A Chance Encounter [Ainyi]

[Skugga]

78 of Fall 511 AV An irritating ray of sun light seeped through the curtains Skugga had placed over the windows to prevent just this, though curtains was much said when it was more a piece of cloth, which probably was the reason for the sun finding tears and worn places to sneak through. Irritated she turned over to her other side to escape the bright light but found that she needed to buy real curtains as light from a neighbouring house shone into her single room from this angle. Sighing in defeat she heaved herself up from her bed, stretching her lithe frame so her muscles and joints protested. Picking up her deep blue dress from a chair she pulled it over her head and smoothed out the wrinkles before looking through her small house for something to eat so she could avoid leaving so early. Finding some salted meat she'd bought recently and fresh fruit she looked through her chest for something to read before sitting down at the table to eat. Flipping through the pages of her newly borrowed book listing poisons of all kinds and gave directions to fin its antidotes in another book. "Phantom's Shell: A brown powder made from the ashes of seaweed giving off a smell of wet fur. A person affected by the poison gets more sensitive to pain for up to four bells though the poison has to be applied through an injury by being dusted on a weapon. Skugga mumbled to herself as she read, finishing off the salted meat. "Is prepared by burning different kinds of sea weed before mixing them together. Seems kinda easy. Drinking some water she flipped the page and skimmed over it and looked at the next page. "Bloodroot causes mild confusion and physical weakness and to be effective the poison have to be placed on a weapon of some sort. Pausing her quiet monologue Skugga ate an apple as she studied the page. "Is made by brewing roots from deep woods and then mixed together to create a thick red liquid without any scent." Flipping through some more pages as she finished off her last apple Skugga sighed and rose up closing the book as she went over to her chest placing it back down. She didn't feel like reading today, contemplating leaving to see how Alvadas had changed during the night she turned down that thought quickly. She was surprisingly unsure about what to do today, deciding she did not want to go out, not yet at least Skugga brought out her flute to see what she could produce with it today.

[Ainyi]

"No thank you, miss, goodbye now!"

This door didn't slam quite as hard as the last one, Ainyi thought to herself. She had tried squeezing one last word in, but it was of no use. Heaving a sigh, the woman walked down the step only to find that the market she had intended to start pitching her services to was no longer there anymore. More residence blocks.

This city was so endlessly confusing to her. There was such a nice, defined feeling of locale in Wind Reach; a circularity to it really. Here, it changed so often it was as though she were living through the dream. Why her mother thought this would be a good idea, she had no clue. She sat down and whistled for Braghna, who waited for her just overhead. The elderly couple she had just spoken to did not seem fond of birds of prey.

"One week!" The caravan trader had told her. "You'd best have found a job and place to stay by then. After that, my debt to your mother is paid, and you'll be on your way now, you hear?" Just hearing his poor attempt at Nari echo in her head made her wince. No, she had to do more now. Despite the chaos that embodies Alvadas, she will find a way to make this work. Yinri would hardly forgive her for giving up now.

Placing her pack on her back once more, Braghna flocked down and latched onto it, his beak nuzzling at the braids within braids that she had done, a chink sounding as the beak brushed against glass beads. Looking down to the next door, she once more approached, clearing her throat to bring her voice tone down from the high, whimsical register used in Nari. She knocked, wild hazel eyes examining her toes in her sandals. She would need to invest in warmer clothes and quickly. The garb of her people was making her feel colder and colder by the day.

"For hire," She said in as clear Common as she could, speaking slowly and overpronoucing in places. "I have many skills, but I am not prostitute. Will accept any rate with decent wage." She closed her eyes, and lifted her head. She felt Yinri's flute pressing into her back from her bag; taking comfort in that, she braced for another door slam, and opened her eyes.

[Skugga]

The cool metal in her hands was comforting, reminding Skugga off holding a weapon, but this slender flute was far from dangerous unless it was played badly on. Moving her fingers experimentaly along the small holes in its body and blowing some easy tunes just to test herself Skugga started to get back into her old habits. She hadn't used those in many years, not since well before leaving Zeltiva in fact, but it felt good coming back to music again. It was a certain beauty in music that could entertwine and accompany both tradegy and happiness, life and death. in the midst of feeling her way through a series of low tunes, just so she could get a feel of the thin instrument in her pale hands Skugga was interupted by a knock on her door. Slightly irritated by the disruption she was also a bit curious, as the city moved around she had yet to have any visitor come knocking and so she put her flute down and headed for the door. It was quick work to reach the door, her small house was just that, small. A voice called out just as Skugga pushed on the handle and opened the door. The girl, or young woman maybe, spoke in Common though she didn't seem overly used to the language and judging by her dark red hair and hazel eyes this woman was an Inarta. Skugga was relatively certain of that and also more curious as to why an Inarta that, from what Skugga had learned from her visit to Wind Reach, didn't often leave their city. "Aren't you far from Wind Reach Inarta?" Skugga inquired, her mother would surely faint from her daughters rudeness if she'd been there to hear it. Skugga's steel grey eyes in stark contrast to her dark hair and dress as she looked the red haired woman over. Lightly dressed as all Inarta, but in Alvadas those clothes would be far from enough when winter struck. "Anyway I'm not sure there are anything you can help me with, I take care for myself."

[Ainyi]

As the door opened, Ainyi found herself craning her neck. The woman in front of her was full eight inches taller than she, with light gray eyes and dark hair. Part of Ainyi scoffed internally a finger scratching under Braghna's feathers when he leaned down on her pack. Her father used to tell her never to trust tall, beautiful women. They use their height to look down on you.

"Aren't you far from Wind Reach Inarta?"

That much was true. While Ainyi knew that her race would be a hindrance here, she still kept her chin high. She owed this woman no explanation. If she wasn't trying to sell her something, she supposed biting would be in order; verbal or physical wasn't clear at the moment. But the fact of the matter is that she was. Never insult the person you're selling to, the tradesman told her.

"Anyway I'm not sure there is anything you can help me with, I take care for myself."

"I'm sure you take care of yourself fine," Ainyi pushed out. She was unable to summon a smile, so instead she just put on a face that wasn't disdainful. "My skills offer something for everyone. I am good with bow and sword. Good with horses. I..." She paused, trying to bring the mental list back up. "I am good at finding things. Tracking, hunting, you say. A good thing to know in this city, yes?"

Ainyi shifted her weight to one hip and leaned on the door frame. After all, a tall beautiful woman told her there wasn't anything she needed help with; and she was taught never to trust tall, beautiful women. Surely, there had to be some truth to this. She would have to find out.

[Skugga]

Skugga continued to look at the red haired girl at her door, finding things as a job in Alvadas must be hard. How, no matter the skill, could one find something on purpose in a city where things vanished in the blink of an eye and was replaced by something else. Unless she was marked by Ionu but still that seemed odd to Skugga so how come her bold statement. "Let's say I'd want something found how can you guarantee that you'll find it in this moving city?" Skugga said curiously, leaning against the door frame, serving only to shorten her height slightly. "I'm not missing anything of mine as off yet though," she said- Absentmindedly twirling her silver necklace in her hands, an intricate emblem fastened to a long slim chain and one of Skugga's most valuable belongings. Her family insignia didn't matter so much to her per se, at least she did like to pretend it did not, but she still never took it off and if lost would cause a frantic attack from the normally calm woman. "Well, one thing maybe, this city is interesting in itself of course, despite the annoyance of finding my job every day I do like being surprised everyday. But the excitement and danger of travel and being in Sunberth for example, I miss that. It would be nice to have a bit of challenge again." With a touch of longing in her eyes Skugga remembered her travels, her own naivety when she first stepped into Sunberth, it was a chock compared to Zeltiva. But she had soon become lost in the atmosphere and easily fitted in among the thieves, murderers and assorted criminals. It had been tempting to stay actually but other cities had been calling her as well and in the end Alvadas had won her over with it's illusions. Housing the god of illusion Ionu himself was even more of a hook for Skugga who yearned for a mark from the god. Zooming in on the girl again she waited for an answer, taking notice of the falcon on her pack for the first time as well. A bit surprised over the bird's affection for the Inarta but then again having been in Wind Reach she remembered that most of the ginger haired people loved birds of all kinds, not just their giant eagles.

[Ainyi]

"Let's say I'd want something found how can you guarantee that you'll find it in this moving city? I'm not missing anything of mine as off yet though."

Now that was something to think about. The merchant didn't seem keen on giving her salesman's advice, and a quick wit was not something Ainyi was famous for, especially when everything is in a foreign language. She furrowed her brow a moment, and made to answer; Braghna ruffled his feathers a moment, picking up on the nervous energy of his mistress.

"I..," she began hesitantly, before shaking her head. "I make no guarantee. Is very simple. If you do not trust me, then wait to pay until after I have found what you want. Is fair, no?"

Though she had professed she wasn't missing anything, Ainyi didn't sense the woman pushing her away either. She hadn't moved to slam the door in her face, or reject her outright. She adjusted the pack, feeling Yinri's flute press into her spine temporarily as she did so. Ainyi pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly, as though to keep from letting any extraneous hope from bubbling out, as the woman spoke again.

"Well, one thing maybe, this city is interesting in itself of course, despite the annoyance of finding my job every day I do like being surprised everyday. But the excitement and danger of travel and being in Sunberth for example, I miss that. It would be nice to have a bit of challenge again."

Ainyi furrowed her brow as she set about translating everything. What did finding her job every day have to do with anything? Did she want her to help her find her workplace on an every day basis? That makes no sense. She talked about danger and excitement, and that place called Sunberth. The last thing she had said, would be nice to have a bit of a challenge. What challenge? What did she mean? The Inarta looked up again, pushing out her own words.

"I do not understand," she professed, lips slightly parted between phrases, her hands moving with the words slightly, as though helping her piece them together. "Do you want me to find something? Danger and excitement are not too hard to find here, no? Is that what you ask me to get for you?" Even she could hear the accent. She hoped it wouldn't be too off-putting to the woman in front of her.

[Skugga]

"Well that's fair I guess," Skugga answered with a shrug. To be certain that she got what she was owed she'd probably have demanded half the prize from the start, though Skugga was not very trusting. Keeping her sharp gaze on the girl, or maybe young woman was more correct, her wiry, slim form probably hid quite a few years for sure. "No, it's nothing," Skugga said to the Inarta, not really sure why she wasn't just slamming the door shut. "I have no trouble finding my job, well that's much said," she added with a frosty chuckle. "Nothing is truly easy to find in Alvadas of course but still." She stopped twirling her necklace and instead crossed her arms and shifted her weight to the other foot listening the to girl. The girls accent brought back memories from Wind Reach, the beautiful city balancing on a mountain side with giant eagles soaring above the roofs, a place where your own efforts and strength brought you power, it had actually been harder to resist staying there than in Sunberth. If she concentrated she could still hear the cries of the eagles and the bustle of the streets but still she did slightly prefer the privacy given in Alvadas. Of course she just as well find the arena to get excitement but despite her facade Skugga wasn't so good at any kind of fighting and just looking would get boring eventually, so the chance of exploring something new and risky was very intriguing. But so far she'd failed her attempts. Maybe this woman could indeed be of help, it would work both ways, the stranger would get a job, kind off and herself would maybe find something. There was no guarantee that the underground would hold up to her expectations but that would be shown with time. "I don't miss anything really, it's just I've heard rumours lately about an underground system in Alvadas and I've tried to find it but haven't succeeded yet." She admitted sourly, a frown spreading over her face. Skugga never liked admitting defeat or even a mistake, it really brought out her bad mood.