PM to join [Great Bazaar] Exit Strategy {Aldus}

[Hadyn Skellig]

20th of Winter
513 AV
Midday

"Two gold? you must be mad!" The brunette stared pointedly at the merchant who eyed her back with equal intensity. The item in question sat between them - a blanket chest that'd clearly seen better days. The sides were worn down and the thin material lining the inside faded. The small man merely shrugged, crossing his arms over a great chest. The brown eyed woman shook her head at his tacit display of steadfastness.

"I could buy two of these at that price," she added with a frown, tucking her coins back into the pouch at her hips. The vendor closed the lid with a snort, hauling the piece off the front of the stall and setting it back from whence it was brought. With his back to her the weaponsmith rolled her eyes and moved on. It was one of her first days away from the apartment and her newborn son. Everything irritated her. The pushiness of the market-goers, the grousing merchants. Even her own indecision was annoying her.

Moving her way amidst the crowd the brunette mused whether this was the best idea. A part of her missed the baby she'd left in the care of a friend. She, a woman who spent a good part of her life not missing anyone, now experienced a gnawing at the bottom of her heart. But she swallowed it down. This outing would be good for her. The walls of her apartment were becoming claustrophobic. And it was nice to get out and move. Being highly active in general Hadyn was loathe to sit around all day.

Sidestepping a rather overburdened courier darting down the path the weaponsmith paused beside the wall of the castle. She was dressed warmly, the dank fourth tier chilling her bones. The dress was modest, not unlike the rest of her wardrobe, the beige material warm against fair skin. Over the dress she wore a long jacket of dark blue, the collar trimmed with short fur - an overly generous gift but one she was secretly glad to have on such a cold day. The belt holding her change purse was slung across her hips, in view as the edge of the coat slid back.

Brushing the dark braid over her shoulder Hadyn surveyed the bazaar, considering her next stop. Everything was so petching expensive. She wasn't the type to wile her bells shopping but the people watching was always amusing. Besides, she could do with a few things if she could get over the extra spending. Brown eyes scanned the crowd but her thoughts drifted back to her son waiting in the Roshin District.

[Aldus Beaumont]

* It was surprising, to say the least, to note how many people insisted on continuing their shopping despite the chill that surely penetrated the defenses of those living in the city. Flooded with people, the buildings within the city tended to be rife with heat, from his experience, body heat and indoor fire heating warming the blood and at times, overwhelming in its own right. Aldus, while accustomed, could not say he liked either extremity, though the cold did allow him two advantages: the first being that his marks tended to dress in layers, which increased the likelihood of his thievery going unnoticed. The second applied to an indoor scenario, trhough the benefit of people being bunched together in hiding of the merciless climate, possessions were not nearly as... missed. Be it a glass of ale that Aldus would not have to pay for, or a small stack of mizas, it wasn't so much the reward that gratified him so, but the adrenaline rush of committing the act. While some would say that thievery was base and thuggish in nature, Aldus would have to disagree. One could not be a proper thief, that is to say one that merely steals rather than committing to such things as mugging, without using one's brain. It was a misconception that he had encountered, though not aimed at him, for the young man, by the fortune of the Gods, had not yet met the misfortune of being caught. The thought of thievery, albeit it at a small scale, was what had driven Aldus into the cold in the first place this evening, the gain from which he would use to buy himself a mug at the local tavern, or a piece of fruit. Something simple, for it was the rush that would fuel him with a much grander satisfaction. Besides, buying a grand coat or piece of clothing would arouse suspicion, for one look at the young thief would show that such an investment was unnecessary. Pickings were plentiful, though the majority of the possible scores he could see were dealing in copper or the rare silver. If he were to risk his neck, at the very least, he would go for the larger coin. It was the natural mentality to evoke a standardized amount of risk, for the highest reward possible, wasn't it? In the distance, Aldus would see a woman engaged in heated altercation with a merchant, the word "gold" echoing in his mind. The rest of what had or had not been said was lost to him as he began his approach. A bright smile would be plastered upon his handsome features as he passed faces, most unfamiliar, others known but never met, casual greetings given and received as he wove his path carefully, ensuring his arrival before the mark had left the stall. When he arrived, he surveyed the woman carefully, looking for a sack or bag of some kind, finding nothing until he noted the pouch strapped to her hips. He'd have almost begun to reach for it before he noticed that the merchant had begun to turn around, his hand swinging to his own back, his features curled into a frown. "Idiot! Fix your face. What kind of shopper's frowns while shopping?" "Well... she doesn't seem to be smiling, does she? Just look like you're browsing. Browse, browse, browse. Look. Don't look. Then smile a bit." His gaze would just finish scanning the objects on the table as he stepped forward, shoulder accidentally brushing against the woman's, the smile fading slightly before turning to a sheepish grin, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Hope I didn't startle you or anything." He'd take a step to the side so that he was further away from the woman, hands thrown into his pockets as he gave the merchant's wares one last "once-over," his gaze returning to the woman, concern, genuine if not exaggerated to an extent, flooding his expression.

[Hadyn Skellig]

A dark eyebrow hiked expectantly as a gentleman bumped shoulders with her, his seemingly automatic apology catching her more off-guard than their initial contact. The woman stared at him before responding her expression bearing traces of wry unconvinced acknowledgement. He came out of no where, though that was to be expected in the busy market. Hadyn offered him a one-shouldered shrug before glancing at the merchant who was eying the both of them.

"I think I'll manage," she replied dryly adding a small smile. Surveying him for a moment longer she took in his countenance, determining his authenticity. He appeared several seasons her junior, their near equal height giving her decent vantage to judge. The bones of his face were finely chiseled, as if from marble by a sculptor's hand. No doubt he received more attention than he knew what to do with from the ladies of Syliras. Were she so inclined she wouldn't mind adding him to the proverbial notch on her bedpost. Indeed, the fellow was a fine example of masculinity. A pity she wasn't further moved.

"Careful of this lot," she added with a jerk of her head toward the stall. "He'll swindle you for your time."

The merchant whom she was degrading only caught the tail end but he came blustering forward swearing oaths and threatening to call for the Knights. Hadyn rolled her eyes and smirked at her handsome companion.

"That's my cue," she replied with grin before tossing him a wink and winding her way through the crowd. The good merchant, however, was deeply insulted by her comments and was making a row, hoping to alert a pair of Knights nearby. Hadyn made it her business to get away from the scene as quickly as possible, the thought of having to apologize to the bastard spurring her forward.

[Aldus Beaumont]

* When the threat to call the Sylirian Knights, Aldus knew that his cue to leave had arrived, as well. Though the young thief had done nothing wrong, he knew that the Knights, at least by their reputation, were not the type to ask questions or bestow mercy, even when disturbed. By simple association with the woman, Aldus would likely be implicated. Instead, he managed to reciprocate the woman's smirk, glancing over at the merchant for just a moment before he asked, "Actually, would you mind having a companion for a time? I've my doubts about this one, as well. And besides, you seem like the type with a story to tell, if you're so inclined." The bard was, more than anything, in a rush to leave, but the distraction of a beautiful older woman was never one to be missed, especially one with a shrewd tongue. Having such a thing implied that she kept more of her money in her pocket than in the coffers of merchants. He was no longer moved to pick her pocket, but to whet one's beak in a different manner was not out of the question. Perhaps a different, superior opportunity would present itself. At the very least, it promised not to be boring. An easy grin materialized upon Aldus' features as he reached into his pocket, pulling a single silver miza from its depths and tossing it in the air, an almost instinctive habit when the young man was making a decision that could sway where he was headed. "Of course, if you prefer your solitude, that's completely understandable. I would certainly like to get to know you better. You seem to know your way around Syliras. In the few years I've lived here, I've yet to see... everything." Aldus' tone was rather facetious in nature, easygoing yet he portrayed no disrespect. Adventure in any form calls to the bard's soul like the sweet song of a radiant damsel. Though this damsel may or may not sing, she certainly seems to promise adventure.

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn was already well on her way to getting the petch out of there, managing the crowd with ease to put distance between herself and the irate merchant. It surprised her, therefore, to hear a familiar voice calling from her wake. Pausing she turned to see the young man from the booth had joined her in quitting the stall. Giving him a once over the brunette shrugged one shoulder.

"Stories from me are preceded by drinks," she replied, though she hesitated long enough that he might fall in step. It wasn't necessarily an invitation but the unexpected companion was a surprise in and of itself. The handsome fellow spoke again, offering her an out. Had she not been so peeved by the overpricing of one chest she might've taken it. But company didn't seem so bad this afternoon. Continuing her walk she appraised him in a sideways glance.

"You could live a lifetime here an' not see everything," Hadyn remarked though she offered him a simpering grin. Pausing momentarily to gain her bearings the brunette glanced across the sea of bodies before gesturing with a waved hand in an easterly direction. "Patma Flyn's got the strongest whiskey this side of the Suvan. Reckon I'm headed that way."

Her tone implied he was welcome to join as she adjusted her course, weaving between bodies in a beeline to said stall. The alcohol to which she referred was sold in casks and bottles by a well known distributor who set up his stall in the winter and fall. Getting one's hands on Patma's whiskey was costly but a gift unto itself.