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Roleplay / A Voice From the Storm (Reset!)
« on: January 04, 2021, 02:02:55 am »
It was the first day of spring, and Aria noted she had many reasons to be excited. First, of course, was that the markets of Coxarif had opened. Though there was still a bite to the air, the final remnant of the frozen lockdown they had collectively suffered through for the past several months, one wouldn’t know it from the people. Shopkeepers and their families bustled about hastily-crafted stalls, yelling at passersby to come and buy from them. Her shoulder-length silver hair bounced, always a bit out of her control, as she wound her way through the crowd. The wind told her there was a feeling of relieved familiarity in the air, almost as if everyone was happy to see one another despite their positions of economic rivalry. It was a happy experience, despite the crowds.
Second was the prospect of getting snacks. Admittedly, this was more than a bit cheating, as the snacks were being bought at the markets, another thing on her ‘a list of exciting things’. She stopped at a stall, looking at their bins of chocolate-covered peanuts, raisins, coffee beans. Jars of dried fruits, jams, and jellies lined the side counters of the stall. She pointed to a variety of things, and the shopkeeper’s children quickly shovelled them into a pack, which was sat in front of her. “Twenny-five cilea, miss,” the shopkeeper stated, holding out a hand.
She counted out two violet ten-pieces and a blue five-piece to him, then grabbed the pack and beamed. “Thank you so much!”
Third, of course, was that today was the day!! The day she’d been waiting for while sitting in that dreary dormitory for the past four months of ice and snow. She was passing through the Old District now, a place that was oddly quiet despite this being the first day of spring. Most of the shops here were indoors, and the goods much more aligned to magical interests than those of the market. Every building here stood in the shadow of The Inverted Spire, the premier magic school of Ustendelle and one of the main draws of Coxarif. It towered so high it made you dizzy to look up at it for too long, and stood in the middle of a pit in the ground, only reachable by two bridges. Aria had always been intimidated by it, and tried not to hold her breath as she passed it by.
She was, of course, making her way across town to Westbridge, a guild district along the western wall of the city. Golden eyes scanned the buildings before coming across a sign she recognised, Black Bow’s. It was an unassuming, stone building in a corner spot of a few different businesses. Though primarily an adventuring guild of sorts, it was connected to a pub. The pub, unfortunately, is what drew most of the business, but it kept the rest of the organisation open and that made Aria happy. She had only been here a few times, but it was always helpful.
She entered the building and looked around. It was still pretty empty; it wasn’t as if she’d expected the place to be full in the middle of the morning, but it was even more empty than she’d expected. A voice from behind the bar startled her, deep and gruff. A man stood there, a dark moustache oiled and curled and adding to the aesthetic of a well-manicured mohawk. “Mornin, miss. Anything to eat or drink?”
Aria nodded back at him, “A water, thank you. I have friends coming to meet me, and then we might get some food. Is it okay if I just sit near a window for a while?”
“Sure, I got no problem with that. You should probably eat somethin’ though, you’re the scrawniest person I’ve ever seen.”
Her smile froze for a moment. “Thanks. I’ll, uh, think on it. Thank you for the water, at least.”
Awkward moment aside, she crossed the room to the furthest windowside table from the bartender and sat down her giant mug of water and the large bag of snack-shaped contraband. From her personal pouch, she pulled out a very old book. Multiple pages had the corners folded in to mark places, notes in the margins, and extra small notes stuck over areas to update information. The title read Ludwin Academy Herbalist's Guide, AE600 Edition. She sat it gingerly on the table and opened it up to a random page, looking out the window every few seconds as if waiting for someone to show up.
Second was the prospect of getting snacks. Admittedly, this was more than a bit cheating, as the snacks were being bought at the markets, another thing on her ‘a list of exciting things’. She stopped at a stall, looking at their bins of chocolate-covered peanuts, raisins, coffee beans. Jars of dried fruits, jams, and jellies lined the side counters of the stall. She pointed to a variety of things, and the shopkeeper’s children quickly shovelled them into a pack, which was sat in front of her. “Twenny-five cilea, miss,” the shopkeeper stated, holding out a hand.
She counted out two violet ten-pieces and a blue five-piece to him, then grabbed the pack and beamed. “Thank you so much!”
Third, of course, was that today was the day!! The day she’d been waiting for while sitting in that dreary dormitory for the past four months of ice and snow. She was passing through the Old District now, a place that was oddly quiet despite this being the first day of spring. Most of the shops here were indoors, and the goods much more aligned to magical interests than those of the market. Every building here stood in the shadow of The Inverted Spire, the premier magic school of Ustendelle and one of the main draws of Coxarif. It towered so high it made you dizzy to look up at it for too long, and stood in the middle of a pit in the ground, only reachable by two bridges. Aria had always been intimidated by it, and tried not to hold her breath as she passed it by.
She was, of course, making her way across town to Westbridge, a guild district along the western wall of the city. Golden eyes scanned the buildings before coming across a sign she recognised, Black Bow’s. It was an unassuming, stone building in a corner spot of a few different businesses. Though primarily an adventuring guild of sorts, it was connected to a pub. The pub, unfortunately, is what drew most of the business, but it kept the rest of the organisation open and that made Aria happy. She had only been here a few times, but it was always helpful.
She entered the building and looked around. It was still pretty empty; it wasn’t as if she’d expected the place to be full in the middle of the morning, but it was even more empty than she’d expected. A voice from behind the bar startled her, deep and gruff. A man stood there, a dark moustache oiled and curled and adding to the aesthetic of a well-manicured mohawk. “Mornin, miss. Anything to eat or drink?”
Aria nodded back at him, “A water, thank you. I have friends coming to meet me, and then we might get some food. Is it okay if I just sit near a window for a while?”
“Sure, I got no problem with that. You should probably eat somethin’ though, you’re the scrawniest person I’ve ever seen.”
Her smile froze for a moment. “Thanks. I’ll, uh, think on it. Thank you for the water, at least.”
Awkward moment aside, she crossed the room to the furthest windowside table from the bartender and sat down her giant mug of water and the large bag of snack-shaped contraband. From her personal pouch, she pulled out a very old book. Multiple pages had the corners folded in to mark places, notes in the margins, and extra small notes stuck over areas to update information. The title read Ludwin Academy Herbalist's Guide, AE600 Edition. She sat it gingerly on the table and opened it up to a random page, looking out the window every few seconds as if waiting for someone to show up.
another winter shift for for Emily's "world's slowest genderfluid pendulum" machine.
