Remembering that he had bought a present for Rowena ages ago he sprints to his room and finds it stored in his closet. It is a small wooden statue of a bird, captured in the moment that it is trying to fly away, with its wings spread out in the air. He had hoped to give it to her the next time she was coming here, but now he can take it to her.
The next morning Nillian says goodbye to his parent and makes his way to the train station. He is early, like he usually is, and again visits the little cafe in the stations hall. He sips his tea and looks at the comings and goings of all the people. When he notices Lyxia walking past he hails her, and soon she too is sitting, sipping a cup of tea.
"Nice morning, isn't it? Did the monastery make any difficulties for going on this trip?"
"Hmm? No, no, they said that it was no problem, no trouble at all."
"Good, good. So ... looking forward to seeing Rowena again?"
"Yes I am. It will be good to see her again, even though I last visited her ... about two months ago."
"You did? I didn't know that. Why didn't you tell me?"
"As if I tell you everything, brother of mine."
"Alright. But if you would have told me I would perhaps gone with you."
"Well, it was kind of unplanned. I had a job, an errand to do there."
"Hmm, a job? Like that evening in Räan?"
Lyxia gives Nillian such a withering look that he looks away, ashamed to have brought it up. Luckily he is saved by the whistle of the train, signalling the approaching departure. They quickly make their way over to the train. After their tickets have been checked they board one of the carriages and find a good spot in a first class seat.
It is quite crowded in the carriage, with almost all seats taken. That puts a restriction on their conversations, and they stick with some quiet small talk and a lot of staring out of the window. Nillian forgot to bring a book, while Lyxia did not. So after a while she takes it out and begins reading. Nillian's curiosity is awoken, and he tries to get a peak at the cover. It says "One warm Summer", and looks a bit like a romantic novel. When Lyxia catches him looking he quickly turns away, feeling a bit ashamed for looking. Lyxia smiles and makes it worse by offering the book to him.
When they arrive in Capes(*) the evening is just starting. Nillian is tired of looking at trees whizzing by, and is glad for some houses and buildings to look at. Capes looks a bit like Räan, though there are some big differences. One is the beautiful view of the ocean, just beyond the city. Another is the fact that the roads are much smaller here, giving the city a feeling of compactness. Along all the roads there are channels, for carrying off excesses of water Nillian surmises. There are also a lot of seagulls here, and they quite aggressively try to steal food from people walking in the streets.
As the train enters the Capes train station Lyxia's face suddenly turns serious, and she takes Nillian to the side.
"Nill, some ... advice, good council. Rowena is probably going to ask our opinion about something. Take her serious! It is very important for her."
"Ehm, alright... But how do you know?"
"Just say that I have a feeling, a premonition."
"Aright, I will keep it in mind."
The Capes train station looks very different than the other train stations Nillian has visited. Because Capes has almost no import or export there is no large cargo hauling area. Instead the station is partitioned into several platforms, which are covered by large metal roofs. These roofs are supported by small metal columns, giving a peculiar look to the whole station. They do not have a real station hall, but instead they have a small square. Adjacent to the square there is a ticket office, a waiting room and a small cafe.
On the square they find Rowena(*) already waiting. She looks very good, and warmly greets Nillian and Lyxia. After hugging and exchanging greetings Rowena leads them to a horse drawn carriage that waiting for them.
"The hospital was so nice to let me borrow Francis and his carriage for the evening. That way I can take you to the city without any bother having to search for a carriage for hire."
"Oh, that is nice of them. So, where are we going first?"
"Well, I have booked an inn very close to me. I sadly don't have any room for you to stay with me, sorry for that..."
"Oh, no problem. We are happy to take an inn, right Nillian?"
"Yes, yes. I have been sleeping in and out of inns for the last week, and they are very comfortable."
"Oh, why is that then?"
"For my research. I have been both to Räan and Stokes, searching for some leads. But that is for later, for now tell us something about Capes!"
"Oh, alright. Let me see ... If you look to your right you can see the harbour in the distance. There are not many ships there at the moment, because the fishers have yet to return. Oh, that would be nice to watch some time! All those ships streaming into the harbour, just before the sun goes under. Remind me to take you to that.
Between us and the harbour you can see the Fish district, where they farm and process all the fish in the city. On days when the wind blows towards us you can smell the salty smell of the sea. On our left is the shopping street. There you can find all the large stores and boutiques. Anything you need you can probably find there.
Now, let me see ... ah, I think that we are coming up to the inn. Yes, there it is, just around that corner."
The carriage stops in front of the inn, and Nillian, Lyxia and Rowena get out. The inn is called the Swan's Head and looks very respectable. The outside of the inn is decorated with several large pots filled with flowers, all in all different colours. The inn also has its own flag, which slowly moves in the wind, showing a swans head with some kind of wreath around it. Together Nillian, Lyxia and Rowena enter the inn, to survey their rooms.
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