[Pig's Foot Tavern] What Now? (Caela)

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan's lips drew down faintly in an unsatisfied frown. Her answers were hardly useful, for the most part. From his limited experience, Sunberthans didn't seem to understand the need for a proper policing force. Then again, they were doing better than Deltan would have thought possible. When he had heard the city was lawless, he had thought it just meant the government was impotent. He hadn't counted on there being no government at all! Still, some of those answers were useful. Gangs took care of the law? That made sense; they could protect their interests by organizing things the way they wanted in their territory. Still, Deltan didn't think he'd like to see that sort of government in action. Then again, he didn't have much choice. Without so much as a miza to his name, Deltan figured he would be wintering here in Sunberth...If he lived until winter. Gods curse this city! Calm, Calm... He told himself as he pushed the thoughts of his recent bad luck out of his mind. No need to think about that filthy harlot. When Caela noticed his pants, the young man forced himself not to blush at his naivete. He simply hadn't noticed; was that such a crime? To deter any smart remarks out of her, Deltan asked, "Magic stuff? What kind of magic?" Careful, he thought, Don't show too much interest. That was a good way to set off alarms for her. If she was anything like how he'd heard the average Sunberthan described, then Caela would set a mob on him for any interest at all in magic. Gods help him if she ever figured out he knew magic... Wizard, he'd been called once or twice in Syliras when he'd spoken with others who knew various forms. It wasn't a title he thought fit him; he was a bodyguard with a few extra talents, was all. Some of the magic he'd seen would have been nice, but they took so very much effort to learn. The two he already knew had nearly driven him mad with frustration. Bringing his thoughts back to the woman before him, he realized he'd lost focus for a few moments. He hoped it hadn't been too long. That 'bemused' expression on Caela's face seemed more suspicious to Deltan, and he just gave a rather fake grin. "No, you're not," he answered honestly, "But you're the only one who's gone to the trouble. I owe you for that." In truth, he did; he was loyal in a way, and would help those who took the time to help him...If it didn't mean going too far out of his way. After a moment, he gestured for her to lead the way. She had the money, after all. Besides, it meant he had time to pick her brain. "What would you do, if you were me?" Deltan asked casually, pretending he was more interested in the stalls they were passing. "Alone in a new city without two mizas to rub together."

[Caela Dorin]

The man's magic query was answered with a shrug as she began to weave her way in between the stalls, trying to decide which ones to investigate. "I don't know that's what I want to find out. I've heard some stories about stuff that other people have bought but I don't know whether to believe it can do what they say it can," the blonde explained, frowning as she dredged up the conversations she'd had with buyers of "magical" artefacts. She'd heard some wacky stuff and she was fairly sure that a number of people had been duped and while she didn't want to fall into the same traps as others the dancer still wanted to have a look at the items for sale.

She passed a fish stall and rightly assumed that it wouldn't be selling anything magical before she continued. "I've seen people with amulets with weird symbols on them that are supposed to protect the wearer if they get attacked. One person who bought one was beaten up and had their amulet stolen so I assume that that's a load of shyke. There's supposed to be stuff that protects you from any curses that a wizard tries to place on you. Some people want protective stuff but there's supposed to be knives that never dull and armour that never dents but I don't know. They all sound too good to be true, you know?" As the dancer spoke, the stall of a person selling jewellery caught her eye.

She approached the stall in question and perused the contents looking for any trinket that might be more than met the eye. There was a bracelet with tarnished metal and strings of dried greenery - which she suspected was seaweed - attached to its surface. She wondered why such a poor looking item was doing out on sale. It looked like something that had been pulled out of the sea that nobody had bothered to clean up. Maybe it was good metal that just needed a bit of polishing or whatever was done to clean up jewellery. She looked at it with some interest but when she stretched out a hand to touch it the stall owner stopped her hand with his own and murmured in a conspiratorial tone.

"You have to be careful with that. That ain't some ordinary bit of jewellery you know. That's special." The dancer drew her hand back and looked at the bracelet with a more critical eye. Yeah that's special all right. Special 'cos it's been dragged up from gods' know where, she thought as she examined the sad looking bracelet. It might have been silver in colour at one stage. She decided to play along. "Special? How? It's not..." she looked around as if afraid someone would overhear. A wink was thrown in her companion's direction before she gave the seller her full attention, her voice dropping to a whisper as she continued, "...magical, is it?"

The seller tapped the side of his nose. "It might be now. Might be. Not much to look at mind you but that don't mean there isn't something more to it than meets the eye." The man winked at her before leaning closer to the object in question and tracing something above its surface. "See them symbols?"

"Yeah..." the dancer replied uncertainly, bending closer to look at it. Someone seemed to have cleaned up parts of the bracelet but in the form of swirls and strange lines.

"Those are symbols what give it special properties."

"What sort of properties?"

"Ah well now, properties that people aren't willing to pay the coin for it seems or else I wouldn't still have this here."

"What sort of properties?" the young woman repeated, a note of impatience entering into her voice.

"Well this here gold bracelet carries a spell in these symbols that protects the wearer against... the Iyvess! See it comes from the sea like they do but they can't touch the thing on account of the special charm on it. If they do, they'll start screaming and turn into a pile of bones."

The dancer couldn't stop herself from laughing at the ridiculousness of what the man was saying. She was certainly skeptical about his claims. Someone had marked out some squiggly lines on some tarnished metal and whoever bought it would probably learn that it didn't work when they were attacked by one of those sea monsters. She had no interest in buying the thing but she asked anyway just to find out how much he wanted some fool to pay. "And if I wanted to buy your magic trinket, how much would it cost me?"

"Ah you can't laugh, miss. It really works! What with it being gold and magical, I'd normally have to sell it for at least 35 gold but for you I could cut a loss. Don't want a pretty girl like you eaten by them sea snake monsters. I'll give it to you for 25 gold and that's a bargain I tell ya for your own safety."

The blonde shook her head, gesturing her companion to follow her onwards as she retreated from the stall. "I'll take my chances thanks." Caela thought that she'd sufficiently dodged her tourist's thanks with her little side trip to the jeweller but he had most of her attention again now. His question about what she would do in his position probably couldn't go unanswered though. If she was a stranger to Sunberth then there were certainly some things that she'd want to do.

"Sorry about that. You wanted to know what I'd do if I was you and had no money? Well I'd find a way to get some coin for starters," the blonde recommended. "That'd be the priority. To manage that though, I'd work out the layout of things first. What places in the city are more dangerous than others, where the disputed territory is, that kind of thing. Once I sorted out the issue of money, I'd make sure that I could survive here for the long haul. Wanna know what the best way to survive is? Keep your head down, don't draw attention to yourself and do not mess with the wrong sort of people. The wrong sort are usually the gang sort. They don't normally make a secret of what they are. That answer your question?"

The dancer turned a questioning eye towards her companion.

[Deltan Colari]

Caela's answer was fitting, Deltan supposed, and wise as well. She seemed safely skeptical about items of supposedly mystical origins. Deltan had rarely seen anything imbued with magic, though he knew enough about magic in general never to doubt the capabilities of a powerful wizard. "Smart," he commended, "I'd wager one in a hundred is worth anything. Maybe one in a thousand." Like she needed him to tell her that. She might be snippy, but Deltan could hardly call her stupid from what he'd seen. The young woman's story of a false amulet brought a smirk to his lips, and pushed his own misfortunes further out of mind. He chuckled quietly, then gave her more attention when she mentioned more practical magic "toys." "Magic armor, huh? Could use me some of that," Deltan commented offhandedly, feet making sloshing sounds and the occasional splash as he made his way along in the flooded market. Cursed city. The young man listened to his companion half-bartering with a rather shady salesman. He returned the woman's wink with no more than a cough to avoid spoiling her act, though his blue eyes danced with suppressed mirth. At least, until Caela started laughing. Then, Deltan joined in with chuckles; he doubted the bracelet was more than some common metal painted up to look valuable. Or it might actually be gold, though Deltan had suspicions on that score. Before the young man followed, he gave the now-scowling jeweller a bit of advice. "Next time you try to sell that garbage, say it'll make you stronger. Who'd believe a little thing like that could stop an Iyvess?" Thrown in with Deltan's words was a faint suggestion to do as he suggested. Practice made perfect, after all, and toying with the man's mind made Deltan feel a bit better. He noted with relief that he had no headache. Good, he was in a state to focus properly now, thanks to Caela's diversions. Trotting to catch up to Caela, Deltan listened to her advice. Nothing he hadn't thought of himself, though the advice to keep out of the spotlight was wise enough. Gang members were trouble... Sounded obvious, though without guards here, if Deltan got on the wrong side of a gang he thought he would end up dead in short order. "Right, good to know," he said with a grateful nod. Then, he added, "What's an Iyvess?" A thought occurred to Deltan just then. "Where do I get work as a guard? I want enough coin to get out of this city by next year's thaw, so guarding some peddler's goods isn't going to do." Indeed, Caela would likely note the derision in his tone. Deltan was a trained bodyguard; he'd not stoop to that unless he had no other options.

[Caela Dorin]

The dancer noticed that the man had hung back to say something to the vendor although she wondered what. Surely he hadn't been asking him for a job. He couldn't have because that seller hadn't had any guards beside him so he probably wasn't hiring and if the stranger was looking for work he would have at least waited for an answer. As far as she could tell that seller's lips hadn't moved during the brief exchange. Caela said nothing about it passing it off as unimportant but really filing it under information that she might ask about later.

Her tongue was allowed to give advice freely instead, the red head appearing to listen attentively every time she spared a glance back in his direction. If she hadn't been looking at him she would have assumed that his mind was elsewhere as his first question was in no way related to anything that she'd said. The blonde's gaze was upon him instantly, surprised at the mention of the city's visitors. He'd heard of them then? Of course, the jeweller had mentioned them and the foreigner had been standing with her at the time so he'd overheard. A hand ran over the back of her neck, the dancer chewing her lip as she returned her gaze frontwards.

"Well... I don't really know," the dancer admitted reluctantly.

What I've heard well... It's mostly rumours and stories but they're some sort of creature or people or something. They arrived in the city early in the season and came out of the sea. Some say they're people and some say they're snakes but to be honest I have no idea what they are. Everyone's a little scared of them anyway."

More questions had joined the first, unrelated to the Iyvess but still able to throw her off balance. She hadn't expected to be almost interrogated and the blonde's thoughts were split unequally over the matters of places to get guard work and of analysing stalls for possible magical content. "Um..." The Sunberthian doubled back to investigate a stall that already had a customer. Her gaze flitted over the stock, perusing the wares for any possible artefacts. More miscellaneous objects here but the things that were no doubt "magical" didn't seem to be genuine articles, not that Caela knew anything on the matter really.

"Guards are hired here in the market from time to time although not many and not usually for very long. Short-term. But you want guard work that's a bit more... lucrative." The dancer stepped away from the stall of knick knacks and continued onwards, allowing the man to fall into step beside her if he so chose. Her eyes kept drifting to him as she considered, taking in his build and the way he held himself. "You can do merc work but having a weapon is sort of a good idea and you don't seem to have one. But looks can be deceiving." Her weighing up of him hadn't turned up any weapon on his belt or anywhere in plain sight. For a man who held himself as if ready to fight, she'd expect an obvious blade or something but he was apparently unarmed. She hoped for his sake that he had some blade tucked away on his person. "There's fighting for money. Think that's good pay if you come out of it in one piece. You could always try your hand at that if you're confident. Personally I think it's for the cocky and the desperate."

Caela wasn't finding anything that met her approval as she examined different stalls and so she bent her steps towards the Castle Commons with the assumption that her dependent would follow her. "But mercenary work is probably the way to go if you can get yourself well armed. Although the two main madams in town probably need good guards. Their brothels are known for the safety of their girls. Among other things." The girl shrugged. Let the man's imagination run what way it would, she wasn't spelling out all of the details of the Sanctum and Brega's.

[Deltan Colari]

Caela's answer regarding the "Iyvess" was decidedly unsatisfactory, though he supposed that was acceptable. At least, it showed Caela wasn't much of a gossip. Still, it sounded like a sea serpent...Or maybe like one of those snake-people he'd heard vague stories about. They weren't called Iyvess, though. Of that much, Deltan was quite certain. As Deltan asked his questions, Caela seemed to grow rather discomfited. Why was that? Surely it wouldn't be hard to answer simple questions like these. As Deltan thought about it, though, he decided they really weren't things Caela had to think about very often, if ever. After all, she had a job and was settled down. Why would she need to know where a guard could get work? Despite this unfamiliarity with her subject, the young woman was very helpful. Deltan listened carefully, giving her his full attention. He barely even noticed the wares they passed, though he still occasionally glanced around to ensure they weren't being followed. Caela's mention of a blade made the young man stiffen, face reddening faintly. Thieving whore! He exclaimed mentally, eyes flashing with anger before he could force the rage down. "I can defend myself," he said somewhat gruffly, adjusting the cloak about him with an irritated twitch. Fighting for money got a poor reception, as well. He nodded his agreement with her assessment. Deltan might be desperate, but cockiness led one on the fast track to death. If he learned nothing else in his life, that had been all but beaten into him. Deltan had next to no hand-to-hand training, beyond the basics. If he tried to use the Flux to get on even ground, he'd likely shatter bones during his first match. "That's for fools," Deltan agreed with a forced chuckle, still dampening the anger he felt toward the thief who had robbed him blind. The final suggestion was...somewhat acceptable. Guarding whores? Hardly seemed like good work, and more problematic than not. Still, he'd see about it if he couldn't find something somewhat reputable. "I'll think about it. Where are these whorehouses?" Deltan's tone said that he intentionally omitted the word 'brothel.' Why, he couldn't have said. It felt wrong to lend a place like that any sort of legitimacy. It crossed Deltan's mind that Sunberth seemed to have a different view of such things. Not that it mattered; he was not from here. After thinking over what Caela had said, he once more changed subjects. "What kind of magic item are you looking for?" he inquired curiously, partially to try to get her on a topic she liked talking about and partially to distract him from his own anger. "You're less like to be tricked if you've got something in mind." As they passed a man with a selection of daggers that looked about as reliable as knives made of glass, the young man made a soft, disgusted sort of sound. If you were going to fight with a dagger, then you had to at least pick one that you could trust. Those seemed likely to break if the target had anything stronger than a leather tunic on.

[Caela Dorin]

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This man was certainly an interesting man to watch. As an outsider of Sunberth she had no idea what to expect from him and so that made him more interesting. Different cities turned out different sorts of people, the cultural context completely alien to that of Sunberth in some cases. Her own mother had hailed from Zeltiva although she had no idea how much of an impression it had made on the woman; she'd been young when she left the place. Still it made the man somewhat of a novelty to her regardless of where he might be from.

The mention of having a weapon had certainly elicited an... interesting reaction. Anger had flared in his eyes and colour had flooded his cheeks but it was far from a reaction of embarrassment. He'd been robbed she knew and all the dancer knew for certain was that he was now penniless. Had he had a weapon with him? Had the same thief taken it from him? While it was easy enough for a good thief to pick a pocket or divest someone of their coin purse, removing a weapon from someone was a different matter all together. His reaction seemed to suggest that that was what had happened, which made Caela wonder about the circumstances. Probably a bad idea to probe into the matter or that rage might well be unleashed on her. Let him nurse it and put it to some good use.

"I believe you," she replied softly, hoping to placate him for the moment. There was no sarcasm in her tone but a genuine sound to her words. They certainly couldn't make him fly off the handle.

She nodded in silent agreement with him concerning the Fighting Pits. The dancer had been meaning to go there herself at some stage, not to fight of course but just to experience the atmosphere of the place and to say that she'd been. People died in those sorts of places, fighting for money and there were just as many who came out of them with victory that had come at a high price. A veteran fighter was a very obvious sight on a Sunberthian street; nobody else could appear so war torn. The stranger probably didn't realise how bad such a game was but he was sensible enough to steer clear of it even without knowing the details.

The blonde hadn't wanted to mention the brothels any more if she could help it but she supposed that such a question was to be expected. Even if the man didn't get work there he was no doubt interested in knowing where he could procure such services once he got a few mizas in his pocket. After a grimace and a sigh the young woman grudgingly answered.

"There are two main ones in Sunberth that snap up most of the girls. Brega's House of Happy Endings and Ruby's Scarlet Sanctum. They're rivals of course but Ruby's is more high class. I'd say that she'd pay more for a guard than Brega would but I don't really know." The Sunberthian shrugged. She honestly didn't have a clue. "I can't direct you to them because you're new to Sunberth so you aren't likely to know our little landmarks but... I suppose... I can... show you... if you want."

The offer was squeezed out with difficulty from between her teeth. The young woman was more willing to be kidnapped by the Iyvess and face the unknown rather than set a toe near either of those places, especially the Sanctum, ever again.

She was glad of the change of subject although it was too late to hide her extremely obvious discomfort from the former topic. As long as he didn't probe any more than necessary into the matter they'd be just fine. If he tried he was going to have his robbery thrown back in his face. "I'm not after anything specific. I don't know anything about magic really so how would I know what kind of things a magic object could do?" she asked, turning green orbs upon him. Her gaze slid off him and onto another jewellery stall. This conversation first and then she could have a look. "I'm likely to be tricked anyway but I never said I was actually going to buy anything. Do you have an idea of what sort of stuff might be real? My mother would probably have known but she wasn't from these parts and neither are you. So you're more likely to know something than I am, right?"

.

[Deltan Colari]

"I believe you," Caela said with a sincerity that seemed somehow unlike her. Deltan knew what she was doing; had done it himself on a few occasions. He didn't mind, though. He appreciated the effort, and it calmed him somewhat. Unlike before, Deltan wasn't going to fly off the handle and hit someone. Especially not a woman. At least, not a woman who'd done him no harm at all. He was still humiliated by letting someone steal his sword of all things. It was why he wore his cloak in a way that would conceal any weapons he had on his person. Better for potential thugs to be uncertain if he was armed than to know for certain that he wasn't. It was all in the walk; if he seemed unafraid, then it was natural for others to assume he had good reason for his fearlessness. He still got nervous when passing potential muggers, of course. Caela then went on to talk about the brothels, showing clear hesitance to even discuss such places. Was she that prudish? It seemed unlikely, considering her profession. Even Deltan, who disapproved of whores, was willing to accept their place in society. Some men simply couldn't keep it in their pants. The young man pushed his own shortcomings out of his mind; it had only been once! And that, he'd amply paid for... Quite literally. The young man listened to Caela's talk about magic trinkets, seeming to pay only half his attention to her. Meanwhile, his mind worked the problem. Caela sounded like she'd had to force the offer to visit the brothels out. Why would she offer it, if she clearly hated the idea so much? Unfortunately, Deltan felt compelled to find out. Quite abruptly, Deltan was drawn from his thoughts when Caela said, "Do you have an idea of what sort of stuff might be real? My mother would probably have known but she wasn't from these parts and neither are you. So you're more likely to know something than I am, right?" That pulled him up short; did she know? How? The tension in his shoulders relaxed after a moment as Deltan realized that Caela was simply projecting her idea of foreigners onto him. Apparently, her mother had known a little something about magic. Did Caela's interest in these magics stem from that? Rather than answer her right away, Deltan commented with what he hoped sounded like idleness, "Why are you so interested in magic toys? I thought you people didn't like magic." Really, it struck him as odd that they'd turn into a bloodthirsty mob--well, more so than usual--at the rumor of a wizard, but allow magic objects to be sold out in the open. Once he felt like he'd be able to lie without making it too obvious, Deltan said, "I don't know anything about magic things." It was a half-lie. Even if he knew enough magic to get him killed here, he knew next to nothing about items imbued with Djed. "Try them out before you buy them. If they're worth anything, you can test them." It was common sense, but she was asking the wrong person if she wanted to understand how to test items for magic. It was part curiosity and part whim that made Deltan wans to figure Caela out. Why did she detest brothels? Such knowledge could be useful, but Deltan was more interested in understanding Caela than in using the information. It was like solving a puzzle. With a smile and a faint push of suggestion that was meant to make his smile more charming, Deltan said, "I'd like to see those whorehouses, Caela. Thank you." Deltan briefly considered touching her shoulder and trying to relax her both through mundane and magical means. The idea was quickly dismissed; already, he was pushing his luck using his magic so much. He'd likely have a headache tomorrow, if he wasn't careful. Besides, making her uncomfortable was good. It might peel back a couple of those layers of self-control that she seemed to have.

[Caela Dorin]

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For a moment something flashed in his eyes when she asked if he knew about magic items and then whatever it was was gone. It had been only a mere flicker of emotion, something that she couldn't place. It left her gazing at the man with a crease between her brows as she pondered the brief reaction. Maybe it had been her imagination but she wasn't so sure. The fact that he didn't answer her question straight away but instead evaded made her think that whatever she'd seen hadn't been her imagination. Did he know something that he wasn't letting onto or was he just worried that he'd be suspected of wielding magic even if had no real knowledge on the subject? Sunberth didn't take kindly to magic users and his question could certainly be a show of anxiety.

"We don't trust magic," she corrected, pausing in thought for a moment before she added, "We also don't like people who use it because we don't know what they can do and so don't trust them. Fear, superstition, I guess. Don't know what side of the fence I'm on about it. Just curious, think everyone is."

The dancer wondered how her answer would be received. She hadn't expressed a hatred of magic but she'd shown no approval for it either. She was telling the truth when she said that she didn't know what side she was on; she honestly didn't. Her mother had come from Zeltiva and hadn't been prejudiced against magic. She'd tried to make sure that her daughter wasn't prejudiced either but considering how little time she'd been under her mother's tuition it was understandable that the more general Sunberthian ideas on the matter had entered her head as well. Her mother had said that magic wasn't bad but that it depended on who used it. It could be used for bad purposes but then so could anything really. Caela didn't understand or trust magic but she didn't condemn it either; she was a bit more open minded.

To her disappointment he didn't know anything at all, earning a slight pout from the blonde as she nodded along with is suggestion. "Yeah, I was thinking that myself. Test them if I can although some of them sound or look too ridiculous to be magic objects. At least in my opinion but then I haven't seen any so I can't exactly make much of a comparison, can I?" she commented dryly. How such items could be tested was a mystery even if she could get a stall holder to try it out before she bought it. Those who refused such a request probably knew that their product would be found to be a fake.

Maybe it wasn't even worth the hassle. She was growing tired of the market already and her heart wasn't fully in her search considering that she was babysitting an outsider. By the end of the day a tour of the city would probably have been given and there was absolutely no way out of it now. Perhaps sometime down the road this good deed would come back to benefit her somehow. There had to be some silver lining in this situation, even if it was just a dim possibility in the future. It'd have to have some good ending to it or else going to the two main Sunberthian brothels would be for nothing.

The smile he gave her was ludicrously charming, illuminating all of her good looks. It only reminded her of the man at work whose hand she'd crushed under her tankard. Why did all men think that they could charm her? Well why do you think that you can seduce all men? her mind countered. She was arguing with herself, a fact that wasn't helping her mood but she nodded and agreed to the trip grudgingly.

"Fine. I'll show you where you can find them and then... I don't know! You're not going in anyway or you lose me as your tour guide, understand? I'm sick of browsing anyway so let's go." In an undertone she added, "I just want to get this over and done with." She set off at a steady pace towards Ruby's Scarlet Sanctum, a place that she truly dreaded setting a foot near. As long as Ruby didn't spot her it should be all right. There hadn't been much change in the young woman's appearance since her last encounter so the whore and madam was sure to recognise her. That was not a reunion that she wanted to take place. The faster they got away from the place the better and she was thinking that before she even got there.

The blonde would allow the man to fall into step beside as they made their way to their destination facilitating easy conversation between them. A point that had been niggling her since after she'd taken on her little tourist came to the fore now in an attempt to distract herself. "So you know my name thanks to that little clash back at the tavern but I don't know yours. I can't be dragging you around the place and not know anything about you. Don't know your name, where you're from, why you came to this petching place when you had a choice. Care to share?" Her tone was an offhand one, even when she swore, as if the conversation was only casual but only on the surface. In reality the blonde dancer was itching for information about the stranger.
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[Deltan Colari]

Fortunately, Caela seemed to have dismissed his hesitance to discuss magic. Deltan was glad of that; he had no desire to expose what little he knew of magic, and he especially did not want to lead anyone to believe he could actually practice a couple forms of it. Oddly, Caela didn't match what Deltan thought a Sunberthan would think when magic was mentioned. He expected fear, or maybe anger or disgust. Instead, she seemed...analytical. Unusual, indeed. He'd heard others speaking of magic, and they seemed as like to kill or faint as not. Even in Syliras, he hadn't shared his skills with others unless they were initiated into magic, themselves. Deltan had lost a few friendships that way. She seemed somewhat more moderate in her opinions, even referring to the fear of magic as a superstition. That was a good sign, but...He was no fool. Saying he used magic was an excellent way to come to a quick end here, from what he'd heard. Especially without any weapons to speak of. "Why are you 'on the fence' about it?" Deltan asked with a quirked eyebrow, pinning her with inquisitive blue eyes. He didn't bother to explain further--or ask if she knew magic, that would be foolish and disrespectful, considering who might overhear. The wry comment about magic items made Deltan chuckle. He found that he enjoyed Caela's company... Dry and sarcastic though it might be. It definitely beat open hostility or false affection meant to wheedle him out of a few coins. After being robbed as he'd been, he didn't think he could handle yet another person turning out to be worthless. Though his hypnotic attempts to charm her into doing what she'd offered, she still seemed bound by her own word. Even if she didn't want to go, she seemed unwilling to go back on an offer. Good to know; an honorable person...In a Sunberthan way, at least. From what Deltan was coming to understand, these people had an odd sense of honesty, when they bothered with it at all. Caela's mention of going into one of the brothels made Deltan's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Go in? Not likely! Even if he did have money to pay for a "lady's" services, he had no desire for such a thing. He had standards, after all. Deltan quickly controlled his expression. "I don't want to go in, Caela," Deltan explained, deciding not to elaborate. The only reason he wanted her to go there was to pry out of her why she didn't want to be there. When the dancer disclosed Deltan's lack of manners, the young man actually flushed a bit. How had he forgotten? Fool him, he supposed. It was a small thing, but courtesies were rather thoroughly bound into him by his mother's teaching. Such was the life of a bastard child with a maid for a mother. Always harping on those proprieties. One day they'd come in handy, perhaps. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, trying to amend the error as quickly as possible. "My name is Deltan. Deltan Colari." One hand ran through his copper hair somewhat abashedly, then he shook his head to settle his hair again. "I'm from Syliras, and it was...careless for me to end up here." The young man chuckled a little, picking up the pace to go from being slightly behind Caela to beside her. He didn't seem overly embarrassed by his mistake ending up in the city. Deltan took it in stride; next time, he'd ask where he was headed before taking a job. "Nice to meet you, Caela." That hand extended toward Caela, though Deltan never slowed unless Caela did.

[Caela Dorin]

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Answering a question on her magical opinions was not something that she wanted to do. She didn't want to elaborate on such a thing where anyone could hear it. It had been a silly comment to make in such a public place. Just because she didn't have any strong opinions on the subject of magic there were plenty in Sunberth who had them all right and strong ones too. She didn't want to be seen as a magic sympathiser or anything and get mobbed right here in the market. The young woman shook her head quickly, a warning gesture as if to say "not here". It wasn't something that she was going to bring up right now but once they were on the move giving such an answer would be less risky. Fewer people would be likely to listen to a passing conversation if they were walking about on their own business.

She was glad that he had no plans to enter either of the brothels. While she'd laid down her conditions it was a relief to Caela to hear him provide her with such verbal reassurance. While he might not have coin to actually avail of any of the services of such places there had always been the chance that he might like to suss the place out for reasons concerning both business and pleasure. The fact that he only wanted to know their locations was a welcome one and significantly reduced her chances of bumping into the dreaded madam of the Scarlet Sanctum. She did wondered why he'd reacted with such surprise though. Was it because of her reaction or was he surprised that she'd even considered that he'd actually want to go in? He was an odd man with his strange foreigner ways but the dancer supposed that he was likable.

Once her questions concerning his identity and origins had been voiced Caela was amused by his reaction. He'd actually reddened with embarrassment as if ashamed of his own failure to be polite. Manners had been instilled in the girl so she understood them though sometimes chose to ignore them but there were plenty of the city's denizens who lacked them. It was oddly refreshing to find someone else who seemed to actually possess them. Did that make him a gentleman then? The young woman smirked at the thought. If he was then he would probably refrain from causing her any offence if what she'd heard of such men was true. Perhaps that was why he'd been surprised by her assumption that he'd want to go into the brothel! It had probably been an offence to his upbringing or whatever was needed to create such men.

His extended hand was met with even more amusement than before. The dancer's eyebrows travelled upwards, the hand regarded with a broader smirk before she slowed down enough to shake it, her grip firm and her contact as brief as she could make it. "Very nice to meet you, Deltan," she purred. "So to what do we owe the pleasure of a visit of one from the city of honour and order? I do wonder how you can be careless and end up here. Fall into the wrong cart?" she teased, laughing lightly at her own joke. The blonde regarded him with a new sense of wonder, shaking her head ever so slightly. "You wanted to know how we can live here with no guards but I'd ask you the reverse. Syliras is supposed to be full of knights and guards and stuff, right? And it's all inside or something so how do you manage to live there? I would have thought that it'd be horrible."

Their conversation had distracted her as she'd hoped and so she hadn't realised how near they'd come to Ruby's. Her feet had taken on a mind of their own and brought her there all by themselves or rather round the corner from the place. The smile on her face faltered with that awareness and the blonde found herself chewing her lip as she guided Deltan into the right street. Even from the outside, Ruby's stuck out for what it was. The building was different from others around it, the exterior kept in a reasonable state of repair that spoke of having money to throw around. A few women hovered in and around the doorway walking advertisements for the delights to be found inside. It wasn't just girls either, a pretty boy or two watching the passersby with interest. They reminded her of Matthew which was territory in her memories that she wanted to revisit about as much as she wanted to be outside this place here and now.

A large, muscular man stood among them with arms folded across his chest and showed no real interest in the prostitutes unless someone approached them. His eyes constantly scanned the street, particularly focusing intently on anyone who seemed to stop and consider the wares on offer. Ruby's guards certainly had presence. "This is a brothel... as if it needs any introduction," she told Deltan quietly, regarding the place with some agitation. "This one is Ruby's Scarlet Sanctum. More high class, a lot of guards so you could probably get good work there. I can show you Brega's next." The young woman had begun to inch away gradually with the aim of leading him to the other brothel but she didn't make any real move to leave just yet in case the man wanted to stay and examine his surroundings or something. If he signalled that they could go then she'd set off again but this time in the direction of one of Sunberth's main entrances and a building that she detested slightly less than the one she was leaving behind her.
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