Snippet #2572253

Brainde, Merrowvale
October 21, 2014--4:21 PM

The market square opened up to the right, and as the red-haired lady passed, she could see a rather...bizarre scene had unfolded before she arrived. Chickens were fluttering all around in the rain, away from anyone who tried to approach. One kiosk had been smashed, jewels being sent everywhere...and to match, the vendors' faces were all marked with anger.

At first, the lady considered finding out what caused all this chaos, but something told her entering the market square wouldn't end well. As such, she was about to avert her gaze and keep walking, when she spied one of the gems laying on the ground--a violet, round one, to be precise.

Immediately, the image entered her mind again--that violet-haired girl in the blue dress. Why...? Yes, it was becoming more vivid. There were three of those gems sewn into each of her sleeves. Speaking of which, the dress was starting to become more distinct; the front portion of it was a lighter shade of blue, and--

The image faded away again, leaving the red-haired lady to stare off into the rain aimlessly. "...that girl again," she muttered, even more confused...and maybe a little bit frightened. "Just who was she...or could it be that I'm going crazy...?" Shaking her head and forcing the thoughts out of her mind, she started walking again, carelessly holding her lance over her shoulder at a more extreme angle.

Abruptly, the lance jerked backwards in her hand, and there was a sharp cry in the same direction. Surprised, the red-haired lady spun around and looked to see what happened. Just to her left, a shorter, blonde-haired girl was bent down, clutching her shoulder and wincing. Realizing she was close enough for her lance's end to hit the girl in exactly that place, the red-haired lady gasped, then looked away a bit shamefully. "Uh...sorry about that," she managed awkwardly.

Groaning quietly as she straightened up, the girl shook her head...wait, her ears were pointed. An elf...? "N-no...i-it's fine...I, uh...I wasn't really...ah, p-paying attention...to my surroundings," the elf replied quietly, in a weak, nervous voice.

Unable to really think of a good reply, the red-haired lady simply looked the elf up and down. Though she had just been hit on the shoulder, this elf girl didn't seem fine at all. All she was dressed in was a thin, sleeveless green dress that didn't even cover her knees--in fact, this dress was quite ragged along its edges. She wore no footwear, and her legs were covered in mud. Her arms were no better, rainwater streaming down their scarred...wait, was she hurt? Oh wait, no, it was just scratches...

The blond hair sliding past her shoulders was messy and tangled, and one lock of hair even fell directly over her long face. Her blue eyes darted around nervously, looking anywhere...except at the red-haired lady herself. But as Altara kept examining her, she noticed something else, and started moving so she could see the elf girl's right shoulder. She thought she could make out a marking on the skin, shaped like a circle...

Just as she did so, the elf girl let out a cry and spun away, covering that exact spot and making sure that shoulder was facing away from her. When she got a strange look in response, she looked away in shame and...some other emotion Altara couldn't understand. "...u-um...I-I don't, uh, m-mean offense...i-in any way, b-but...w-why are you l-looking at m-me like that?"

"Oh. Uh..." Deciding it was best not to ask about the shoulder, the red-haired lady shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just...I see you, uh, have been through a lot. Say, do you know if there's somewhere I can rest for the night?"

Cocking her head to the side and furrowing her brow, the elf girl finally responded. "...t-there's a place...f-further down this street, on...uh...y-your right, yes. It's called...um...the Minstrel's Mug."

"Got it. Thanks," The red-haired lady responded, starting to walk in that direction. But she hadn't gone far when she thought of something, and looked back at the girl. "Actually...on second thought, you look like you could use a good place to sleep, too. Why don't you come with me?"

"W-what?!" The elf girl looked up at her with an expression as though she had suddenly grown a third limb out of her back...or something else ridiculous like that. "I-I mean...n-no, t-that's, uh...n-not possible...I-I don't have any...money..."

Looking at the elf girl and sighing, the lady walked back over to her side. "I'll bail you out, then. I, uh...noticed I've still got some money myself. It'll be fine. Don't worry about paying me back."

"H-huh...?" The elf girl looked absolutely baffled, and started to open her mouth in protest...but was unable to make a sound for several seconds, until she finally thought otherwise, and bowed her head. "U-um...t-thank you kindly. I...um...m-my name is...Lyra. I...um...I...h-hope we get along."

Smiling and returning the bow, the red-haired lady started to introduce herself in kind...but then she realized, she still wasn't even sure of her own name. Sure, she had heard her own voice saying one, but how did she know she hadn't been going mad? Oh well...perhaps, regardless of if was really hers or not, that name would have to do for now. Looking back at Lyra and wiping all of her own self-doubt from her expression, the red-haired lady responded.

"My name is Altara. It's an honor to be with you."