{M} Seekers of Village Vengeance. {Oddysen & ScottishGal}

[Oddysen]

Alick looked out onto the masses. The sheer number of people that were there was mind numbing. Even the people they could see just out their window was surely a match for the entire population of Sioda. He hoped Fia was right in her first guess, that there was something special about today, because if this was normal, he dreaded to think what it would be like during a festival. He glanced over at Fia, who was just putting on her underskirt, which, despite having seen her like this many times, never failed to make him blush slightly. She asked him whether he'd slept well or not. Thinking back to how he had woken up, a satisfied smirk spread across his face. "Yea I slept well. Might be the best nights sleep I've ever had. At very least, it was the best waking up I have ever had."

[Scottie]

She fixed the final ties around her waist and flicked her eyes back to him when he spoke. She noticed the pink grace his cheeks and smirked. She tugged her deep blue dress over her head and started to fix the arms tighter around her shape. "Good." She chuckled gently and shook her head softly. "Oh hush you." She finished with her arms and was concentrating on those ties around her waist when she spoke again. "Where do we find them? Like...by the wall...or do we just wander until we see one?" She asked him as she finally finished with her dress. She crammed her feet into her shoes and becokened some water to float to her from the window. Three droplets trickled down the pane and drifted past Alick. "I wonder if this place has one of those fountains." Her eyes lit up at such a suggestion. Her father had told her about those magical fountains. How water sprayed through the air from carved faces. She had imagined such a grand looking structure, that she hoped she would not be disappointed.

[Oddysen]

Alick grinned warmly as Fia's response. He leant gently against the wall as he waited for her to finish. "I don't know really. I suppose we could just ask someone where we could make a report to the guards?" A few droplets of water drifted past Alick as he answered. At her own mention of fountains, Fia seemed to light up. Alick smiled at the sight but was a bit worried she'd be disappointed. "Fountains do sound lovely, but don't get your hopes up too high, okay darling? I'm sure they're nothing compared to the sort of wonders you yourself can do with water."

If he was perfectly honest, Alick felt uncomfortable with soon having to explain what happened to Sioda. As if explaining it to authorities would somehow make it more real. More final. He knew it was anyway, that it was as real and final as things got. But he still didn't want to dwell on it. But he'd have to, now, to try and get help. He glanced over at Fia, and judged that she was done getting dressed and seeing to her hair and such. He tried to put on a smile and pretend everything was alright, and spoke gently "Shall we get going then?"

[Scottie]

Fia finished with her dress and glanced at him again. "We should." She glanced in the small mirror and fixed some of her curls back from her face. "I'm sure we will find someone." The water droplets spun around her fingers as he told her not to get her hopes up. She flicked her eyes to him and then rolled her eyes. "I wont....but it would be something else." She said softly as she glanced back around their room. They could surely get someone to look after their belongings for a little while. "You think we can get that lady downstairs to look after our stuff?" She asked as she hauled up her make shift bag. Her shoes were screaming at her, already ready to burst at the seams and leave her shoeless. But she was ready to go on. She nodded and patted his arm as she brushed past him. "Come on then."

The inn was full of life. It had been so empty the night before, now people were trickling from every direction. Fia spotted a couple who she thought were their neighbours and elbowed him gently, "Look." She whispered to him before chuckling. The man still looked like he was in the dog house but at least his wife was holding his hand. Fia let them go on ahead before following them down the stairs. She hoped like hell that they wouldn't have to lug around their bags for the rest of the day, so she made her way over to stand in the small queue before the desk.

[Oddysen]

"Maybe. She doesn't seem the most accommodating sort, but it might be the sorta thing they have to do as an inn. Either way, we don't have that much stuff, so we could just lug it around if need be." Alick had already shrugged on his pack and was ready to fall in behind Fia when she prodded him to follow.

Downstairs, there were significantly more people than there'd been in the evening. Which struck Alick as odd. In all of the bard's tales he'd heard, these sorts of places where always full and energetic in the evening and early night, and barren in the morning. As they made their way over to the counter, he briefly wondered if there was some special reason this was not the case here, or if the bards had been embellishing wildly, as some of them often did.

The same grumpy woman manned the counter now, and she seemed deeply uninterested as they asked her if she could look after their stuff, but answered them seriously. "'and me yer stuff then, and be outa ma face. If yer not back by noon, I'll throw yer stuff out on da street, less ye rent a room fer tonight." Sighing, Alick reached into his coinpurse and took out a few coins, handing them to the woman "Fine, I don't reckon we'll be out of town that quickly, and your food and bedding's decent enough. Another night then." The grumpy woman pocketed the coins without comment, and handed Alick his change, then shooed them off.

Their stuff taken care off, Alick and Fia made their way outside. They had a long day ahead of themselves.

[Scottie]

Fia chuckled at his comments, it was true. The woman was not the friendliest of innkeepers. But she pouted at his suggestion, she didn't want to have to lug their belongings around this city. Though, if they had no choice, she'd have to suck it up. She let him speak, for the woman had thrown her one hell of a dirty look when they had first arrived. Fia kept herself half behind him as the woman was harshly shouting out orders to whoever was listening. Fia grinned to herself when she agreed and then her eyebrows shot up when Alick just handed over coin for another night.

The woman took their stuff and Fia let a small whack hit his arm. "Another night?? You don't need to do that. We could have figured something else out." She told him as they left the tavern. It was clear to everyone who exited their home that day, that something was going on. The air itself was buzzing and Fia let a massive grin split onto her lips. The soft grunts of cattle passed them as the animals were lead down another alleyway towards the marketplace. Small caravans trundled down the main street, their bells and whistles adding to the music of the city.

Fia grabbed his hand and started to tug him down the street. "Come on." She told him like an excited child. She brushed past people, keeping a firm grip on his hand until they entered the main street again. The entire city was alive. A market was set up in the middle of the square. Music filled the air, the rich smells assaulted them and people constantly brushed past them. Fia was drinking in everything, her eyes snapping around her. All thoughts of seeing guards left her mind, she just wanted to explore.

[Oddysen]

Alick rubbed his shoulder and put on a theatrically indignant face, and looked accusingly at Fia. Then, after a few seconds, broke into a wide grin, unable to pretend to anymore. "I know we could have, but the inn is decent enough and cheap. We'll find something else for tomorrow if need be, but at least this way, we know we have a bed to head back to."

Alick followed obediently as Fia tugged him along, in a way he himself used to drag his father back when he was too young to see the birds on his own. It was nice to see this side of her, so he played along happily enough, despite not really being excited by the buzz and press of people. However, the music, barely audible from where they were, got his attention, as it seemed to be a tune he didn't know, and that was fairly rare, few bards knew how to play songs Alick didn't recognise. Eager to hear the music better, Alick prodded Fia's shoulder and motioned towards the music when she turned around. "Mind checking out the music first, dear?"

[Scottie]

Fia's eyes were snapping around her in a million different directions. There was so much going on. There was a man selling cooked meats from a rickety old cart. A woman selling scarfs hanging from a grumpy looking donkey. There was a handful of women nattering near a fish stall....oh that made her stop for a moment. Her eyes fixated onto the stall, she knew where they would store the change. Where the good fish would be hidden and then she saw the woman serving everyone. How happy she looked? How full of life with a massive grin splitting on her cheeks? Fia would have dragged herself away from them, if had not been for the older woman who appeared behind the girl. How the mother placed her chin on her daughters head and laughed when the girl shooed her away. Fia nearly crumbled in the street, her legs nearly giving way as it was slowly starting to hit her. She had managed to keep it all from Alick for so long, she didn't want him to crumble...so she was strong for him.

She felt him prod her shoulder and she turned to him, tears glistening in the pools of her eyes. "Music....Oh...Yes. Of course." She pulled a smile onto her lips and dragged him towards the music. Fia wriggled herself to the front of the crowd and watched the band play. The strings echoed around them as a flute player was dancing around the small crowd. A hat in the centre for those willing to give a coin to the players. Fia would have joined the others dancing, but she stayed back and held on tight to his hand. Resting her head against his shoulder as they played.

[Oddysen]

As Fia turned towards him, Alick saw the tears in her eyes, but he pretended not to notice. She'd been holding it together well until now, much better than Alick, and didn't need him to comment on her one moment of weakness. Though he made a note of comforting, or at least talking with her about it all in the evening.

The two of them quickly got to the front of the crowd, and Alick listened intently to the song, which he indeed had never heard before. Alick had been planning to just listen to that song, and then let Fia go on with her sightseeing, but as the troupe started playing the next song, Alick instantly recognised it and realised they would be packing up after it. The song was a very popular shanty these parts, called "Lost at sea", and almost every bard that had come by the village played it as their last song for the night, or before leaving town. A few of the bards from more inland parts had a different one they liked to play as they left, called "Wanderer, wanderer", which was apparently a sort of anthem for the inland bards. These parts, however, people and bards stuck to "Lost at sea". After five verses, the troupe started the final one. Like many shanties, there were many verses and versions of those verses, but the final one was always the same. Alick and a few others joined in for the final verse, while most of the crowd stayed silent, listening, which surprised Alick, as back home, everyone old enough to know the words and young enough to leave their beds joined in on that one. After they were done, and the bards started packing up, Alick walked forward and put a coin into their hat. He and Fia might not have much, but he didn't have so little yet that he couldn't give a little for a good performance. Besides, he had a question to asked, and it never hurt to be in someones good graces when asking a question. "Excuse me, " Alick said gently to the nearest of the performers " But the last song you played, before 'lost at sea' that is, I don't think I have heard that one before. Mind telling me a bit about it?" The performer, a blond man around 40 years old by the looks of him, smiled warmly at Alick "Ah, Aye. 'Tis one of our Bonnie's songs that one." the man said, hiking his thumb towards one of the two women in the troupe, a blond girl, 18 or so years old, and strikingly similar to the man "She's a talented girl, my lass is. But aye, we've only been in the area for a weeks time we have, so nah wonder ye nah heard it before. I reckon 'ery bard 'round here is gonna know most of her work in a months time tho, so we gotta cash in on our uniqueness while we can." The man let out a hearty laugh "You know, my lass has made more songs in her young years than most bards do in their-" The man was interrupted, as the older of the two women shouted at him to get going. The man seemed reluctant to stop bragging about his daughter half way, but gave in, and gave Alick and Fia a short but polite goodbye, and hurried after the rest of his troupe. Alick chuckled a bit, then smiled at Fia, and motioned for her to lead the way. "So, what do we check out next?"

[Scottie]

The crowd seemed to shift when they got closer. People were entering and leaving every few seconds and so a spot by the front was easy to capture. The music was pleasant and she had heard a few times in passing. The dirt path outside the tavern had been one of her favourite ways back and forth to the sea front. Music danced around her, brushing her skin like a lovers caress. Her brother usually sang along. He had an alright voice and he was always able to make the girls swoon with his smile. Fia missed him more than anything now. He wasn’t here to take her hand and drag her out into the circle. To make her dance to the music that he knew so well. He wasn’t there to try and chat up the pretty blonde who swayed to the music across from them. She flinched violently when the people around them started to clap for the band. They had finished and she had barely registered anything.

She stood still when Alick wandered up to the small band. She had nothing to say to them. Fia felt people move around her, the market was a busy place. She felt someone tug at her skirt or their fingers graze her skin. She flinched again and glared back into the crowd of people wandering around. So she took a step closer into the space, hearing the faint words of the man speaking to Alick. Bonnie. She raised an eyebrow and noticed the blonde girl who had gifted Alick a small smile. Even twirled her hair between her fingertips which made Fia smirk. She waited until Alick came back to her and wriggled her eyebrows at him. “You had an admirer!” She chuckled and dragged her eyes over the market place. “I’d rather we go find a guard. If we get stuck in here….we wont leave.” She said wistfully. Her family would have loved this place. It was so full of life, just like their village wasn’t. Her smile dropped again and she patted his arm before heading off towards the city’s wall. “Come on then.”