The King's OTHER side [Social/Ayero]

Come and get it!” There seems to be a small line that was going on in the streets of Reim. However the sight that most people would see is something a bit confusing. It was the king, but he was wearing his old chef apron and had his cart out again. Lai was making his famous dumplings, he was actually having them at the same price and everything. For the people who knew Lagi before and liked his food, it was nice to see him again doing what he originally loved. Lagi loved to cook; even though it was something deep inside that not many people can notice. However, his dumplings were somewhat of a fantastic snack, he can make them bi for meals and small for a small appetizer. He was even experimenting with squid, though it was still in the developing stages. However, doing this made Lagi feel like his old self again, and the people seemed to enjoy that Lagi was among them alot.

It had been several weeks since Ayero had discovered the fate of her family, leaving her with a broken heart and a younger brother to look after. It was impossibly difficult at times, but Ayero found strength in the young Vincenzo. The sibling pair that had never met bonded through their tragedy and heritage, learning how to come to terms with what had happened. As soon as she could, Ayero whisked Vin away from the mountain which he had spent his entire life on and journeyed back towards the city of Remano. She was worried at first that the boy would be stricken with culture shock, but he was more excited than anything and adapted readily. She was grateful for this attitude as it seemed to help distract him from the pain she knew was there, but when the city lights died down at night he became far more fragile.


Intent on exposing Vin to the city as much as she could, Ayero often took him out into the streets to teach him the winding roads and how to haggle without being ripped off. The child was the first one to spot Lagi’s dumpling cart, getting his sister’s attention and asking to go and see what kind of food people were lining up for. Vin was still getting used to seeing so many people in one place, and he knew that if a lot of people were waiting in line for that man’s food, it had to be good. ”Hmm? You hungry?” Ayero squints in the distance, unable to recognize Lagi from how far they were. ”Yeah! Can we get some of that food the guy is selling? I bet it’s good!” Holding his growling stomach, Vin bounced excitedly on his heels. ”Alright, alright. I suppose it is lunch time.” She chuckles, patting the boy on the head.




As they make it to the front of the line, Vin smiles up at Lagi. ”Hello! I’d like some beef dumplings, please.” The boy announces as Ayero wears an amused look and fishes through one of the inner pockets of her cloak for some coin. ”I’ll take an order as we—Lagi…?” She looks startled and a bit incredulous as she finally lays eyes on the man running the dumpling stand who had an uncanny resemblance to the young King.

Lagi looked down at the little boy with a friendly smile. He kind of reminded lagi just a little bit of how he was when he was growing up. “Of course, coming right up little man!”  Lagi would say as he tipped his turban a bit and checked on the beef dumplings to see if they were ready. As he was packing the beef dumplings up for the little boy, Lagi heard his name being called. “Hmm? Ayero?” Lagi would say as he turned around and smiled at the woman, it was good to see the red haired beauty once again. “Oh, how you been? I’m just doing some community stuff, messing around with my cooking skills. I think I told you about this before, or you don’t remember. Either way…” Lagi would continue to pack up the beef dumplings as he looked down at the little boy, he looked a little familiar. Maybe it was the eyes,  maybe it was the earnest look on his face. “ You know, you can almost pass as Ayero’s little brother or something, If she had one I mean. I think I remember seeing her smile like that,  but she was a little tipsy I think. “ Lagi would say this casually as he handed over the beef dumplings to Vin.

Vin’s smiles grow wider as Lagi hands him the dumplings, but he turns around to face his sister when she mentions the man’s name with a surprised look on his face. Guiding the smaller Fanalis to the side of the cart so that they’re not holding up the line, Ayero gives Lagi a tired smile. ”I do remember, yes. I just didn’t expect to see you out here.” She looks down at Vin who had eagerly begun chowing down already.


”Huh?” The boy looks up at Lagi with a mouthful of dumpling and swallows thickly. ”What’s ‘tipsy’ mean?”


”It means that I was being silly.” Ayero cuts in before Lagi would have a chance to answer, shaking her head a bit. ”Lagi, this is my younger brother, Vincenzo. Vin, this is…my friend, Lagi.” She hesitates on what to call him, not sure if she should reveal right away that this young man was the King of Reim.


”Well, you’re really good at making dumplings, Mr. Lagi!” The boy declares with a bright smile. ”Are you here every day? We should come here for lunch tomorrow, too!”

“Oh? Your brother? That’s pretty cool. I’m an only child so I don’t think that I would know how it feel have someone blood related to look up to you. However, I think it’s nice to have an alternate version of you running around. “ Lagi would say with a happy smile as he continued to cook and serve the other customers. He was especially pleased that the little Fanalis was pleased with how Lagi made the good, which was a warmth feeling on his part. Lagi was especially fond of Fanalis, he didn’t exactly know why though. “Well Vincenzo, I’m really glad that you like the food! I don’t usually do this every day, due to the fact that I have other important things to attend. But being around people is also important, especially if you guys are exchanging smiles when eating good food. It makes me happy to see you happy, that much itself is a great reward. “ Lagi received some gold coins from a customer and put them in his pocket as he handed over the bag of dumplings . “ So, having a walk around town? What are you guys up to today?”

”And what do you say to Lagi for the food?” Ayero asks in an expectant tone while looking down at the child. Vin pauses to swallow the rest of the food in his mouth before showing off another blinding smile. ”Thanks, Mr. Lagi!” Turning to his sister, he adds ”Is food always this good in the city?” Chuckling softly, Ayero shrugs. ”If you know where to look.”


She smiles tiredly at Lagi, pleased to see that he was in a better mood than when they had first met. She could only imagine the stress that came with being suddenly thrust unexpectedly into the position of King and at such a young age. While it was a bit odd that he was peddling dumplings at the side of the road, perhaps it was what made him happy and helped release some of the anxiety from current affairs.


”What kind of important things do you do?” The curious child looks up at the man with wide eyes. ”Hush Vin, don’t bother Lagi. Aren’t you supposed to be hungry?” His question forgotten almost immediately at the indirect mention of food, the boy is all too eager to shove another dumpling in his mouth and make a satisfied noise. With the younger Fanalis occupied, Ayero answers Lagi’s question. ”For now, yes. Vin’s never been to a city before, so I’m trying to expose him to city life more.” She explains smoothly before the child pipes up again. ”I wanna see a coliseum match, but sis says that I’m too young! Do you think that I’m too young, Mr. Lagi?”

You are very welcome Vin, it’s good to see that you are enjoying yourself. A happy customer’s responses are always appreciated. “Lagi would say with a winning smile as he continued cooking and tending to the other customers. It was kind of funny that most of the customers knew who he was, but they also know who he used to be. Some would say that it brought a balance as to how they looked at Lagi and what they thought of him. When the boy asked Lgai what kind of things he did, Lagi would think about that for a quick minute before answering. “Well, for starters, I’m the king. So I have a very important job of making sure that everyone is safe and happy. It gets hard sometimes, and things might not end up the way that I want it to. However Vin, the most important thing that you have to do Is continue to encourage yourself. That way, things will get better over time as long as you stay in high spirits. “

After giving another customer their food, Lagi takes another look at Ayero. “You look tired Ayero, maybe you should head home and take a nap after this? And oh, well that’s a good reason to be curious of things. “After another exchange about the coliseum, Lagi would rub his turban a little. “Well, Coliseum matches could be gruesome and scary; it’s nothing that a kid should be concerning themselves with. Wouldn’t you want to do something a bit more fun? Like go to school and hang out with kids your age? I’m sure you’ll learn a lot and make a lot of friends.” That was a good question as Lagi looked at Ayero again. “Are you enrolling him or are you going to homeschool him?

Vin’s mouth fell open as Lagi casually mentions his position in the Reim Empire. Ayero just gives him an amused sideways glance and reminds the boy to chew his food. Swallowing the remainder of dumpling in his mouth, the young Fanalis squints up at Lagi, voicing his concerns in an accusatory tone. ”If you’re really the King, then why are you selling dumplings on the side of the road?” He turns his head to catch Ayero’s gaze. ”Wait, is this one of those weird adult things? I don’t get it…” The boy huffs and looks down, clearly confused by city life.


As Lagi mentions her fatigued appearance, Ayero unconsciously place a hand on her upper cheek and undereye area. Did she really look that tired? The Fanalis woman hadn’t noticed, but she certainly felt it. ”Vin, I told you. No coliseum until you’re older.” She sighs, taking the warning tone of a parent when scolding their child. She didn’t want her little brother to be exposed to such gore after experiencing the heavily traumatizing and bloody incident involving their family.


At the mention of school, Vin perks up and looks in between the two adults. He’d heard of schools before and knew of them as places that rich city people sent their kids to learn to read and write. Such things were neither necessary nor accessible where he had lived, and he suddenly wonders if everyone in the city could read and write. Ayero hesitates in answering, but in truth this was a decision she had been wrestling with ever since she had taken Vin under her care. Schools were expensive and would separate the siblings for most of the day, something she didn’t think that either of them would be able to cope with easily. She herself had acquired rudimentary literacy skills in her travels, enough for practical use. ”I’ll be teaching him, for now.”

Well Vin ,life can be seen as pretty difficult if you are left without a hobby. That’s why as king, you have to make sure that you don’t turn into an insane jerk with nothing to do by keeping yourself idle. I believe that as long as ‘m able to keep myself idle by doing the things I love and hanging out with my friends…” Lagi would say as he turned to smile at Ayero for a quick second. “ I think I’ll be alright. So I guess it’s for my sake , you can say it like that. “ Lagi laughed after the small exchange of the coliseum. “ Tell you what, maybe she would let you go on your first assignment instead? That seems to be safer, right?

Vin tilted his head at Lagi’s words, not quite understanding what the man was talking about. But he did like the tone in which he spoke, especially when he mentioned being with his friends and not turning into someone bad. Ayero watches the interaction quietly, wanting to see how the younger Fanalis took in Lagi’s words. She was still unsure of how she should feel about Lagi’s rule, but at least the beast tamer seemed to have his heart in the right place. At Lagi’s suggestion, Vin looks up at his sister with hopeful eyes. The woman sighs and shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips. ”I suppose that is something we may work our way up to…in the future.”


Noticing the long line that had built up, Ayero hands Lagi the proper amount of coin for the meal. ”We’d best be off and not keep you. Take care, Lagi. Say goodbye, Vin.” She places a hand on the boy’s back as he grins and waves. ”G’bye, dumpling king!”


[Exit]