one meal in the after noon. The rest of their meals they would have to take elsewhere. Jenare was already looking forward to enjoying the varied Windurstian dishes. That is, if he could convince his father to try out something a bit more foreign, which was not a given. Perhaps if they were unable to find a place in the near vicinity that offered something familiar...
Jenare looked over his shoulder. His father would take a little while to get ready yet. Feeling somewhat guilty about it, he inquired of the kitchen staff giving out breakfast for good places to try out Windurstian food. It couldn't hurt, and they didn't necessarily have to eat in these places. Nevertheless, it was good to be prepared. He listened attentively and memorized the names of the places the tiny tarutaru recommended him. This would quite likely turn out to be an interesting day. When his father came down for breakfast, Jenare was peacefully eating his breakfast, with only a slight guilt within him and several memorized recommendations showing he had done anything out of the ordinary. He hoped the tarutaru who had adviced him wouldn't give him away to his father.
Jenare looked around carefully. It was his first time ever in this city, and he didn't have much free time. Tomorrow already, he and his father would start heading back home to San d'Oria. He didn't really know what to do now. His knowledge of the city wasn't too great, so after leaving his father at the Metalworks administrative area, he had wandered here, looking for something interesting. Anything interesting. He doubted he would have the opportunity to come again, so this might turn out to be his only chance ever to see this city the hume and galka had built on the hilly area of Gustaberg.
He looked up to the sky. It looked so different in here. The blue was the same, but the surroundings made it a much harsher sight than in San d'Oria. It was the first time he had ever been so far from home. The world was full of wondrous sights, he thought. They had come on chocobo-back, it being the fastest and cheapest method to reach Bastok. The journey had been hard, he supposed, but the things he had seen on the way had made it worth it.
The water of the fountain - the Firewater Circle - glistened in the sun. It was a hot summer day. Jenare wandered down a stairway that led to a busy street further down. Shopping around might not be the best way to spend his time here, but at least it was doing something. He could see endless rows of stores of all kinds crammed into the street. At least father might thank him if he did this. It never hurt to be aware of what kinds of wares other shops sold. That applied for San d'Oria, so he thought it might apply to Bastok too, even if it was situated half the continent away.
As he slowly made his way down the street, he eventually came to one that caught his eye. Situated right next to a goldsmithing guild house, it advertised for Bastok-made jewellery. Jenare hesitated for a moment in front of the shop. It wasn't like he had any money to buy anything that expensive, nor the expertise to see how well made the jewellery actually was. When he noticed a shop guard looking at him suspiciously, he shaked his head and moved on. In a way, Bastok was similar to San d'Oria. Here, too, people were suspicious of others that did not look exactly like them. Here, too, was there hate. It wasn't as obvious as in San d'Oria, but it made him sad. He gave up on the street and started heading back to Metalworks. It was nearly time for him to be back, in any case. Not a big loss.
Miss Kii Kalira,
I hope my letter finds you in good health. There have been some troubles here in San d'Oria. If you'll excuse me for being so abrupt, I'll explain it straight away. While I am not too eager to bring up the issue, you are aware of my father's thoughts of the other races of the Goddess, are you not? This brings him several minor difficulties in his trade, but it appears to bring me more grief than it does him. He managed to get his hands on your latest letter and read it, naturally discovering who you are and where you are from. As a result, he is now determined to never let me communicate with you again.
Please do not be alarmed, I have no intention of conforming to his wishes this time. I have explained the situation to my friend Endahren, and for now you can address your letters to him instead. He will deliver them forward to me. He truly is a real friend!
I will respond to your letter shortly, I must hurry in sending this note so it will reach you in time.
Please take care,
Jenare Richille
Evening. The lights of Windurst shone down below, coming ever closer. The wind was cold, so Jenare drew his coat tighter around him. It was his first time seeing the city of Windurst, who sacrificed so much during the Great War.
"Don't wander too far, Jenare."
"I won't, father," he answered, turning respectfully to face the older man. The trip had been long, even with airships the distance between Windurst and San d'Oria wasn't covered too quickly.
"You be careful now. The tarutaru here never learned to be careful around their betters. They're running freely all over the place." Jenare just nodded, neglecting to mention that he had received this very same warning five times already since they had switched airships Jeuno. "And surely you know better than to interact with the mithra. Those tails are indecent!" This time, he nearly sighed. There warnings were worse than when they had first visited the Republic of Bastok.
"Yes, father. Shouldn't we go belowdeck to gather our belongings? We'll arrive soon."
"Yes, yes. Wouldn't want anyone wandering off with them. These foreigners, you never know," Gervaine muttered, and started making his way off the deck. Jenare could only follow, but before he did that, he threw one last look at the city. Despite the ever-present grumbling about foreigners, it might turn out to be an interesting experience.
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