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[Kess]

“Caps! Wool caps! Black an’ grey an’ brown! Not the least bit itchy! Caps!”

The proprietor of the hat stall held up a black cap in one hand, then bowed his head and removed a grey one from his head with the other, revealing a brown one underneath. Kess didn’t stop or even slow for his choreographed routine. Her own grey cap was in fine working order, currently atop her head, with most of her brown strands tucked underneath, save for the locks draped over her right eye.

“Brooms! Getchyer brooms! Keep th’ash off your doorstep!”

The old man hawking his devices swept some ash across the aisle of the outdoor market, right in her path, prompting Kess to adjust her trajectory to avoid a collision. The petite skaa glared as she passed.

“Shoe shine! Cheap’n’fast!”

Of course the shoe shiners were just beyond the brooms, as you’d likely walk through a low ash cloud given the near-constant demonstrations. But she had no mind for that, either.

Kess walked with purpose through the bustling marketplace. At neither a sprint nor the lazy stroll of a noble on holiday, her gait was deliberate, even confident, the measured steps of a woman on a mission. Get to the market. Get the goods. Get back to HQ.

. . . With Nessa.

Make sure to bring back Nessa.

That last bit was the one that concerned her.

The new recruit had a habit of running off. This was the first time she’d been let out of the den since the last incident. The market run was a test of sorts, to see if Nessa could handle being out in public again, without going off on her own. Kess had gotten an inkling this going-off-on-her own ash, might have something to do with a boy.

She’d been that kind of stupid once.

She didn’t recommend it.

Kess had mostly been silent for the duration of their walk to the market, as was her way. But that didn’t mean she didn’t keep close watch of the teenager, and check in. She did so again, turning her head to look up the taller girl.

“Grab a bite! Bay wraps!”

Bingo. A vendor Kess was actually interested in. She’d been advised that food might help her in her quest to contain the young Thug, so she wanted to get some in Nessa’s hands as soon as possible. She looked to Nessa, catching her hazel eyes and nodding toward the wooden food cart.

“We’ll take two,” she told the proprietor, handing over the necessary coin, and getting the pair of wraps in return. She almost didn’t order one for herself but she didn’t want to make things any more awkward then they had to be. She resolved to eat fast, so she could have both hands free again. She walked a few paces from the stall, out of the way but so she could have a good view of the market activity around them. She passed a wrap over to her companion with a nod and took a big bite of her own.

Silence didn’t bother her, but she knew others weren’t as comfortable with it. Her conversation skills were such that quiet might be the better of the two options. With her mouth full, she had at least a few moments to try to string a few words together.

“Not bad,” she said after her first swallow of vegetables. It wasn’t the best she’d had but it beat the hell out of a lot of meals she’d scavenged over the years.

Edited by Mora, 28 February 2018 - 03:40 AM.

[Nessa]

Nessa's head was still spinning from last night. She'd finally found Perrin, Nate had proven himself to be a better friend than she'd ever hoped, and apparently there weren't many other people in the crew she could trust, if everyone was under direct orders to keep her and Perrin apart. For some reason Datura's betrayal, even though it wasn't actually a betrayal in the first place, stung the most. When Nessa had first laid eyes on the Crewleader, it was like she'd seen everything she herself could become put on glorious display in front of her. A woman, a Pewterarm, powerful and respected and in complete control of her own life. Datura never had to worry about men crawling into her bunk at night, or grabbing her in a dark alley. Datura could do whatever she wanted, with her pewter and her money and her crew behind her.

And what did she do with all those seemingly infinite resources and potential? She threw her lot in with bloody Ignas of all people. And if there was one sure sign of a lack of judgment in a person, in Nessa's mind, it was willingly putting one's trust and allegiance in Ignas. He'd see them all burn for his own ends, and gladly, and Nessa was beginning to feel like she, Perrin, and Nate were the only ones who saw it. And hopefully Maks too. She'd never really talked about Ignas with him before, but he seemed to have his head on straight. Surely he saw through this madness too. Hopefully.

And now here she was, hauled out of bed what felt like not nearly long enough after getting into it, sent on some ridiculous errand that anyone could have gone on. Not that she was particularly upset about finally being let out of the crewhouse, but it was a little irritating listening to Kess being lectured over and over again not to lose her, as if she were some kind of precious cargo to be delivered.

On one hand, she supposed she kind of deserved it. On the other, she was able to see Perrin, and would be able to again. As long as the agreement held, there was no reason for her to go running off now. Not that anyone other than Nate knew that, of course. So she would be a good little parcel, and shuffle along behind Kess for this errand, and maybe if she was asked nicely, try not to be completely useless.

"We'll take two," Kess suddenly said, and Nessa was jolted out of her own thoughts. There was a delightful smell in the air, and just as suddenly as before, Nessa suddenly had a baywrap in her hands. And then in her mouth, almost as soon as she touched the thing.

Of course, that didn't leave much of an ability to thank Kess for the food, but she did shoot her an appreciative look.

Maybe this errand wouldn't be so bad after all.

[Ollie]

Ollie really enjoyed walking through the busy market. Even if the many noises around the place could be bothersome for his tin-enhanced ears, being surrounded by so many people, yet never really noticed, was comforting. He wore simple clothing; a pair of trousers and a shirt, and a cloak to cover him from the ash -but mostly to keep his missing arm hidden-. His clothes were slightly stained with soot, but he didn’t care too much about that. After all, it was normal for a skaa.

“Ollie, my friend! Still wearing that ol’ shirt, ain’t ya?” Ollie turned as he heard Graff’s raspy voice. The man, who would’ve been in his forties, was standing beside a basket full of clothes. Most of them had obviously been already used, but they were still in good shape.

“Graff, old friend,” Ollie said, nodding toward the man. “It’s a good shirt. I’ll have to come back for more clothes for everyone else… some other day.” He didn’t have the money to do it today, but he honestly wanted to buy new clothes for everyone at the tenement.

“Well, hurry then. Wouldn’t like ya to miss some of my finest products!”

“Of course, Graff,” Ollie responded, looking to the side as another vendor started shouting.

“Grab a bite! Bay wraps!”

Ollie winced slightly as he heard the shout, and turned off his tin for a short moment. “I promise I’ll be back soon,” he told Graff, watching as a boy approached the vendor to buy a pair of bay wraps. Ollie was feeling a bit hungry himself, though he didn’t have much coin at the moment to waste on something like that. “I need to get some new clothes for the kids, and-”

He froze in place.

That’s not a boy.

The cap had fooled him for a moment, but that hair… Ollie flared tin, ignoring the sudden increase in volume as he heard the voices around him get louder. Dark brown hair fell from the front of the cap, covering the figure’s right eye.

It can’t be…

Kess turned to the side, giving one of the bay wraps to the girl beside her, and Ollie caught a glimpse of that beautiful green eye. The one he’d been hoping to see again for the last ten years. He felt his heart shattering once again, the pieces he had worked so long to put together falling apart once again. He started to talk toward her, trying not to lose Kess amidst the crowd. He heard Graff shouting something to him, but didn’t care about it. All he cared about was Kess.

It was hard not to lose her, with all the people around them. Even flaring his tin, the movement and the noise were disorienting. So he flared even more. He felt the warmth in his stomach, in contrast to the sharp coldness he felt in his chest from having seen the woman who had abandoned him so long ago. He should’ve been furious. He should’ve hated her.

Yet, he had been waiting to see her again for ten years.

Ollie had tried so hard to find Kess. He had spoken to many people, even criminals, just to get hints on her whereabouts. He had learned she now worked for Datura’s crew, but that hadn’t been enough. He still wanted to see her, talk to her. Kiss her. Do that which he should’ve done ten years ago, when she had left the tenement. Now he had a chance.

And so, even without realizing it, he screamed her name.

[Kess]

As Nathan had said, Nessa did in fact appreciate the food. She'd dug right in, and offered a kind of thanks with her eyes, as her mouth was full. It was probably the most honest expression of gratitude one could get where food was concerned. Kess gave a little nod of acknowledgement in return before going in for her second bite.

Her bite hadn't made it all the way through the wrap when the sound of her name being yelled cut through the sounds of the packed market. Her eyes momentarily widened at the unexpected cry, before her face resolved to the cool, detached mask she always wore.

So much for being inconspicuous.

She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it in so, so long but . . . it sounded like Ollie. Her closest friend in the tenement. The Tineye who had saved her from a beating that could've easily gone too far when she was just a tiny thing. Her fellow irregular. One of the kindest souls she'd ever met in this cruel world. He'd always gave of himself, to all the children left to grow up in their building without their parents. To her.

She'd left him behind to follow Mav . . . even after he'd expressed a deep attachment to her, after he'd tried to convince her not to go. She knew now that he'd been right. That she shouldn't have joined that thieving crew. Because if she hadn't . . . maybe Mav would still be alive.

But life hadn't unfolded that way, and she had learned just how weak she'd let emotion make her. So she had exiled herself to a solo existence, so she could hone her skills, and beat out the feelings that had led to catastrophe.

So she wouldn't put anyone else in danger. Including Ollie and Meb and the tenement.

She'd been afraid to see him again. Afraid that it would make her feel.

And she'd been right. She couldn't not feel anything when it came to him.

He'd be safer if he stayed away.

But he was here right now and even after how they'd left things . . . he'd called out to her. She wouldn't just ignore him. She just wouldn't stay in his company for very long. She had an errand to run, a new crew member to deliver back to the den . . .

And he'd be far better off without her.

The young girl he'd liked all those years ago died with Mav.

Kess turned to Nessa, took the girl's free hand, and placed her partially eaten wrap there. Once that was off her hands she pointed at Nessa, her eyes hard, "Don't move," she growled. "I'll be right back."

She stalked into the crowd, craning her neck and even stepping up onto her toes to better locate her old friend. She knew him as soon as she saw him, with the clear blue eyes and a kind face, with a bit of stubble. They'd been so young when they'd parted; he'd grown into a man during the intervening years. She noted the cloak, the way it draped over the arm he'd lost in a factory explosion; it wasn't unlike how she positioned her hair over her eyes. She waved a hand in his direction, as she wound her way through the crowd until she was standing before him.

She looked up into his eyes, her own face carefully composed to remain neutral despite the mix of feelings that looking at him brought up. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd never been good with words. And she had to be careful, she had to stay focused, she couldn't get swept off at the sight of him, at the sound of his voice calling her name.

"You look good, Ollie."

She meant it, too, even if the statement paled in comparison to all of the unanswered questions between them.

She raised a hand to that cloak, and took a fistful of it, leading him back to where Nessa stood off to the side by the wrap vendor. She inched a hand toward her crewmate's left hand but then stopped when she realized the wrap she'd handed off had been devoured in the few minutes she was away. She glanced from the empty hands back to the younger woman's face.

"This is Nessa, she said with a tilt of her head toward the other brunette. "Nessa - Ollie," she said gesturing back to the handsome skaa she'd brought over. "Old friend," she added in anticipation of a question that probably came to the Thug's mind.

Edited by Mora, 11 July 2018 - 12:58 AM.