On the Shores of Czerche

[RealisticFantasy]

Lillianna exits her caravan, clothed in a long and loose skirt of many vibrant colors. Tied into her hair are various trinkets that glitter in the sunlight and add a rhythmic jingle to each of her steps. The cracked wood of the caravan painted in a variety of colors and golden trim to attract passer-bys. A sign written in as many languages as could fit on it on the side of the caravan boosts a magical fortune-teller inside and tells the onlooker to enter the caravan to inquire more in. A stern looking man with moderate length brunette hair and complementing beard follows her out. He takes a seat on a stump with a dark mahogany lute in his lap and his seeming discontent fades into a mild joy at the sight of his daughter ready for a performance.


The caravan and the girl are both quite the slight among the dark, earthy tones of the surrounding area. A slight pout crosses Lilli's face as she examines the space where her adoring crowd should be. She instead met with an empty area where too many carts have rolled through for grass to grow. Just beyond, the dirt road meets with a cobblestone one that heads into the city. "There isn't a soul in sight, papa..." He idly strums the lute softly, humming a tune. He continues on for a brief moment and she kicks a stone as she waits for his response, watching it roll through the grass before coming to a stop in the center of the imprint of a passed cart wheel. "Then, make them come." With that, he breaks into a lively song.


Lilli grins as she begins her accompanying dance, the jewelry and trinkets clanging and clattering to the beat of her steps. A whirlwind of bright cloth and fiery hair, she quite nearly forgets she's doing this for income and not just for enjoyment. This was rumored to be a busy city with travelers coming and going all the time. If the rumors were true, she would be able to attract a crowd in no time at all and, after her parents received satisfactory payday, be free to roam. She begins to sing along with her father, her soft, airy voice complementing his deep, rugged one.

 

[The Math Wizard]

Singe looked down at the small slip of paper in his hand--watching as the ink moved around to form different words for each sentence.

And don't forget to get some cheese for Hadi. Maybe find a top hat for him? And a monocle! Do you think he'd be upset?




Singe glared down at the paper. "Master, please try to focus. I doubt Maria would be pleased with your recent use of her illusory ink." He fought to keep his tone in check. The message on the paper remained still for a brief moment before swirling around again.

Fine, spoil my fun. Pick me up some dried mint and coffee beans, then.

With the words still once more, Singe smiled, folded up the slip of paper, and tucked it into his glove for safe keeping. He carried on to the market, purchasing what he had been tasked to get, before stopping suddenly. Even over the busy noises of the city, the music he could hear stood out. Curiosity piqued, Singe followed the music to its source: a quaint caravan outside the city. A few other curious citizens had heard the music and the singing, so Singe didn't feel too out-of-place. Regardless, he tried to keep to the back of the crowd as he watched the performance.


The music was nice, and the singing was lovely, but Singe was more captivated by the movement of the young lady and how her hair caught the light. "Absolutely marvelous," he'd comment aloud--as if suddenly unaware of the people around him.

 

[RealisticFantasy]

The music end on a sharp note and Lilli takes deep bow, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths. She straightens as her father begins to play a slower melody. This was her cue to take around a pouch to test the generosity of the slowly forming crowd. She flashes as charming smile to those that toss a few coins into the pouch and a soft look of disappointment - almost as if to convey a thought of 'Well, there goes dinner' - to those that don't. Her gaze falls upon the stranger hanging to the back of the crowd and she offers him a shy glance.


After making her rounds, she returns to the space in front of the caravan and the music picks up again. "Have your future told by the great Daenala." She motions to the caravan with a grand gesture. "Prices vary by details. Inquire more inside." She gives a short nod and a grin to the crowd before beginning to dance again. This song displaying a more elegant and slower paced dance that accentuates her gracefulness. She casts a few stray glances to the stranger hanging toward the back of the crowd as well as to the other few who caught her attention - a heavy set gentleman who wore jewels and expensive clothes with a black haired woman on his arm, a seemingly normal female commoner who stood just a little too straight with hands that were much to delicate to know the pain of labor, and an older gentleman with a wooden cane that hooted and hollered every time her gaze was cast his way.


These kinds of people she had come to know were the types that carried the most valuable and most intriguing trinkets with them. A few moments with each would be her ticket to exploration of the nearby city. She ends her dance with another bow before walking over to her father. She speaks to him in a hushed voice that is concealed by the murmurs of the crowd. "Go inside the caravan. I feel they will be much more inclined to help our cause if I am alone." Her father gives her a nod and a small smile before rising to his feet and entering the caravan. He returns only briefly to hand her her lute. She turns to the crowd, sitting on the stump where her father was sitting before. She begins to play her lute, singing a song in Elven.

 

[The Math Wizard]

Singe continued to watch and listen to the performance. A smirk formed on his lips as he heard mention of a fortune teller, but he was far more interested in evaluating the girl on stage. He'd watch as the man went inside, and as the girl began to play on the lute. The singing was a nice touch, but Singe was more impressed by her versatility.


He began making his way closer to the stage--careful to avoid bumping into anyone. Once at the stage, he retrieved a small envelope from his bag and placed it on the stage. The envelope was sealed with black wax and stamped with a capital "S," and contained a few gold coins and a note. It was a standard recruitment letter, asking for the recipient's presence at a specified location. After placing the envelope down, Singe slid it closer to her before turning to leave--daring to look over his shoulder at her once or twice.


The location in the letter wasn't too far away: a small little cottage just down the road, on the outskirts of town. Its former residents were an elderly couple: a pair of druids that tended a garden and cared for the local wild life. The animals still came around, and the guild still saw the garden and animals were cared for, but the druids had long-since moved on.


Singe sat on the porch as he studied his spellbook and listened to the music as it carried across the wind. The melody brought a smile to his face. His mind raced with the prospects of a promising new recruit.


"And now we wait," he mused.

 

[RealisticFantasy]

Lillianna's gaze flits to the envelope left at her feet. She finishes the song and promptly snatches it up, her mind reeling at the thought of what it could be about. She bows to the audience before slipping into the caravan. She tears open the envelope, her eyes hungrily scanning the words on the page. "What's that?" After reading the letter thoroughly, she realizes that the envelope still had weight to it. She shakes out the coins into her palm, feeling their weight as she weighs her options in her mind. The caravan was cramped with various trinkets to add to the illusion of her mother's 'mystical fortune telling.' Smoke from incense swirled in front of her as her gaze ran across the words on the parchment again. "Can't I go exploring?"


Her mother rises from the small table that holds her various instruments of 'fortune telling' at the back of the caravan, her auburn hair falling about her face as she releases from the colorful bandanna that held it back and exposed her pointed ears. "That depends fully on how much you made for us today." Lilli drops the gold coins onto the table as well as empty the content of the pouch. Her mother examines the coin for a long moment in silence before nodding approvingly. Lilli is out of the caravan before her mother can mutter along more than "Fine."


She rushes to the front of the caravan, untying her favorite of the two horses that they own. "They won't miss you. Besides, riding is faster than walking, right?" She runs her hair through the long inky mane that the tawny horse dons. This horse was the only real possession she had in her caravan lifestyle besides her lute and she loved him dearly. She mounts the horse, heading off in the direction of the secret location. With her lute on her back and the world at her feet, nothing could bring her down from the high of adrenaline that rushed through her.

 

[The Math Wizard]

Singe looked up from his book as he heard the music stop. He'd wait, assuming it was a break between performances, but hoping that his letter had been seen. Then he saw the horse, and the fiery red hair.


He snapped his book shut and tucked in into his bag. Fishing around in the bag, he finally retrieved two bundled-up packages from the market. Singe stood up and snagged one of the recruits heading back in from the garden before handing over the packages.


"Take these to the Thieflord. Tell him I am conducting an interview. Inform your fellows that I do not wish to be bothered." He paused and went over a mental checklist, all the while still holding the recruit in place by the shoulder. With an affirming nod, he continued, "You are dismissed. Do these things for me and then report to the trainer of your choice." He released the recruit's shoulder and watched as the child scurried inside with haste and an eager expression.


Singe stepped off the porch and down the stone path of the garden to wait for her arrival. He kept fidgeting with his gloves, vest, and cloak. He kept making sure his glasses were pushed up. This was the first time he had been nervous to conduct an interview, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.


When she finally arrived, Singe cleared his throat. "I see you got my letter," he paused to smile. "I am Singe Pageburner, of the Red Tower," he said routinely. "I represent the Sunder Association. ...Are you, by any chance, familiar with them?"

 

[RealisticFantasy]

"The Sunder Association?" She dismounts the horse by simply hopping off, taking hold of the reigns as she walks nearer to the stranger. Perhaps it wasn't the most ladylike and graceful approach but these weren't the most ladylike and graceful conditions. The rush of adrenaline left her a bit breathless. The threat of a stranger, a secret meeting, no one knowing where she had gone - it brought a grin to her face which she tries to hide. This was an adventure, a real adventure. Or at least the beginning of one. "M'friad not. Should I?" Her parents had always scolded her for speaking so improperly. They often told her that speech like that never befit a lady, regardless of circumstance. Ha! If they could see her now! Approaching a stranger in the middle of the woods having rode with her skirt hiked up so she didn't have to ride in that wretched sideways position.


She brushes off the colorful skirt, suddenly self-conscious of its less-than-semi-formal appearance. While it was great for a show, it didn't appear so beautiful close up. It was more of a poor attempt at a quilt than a skirt with a multitude of different fabrics sewn together and it certainly wasn't the most flattering article of clothing. It was a strange thing, to feel uncertain of herself. It was certainly something she didn't experience at all, if ever. She didn't to ignore it for now and blame it on the circumstances.

 

[The Math Wizard]

He wasn't entirely surprised to hear that she had never heard of the guild. That was actually a good thing, considering the business. When he noticed her skirt situation, Singe blushed slightly and averted his eyes while she fixed it. He'd clear his throat before speaking.


"It's quite alright," he reassured her. "The Association is a group of like-minded individuals that take advantage of any situation that could turn a profit. War, revenge, greed, and information are particularly profitable businesses. ...However, we don't always get along with the law of the land. Fortunately, we have a lawyer on retainer." He'd smile proudly as he talked up the guild and its members.


"I...noticed your versatility. You have charm and grace, which go very far in our line of work. I'd like to extend you an invitation to join us."