Private Tales Shopping Spree

[Roza Amarilta]

Roza had passed through one of the entrance gates to the inner city of Elbion as she had done many times before. She was no stranger to the mercantil workings of the trade city, as a hunter by profession she’d delivered goods there plenty of times in the past. But this time was different. She’d heard that the great city had been laid siege by the Elder Dragon all the way from the Falwood, but seeing it with her own two eyes was completely different. Giant chunks of the protective wall that had surrounded the city were missing, some pieces sitting like small mountains not far from where they had previously been laid for centuries, others gone altogether, like the monster had taken a bite out of it for keeps.

The wood elf pulled her cowl down to rest over her shoulders, turning in a circle to get a better look. A feeling of sadness fluttered in her chest, but she quickly stamped it down. She couldn’t allow it to get to her, couldn’t allow herself to feel like that. The cowl went back up, and she turned on her heel to venture further into the city.

A few bags of coins were tucked safely in the base of her quiver beneath her arrows, while another was tucked into a pocket in her tunic for ease of access. She’d spent years of her life saving for her future at Elbion College, scraping and scrounging for every Ducat. Now, she needed to spend a little. She needed to at least try to fit in, as much as a non-human could in a human dominated city could, which meant she needed to look the look. So, first on the list were clothes.

Luckily, she knew the perfect place.

With confident strides, she started to wind through the alleyways and streets. The woman had to take a few different ways than she was used to, due to some of the buildings being collapsed and blocking her path, but eventually she made it to where she was looking to go.

But the shop she was looking for was gone. Reduced to rubble.

“Gods damnit,” she muttered in elvish, rubbing her temple. Things were already off to a bad start.

Shiv

​

 

[Shiv]

Home. Well, what was left of it. Shiv didn't have fond memories of Elbion and for good reason. He had only returned once since the attack and even then it was only because he was passing through. His family still remained among the Eleven but even they have not gone unscathed. Shiv hoped it would teach them some humility but wouldn't hold his breath. None of it mattered to him anymore, he was just a man trying to make a living at this point. The half-elf liked to think he had done alright for himself and then he wound up doing a job like this.

Shiv had spent the last couple days scurrying about like a damned rat for his latest employer. He was little more than an overqualified courier at this point. Most would see that as easy coin and that's what the mercenary thought when he agreed to the job. Three days of being looked at like you were less than shit on a shoe had changed Shiv's view real quick. It also didn't help that there were those who knew the circumstances of his birth and were more than happy to bring it up. The mercenary was close to opening a few throats but figured he could stomach one more day of it for a significantly heavier purse.

He unleashed a torrent of curses as he turned out of the alleyway and nearly crashed into another person. Shiv was about to vent his frustration but stopped upon recognizing the other was an Elf. Non-humans were not an overly common sight within Elbion despite it apparently being open to all.

"If your looking for Larth's, the old man bought it during the attack. Shame, could make a damned fine cloak." Shiv's tone was nonchalant but there was wistfulness in his gaze. "I heard his kids set up not far from here. Can't speak to their skill though."

The mercenary studied the street behind him and then turned his attention back to the elf. "I can show you the way if you want?"

Anything to distract him from this godsforsaken job.

Roza Amarilta

 

[Roza Amarilta]

As she pondered what she was going to do next, a body flew from the same alleyway she’d just come from herself. She scarcely had time to shift her body to avoid being run into as the person strode past, uttering a slurry of curse words that would have made her mother blush. The man turned and met his eyes, and it was at that moment that she realized he was also an elf. Perhaps not fully blooded, there were a few things about him that didn’t quite fit, but he had the ears and that was enough to her.

He opened his mouth and spoke, letting her know that the kind but gruff old man who’d run the shop had gone down with the ship. She grimaced, but a look of interest flashed across her face when he mentioned that the man had children who also ran a shop of the same sort.

“That would be much appreciated. I bought this cloak off of him a few years ago and it’s held better than any others,” she replied, giving her head a nod as she stepped to his side in a show for him to lead the way.

“Thank you for the help,” she added. Gotta be respectful.

Shiv

 

[Shiv]

"I don't doubt it," the half-elf responded easily. "This here-" he gestured by tugging on his cloak, "wasn't originally his work but he sure made it better than new. There aren't many who can say the same." The truth was Shiv had also tried to check up on the old man when he returned previously only to find that the shop-owner had died. Something seemed wrong about having someone else fix it so the half-elf did the best he could on his own. Not like the old man was always going to be there anyways.

"'Bout the first damn bit of respect I've got since returning," Shiv said as the two began to make their way through the streets. "Nothing to do with you. This city just happens to be full of arrogant bastards." The mercenary could feeling his anger ready to boil over once again and fought to suppress it. Maybe if he was five deep at a tavern after last bell but that wasn't now. Shiv may have just decided what he was going to do with his night.

The area started to liven up as they made their way to a more central part of the district but was otherwise still relatively quiet. "Seems you know your way around but I take it you haven't been back in a spell. What brings you back to the 'Enlightened City'?" the mercenary asked, sarcasm dripping at the end. He wasn't sure if the other elf would answer but it was no skin off his back. In his business, some folk liked to talk while others just whet their blade. Still, Shiv strove to get along with his kind, or at least the half that didn't immediately seem to shun him.

"Name's Shiv, by the way."

Roza Amarilta

 

[Roza Amarilta]

Roza’s hazel eyes swiped over the half-elf’s cloak appreciatively. If he hadn’t told her, she wouldn’t have noticed the nearly seamless patching on the parts he motioned to. It didn’t surprise her though. What had surprised her was finding the shop in the first place in the outskirts. The quality that Larth had produced could have easily sold in the inner portions of the city, but the old man had chosen to stay in the outskirts to sell to the lower class tradesmen and mercenaries that passed in and out of the gates. It was admirable, and she’d had a great respect for him.

The man mentioned that her thank you was the first bit of respect he’d gotten in the city, and she believed him. Traveling over the years had broken her rose colored glasses. Despite elves being the oldest species known to the world, they still received a lot of xenophobia and prejudice wherever they went outside of the Falwood. She’d been absolutely gobsmacked when she’d first left her village with her father on a trade. Human towns were the worst of it and Elbion, even with its claim to be accepting, wasn’t truly all that different.

“Humans don’t like what they don’t know, and sometimes even what they do,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders, pulling her cloak more tightly against her body as it began to sprinkle.

Her guide led them further in, toward the city center, and she suspected that the old shopkeeper’s children hadn’t had the same mindset as him of keeping the trade in the outskirts. She couldn’t blame them, though. Times were getting hard for everyone, and everytime she came back to the city things seemed to get worse. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer, and a giant Elder Dragon destroying everything you’d spent your life creating didn’t help matters, either.

He seemed to sus out that she was familiar with the city, but hadn’t been back in a while. She gave him a side-eye, noting that he was more perceptive than he appeared. Not that she had anything to hide, it wasn’t as if she was on some super secret mission. In fact, she was in the city for quite the accomplishment. It wasn’t easy getting into Elbion College, and even more difficult to pay for it for those that didn’t come from money or who didn’t have a family who made regular donations. But Roza had nothing but gumption, and a will to learn. She had things in her past that she needed to right the wrong of, and the college was the first stepping stone in doing so.

“It’s nice to meet you, Shiv. My name’s Roza,” she began, but made no move to shake his hand just as he hadn’t hers. There wasn’t really a need, with as big as Elbion was, she wasn’t even sure they’d ever cross paths again. Whether or not that was a good thing, she didn’t know, but she was thankful for the help he was providing regardless.

“You would be correct. I grew up as a hunter by trade out of Falwood, so I’d use the stones every now and then to venture into the city to sell my goods to some of the merchants. I’ve been accepted into Elbion College, however, so I suppose I’m hanging up my bow for the time being,” the woman relayed, gracefully sliding in front of him and corralling them toward a street vender that was selling some cooked meats.

“What about you? You seem to know the streets even better than I, which only leads me to believe you’re a native. You’re a bit too cynical of it to want to stick around for long though,” she deduced with a smirk playing at the edges of her lips. She fished a few tolaro and a zoldo from her pouch and handed them to the vendor, who traded her two kebabs, one of which she handed to Shiv.

“So, what job takes you out of the city so often?” she prodded, moving back to his side and nodding for him to continue guiding them.

Shiv

 

[Shiv]

"You're not wrong there," agreed the mercenary. It was always an odd thing to balance, his mixed-heritage that is. He had essentially been ostracized from his family due to his elven origins. Thus he tended to hold a greater sympathy towards his longer-eared kin. 'Course Shiv had seen the same treatment from elves as well, though it was more apathy than outright malice. The mercenary had come to the conclusion that people in general were shitty until they proved otherwise. Roza, as he introduced herself, was seemingly in the latter category.

Shiv raised his brow at the mention of her acceptance into Elbion College. "That's no easy feat. The types I used to know all 'donated' their way in. Could barely tell the sky from the ground. I'm going to go ahead and guess you didn't pay your weight in ducats to get in and did things properly instead." The mercenary welcomed the detour as the aroma of cooked meats was not easily ignored.

He gratefully took the skewer, studying it for a moment before partaking. It also bought him a moment to decide how he wanted to answer Roza's question. "Seems you go me figured out," Shiv began with a chuckle. "Elbion born and raised, though I didn't get much help with that second part. Hence the cynicism."

The mercenary once again began to lead them to their original destination.

"Sort that requires these-" he brushed aside his cloak slightly to reveal the sword and warhammer at his sides. "Course I haven't needed to use either for this particular contract. Gods know I want to with the way things been going." A lazy smile still played across his face but there was frustration in his tone.

Roza Amarilta