Afternoon
16th of Cylus Arc 718
16th of Cylus Arc 718
Even in the chilly air of Cylus the town square of Scalvoris town was set alight with activity. People of all sorts were milling around; a sea of colors and sounds washed over the young mage. It was a welcome sight, reminding Sephira of her childhood in the Faldrass marketplace. Children dashed through the crowds, playing games with each other while they took in the offerings of the marketplace.
Sephira glanced across the square and leveled her gaze at a duo of Land Troop soldiers who were posted opposite of her. She was finishing up her final day of training with them and she had been assigned to patrol the town’s center for the afternoon. There had been reports of a conman wandering the marketplace trying to sell some sort of concoction to unwary buyers. While not exactly against the law, they were hoping to locate this individual and ‘gently’ encourage him to take his business elsewhere.
The mage straightened the velvety red fabric of her coat; the leafy green temporary badge of the Land Troops glinting from its position at her collar. Admittance as a full member of the Flame Troops meant training in each branch of the Elements before she could graduate. Today was a stepping stone toward her end goal.
A dozen or so paces away from the mage was a textile saleswoman. Rich fabrics dyed in opulent colors hung from every inch of her stand. Most of the fabric was simply cotton or hemp but there were a few lengths of silk and velvet carefully displayed in the back of her stand. A young Biqaj man approached the merchant, his pointed ears bedecked in glittering piercings, and his hands decorated with numerous rings. The man’s hair was a vigorous red with several braids woven throughout it and decorated with gleaming glass beads. His clothing consisted of billowy crimson silken pants and a half-robe of layered fabrics of differing varieties that was belted at his waist with a black satin sash. The Biqaj seemed to have cobbled together his outfit himself, though homemade, the fabrics were richer than most. A couple layers of silk could even be seen peeking out from the draped robe. His chest was half bare exposing a jangling cascade of necklaces made from cheaper metals that they appeared.
“My good lady, what beautiful wares you have!” The man said to the fabric merchant in a thick rolling accent. His voice was loud enough to be heard at some distance. The fabric merchant eyed him critically. “How might I help you sir?” she inquired in a tight voice.
“I have come in search a spool of the most vibrant, softest velvet madam, and how fortunate that you seem to have it.” The Biqaj announced with a leer in his eye.
“Velvet is sixteen gold nels per yard sir, that spool is forty yards, I trust you can pay.” The merchant responded, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“But I have something better than nels my lady, I have this.” From the depths of a silky sleeve the Biqaj plucked a palm sized vial of soft blue liquid. The bottle was made from a slightly iridescent glass that gave the contents a shimmery appearance.
“This serum is from the distant reaches of Idalos, it restores the beauty of youth to even the most haggard countenance! Its effectiveness has no equal! Of this I swear on my own name, Kelan Ishadi’ madam. ”A crowd was beginning to form around the opulently dressed man, hoping to see what might happen in the moments that came next.
“Hogwash, if I ever did see it.” The merchant responded with a dismissive shake of her head. “Prove that it works, and I’ll consider trading”.
The Biqaj’s bright blue eyes lit up as he turned to the crowd. “Do I have a volunteer?!” he cried.
A few hands shot up, some more hesitant than others. Kelan pointed into the crowed, his jewelry jangling at the motion. “You there my lady.”
A thin graying woman stepped from the crowd; her hair had clearly once been a pallid blonde hue but had been diminished by age over the arcs. Her face was beginning to fill with wrinkles that were deepest around her eyes where crow’s feet had begun to form.
With a flourish Kelan Ishadi’ swept her to his side with a wave of his silken arm and opened the shimmery vial. An exotic fragrance wafted from the glass container into the crowed, smelling of coconut, pineapple and a hint of rosemary.
With his knuckle, the Biqaj man collected a healthy dab of the lotion-like substance before brushing it on the volunteer’s cheeks. He rubbed it in carefully, paying special attention to her harsh wrinkles and lines around her eyes. The crowd watched in captivated silence as the showman pulled a damp cloth from his sleeve and proceeded to wipe the mixture off her face. A gasp ran through the crowd as the lines creasing her face were wiped away with a simple motion. It was as though all her imperfections were melting away as he cleaned her face, removing the beauty serum now that it had done its work. The volunteer smiled, her face soft and youthful in appearance, gazing in wonder at the miracle in a bottle.
The crowd went crazy, calling for the merchant to go through with the trade and to buy a vial themselves. At the edge of the chaos Sephira was watching, her eyes narrowed at Kalen Ishadi’. He was very likely the man they were looking for, but now it would be almost impossible to extract him from the salivating mass of people.
This was going to be problematic.
Sephira glanced across the square and leveled her gaze at a duo of Land Troop soldiers who were posted opposite of her. She was finishing up her final day of training with them and she had been assigned to patrol the town’s center for the afternoon. There had been reports of a conman wandering the marketplace trying to sell some sort of concoction to unwary buyers. While not exactly against the law, they were hoping to locate this individual and ‘gently’ encourage him to take his business elsewhere.
The mage straightened the velvety red fabric of her coat; the leafy green temporary badge of the Land Troops glinting from its position at her collar. Admittance as a full member of the Flame Troops meant training in each branch of the Elements before she could graduate. Today was a stepping stone toward her end goal.
A dozen or so paces away from the mage was a textile saleswoman. Rich fabrics dyed in opulent colors hung from every inch of her stand. Most of the fabric was simply cotton or hemp but there were a few lengths of silk and velvet carefully displayed in the back of her stand. A young Biqaj man approached the merchant, his pointed ears bedecked in glittering piercings, and his hands decorated with numerous rings. The man’s hair was a vigorous red with several braids woven throughout it and decorated with gleaming glass beads. His clothing consisted of billowy crimson silken pants and a half-robe of layered fabrics of differing varieties that was belted at his waist with a black satin sash. The Biqaj seemed to have cobbled together his outfit himself, though homemade, the fabrics were richer than most. A couple layers of silk could even be seen peeking out from the draped robe. His chest was half bare exposing a jangling cascade of necklaces made from cheaper metals that they appeared.
“My good lady, what beautiful wares you have!” The man said to the fabric merchant in a thick rolling accent. His voice was loud enough to be heard at some distance. The fabric merchant eyed him critically. “How might I help you sir?” she inquired in a tight voice.
“I have come in search a spool of the most vibrant, softest velvet madam, and how fortunate that you seem to have it.” The Biqaj announced with a leer in his eye.
“Velvet is sixteen gold nels per yard sir, that spool is forty yards, I trust you can pay.” The merchant responded, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“But I have something better than nels my lady, I have this.” From the depths of a silky sleeve the Biqaj plucked a palm sized vial of soft blue liquid. The bottle was made from a slightly iridescent glass that gave the contents a shimmery appearance.
“This serum is from the distant reaches of Idalos, it restores the beauty of youth to even the most haggard countenance! Its effectiveness has no equal! Of this I swear on my own name, Kelan Ishadi’ madam. ”A crowd was beginning to form around the opulently dressed man, hoping to see what might happen in the moments that came next.
“Hogwash, if I ever did see it.” The merchant responded with a dismissive shake of her head. “Prove that it works, and I’ll consider trading”.
The Biqaj’s bright blue eyes lit up as he turned to the crowd. “Do I have a volunteer?!” he cried.
A few hands shot up, some more hesitant than others. Kelan pointed into the crowed, his jewelry jangling at the motion. “You there my lady.”
A thin graying woman stepped from the crowd; her hair had clearly once been a pallid blonde hue but had been diminished by age over the arcs. Her face was beginning to fill with wrinkles that were deepest around her eyes where crow’s feet had begun to form.
With a flourish Kelan Ishadi’ swept her to his side with a wave of his silken arm and opened the shimmery vial. An exotic fragrance wafted from the glass container into the crowed, smelling of coconut, pineapple and a hint of rosemary.
With his knuckle, the Biqaj man collected a healthy dab of the lotion-like substance before brushing it on the volunteer’s cheeks. He rubbed it in carefully, paying special attention to her harsh wrinkles and lines around her eyes. The crowd watched in captivated silence as the showman pulled a damp cloth from his sleeve and proceeded to wipe the mixture off her face. A gasp ran through the crowd as the lines creasing her face were wiped away with a simple motion. It was as though all her imperfections were melting away as he cleaned her face, removing the beauty serum now that it had done its work. The volunteer smiled, her face soft and youthful in appearance, gazing in wonder at the miracle in a bottle.
The crowd went crazy, calling for the merchant to go through with the trade and to buy a vial themselves. At the edge of the chaos Sephira was watching, her eyes narrowed at Kalen Ishadi’. He was very likely the man they were looking for, but now it would be almost impossible to extract him from the salivating mass of people.
This was going to be problematic.
