Open Fresh Start or Fresh Meat?

[Saidra]

Winter 5, 514AV

First impressions are always important. They inevitably color the way you perceive things, even if you are later forced to revise your initial views. No matter how wrong or how right they ended up being, a piece of that first glimpse will always be part of your version of the truth. Saidra’s first impression of Sunberth was that it perfectly matched its reputation; from the shabby buildings, to the obvious distrust in the eyes that happened to catch hers, to the dirty slush filled streets. The snow might have been beautiful when it had first fallen days ago but now only a grimy mess was left in it’s wake, clinging desperately in frozen patches where Syna’s gaze couldn’t entirely reach. It was an entirely unwelcoming place, perhaps even disgusting in some viewpoints, lawless but no doubt run by it’s own set of rules, in short - perfect.

Getting to Sunberth had been relatively easy. Kenash had been the last stop and she had found work as a guard for a slaver moving the last of his stock before Winter fully set in. Right place, right time, with a dash of luck thrown in - Story of her life, really. The slaver had been kind enough to direct her towards the Aquillar Hot Springs shortly after they had arrived, even commended the woman on her choice of lodging. Not that it had been her idea, the Springs came at the recommendation of the leader of the little band of mercenaries she had been a part of for several years; one of those begrudging If you are determined to go, then at least you can stay somewhere safe things that made Saidra all sorts of uncomfortable in the implications that someone actually might give a damn about her wellbeing. The Hot Springs themselves had been everything promised; quiet, private, and reasonably priced. How it was that her seemingly high moraled former associate had even the slightest notion of the place was something Saidra found a bit shocking as she was fairly certain he had never stepped foot into Sunberth, but sometimes questions were best left unanswered. Either way, at least she had a roof over her head for the rest of the Season.

With that sorted all that was left was getting acquainted with the city itself. Not the easiest thing to do without some sort of guide but Saidra never was one for doing things the easy way. The kindly elderly man working at the Hot Springs had given her some rudimentary directions about town, including a few pieces of advice regarding areas to avoid, more than enough information to get back to her room and stay out of trouble if she wanted.

Of course, trouble has a way of spreading out sometimes. Shouts and other sounds of a scuffle drifted from a nearby street and a man let out an annoyed scoff as Saidra passed him. His muttering about gangs caught her attention.

“What’s going on?” Saidra questioned, blunt and direct as ever.

The man seemed shocked she had spoken at him and cast a glance over the small woman as if appraising her on various levels. A skeptical squint formed at his brow before he answered, his tone carrying the air as if he were talking to a simpleton. “Gangs, girlie. Petchin’ Dagga ‘ands an’ Sun’s Birth. Been goin’ f’ each otha’s throats f’ days. Where y’ been, unda a rock?”

Saidra let a far too casual shrug come to her. “New in town,” she offered to explain her ignorance.

“Ah see,” The man replied, his look seeming to change from thinking her stupid to suddenly questioning her sanity. “Well y’ best watch y’self, then. Somethin’ big’s comin’ down th’ line, y’ mark m’ words on that.” A self satisfied nod of his head finished the slurred words.

She wasn't sure whether to thank the man or be irritated as his half attempt at a warning. Either way, it seemed to provide as good an introduction to the city as any.
.

[Berend]

Every one of the guards seemed to have a hand on their steel, and the merchants on their purses. That or they fidgeted with it, one way or another as Berend walked aimlessly about the Castle Commons from one street to another. He shouldn't have been surprised, it had been like this for a while now, ever since fall began to take it's hold over the land, but there was ever that hope that someone would do something stupid. That a lamb would wander into his wake. A foolish hope yes, but it got him out into this cold to work, at least that was what he told himself when he nurtured the idea of their being this great score out here just waiting for him. Enough to see him through the Winter in comfort till it became the time of plenty that was Spring once more. No such luck though in reality, for people were even more on their guard than usual. Even the foreigners, whom usually made easy enough pickings fresh of the docks. Not that he'd scored off of one, but he'd seen it done by a friend of his whom said their was nothing easier, but even that was in the Summer. These were harder times now, and harder times called for sturdier people. An because of that, he hadn't picked anything in over a ten-day for fear of losing a hand when he was most assuredly caught, if even that was all he would lose. He tried not worry about that too much though, he had enough of a time scrounging up some courage to risk his hand. All said though, perhaps the hope was a good thing, because here he was, still coming out here day after day, ever looking for his next bit of work. No one seemed ripe enough for it. They were all too wary, as well the should be, he couldn't blame them for that. It just didn't seem very fair, how was he supposed to get his start into the season after all? The others made it seem so easy. At the thought of them, he allowed himself to stop and look around briefly, trying to catch a glimpse of any friendly features. He only saw those closest to him, fellow browsers that kept the general pace of back and forth in this area. Unable to see through those whom towered over him, he moved towards the rickety steps of some shop that shared the road with the rest, and arched to his toes. It was disappointing to see what he expected. A whole lot of faces, most expressionless, and all unfamiliar. He settled back down onto the flats of his feet, and leaned against the post of the place he loitered on while he took a few moments to retreat from it all. There wasn't time to waste, not now, and he needed to figure out what to do. Closing his eyes for longer than a standard blink, he breathed out, and focused on what he needed to do. When he opened them again, he focused once more on the strangers moving about them, and tried again find just the right mark.

[Saidra]

So this was the Castle Commons. What visions of distrust and edginess she had seen leading to the center of the city only became all the worse as she maneuvered around the various stalls and their wares and those that were brave enough to sell, buy, or stand guard in the cold. She'd have to make a note to return here soon to purchase a lockbox to store most of her belongings in. For the now, only a handful of mizas had been taken with her, the rest tucked away under a loose floorboard in the room she had rented. Far from the best hiding place, but the overall security of the Hot Springs had seemed adequate enough to grant the woman at least some piece of mind for the time being.

As for what she carried, well, the small pocket that was sewn into the inside of her sleeve would keep it safe and hopefully the dagger at her side would prove enough motivation to keep wandering hands from trying anything. You never could be too sure, though. As much as her own thievery skills left much to be desired - no doubt they would be tested enough in this very same place - Saidra had one thing that other thieves probably didn't, and woe to any pickpocket who got on her bad side. She didn't have to catch them after all, just touch them. Even with the persistent headache ever growing, however, Saidra thought better of ending up standing above some screaming street urchin on her fist day within the city's walls. Rational thought didn't exactly stop the urges though.

Maybe that's why she tried to look as unassuming as possible, mild even, far too soft for the city she had taken up residence in. All she wanted was an excuse, it's what she had come here for, wasn't it? You didn't come to Sunberth for the opportunities to get rich and live an easy life, you came because it supplied some other sort of need, whatever it was.

But no, that sort of thing was best left for later, maybe after not-as-many-as-others-thought drinks and a sizing up of what sort of places wouldn't immediately kick you out for getting in a tussle. For now, the mission was simple, get an idea of the petching place you were in and for gods' sake stay try and not cause trouble. Didn't rule out any trouble that found her, though.

As Saidra moved through the small gathering of individuals, she tried to make mental notes of each stall she came across and what they offered. Food was going to be important, a lesson of Winters past that she had learned from a very early age. Hoping for decent food was probably too much to ask for, though. If you wanted fancy, you should have gone to Kenash. Saidra made a face at the thought, no that city was no place for someone like-!

Her train of thought was lost as she felt someone roughly bump into her, or maybe she had done so to them. Either way she looked up at the young blonde haired man, her gaze kept somewhere between indifferent and cold. No way was she going to apologize. Of course, she wasn't even sure they did that sort of thing here.
.

[Berend]

There it was, a glimmer of hope. An older man, loitering around a stall to take his sweet time looking at the wares displayed there. From the look of it, he seemed to be in a rather animated discussion with the merchant on the other side of it, and sensing an opportunity there, Berend left his post. Being the small, thin and crooked street it was, the press of flesh from others moving about was of course the most time consuming obstacle of the whole endeavor. He tried bulling past, but thought better of it when he got off of the porch, and tried storming past a rather muscular looking man whom was easily a head taller than him. So, instead he decided to slink, weaving between the people crowding the street, while trying to keeping his eyes out for those that would make a mark of him. Doing both things at once was easier said than done though, and he quickly ended up tripping over someone's boot, shouldering into something when he tried to recover himself. As expected, he heard more than a few curses from those he'd inconvenienced, but he was surpassed to see that it was a woman he'd managed to run into. He considered briefly holding his arms up to shield a slap that was sure to come, but then figured that only make her more pissed off. "Uh, yea.. kinda knocked into you I did.." He said, looking down interestingly enough to make eye contact with her. "Er.. sorry?" Another awkward pause, and still thinking of what else to say, he decided to look her over to see if she was damaged, but did think to consider he'd only bumped her till a few moments later. Still, scratching his neck, he figured he should try for a better apology. Might put those around him at ease about his character, but more like no one would care it was said, not even this woman. "Um, what I mean is.. yea didn't mean to run into you, and uh, sorry if hurt ya, but you don't look in terrible shape" No matter though, whatever he said it just felt like he might be making more of a problem of it, and his features tightened in expectation of the stinging slap to come. It probably hurt more, but he couldn't really help that, and it made him feel at least braced for it. Whether she ended up slapping him or not, after a few awkward moments he decided to extend a hand in greeting to hopefully make things less awkward. "Berend.. Berend is the name you can use later to be telling your friends later on whom to beat up" He mumbled, and managed a slight smile at his own humor.

[Saidra]

There may have been a time in her life when she would have instantly lashed out at anyone who even remotely dared make contact with her, but that had been the folly of youth and paranoia. Time had taught her that it was much better to strike when people weren't expecting it, after all. Still, the way the man cringed and stiffened brought on a wry smile that completely overwrote the surprise at actually hearing an apology come from him.

It didn't last though. Had this been somewhere else and he had been someone else she may have taken the incident at face value, but Saidra had been warned about this city and it's people. That brought on a whole slew of questions regarding what sort of game he was playing. Was the offered hand some sort of ploy to drop her guard? Would it be rewarded with a knife in the side? Was the risk worth it?

Probably not, but she'd play along anyway.

"I'll try to remember that," she spoke, the words taking on a honeyed tone she instantly found distasteful and mentally chastised herself for. A purposeful glance was given to his hand once more before her own gloved one rose to gently clasp his in a short expected manner.

"Saidra." Her own name was offered, the use of an alias seemed hardly worth the effort. "I don't think you'll have to worry about my friends, though. I much prefer to handle things myself."

There was that same coy tone again. Just what the petch did she think she was doing? If the boy was playing some game then she should have been on her guard as she drifted along with it, not trying to start one of her own. Not that Saidra was entirely sure what she was after. Information, the thought came to her in a single word. Yes, she'd need someone to show her about and if the man was a local he could certainly be of some use.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing though," Saidra started as she raised a hand to tuck several stray strands of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't really paying attention. I'm afraid I'm a bit out of my element. See, I just arrived today and I'm still getting my bearings."

A gentle smile, a nervous tug at her lower lip and Saidra found herself trying her best to not show a shred of how indecent she felt her little act really was.

"I- I don't suppose you could help show me around?"
.

[Berend]

When it became clear that the slap would not come, he quit tensing up his features so bad, and took up instead grinding his teeth behind closed lips when he wasn't talking. His hand shake came off more wooden than he intended but, thankfully it was brief. Idly, as she responded in kind, he took the moment to look her over for any obvious weapons before meeting her eyes again. Whether or not he saw anything, he'd try and probably fail to keep his features unassuming when meeting her gaze as eye contact with strangers always set him to feeling a bit nervous, which was only made worse by him already being in such a state. Despite all that though, he couldn't help but raise an eye brow at what she said, for she was far from looking threatening. A trap maybe, but a trapper? Never.. He decided after a brief consideration. She spoke too soft, and held herself together to well to be as rough as that. Listening to her continue only confirmed his opinion, and relaxed him a bit more as well. Enough so that he carried himself a bit less tensely and felt free enough to maintain eye contact without squirming. Could be that this one was just the mark he was looking for. "Depends. What sort o' place you look'n to find. Sunberth's a big place, and mighten I be knowing it" Berend tried on a deeper voice as he did, to make up for his cracking reply earlier, but it came out inevitably forced. All it did was serve to make him more self conscious, and regret trying out the act. Maybe it even had costed him a mark. "Or maybe your just looking for the places to avoid?" He added, belatedly considering her comment of being an outsider. Doing away with the voice this time, he spoke as he would normally, though he didn't much like to. It didn't sound deep enough to him after all, and when he wanted to sound like a tough guide.. Well it certainly lacked that weathered quality, and instead perhaps reflected his naiveté on the matter. Firmly fed up with all his cowardice though, he shrugged the self depreciating thought away, and instead focused on listening to whatever she decided to say.

oocSorry, I didn't really give much to go on with this, but I'll try to make up for it in the next post once it's sorted location wise

[Saidra]

There was probably some sort of god she should have been thanking for the way Berend seemed to ease up a bit, the tension in his body giving way to a more comfortable manner, but which deity was responsible was a loss to her - certainly not hers, that was for sure. Nervous people were prone to suffer from random bouts of stupid, after all. Even if this was some sort of ploy, the less twitchy the boy seemed the better off things would go. Hopefully.

"Oh, nothing in particular, just places worth knowing, I suppose. Best taverns, best places to buy the little odds and ends that a girl needs. Places to find work, you know, the simple stuff." Saidra offered another smile that was entirely opposite of the mental cringe she felt inside. "That's a horrible list of some rather unspecific things though, isn't it? How about we start with the taverns - or, at least the best tavern - and you can tell me all about these places to avoid along the way."

Gods was she always this bad? Too many years had been spent among a small band of companions who usually handled this sort of thing so she didn't have to, apparently. It had been a long while, too long, since Saidra had to rely only on herself. If a younger, more suspicious, version of herself could only see her now. Krysus, this was verging on downright embarrassing. Thank yet another god that no one she knew, aside from herself obviously, was watching this.

It's your own petching fault for opening your mouth, she scolded herself once more. The smart thing would have been to just acknowledge the boy and move on and... What? Stumble about the city on your own? Berend could very well have been looking for some way to take advantage of the new girl in town, but at least he was just one boy. Sunberth seemed the sort of place you could take a wrong turn and find yourself in an alleyway filled with unfriendly sorts.
.

oocNo worries! Sorry it took a bit to reply to and it's rather short myself. Hopefully with a location working we'll be good to go!

[Berend]

Will this pay off? It was the only question that mattered, and he wasn't as certain as he would've liked about the answer. He was supposed to speak now though, to suggest a place even though near or far really did not matter. do I take more time? "Oh kay... I might be knowing a place if your not partial to somewhere called the Pig's Foot" His eyes scanned hers for a reaction he might recognize, but he quickly decided to look around a bit when he realized he was making too much eye contact with her. The newness of this situation was getting to him, and it was hard not to give into old impulses. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to refocus because his agreement had reminded him of the need to get reacquainted with where they were in the commons. In all the confusion, he'd managed to forget were he'd decided to loiter today, and were exactly that was in relation to the Pig's Foot. They weren't far from it, he knew that much because he'd kept intentionally close to grab a drink afterwards, but in his wanderings, he wasn't exactly sure how many turns they were away. Pacing a bit to the side, he scratched his head in frustration while he contemplated the best course of action. Suppose this way is as good as any He didn't have to know exactly where it was after all, the people milling about it would be answer enough. He couldn't exactly just tell her that though, or that he would be heading towards the center of the city for lack of a better option. Sparing another awkward glance in her direction, he moved a step forward before nodding. "Not much ground to point out between here and there, but you'll be knowing enough should you keep here" With that said, he shrugged and started walking, half expecting her to just get lost in the crowd. If she didn't though, he wouldn't go so fast as to make an uncomfortable pace of it, but rather take it leisurely so he could easily look over at her without worrying about slamming into another person. "Not much to worry about around here, as long as you keep around here and stay away from the warehouses. Wouldn't have anything to do over there anyways, so your not missing much" He didn't bother with pointing, choosing instead to keep his hands at his sides. "Pretty okay around here actually, so don't go feeling the need to jump at shadows just cause I said something" There was no concern to his voice though, just a flatly intoned observation. If she looked up at him, might be that she caught a forced grin as he tried internally to make up for his disinterest, but it was a half hearted measure that disappeared quickly from his face. They were getting closer to the cities' center after all, and he was running out of time on a number of ideas. "How long you been here anyways?" Berend looked over at her, and wondered about which side she kept her mizas.

[Saidra]

.
Saidra tried to keep the smirk that was forming from her lips, but wasn't entirely successful. For a tick or two it almost seemed to her as if the boy didn't know exactly even where he was, never the less the so-called Pig's Foot. Heard places called worse things, was about her only thought in reply to any sort of aversion she may have with the tavern. Soon enough, though, Berend set off and his pace seemed leisurely enough, strangely she didn't have to actually make an effort to keep up. It wasn't that the boy was short by any means, but he was a far cry from the men she was used to keeping company with who practically towered over the Northerner.

As they made their way, Saidra let her eyes roam over the buildings and down each alleyway and side street. Nothing yet seemed to even be attempting to change her initial view on Sunberth. Each was as unremarkable as the next. She did, however, take special note of his mention of the warehouses. Any place that was worth pointing out as somewhere to avoid was probably a perfect place to look in to later - after she got more information, of course. Saidra was a great many things but suicidal was not one of them and little gift or no, there was only so much trouble a person could get themselves into and get out relatively unscathed.

He confirmed her suspicion though, at least somewhat, her more malicious hobbies would have to be kept away from Commons. That thought did absolutely nothing to calm the pulse of pain that flared in her head with each step. Thankfully Saidra had long ago learned how to avoid the subtle flinches that a normal person might show with such a thing, she didn't figure any sort of outward display of weakness would exactly go unnoticed in a city like this.

Saidra's gaze continued to flit over to her guide as he spoke. He seemed to be looking at her a bit too intently, but that very well could have simply been due to a healthy dose of paranoia. She considered how best to answer his question, make it sound far more mysterious than need be, maybe lie and give some padding so that he couldn't tie her to the slaver that had arrived that morning, of course, she'd already admitted to only arriving that day which really left her trapped to the truth. Pity.

"A few bells," Saidra replied with a soft shrug of her shoulder. "Not nearly enough to be properly scared off, I suppose."

The grin she flashed him wasn't entirely innocent, verging more on revealing far too many of her own thoughts. Such as the best way to handle her growing predicament, how maybe Berend would end up helping her in more than just one way; even if the second would no doubt be a quite a bit more unpleasant.

.

"Common" † "Nari" † "Fratava"

[Berend]

In times like these, he really regretted these crooked, narrow streets that brought him into bodily contact with the best and worst Sunberth had to offer. The worst of course being having to sidle past a greasy merchant whom was a little too free with his hands for Berend’s liking, but the best in this circumstance made up for that passing uncomfortableness for she was walking right beside him. Saidra was the perfect mark because she was young, and naive, not to mention prettier than most of the girls he was used to seeing. A lot cleaner too, come to think of it, but alas, he’d rather steal her purse than pay for it. So instead, he settled for looking at her every so often as he thought of just how he was going to pull this one off with a mark so alert. Between those furtive glances, he watched where they were going, and barely made out the tavern up ahead by way of its’ sign. He stopped walking so fast, and started taking instead measured steps that afforded him longer looks at her. It wouldn’t do to have this all over so soon, especially when he was just beginning to put things together. “Fresh off the road then, eh? Petch..” Berend added, almost as if an after thought as he hoped that she would not pay too much mind to the change of pace. He stopped to pat his breeches as he spoke, resting on hand on his hip before continuing on moments later. “Means I’ll have to buy you a drink, Sunberth hospitality and all” His smile showed a lot of teeth, with his dirty, unkempt hair falling across his eyes as the continued on. If he was lucky, she’d take his pretend at face value, but when did he ever get off so easily. Fore, and index finger curled around the dagger hilt he kept on the hip opposite her, his heart hammering at all of the thoughts of what could happen. Idly, he mused that maybe she could hear his heart beat, certainly felt possible. “Must be one vicious broad, coming out here all by yourself because you don’t look stupid to me” He looked to make eye contact with her, his own searching her face for several moments if she did not meet them. The Pig’s Foot was close now, he could see that when he looked forward again, and his right hand trembled in anticipation. He sucked down a deep breath, and came to a stop outside the place, turning around on his heel to face her square on. His left hand was still on his hip, but with his right, he dug his index finger into the pouch on that side of his waist, fishing out a few mizas till he had the right one. Between his thumb and forefinger, he handed over a silver rimmed miza towards her, a broad smile tightening his features. “Guessing you can read, and so here you are, your drink”