5th Summer 517 AV
It was only the fifth of the season. Not much had happened- relatively speaking. There was much to be said for Alvadas' adventurous, calamitous lifestyle, but even the city of illusions couldn't be in a constant state of party. So it was that on this supposedly abnormal Alvad day, a handsome fellow with straw-blonde hair and an extravagant eyepatch was walking the streets drawing little to no attention.
If that was the case, then why was he even worth mentioning? Well, that straw-blonde haired man was carrying a special vial, tucked nonchalantly in the wide, ribboned brim of his floppy, aquamarine sunhat. There were many curious things about the vial. For a start, it appeared to be glowing with a kind of spiralling, opaque mist. From a distance in the dark, the light would be easy to spot, even if it was indistinct. There were more points of interest too. Upon closer inspection, the vial was of very good quality. It was stoppered with a dark rubber seal, dipped in vibrant red wax. The underside was printed with a maker's mark, but it was small and difficult to make out.
Yet, despite the oddity of the miniature container, and despite the floppily-hat, there wasn't much else to distinguish the brightly-clad Alvad from the rest of the crowds. So it was that the man walked aimlessly for morning, humming quietly under his breath and softly scanning the crowds under the wide brim of his innocuous hat.
Then, at midday, he stopped for some lunch. Alvadas was famous for it's taste-shifting food, and the stall he bought from was no exception. The small loaf of bread he bought looked plain, and uninteresting, and doughy. But, upon breaking the freshly baked bread, the man breathed in the deep scents of butterscotch and as he bit into it... yes. Roses. He smiled with satisfaction, and started to continue his walk around and around the city. Faces were beginning to blend, but he was resolute. Today was the day he had been told, and so he must find... whatever it was he was looking for.
Then, as he took off his hat to scratch his ear ponderously, he spotted her! The man grinned, and leapt to attention. In a few short bounds, he stopped in front of the mother with her children. The arrival of the peculiar man would surely put a buffer on their own journey through the bizarre city, but to make sure he had their attention he took off his hat, broadly swept it in front of him, and bowed excessively low. Then, with nary a word, the tall, blonde man started to dance.
It was an odd kind of dance, full of jerking limbs and high leaps into the air. There was neither rhyme nor reason to the man's display, merely enthusiasm. Throughout, the man was smiling and winking his bright, oceanic eyes, his dimpled cheeks puckered into a creased grin. Then he was finished, in one final jump that left him standing on his knees in front of the children.
"Here, I have a present for you!" The man withdrew some of the rose bread from his pocket, and proffered it to the younglings. "You need'nt be afraid... it's simply bread, as I am just a simple man. If I have your attention, lady, then I'll be glad of your assistance."
If that was the case, then why was he even worth mentioning? Well, that straw-blonde haired man was carrying a special vial, tucked nonchalantly in the wide, ribboned brim of his floppy, aquamarine sunhat. There were many curious things about the vial. For a start, it appeared to be glowing with a kind of spiralling, opaque mist. From a distance in the dark, the light would be easy to spot, even if it was indistinct. There were more points of interest too. Upon closer inspection, the vial was of very good quality. It was stoppered with a dark rubber seal, dipped in vibrant red wax. The underside was printed with a maker's mark, but it was small and difficult to make out.
Yet, despite the oddity of the miniature container, and despite the floppily-hat, there wasn't much else to distinguish the brightly-clad Alvad from the rest of the crowds. So it was that the man walked aimlessly for morning, humming quietly under his breath and softly scanning the crowds under the wide brim of his innocuous hat.
Then, at midday, he stopped for some lunch. Alvadas was famous for it's taste-shifting food, and the stall he bought from was no exception. The small loaf of bread he bought looked plain, and uninteresting, and doughy. But, upon breaking the freshly baked bread, the man breathed in the deep scents of butterscotch and as he bit into it... yes. Roses. He smiled with satisfaction, and started to continue his walk around and around the city. Faces were beginning to blend, but he was resolute. Today was the day he had been told, and so he must find... whatever it was he was looking for.
Then, as he took off his hat to scratch his ear ponderously, he spotted her! The man grinned, and leapt to attention. In a few short bounds, he stopped in front of the mother with her children. The arrival of the peculiar man would surely put a buffer on their own journey through the bizarre city, but to make sure he had their attention he took off his hat, broadly swept it in front of him, and bowed excessively low. Then, with nary a word, the tall, blonde man started to dance.
It was an odd kind of dance, full of jerking limbs and high leaps into the air. There was neither rhyme nor reason to the man's display, merely enthusiasm. Throughout, the man was smiling and winking his bright, oceanic eyes, his dimpled cheeks puckered into a creased grin. Then he was finished, in one final jump that left him standing on his knees in front of the children.
"Here, I have a present for you!" The man withdrew some of the rose bread from his pocket, and proffered it to the younglings. "You need'nt be afraid... it's simply bread, as I am just a simple man. If I have your attention, lady, then I'll be glad of your assistance."
