Flashback In the Dust (Ashe)

[Rayala]

"Ashe, nice to meet ya," she replied, "I'm Rayala." She had been speaking in a friendly tone, though all conversation had been cut short when she had noticed the fluid on Ashe's hands. Her tone took on a more concerned one than anything else, even if she was yet wondering what it could mean for someone to have that.

Raya blinked as she replied twice with 'I don't know'. She looked around, making sure no one was close by. Either Ashe truly did not know, or it was something she wanted to keep hidden. She knew she had no reason to trust her, probably with good reason, but she wouldn't tell anything that could endanger a child. Her moral compass was skewed, yes, but not completely broken. "Do you really not know? Or...is it somethin' you worry you might be judged for?," she asked, her tone warm and friendly as she took up part of her skirt, nodding to the girl's hand. "I can clean if off you want. But...if you want to tell me, I promise not to tell. Enough people around the city could tell ya that." As far as she knew, it was true that some could back up her story. She did keep a hold of some secrets, some she would never tell with others having a set price, but the ones she would get rid of weren't that important. At least in her mind.

"'Course if you really don't know and I'm beating up a dead animal, then just say," she added, giving her an out. Some secrets were not meant to pass through the holder's lips, which she could understand.

[Ashe]

"Ashe, nice to meet ya, I'm Rayala" The beautiful woman said in a friendly tone before coming even more concerned about the clear fluid coating Ashe's hand now that she'd given Rayala an answer indicating the lack of knowledge about res. The woman's concern was making the child more nervous, as if there was a scorpion resting in the palm of her hands, and Rayala was trying her best not to disturb the hostage taking insect. It couldn't have been too long before the woman asked "Do you really not know? Or...is it somethin' you worry you might be judged for?" The child wanted to answer but she didn't want to make it obvious, So let her head rest until making a brief nod on the second option, and she nodded again when the woman picked up part of her skirt asking "I can clean if off you want. But...if you want to tell me, I promise not to tell. Enough people around the city could tell ya that" Ashe nibbled on the bottom lip wanting to share knowledge of her gift but it had to remain a secret. Soon her nervousness eased away when the woman soon said "course if you really don't know and I'm beating up a dead animal, then just say." With a sigh Ashe took that as a queue then said "'m sorry Rayala I don't know and will you please dry off my hand?" It was just safer to keep the secret under wraps even from a beautiful young lady like Rayala.

[Rayala]

The poor thing didn't seem to be calming down, which really just made Raya all the more curious. Though when she nodded to her offer of cleaning her hand, she gave a smile and carefully took one of Ashe's hands, lightly dabbing her skirt at the liquid until she had taken up at least most of it before she took her other hand to do the same.

"There. All gone. But don't be sorry, we can't all know everythin' If we did, nothin' would be a secret, huh?," she replied with a shrug. Part of her wanted to press, but she couldn't go so far against her morals, as loose as they were. Even so, it was highly doubtful she'd forget the look of the strange substance and the girl's nervousness about it, if only so she could find out what it was later. Of course, it could be nothing important, but that was yet to be decided.

Rayala stood up, still holding on to one of Ashe's hands. "Now, like I said, we gotta go past the Bay, so stay close," she paused a moment, seeming to think before nodding, "You ever been through here or you tend to stick to places owned by some gang or other? Though I know some barely leave the Quarters once they get comfortable." She grinned briefly at that, looking down to the paths with a light frown. She knew not all sailors were difficult, but she also knew that after a long while on the sea they made up the majority of brothel visitors. Man or woman, she didn't trust them.

Then again, she trusted those who grew up outside of Sunberth in general less than those born there.

[Ashe]

Ashe watched as Rayala wiped the child's hands with her skirt, It felt soft, almost like the bed sheets on her own bed but lighter. As soon as the young woman was finished she shrugged "There. All gone. But don't be sorry, we can't all know everythin' If we did, nothin' would be a secret, huh?" The child couldn't see anything wrong with that logic, However she didn't see any of her fellow initiates go to the gallows for not keeping their magic a secret, instead she wouldn't hear from them again, and her parents would be gone for an entire evening to look for their parents. Rayala's voice caught Ashe's attention as the young woman said "Now, like I said, we gotta go past the Bay, so stay close, You ever been through here or you tend to stick to places owned by some gang or other? Though I know some barely leave the Quarters once they get comfortable." The child took a moment to think about her answer, When she could leave her home, She often found herself following the other children whom Ashe found to be amusing, and other times where the area could get dangerous Ashe had her older brothers with her. "I have with my brothers, Sometimes if I can leave the house I stay around the Quarters with my friends" Ashe finally said. At the bay, while it may not be nearly as dangerous as the wolves' den most of the sailors gave her an uneasy feeling, like they were there to pick her up, and toss her aboard a sailing ship then start sailing to Sahova where she would never be seen again.

[Rayala]

Rayala nodded at her reply, taking that into account. She hadn't expected the girl to be used to taking care of herself, though enough children with parents were, but this meant that she had made the right choice. How the girl had gotten this far out yet still seemed nervous about going back was beyond her, but she supposed it was just one of those things that happened.

She glanced up to the sky then back down to Ashe with a smile before starting towards the 'paths' between the buildings. By the time they reached Baroque Bay the night had overtaken the day, dipping to the twilight hours. Even at night, the docks were busy, bustling with trade and dockings and departures. How anyone who lived here could sleep, Rayala would never know. Some were dipping into buildings, others speaking to merchant stalls or hawking their wares. Then there were those who were stealthy, or not so much, dipping hands into pockets and purses, the more brazen going to the stalls themselves. Some merchants were clustered together in tight groups, any cargo with them held tightly as they moved to their destinations. Such was the way of Sunberth, the Bay being no exception. It might be where more sales went on, but that didn't mean it was much safer. At least some of the stall merchants had guards, some more intimidating looking than others. As could be expected, there was the occasional drunken person wandering by, some clearly sailors while others not.

Raya glanced around, keeping a firm hold on Ashe's hand. Since there were no laws in Sunberth, slaves were also a thing to be sold here. She always found that funny since locals loved their freedom, yet they bought and sold slaves. It was either ironic or hypocritical. She blew some hair out of her face before starting to continue on wards, placing her free hand on the girl's shoulder. The crowds had thinned out due to the dark, but only so much since some goods were better sold at night. Plus, no one wanted their spot taken. With the amount of people milling about, the two would likely be bumped into every now and then.

[Ashe]

The child had briefly followed her chaperon's glance toward the sky and dismissed it as an afterthought. By the time the two reached the Bay, night had covered the sky, and even still the docks along with the bustling market remained active with movement. People of various sizes and shapes moving around the merchant stalls along with many others pushing themselves around the area looking for hidden riches stowed away in merchant goods. As the pair moved across the area, particularly when the two passed stalls where slaves were commonly found tied to posts waiting to be sold, Ashe felt Rayala draw closer, placing a free hand on the child's shoulder, as if she wanted to move faster out of the area. Honestly Ashe wouldn't blame her, Some may make the mistake of one of them being a slave just by Ashe's demeanor. Even though she knew that the outside world existed, there was much for the child to learn about. The child soon caught the scent of meat grilling in one of the nearby taverns and the passing thought of slavery was soon forgotten. It was supper time at the child's home and Ashe began to wonder what was being served at the moment. Perhaps a stew, made of a tender meat, freshly harvested potatoes, and some dried out vegetables cooked in an iron pot over the fire in the hearth. The more the child thought about the meal, the more she didn't notice that she was drooling, at least until Ashe looked down to find drops of slobber on her shirt, and with her sleeve the child quickly wiped her mouth.

[Rayala]

Every now and then she would glance down to Ashe to make sure she was doing all right, otherwise she kept walking on wards towards where the Sunset Quarters would be. After some time, when the air began to be saturated with the scent of various foods, Rayala looked back down to the girl, one brow raising as she noticed the drool.

She smiled as Ashe wiped at her mouth. The girl had said she wanted to get home for dinner after all, so it wasn't surprising for her to be hungry. "You hungry? We can probably grab ya somethin' to nibble on from one of the stands, if you want?," she offered, pausing in the moving crowd. She carefully positioned herself with her elbows out slightly and her feet apart to, hopefully, keep people from bumping into her or the girl while she asked. Of course her posture was probably more than a little odd, but so long as it kept a small bubble around the two it didn't much matter.

As she waited for the answer, she let her gaze drift around, focusing on the merchants with carts and the stalls. Those were the ones most likely to have obvious food. Though, of course, it mattered what Ashe might want. The Bay was known to house many different wares and that extended on to food. Even though most in Sunberth weren't able to have fat bellies, that didn't mean they couldn't get food. It was just harder to get a large amount of it, even for the 'richer' folks. Someone bumped into Raya's elbow jsut then, breaking her concentration, causing her to glare at them, even more when she noticed the man looking both her and Ashe over. When he doesn't seem to get the message straight away, Rayala hisses at him, ticking her head to the side and placing one foot forward. A look of confusion and, perhaps, fear of the unknown passes over the man's face before he scurries off. "That's what I thought," she muttered to herself, watching him until he disappeared into the crowd then looks back to Ashe with a reassuring smile.

[Ashe]

The child looked up to Rayala after wiping the drool from her mouth and listened to the young woman's offer. Ashe was very tempted to accept the offer, but home wasn't too far from the bay, and she briefly forgot about the offer when the two stopped in a moving crowd. The child looked at the woman's arms and noticed that Rayala's elbows were bent slightly. Ashe was not sure what was the sudden change of posture meant for and her thoughts returned to the offer at hand. Her home was not going to sprout legs and move any closer to her. Nor will the food, The child's concentration broke when someone bumped into the two, prompting the two to look at the stranger to find a man looking over both of them, He was ushered away when Rayala ticked her head to the side with a hiss, and stepped forward in a malevolent fashion. With the sound of the market Ashe couldn't hear what Rayala muttered to herself as the man scurried away and she returned to the offer then said to the smiling chaperone. "I think I can wait 'till we get home" She said with a smile. There should be food already cooked when the child returned, perhaps a little cold but it should be cooked.

[Rayala]

"Hm, so long as you're sure," she replied to Ashe's words on being able to wait. It hadn't seemed to her as if the girl could really wait much longer, but, then again, most people had learned to wait for food in Sunberth. It was just a matter of how the city was as it had its good and bad points like everywhere else. Though, of course, enough people likely saw the city as all bad. But the people who saw it as that were also the ones more likely to be stolen from.

Rayala reached down for Ashe's hand again before starting to walk once more. She still couldn't get over the thought that she was so small. How did young children manage anything without ending up dead in a river someplace? It was always a wonder to her that she had even survived as long as she did when she had been little and out on her own. But something about this particular girl was different. Namely the scars on her hands. Raya had no idea as to what that truly meant, just as she had been clueless on the liquid on her hands, but it had to mean something. Something that said this girl was a survivor.

Someone didn't simply get scars if they hadn't gone through something harsh in their life.

She glanced up to the sky, which had a few stars speckling the darkness, the moon just barely to see now. A small smile crossed her lips for a moment, feeling more in her element already. She preferred the dark to the harsh light of the day, one reason why she favored one particular goddess over the others. She shook her head to brush off those thoughts, instead focusing once more on leading Ashe to her home.

[Ashe]

"Hm, so long as you're sure" The woman said to young Ashe before taking her hand, Truth was, The child wasn't sure how much further it was to get home, the seductive scent of fresh food wafting through the air confused her sense of direction, and made her wonder if there would still be food by the time she came home. If only the child had a larger meal before leaving the safety of her home let alone the Sunset Quarter she would not be regretting messing up her options so badly. 'Please...let home be near' The child thought pleading to herself as the two walked further through the market side. The growing silence of the woman Ashe was being led by, made the child a little nervous, what could she be thinking? Did Rayala find another clue leading to the ultimate family secret? A scar on her hands? The mysterious fluid that once encased one of the child's hands. Put together to finally flesh out the secret of a closet magician, worth enough miza to live well in the city for many seasons if given to the right people, and at the right time. The nervousness quietly disappeared when Rayala glanced at the sky, It's darkness more bearable than staring into the light of the day, and the child returned a smile when the woman did the same. Rayala had been the one shaking her head, maybe that was her gesture of dismissing a thought as not being true. Nevertheless the pair continued onward towards the Sunset Quarters.