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IT was a clear, chilly winter afternoon nine months after Olivia came to the capital, the blue sky of the new year brilliant and bright.
“Today feels a little warmer.”
“It does, somewhat. It is sunny today.”
Olivia was with Elliot, walking through town. She was in a heavy coat with a scarf wound around her neck, and he was in a similarly warm overcoat as well. The streets were lively, perhaps due to the large number of shops open for the first day of the new year.
Amidst the calls of barkers drawing customers into their stores, Olivia looked up at Elliot with gratitude and exclaimed, “Thank you for inviting me. I’d given up on going since I’d have to go alone.”
“I’m glad you got to then. I’m looking forward to it too.”
They were headed to a large church in the old town to take part in their country’s custom of making New Year’s requests. Olivia would typically have gone with her family, so she thought she wouldn’t be able to go this year. But Elliot invited her, allowing her to go for the first time in a long while.
As they walked, Olivia asked, “You didn’t go with your family, Elliot?”
“No, they’re all too busy. And, actually, this is my first time going to church at the New Year.”
“Your first time!” Her eyes grew in shock. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five! You’re only five years older than me? I thought you were much older.”
Elliot smiled at her genuine surprise. “I’ll take that to mean I look like a mature, grown man.”
The two joked as they enjoyed their walk. After some time, they saw a characteristic orange conical roof rise before them.
Olivia’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a big church.”
“Apparently, it’s the second largest, after the central church.”
According to Elliot, the central church right in the middle of the city was filled with nobles at this time, which was why he chose the second-largest church instead.
Open-air stalls filled the square in front of the church, along with a buzzing crowd. Olivia’s eyes crinkled with a smile at the sight of the customary New Year hubbub. It brought back a lot of nostalgic emotions.
The two cut across the bustling square and entered through the tall door. They donated at the door, then washed their hands in water ladled from a large, decorative jug ready for visitors to use.
They entered the austere hall with a high ceiling and rows of stained-glass windows to find a line of about twenty people.
Olivia let out a small sigh. “Oh, good. It’s not too packed.”
“I thought it looked fairly crowded. Is that not the case?”
“Sometimes, there are so many people that the line goes out the door.”
“Huh.” Elliot looked ahead with curiosity.
Olivia found this a little amusing since their roles were usually reversed in situations like this. Then she whispered, “Do you see the four stones lined up there in that open area? You touch one and make your New Year’s request. The red is for love and marriage, blue for education, yellow for fortune and wealth, and black is for career.”
“Yes, I see now. That part is well-known. The red stone does seem popular with the ladies.”
Once it was their turn, Elliot chose the black stone, and Olivia chose the yellow one. They whispered their request before stepping away from their respective stones at nearly the same time, and the man standing nearby who looked like a member of the clergy showed them to the exit from the hall.
As they walked along the narrow hallway that led outside, Olivia asked, “You chose the stone for career. What did you ask for?”
“I have a problem that’s remained unresolved for a very long time. I prayed that it would be solved this year. You chose the stone for fortune and money?”
“Yes. The results of the Magic Item Design Awards are going to be announced soon. Though, this was just to make me feel better since I’m sure they’ve already made their decision.”
Elliot looked surprised. “They really haven’t announced them yet? You didn’t mention the Awards, so I was starting to think they hadn’t.”
“No. About two weeks ago, I heard they still had the final round of judging, but there’s been no word since. I guess judging is taking a long time since there were so many submissions this time.”
“Oh.” After a moment, Elliot smiled. “Well, I imagine people will be more interested in your patent anyway. I’ve heard rumors that the Royal Magic Research Institute is all worked up. I think they may ask you to join them.”
Olivia smiled bashfully. “Gordon said the same. Apparently, it’s a huge honor for that to happen. But I think I’ll say no.”
“Really?” Elliot looked surprised.
Olivia grinned bigger. “I became an artificer to put smiles on my customers’ faces. That’s what I want to work on.”
After that, the two decided to peruse the stalls on the church grounds. Elliot’s head turned this way and that as he took in the new sights before pointing to one stall. “I’ve never seen anything like those skewers of red meat they’re grilling over there.”
“Oh, those are famous for being at churches at the New Year. They’re chili skewers, very spicy, but they warm you up. Do you like spicy food?”
“Relatively, yes. Do you?”
“I love spicy food.”
He turned toward the stall. “Then let’s try some.”
“All right. I’ll go buy us some drinks,” Olivia shouted as she headed off.
They met up after buying their chili skewers and tea and sat on an open bench.
“This is spicier than I expected,” noted Elliot.
“Yeah. It’d be really spicy if you didn’t have something to drink.”
The two nibbled their chili skewers as they watched the busy stalls and people having fun. They meandered aimlessly around the stalls and tried other foods only available at the New Year and partaking in the games available. Elliot surprised Olivia with his darts skills, and Olivia made Elliot burst into laughter with her superhuman prowess at the ball scoop game. They thoroughly enjoyed everything “New Years” about the day.
Once signs of evening began to show in the sky, the two left the church and took a carriage to Gordon’s Magic Appliances. Elliot jumped lightly down before helping Olivia disembark. Once she was standing on firm ground, he held out a hand with a smile.
“I had fun today,” he told her. “Thank you. To another good year of helping each other.”
Olivia smiled and gently squeezed his surprisingly large and sturdy hand. “No, thank you. To another good year.”
Elliot then boarded the carriage and headed into town. Olivia opened the door to the shop and went inside.