link ??? volume_up
Crivens, Leonie! Yer alive! I thought ya went and kicked the bucket!
link Leonie volume_up
And I'm equally surprised to find you on the right side of the dirt. Still hunting for treasure while arrows rain down around you?
link Lysithea
...
link Lysithea volume_up
I saw you speaking with a churlish-looking man near the gate earlier, Leonie.
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What, him? Oh, he's just a mercenary I met a while back.
link Lysithea volume_up
I see. Given his filthy appearance, I thought he might be a wild bandit.
link Leonie volume_up
Heh. Not hardly. Although if I'm being honest, he's more of a scavenger than a mercenary.
link Lysithea volume_up
A...scavenger?
link Leonie volume_up
Exactly. See, folks like him go to battlefields and loot anything worth a bit of coin that's lying around.
link Leonie volume_up
Noble folk call them "midden men," but that a pretty lousy nickname.
link Lysithea volume_up
I've heard tales of such people, but...
link Leonie volume_up
Yeah, they live in a different world from you and me. Honestly, you could probably live the rest of your life and never run into another one.
link Lysithea volume_up
I...had no idea.
link Leonie volume_up
Hey, don't look so glum! There's nothing wrong with not knowing about that kind of life.
link Lysithea volume_up
Except that I wish to know more about commoners.
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But in order to do so, I would need to speak with all manner of different people...
link Lysithea volume_up
Leonie, may I ask you something?
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I once read something that has stayed with me, and I wonder if you might confirm it.
link Leonie volume_up
Sure. Hit me.
link Lysithea volume_up
Well, one particular book stated that the cookies and cakes eaten by commoners are not sweet.
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But then another book claimed that commoners do not actually eat desserts at all.
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So do they not eat sweets? Or are the sweets they prefer simply not honeyed?
link Leonie volume_up
Hmm... Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I ate plenty of treats as a kid that weren't sweet at all.
link Lysithea volume_up
I can't even imagine...
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There's no way for most commoners to afford the sweets that nobles enjoy.
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So instead, we eat unsweetened treats. Might be better to call them snacks, really.
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Commoner snacks?
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They're probably different from what you're used to. They're hard, dry, and look kind of plain.
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Anyway, you make a rough dough out of whatever grains you have lying around and fry it up. It's basic, but it's filling.
link Lysithea volume_up
So if I were to become a commoner, I would also eat these "snacks"...
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I'd never eat sweet candy again...
link Leonie volume_up
Well, not every commoner is forced to live on snacks. I bet you could get your hands on sweets if you were a merchant or an artisan or something.
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But anyway, you're a noble! Why are you worried?
link Lysithea volume_up
I...I'm sorry. It was merely a hypothetical.
link Lysithea volume_up
Thank you, Leonie. You were very helpful.
link Leonie volume_up
Was I? Huh. Well, if you've got any other questions, feel free to fire away.
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Oh, and for the record, the kids in my village were always happy with whatever snacks we could get.
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They were simple, sure, but also good in a weird way. You should try them sometime!
link Lysithea volume_up
A simple taste, is it? Intriguing...
link Lysithea volume_up
Maybe I should try making one of these snacks and see if Leonie wants to eat it with me...