Flashback [Rancid Reindeer] Snooping Around.

[Liyana Winterflame]

31st of Summer, 508 AV Liyana slid out of the window. She took out two of blocks of wood and strapped them to the balls of her feet. That way she'll seem taller and people will not give her much attention. Nobody would suspect her to be a child. In a pinch she could raise herself up even more, although her legs would get tired quickly. She hadn't had time much to practice with them, but she knew what to expect. She had even put some cloth to cover up any clacking noise. She walked slowly in the streets lest she trip. The snow was not thick, but that only meant there was a dark slippery layer of ice waiting to foil her. She kept close to the shadows. Near the walls and houses she could use things for support. She had expected it to be entirely dark this time of night, but there were still lights shining from windows. Perhaps people telling stories and having fun. While her parents were silently shooting each looks to death. Or asleep. Remembering that made her feel alone. A bit lost, too. The wind was especially cold. She had worn thick clothes and wrapped herself in a cloak, but still she had to hide her fingers from the chilly air. She should make one of those Warmth philters if she's to sneak out like this again. But she remembered that one of the ingredients she had not seen before, and perhaps it might be too difficult to get it from a dock-side trader. She'll just ask around and see what she can find. Perhaps she can find a substitute like that time she managed to use -- instead of some exotic species -- a common nut after treating it with alcohol for three hours. It had taken her a long while to figure out a common alternative but she had managed it eventually after researching in-- Lost in thought, Liyana quickly found herself in the docks. By night the place was very different. The water shone with moon light instead of the sun's. Everything seemed more mysterious. Everything was empty and abandoned. She approached the tavern. It was open, with the sign above dancing as the win tickled it. The windows were closed but let out some light. Moving figures were visible inside. A bit of noise as well. The chimney was still producing smoke, which meant people were still ordering food. It might not be as late as Liyana thought. Perhaps here people stayed up all night. It might be too dangerous to go in. And with that she pushed the door open. She inhaled to calm herself. ----------

[Liyana Winterflame]

Liyana huddled in in her cloak, her hood hiding her face. She sat on one of the tables, and it was dark all around her. The entire bar was dark, and the bartender didn't seem to care enough to add more lighting. The less people saw of each other here the better, perhaps. Maybe he thought so too. She didn't want to be seen by these people. She'll just sit here alone and hope everybody minds their own business. Why did she even come here? It seems all there is here are people getting drunk. Loud, dirty, scary, dull people. There's nothing for her to do here. Petch, she feels so stupid. And lost. She risked her parents' disapproval for nothing. She'll just go back, forget about this, and mention this to no one. The sailors near the bar raised their voices. Utterly drunk by now. "And I'm telling you there are all sorts of wacky sorts of things about Gods out there." The speaker was looking into his mug, twirling the liquid slowly. "Bah! You're telling me? I bet you I know every single God you mention." His drinking mate took a long gulp and slammed the glass on the wood. The first man shook his head solemnly. "You haven't been to the Suvan sea like I have. I've heard of the city of illusions." "Alvades? Sailors everywhere know about that. The festival gets us tons of transportation work." The first man kept shaking his head. "You don't know anything," he said. His eye widened in fear. "I've seen it once. From a distance. You have no idea how powerful Ionu is." "Ionu? Isn't he the one for stage magicians and tricks? Come on, now." The first man's eyes darkened. He frowned, anger bubbling up. "He can make you see things. Hear things. He can manipulate you like a puppet." He inhaled and closed his eyes to regain focus. "And so can his followers. Vile things. Evil tricksters, the lot of them. No good comes out of giving people such a power. They're just not right in the head." He sighed and looked around in the bar. "One of them could be here now and we'd never suspect a thing." His companion didn't respond to this. They both went quite and sipped in thoughtful silence. -----------

[Liyana Winterflame]

Liyana walked back home. She kept her hood up and stuck to the shadows. The things she learned made her mind grow thoughts like trees growing branches. With illusion, she could make herself look taller. She could make herself look like a man. It would make learning secret things much easier. It doesn't even have to be a perfect illusion. Just enough to compensate for her poor knowledge of philtering. It'll be a while before she can make something helpful. For now she'll have to stick with food and medicine. No. She can't just lie around waiting for a God's intervention. She will just have to learn faster. Learn more. Snoop around more. Those men feared illusion. She won't let herself be afraid of the likes of them. She'll make illusions. -------- Liyana climbed into the window. The bed was still untouched as she left it. She patted the pillows. Classic trick. By stuffing things under the covers, her parents will think she's asleep if they walk past the room. And if they do find out some day, she'll just tell them she was out looking at the stars. She reordered her bed and sat on it. She looked at the poor equipment she had here. Cheap gifts. Makeshift tools. Hard-earned materials. Stolen ingredients. She spent a few more minutes thinking of philtering before she drifted away to sleep.