It was midday in the city of Karstberg.
What this meant was that the city was bustling with activity. The market district, for example, was packed to the brim with people. Some were running errands for the shops, or to the shops. Others were customers, owners, vendors, merchants, or simply people trying to get somewhere and taking a path through the market district itself. The Noble Quarter was quieter, but still quite active. For today was a nice, sunny day. A day of warmth. Insofar as even the most attentive of weather-watchers could tell, there was no news of conditions changing. All across Karstberg, the streets were active and filled with people moving place to place, or children playing.
Yes, for almost everyone in Karstberg, it was a day filled with activity. From the very legal dealings in the open to the back-alley or dark tavern-dealings that the city watch would be very, very interested in hearing about. From children to adults. Certainly, there were some people who probably weren't big fans of the sun, but many of them were out as well. Or they had people out for them, either way.
"Well... I just learned that sixty gold would be generous for such a ring, " the man said. He was clothed in fine robes, blue with a golden trim. He had short, neat brown hair and a neatly trimmed-beard. "So, I'd be happy to take it off your hands for that much."
"Oh... thank you, thank you!" cried Emi. Or rather, at the moment, Seri Valine. Seri was a poor girl whose sick grandmother had given her this ring. Desperate for finding some way to care for her, Seri had ventured into the market district in a bid to sell the ring for money to care for her grandmother. The ring itself glittered, a shining diamond mounted on a golden loop of metal. "Y-you don't know how much this means to me!"
The identity of Seri Valine had been cultivated well enough, she felt. Ragged dress(it had been a shame to rip it, but getting the money was more important...), and an equally-ragged hood(Nem were pale, so preventing herself from burning in the sun while keeping the appearance up was important), and a wavering, timid voice. All of this had contributed to the very false existence that was Seri. As for the ring itself...
Emi held a dirty coinpurse out in trembling hands. The man opened his own coinpurse, and dropped sixty gold into Emi's. Bidding several more thank-yous and bowing her head as she handed over the ring, Emi backed away and shuffled off into the crowd. She had overheard the man consulting his companion. Apparently, the ring was worth three hundred gold...
Funny, the last time she checked, a brass ring with a glass jewel wasn't even worth sixty copper.
Grinning as she tucked her coinpurse away, Emi headed through the crowds. That had gone so perfectly! That big guy had no idea what the ring really was! Besides, sixty wouldn't make much of a dent in the big moron's funds. He wasn't a nice person anyway, thinking he'd just cheated some poor girl out of three-hundred gold.
Oh, this day was already going wonderfully! Emi had money to spend, and certainly to cover her rent...
Oh, she was certainly faithful. And certainly, certainly, she believed in spreading the good word of Reon.
However, Tanya did not understand why she had been assigned to do this. She was a paladin, a warrior meant to clear out evil existences. To destroy wicked and mindless undead, to destroy those who would do unspeakable evil. These things were something that Reon, and her believers, would not tolerate. But... certainly there was someone who didn't specialize in destroying evil who they could get for this? There were plenty of girls around the temple who didn't fight at all, certainly they could handle this duty!
Tanya folded her arms across her chest. The small girl huffed.
"Hmph."
She didn't even know where to start with this. She was in the streets, alone, Helios sheathed at her side. Goldion was... with her armor, which she had not been permitted to bring with her. No, she was simply dressed in the holy robes of Reon, an outfit she had not previously worn outside of the temple. Was Sister Lilette trying to irritate her or something?! She felt awkward in these, too... She preferred her lightly-frilled skirt, her boots, her coat and shirt... it was far easier to move in then the long, flowing form of the holy robes of Reon. The habit just wasn't something she was used to wearing when she actually had to go places. At least she was allowed to keep Helios on her at the moment.
Her bag was filled with pamper, proclaiming that Reon was a wonderful goddess. Of course she was! Why did Tanya have to go around and pass papers that talked about it out?
"And of course, no-one even listens!" she couldn't take it any longer, "All these idiots don't even pay attention, why do I have to be the one who passes these out!? It's not like I'm drawing anyone in!"
The explosion was mostly for her own benefit. She couldn't take standing on the street corner and trying to call to people as they passed any longer, and her frustration had been mounting all day.
Ah, today... today was a perfect day! The market district was bustling, they could hardly ignore her stand. Stocked with her array of goods, food, supplies, everything... all for a very reasonable price... Mizuko sat in the shade of her stand, behind the desk. The cloth roof was blue, matching the shade of her eyes and tentacles, and she sat comfortably at her seat with a wide smile. It was... her first real day as a merchant on her own in this country. But the squid beastkin girl was brimming with confidence. She had so many items, at such reasonable prices, there was no way anyone would simply go passing them by without even a second thought. She had prepared herself, and now she was ready.
She just had to get to grabbing her customer's attention.
Mizuko got to her feet, raising a hand, and she called out.
"Wares from the distant land of Akitsushima ~degeso!" she called, waving one hand and several tentacles in the air in a bid to grab the attention of any passersby. Her pronunciation of the common language of this land, while accented, was perfectly clear. "Foods, drink, clothing, supplies, anything you could need ~degeso! All at Aoika Mizuko's...Sorairo..."
Mizuko lowered her tentacles and hands, her voice trailing off as her smile faded into a frown...
While she certainly knew this language, just fine, it... was still hard to remember the name her mother had told her to call it in this language. "Sorairo Ika Ichiba... Okaasan wa iimashita... Oh!"
Mizuko's hand and tentacles shot up once more.
"All at Aoika Mizuko's Sky-Blue Squid Market ~degeso!"
What this meant was that the city was bustling with activity. The market district, for example, was packed to the brim with people. Some were running errands for the shops, or to the shops. Others were customers, owners, vendors, merchants, or simply people trying to get somewhere and taking a path through the market district itself. The Noble Quarter was quieter, but still quite active. For today was a nice, sunny day. A day of warmth. Insofar as even the most attentive of weather-watchers could tell, there was no news of conditions changing. All across Karstberg, the streets were active and filled with people moving place to place, or children playing.
Yes, for almost everyone in Karstberg, it was a day filled with activity. From the very legal dealings in the open to the back-alley or dark tavern-dealings that the city watch would be very, very interested in hearing about. From children to adults. Certainly, there were some people who probably weren't big fans of the sun, but many of them were out as well. Or they had people out for them, either way.
"Well... I just learned that sixty gold would be generous for such a ring, " the man said. He was clothed in fine robes, blue with a golden trim. He had short, neat brown hair and a neatly trimmed-beard. "So, I'd be happy to take it off your hands for that much."
"Oh... thank you, thank you!" cried Emi. Or rather, at the moment, Seri Valine. Seri was a poor girl whose sick grandmother had given her this ring. Desperate for finding some way to care for her, Seri had ventured into the market district in a bid to sell the ring for money to care for her grandmother. The ring itself glittered, a shining diamond mounted on a golden loop of metal. "Y-you don't know how much this means to me!"
The identity of Seri Valine had been cultivated well enough, she felt. Ragged dress(it had been a shame to rip it, but getting the money was more important...), and an equally-ragged hood(Nem were pale, so preventing herself from burning in the sun while keeping the appearance up was important), and a wavering, timid voice. All of this had contributed to the very false existence that was Seri. As for the ring itself...
Emi held a dirty coinpurse out in trembling hands. The man opened his own coinpurse, and dropped sixty gold into Emi's. Bidding several more thank-yous and bowing her head as she handed over the ring, Emi backed away and shuffled off into the crowd. She had overheard the man consulting his companion. Apparently, the ring was worth three hundred gold...
Funny, the last time she checked, a brass ring with a glass jewel wasn't even worth sixty copper.
Grinning as she tucked her coinpurse away, Emi headed through the crowds. That had gone so perfectly! That big guy had no idea what the ring really was! Besides, sixty wouldn't make much of a dent in the big moron's funds. He wasn't a nice person anyway, thinking he'd just cheated some poor girl out of three-hundred gold.
Oh, this day was already going wonderfully! Emi had money to spend, and certainly to cover her rent...
Oh, she was certainly faithful. And certainly, certainly, she believed in spreading the good word of Reon.
However, Tanya did not understand why she had been assigned to do this. She was a paladin, a warrior meant to clear out evil existences. To destroy wicked and mindless undead, to destroy those who would do unspeakable evil. These things were something that Reon, and her believers, would not tolerate. But... certainly there was someone who didn't specialize in destroying evil who they could get for this? There were plenty of girls around the temple who didn't fight at all, certainly they could handle this duty!
Tanya folded her arms across her chest. The small girl huffed.
"Hmph."
She didn't even know where to start with this. She was in the streets, alone, Helios sheathed at her side. Goldion was... with her armor, which she had not been permitted to bring with her. No, she was simply dressed in the holy robes of Reon, an outfit she had not previously worn outside of the temple. Was Sister Lilette trying to irritate her or something?! She felt awkward in these, too... She preferred her lightly-frilled skirt, her boots, her coat and shirt... it was far easier to move in then the long, flowing form of the holy robes of Reon. The habit just wasn't something she was used to wearing when she actually had to go places. At least she was allowed to keep Helios on her at the moment.
Her bag was filled with pamper, proclaiming that Reon was a wonderful goddess. Of course she was! Why did Tanya have to go around and pass papers that talked about it out?
"And of course, no-one even listens!" she couldn't take it any longer, "All these idiots don't even pay attention, why do I have to be the one who passes these out!? It's not like I'm drawing anyone in!"
The explosion was mostly for her own benefit. She couldn't take standing on the street corner and trying to call to people as they passed any longer, and her frustration had been mounting all day.
Ah, today... today was a perfect day! The market district was bustling, they could hardly ignore her stand. Stocked with her array of goods, food, supplies, everything... all for a very reasonable price... Mizuko sat in the shade of her stand, behind the desk. The cloth roof was blue, matching the shade of her eyes and tentacles, and she sat comfortably at her seat with a wide smile. It was... her first real day as a merchant on her own in this country. But the squid beastkin girl was brimming with confidence. She had so many items, at such reasonable prices, there was no way anyone would simply go passing them by without even a second thought. She had prepared herself, and now she was ready.
She just had to get to grabbing her customer's attention.
Mizuko got to her feet, raising a hand, and she called out.
"Wares from the distant land of Akitsushima ~degeso!" she called, waving one hand and several tentacles in the air in a bid to grab the attention of any passersby. Her pronunciation of the common language of this land, while accented, was perfectly clear. "Foods, drink, clothing, supplies, anything you could need ~degeso! All at Aoika Mizuko's...Sorairo..."
Mizuko lowered her tentacles and hands, her voice trailing off as her smile faded into a frown...
While she certainly knew this language, just fine, it... was still hard to remember the name her mother had told her to call it in this language. "Sorairo Ika Ichiba... Okaasan wa iimashita... Oh!"
Mizuko's hand and tentacles shot up once more.
"All at Aoika Mizuko's Sky-Blue Squid Market ~degeso!"
