7th/Summer/518 AV
Unable to sequester herself away in her room any longer, Aster had set out to look for food; she had no idea where she was, or where anything else was in the city. But she was used to simply wandering around and hoping to find what she needed.
So Asterope left Tarsin's, the sun having long since set, and picked a random direction to walk. She was very quickly realizing how convoluted navigating the city was; it was, in her opinion, far more difficult than trying to navigate Alvadas.
Finally stumbling across a bridge, Aster crossed it, pausing to peer down into the canal below her. There were no ravosalas around, and the water was mostly still and dark, lapping quietly at the sides of the canal. There was something eerie about staring into the dark, reflective surface of the water; Aster tore her gaze away, and hurried forward, paranoia prickling at the back of her mind.
It took a few bells of wandering, walking alongside canals, crossing the occasional bridge and taking the occasional narrow alley between buildings, but Aster eventually found herself in what seemed to be a market of some sort.
Shops lined the walkways, a few open stalls scattered around the slightly larger surface area of the ground; at least, larger than Aster had seen in her wanderings throughout Ravok.
Most of them were closed, or in the process of closing, but one in particular caught her eye. While the few other stalls advertised their wares clearly, this still had no signs, and the man behind the wooden counter was busy with something, hunched over and scribbling on a piece of paper rather than trying to attract customers; it was slightly strange. The difference was subtle, but once noticed, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He seemed to feel Aster's gaze on him, for suddenly he looked up from whatever he was drawing and locked eyes with Asterope. She blinked, startled, glancing around uncertainly before looking back to the man. He narrowed his eyes at her, and Aster took a step back, ready to leave, but he suddenly gestured her over.
A long pause stretched out; the anxiety stirring in her brain urged her to turn and flee anyway, but her curiosity got the better of her. With slow, cautious steps, Aster crossed over to the stall, stopping about a foot way. Up close, she could see that the human man was older; faint wrinkles covered his face, a scar running down his cheek. His greying hair was thinning, and as he grinned at Aster, she noticed that a few of his teeth were missing.
"Hello there," He greeted, his voice rough, with an accent Aster couldn't place. "How can I help ye, dear?"
Aster peered down at what the man had been drawing, and felt her heart give a kick of surprise to see somewhat familiar circles; automatically, her hand went to her pocket, feeling for the engraved bone in the pocket. Malediction, the word came to her mind unbidden, recalling the Dhani's words from the season prior, when she had discovered the bone.
It was almost too convenient, especially for a place that didn't operate under the strange whims of Alvadas. "That depends," Aster said carefully. "What services do you offer?"
Word Count: 548
So Asterope left Tarsin's, the sun having long since set, and picked a random direction to walk. She was very quickly realizing how convoluted navigating the city was; it was, in her opinion, far more difficult than trying to navigate Alvadas.
Finally stumbling across a bridge, Aster crossed it, pausing to peer down into the canal below her. There were no ravosalas around, and the water was mostly still and dark, lapping quietly at the sides of the canal. There was something eerie about staring into the dark, reflective surface of the water; Aster tore her gaze away, and hurried forward, paranoia prickling at the back of her mind.
It took a few bells of wandering, walking alongside canals, crossing the occasional bridge and taking the occasional narrow alley between buildings, but Aster eventually found herself in what seemed to be a market of some sort.
Shops lined the walkways, a few open stalls scattered around the slightly larger surface area of the ground; at least, larger than Aster had seen in her wanderings throughout Ravok.
Most of them were closed, or in the process of closing, but one in particular caught her eye. While the few other stalls advertised their wares clearly, this still had no signs, and the man behind the wooden counter was busy with something, hunched over and scribbling on a piece of paper rather than trying to attract customers; it was slightly strange. The difference was subtle, but once noticed, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He seemed to feel Aster's gaze on him, for suddenly he looked up from whatever he was drawing and locked eyes with Asterope. She blinked, startled, glancing around uncertainly before looking back to the man. He narrowed his eyes at her, and Aster took a step back, ready to leave, but he suddenly gestured her over.
A long pause stretched out; the anxiety stirring in her brain urged her to turn and flee anyway, but her curiosity got the better of her. With slow, cautious steps, Aster crossed over to the stall, stopping about a foot way. Up close, she could see that the human man was older; faint wrinkles covered his face, a scar running down his cheek. His greying hair was thinning, and as he grinned at Aster, she noticed that a few of his teeth were missing.
"Hello there," He greeted, his voice rough, with an accent Aster couldn't place. "How can I help ye, dear?"
Aster peered down at what the man had been drawing, and felt her heart give a kick of surprise to see somewhat familiar circles; automatically, her hand went to her pocket, feeling for the engraved bone in the pocket. Malediction, the word came to her mind unbidden, recalling the Dhani's words from the season prior, when she had discovered the bone.
It was almost too convenient, especially for a place that didn't operate under the strange whims of Alvadas. "That depends," Aster said carefully. "What services do you offer?"
Word Count: 548
