Closed Quiet Company (Adoros)

[Liana]

46th of Winter, 513 AV

Liana stepped back out onto the chilly street and the door of the Treasures of the Sea clicked quietly shut behind her. She smiled down at the deck of tarot cards in her hands, and she slowly shuffled through them as she walked down the street. The temperature wasn't too unpleasant today but her breath stilled steamed in the winter air. Zulrav seemed to be focusing his attentions elsewhere today. No fridged winds blew off the bay. So Liana was able to walk along in relative comfort as she flipped through the old worn out cards. The theme of the deck seemed to be nautical. Ocean life, sea vessels, and storms decorated the 78 unique cards. Each had a different meaning but could easily relate to any other depending on the set and question.

Absently she turned down a narrow alley then onto the street on the other side. People shuffled out of the way in annoyance when they realized she wasn't paying attention. After rifling through the deck three times over Liana tucked the cards into the pouch strapped to her belt. She'd ended up at the edges of the fish market. The crowd had grown considerably here. Shoppers bustled about carrying baskets loaded down with purchases and vendors shouted above the noise, trying to attract customers. The odor here wasn't particularly pleasant, but she knew toward the middle she could get some delicious food where they cooked all sorts of fish and sold the meals to hungry passersby.

The sheer number of people had scared her not all that long ago, but Liana had found a lot of the courage that her failed her in the first days here. Now she could forge into the mass and not be completely overwhelmed. The attitudes of some people still put her off, but she was better at ignoring them now. The Konti shuffled through the throng, carefully stepping around people and dodging big feet or the occasional stray elbow. The smell of frying seafood made her stomach growl expectantly. Her breakfast had been a little sparse since she was recovering from an unexpected stomach bug, but the fresh air had done wonders and she felt ready to eat.

In no time at all she had a wrapped bundle of steaming crab legs hugged close and was on her way out of the market. They warmed her cool skin pleasantly and smelled exquisite. Liana cut back through the alley she'd passed into earlier and turned to head back to the inn. Her mouth watered as the smell of crab taunted her, and as soon as she was through the doors of of the Grotto the Konti dropped eager onto a bench and unfolded the parcel on her lap. The main room when one entered was always semi-busy with patrons and others who stopped in for the food. She could have just eaten here but Liana wanted to stretch her legs.

Their shells were bright red on top and a creamy white on bottom. Long and fat and full of fluffy meat. Liana broke one at a joint and picked the flesh out with her teeth. It burned her tongue fiercely, making her eyes stream. She panted as she chewed, unwilling to spit it out. By the time she managed to swallow it had cooled down. She wiped her eyes and fanned her mouth, trying to relieve the burnt skin inside.

Receipt-7 GM for Tarot Cards. Unknown amount for crab legs, I'll let that be specified in the grade.

[Adoros]

Adoros took a deep breath of the salty air, relishing in the freedom it represented. A fortnight ago, Adoros wouldn't haven been enjoying a day like this. Before, the children had been confined to the Orphanage grounds for fear of their safety. The Denvali coup had put an end to the children wandering off on their own, not that this harmed anyone but Adoros. He had been the only one who truly wanted to see the rest of the city. While the other children were oblivious to the outside world, Adoros silently cursed the adults whose actions had imprisoned him. Now, though, Adoros was free to wander with no Caretaker constantly looking over his shoulder. He was an apprentice to the Sailor's Guild now, preparing to sail in the coming days. More often than not, this freedom was spent on the docks, running errands for Captain Forecastle and the other sailors. Today had been no different; Adoros followed and did as he was told. There wasn't much to be done, though; the Encounter wasn't going to take on its cargo until the other ships, the so-called "wheat fleet" had finished the repairs. Until then, Adoros had been going over the inventory of sailing equipment, under the scrutiny of the boisterous Boatswain Bankala. The Vantha was loud, always speaking as if he were in the middle of a storm, afraid that others wouldn't hear him. Captain had told him it was because Bankala was half-deaf, thus he spoke loud so he actually heard what he was saying, too. As a reward for working with the Vantha, though, Captain Forecastle said he was going to treat Adoros to lunch. Thus as Syna hit her apex in the sky, Adoros left the docks with his sights set on the Grotto. Captain Forecastle had remained behind to speak with some custom officers that had arrived, but he promised to come along once he was done. He had told Adoros to wait for him, and so he would. The traffic was thick as he made the ascent to the inn, most of whom were traveling the opposite direction as the child. He weaved in and out the people, looking at no one in particular. Once, he bumped into a stevedore who had been leaving the docks as well, sending him into a fit of cursing; the man didn't know who hit him, though, as Adoros had disappeared. Apologies were difficult to make when one couldn't speak, thus the child tried his best to avoid them. Thankfully, Adoros made it to the World's End Grotto without a second incident with the crowd. The day was cold, but bearable without Zulrav breathing down their necks. Adoros was thankful for that, since he really didn't want to go into the building by himself. Alone, the people would direct their questions to him, many of which he couldn't answer properly. With Captain Forecastle, though, all questions would be directed to him, not the little child beside him, thus sparing Adoros the burden. Adoros glanced around, choosing a half of a bench occupied by a blond woman. Adoros gave her a brief nod of the head, but made no move to go further with it. If he was lucky, she'd be so preoccupied with her crab legs that she'd ignore Adoros, allowing him to wait in peace. Thus he sat there, hands in his lap and cloak wrapped tightly around him, a quiet figure. The smell of the woman's crab filled his nose, evoking a little roar from his stomach. Adoros' breakfast had consisted of a single biscuit soaked in bacon grease, so lunch was something he definitely needed. He felt saliva forming in his mouth, brought about by the aroma. His stomach rumbled a second time, loud enough for the woman to hear. Oh, how much noise a mute's stomach could make, much louder in comparison to his voice . . .

[Liana]

As the pain on her tongue settled to a dull, uncomfortable throb she broke another leg with deft fingers. It wasn't the first time she'd burnt her mouth on hot food, and surely wouldn't be the last. Liana sucked the meat out of one joint and then the other, savoring the flavor now that the legs had begun to cool. A shuffle of clothing and the faintest creak from the bench made her turn and pause before she cracked the third. A small human boy was perched beside her, rather suddenly and as silent as a ghost. She smiled at him pleasantly, though a little confused. Hello," she greeted him, setting the leg back down on her lap. "You wait for other?" The Konti wasn't object to company, but he'd appeared so suddenly without a word. Her brows furrowed a little. He was a cute little thing, really. A curly mop of brown hair and melancholy green eyes.

Though little wasn't necessarily the word to be used. He didn't seem all that much smaller than she was. An adolescent build, but surely no more than a hand shorter. Her blatant observation of him was interrupted rather suddenly by a low rumble. It filled the silence after her question, and her lips twisted into a smile. "Stomach speaking. Like crab?" Liana motioned to the legs on her lap. "Can have if wish. I share." The door opened and a group of happily laughing patrons came marching in and quickly seated themselves at a large table. Her eyes followed them a moment before settling back on the child. "What name?" she coaxed amicably. "My name is Liana." Some of her Common was very rehearsed, like the reciting of her name. Other words were choppy and sloppy with her heavy Kontinese accent.