Fate - First Reply Cobbled streets, and Calm

[Nuir]

The prevalence of stone cobbled as it was gave Nuir a nostalgic feeling. So much of his travels had been wilds and forests. There was certainly nothing wrong with being surrounded in greenery. In his study of healing methods it often required delving into the thick of untamed nature. The best ingredients were often the hardest to obtain. He was fortunate to have a method which did not solely rely on such gathering.
Still he found the many laid stones to give an extra layer of charm to the early morning. The craftsmanship left something to be desired but it was an unfair comparison. Little could come close to workmanship of the settlement he had grown up in. Imposing and strong structures hewn in angles unfathomable to outsiders. It was with a small pang that he realized that he too was now an outsider.

The early light fell in soft rays upon him and the stones. It gave even this back alley a sense of slow stillness. Sounds of the citizens of the outer wall waking and going about their day were increasing. The quiet of the morning would be gone soon enough. Nuir had bartered mending a few small injuries for information. This he always did when entering a new city.

He would head toward the inner city soon. For now he had taken a moment to rest. Sat out of the way to avoid impeding the bustle he still seemed to catch odd glance in his direction. He had noticed the people here to be more wary of him then in Elbion. Perhaps it was the realtively delicate clothing or his slight frame indicating he wasn’t the hearty working type....or maybe it was the quiet unreadable blankness of his expression.
Whatever the case perhaps he ought not to linger for too long.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

Running away. She was running away and she wasn't even entirely sure what - or who - she was running from. Lyssia was very much afraid that the specter she fled was actually herself.

Or she would have been afraid if she could have made herself care at all. The gaping wound in her heart still bled freely, casting the world in a grey pall that even the bright sun and blue skies could scarcely scratch. It was better than the all-consuming rage that occasionally set upon her, though. So it had been for weeks now. Weeks spent traveling alone along the coast of Allirian Strait in silence. Considerably shorter than the handful of people out and about so early, she stood out in other ways. Her long red hair was a tangled mess and dirty, her dress clearly travel-worn and as neglected as the rest of her appeared. Eyes of jade deeply underscored by dark circles and rimmed red by exhaustion.

That, and heartbreak.

The young sidhe had been to Alliria before, but those memories were too painful to examine. She had never considered the place to be beautiful or magnificent. That may have had more to do with the circumstances of the past than anything. Before she had been here seeking a way to regain what had been stolen from her.

That had been a lifetime ago. She had no idea why her feet had taken her here other than it was away from her troubles. That she carried one of those problems in her chest didn't much matter; the other problems were certainly more dire.

She blinked and looked around her. She had been lost in her head for quite some time now - not necessarily a healthy practice in Alliria at any time of the day. She was utterly worn out, practically swaying on her feet just standing there.

She needed to find a place to rest. The last time she had slept on something other than the cold, hard ground had been days ago.

 

[Nuir]

Hushed whispering broke the otherwise usual sounds of morning bustle. From where he sat it took Nuir a moment to see what everyone was pretending not to see. The citizens and travelers alike busy assuring themselves it wasn't their business.
A woman had stopped in the middle of the street and was swaying quite heavily. Her hair so striking and wild that it almost distracted from blood soaking the bodice of her dress. With a small frown the pale elf stepped through the thin gathering to stand in front of the woman.
"Miss?...Miss?.... Perhaps you should sit down?" Nuir called softly as if trying not to startle her and gesturing to a crate nearby in the alley.
Seeing her up close he felt it was a wonder she was still upright. His hands raised as if to gently brace her shoulders. She was probably in some kind of shock from the glassy look in her eyes. She was shorter than himself but she didn't appear to be a child. At least not a human one. Alliria was a city with all sorts of travelers so there was no telling where she had come from on looks alone.

His eyes looked over her frail frame with not so subtle concern. Really in such a circumstance he ought to commence healing as quickly as possible. Given her glazed expression he didn't want to risk her simply dashing off if he reached out to touch her unexpectedly.