curiousity kills. [o]

[ARIADNE LARK]

It was morning, but not early morning. Ariadne didn't even know what early morning looked like anymore. For the past few months, her internal clock has been taking a few extra hours for sleep... more than likely to make up for all the years of sleep she missed.
The Black Market, however, was already a buzz with activity. Sellers yelling, people betting... it was all so fun to watch, like a picture come to life.
Quite the hectic picture... she thought, smiling at an elderly woman she passed with a polite nod of the head. But the hectic buzz was a welcoming feeling. Ari was in the mood for unorganized activity, unorganized anything really. Living in the city was nice... for a bit. But the same thing happened every day, there. In the morning, there was market life. In the evening, there was pub life. And a man had once told her of the Black Market over a late night fire... to her, it was an open invitation to adventure that she took without a second thought.

Habit had a hand at her side, in the event that she needed to go for her dagger, as she wandered the underground marketplace. Everything imaginable was there, from animals to weapons to food to jewelry. It was the jewelry that caught her eye, for the strangest reason. Living with Nana made her quite opposed to jewelry before, but having gone a year without her, she no longer associated it with her previous life. Her previous life didn't exist anymore in her mind. The jeweler looked quite pleased when she stopped, and watched her carefully as her eyes scanned the pendants and earrings. If she got anything, it would be a necklace of some sort, something she could hide for the most part. Nothing huge and gaudy, either. Having a big gem sticking out when you wandered in places where thieves were known to hide wasn't exactly a bright idea.
"See anything that catches your fancy? A pale blue would go lovely with your pretty eyes."

[/b]
Ariadne smiled, for politeness sake. She much preferred the merchants that left you to your business until you needed them... not that there were many like that. Especially not here.
"It would, I suppose..." she said, tilting her head a moment, then said "I'll think about it", and walked away, not wanting to see the man's peeved glare.

It wasn't that she needed any supplies, really... it was in case she found something she wanted even better. There were too many other vendors to see. Adjusting the small satchel at her waist, she continued to wander, taking in all the sights and sounds, quite happy she had decided to take a trip to see this place. It really was fascinating...[/blockquote]

tag: open
words: count em later...
notes: i left it open for anything to happen ^^
[/size]

[ARIK SENTRY]

[/i],” a voice spat.

When Arik responded, his voice was warmer, mockingly so. “Jarl. So nice ta' see ya.”

A sooty, pock-marked faced emerged in the light. Jarl was close to Arik's age, but the years hadn't passed well. A gambler and a notorious alcoholic, he'd squandered most of his wealth chasing the two vices he could no longer ignore. He'd once run a successful textile business, but bad entrepreneurial choices ended up crippling him. He was a shadow of himself. A mere husk. Most of this didn't bother Arik, but this collapse into the void ended up leaving Jarl penniless. No money for Jarl meant no money for Arik.

“You're missing instalments, Jarl,” Arik said, pushing off the doorway.

Hate flashed on Jarl's features. “I ain't got money, Sentry.”

Arik pursed him lips in a thoughtful expression that didn't quite suit him. “See, we got a problem there.” He leaned in, dark eyes suddenly unfriendly. “Kashef needs your instalment.” Kashef was a trader of some repute. His wealth afforded him certain privileges-- like lending money out to struggling businessmen; men like Jarl. But when repayment didn't show up, Kashef sent out hired help. Help like Arik.

“I already told you, I aint got money.” Jarl's voice was suddenly tense.

“Hm.” Arik let the tone settle like a heavy weight.

“One more week. Just...give me another week.”

Arik looked up, thoughtful. Seconds passed like this. “Alright,” he grinned. “Another week.” He slapped Jarl on the back and stepped out of the little hut built next to the edge of the cave. Bathed in reflected morning light, he looked back at the other man. “I'll be back next week. Have your instalment.”

“Or what?” the hate was there again.

Arik paused. His smile was back. It was almost as if he were going to utter a threat. Instead, he raised a hand and waved. “Till next week, Jarl!”

He left Jarl to his thoughts and wandered back up the narrow alley into the market proper. It was still early, so only a few vendors were out selling their wares. Thick, oily smoke from the fires brought with it the smell of burning meat and fish. Maybe he could get some breakfast before heading out back towards Estium. A slab of charred meat, some watery eggs, and pale ale. Maybe. Something caught his eye: a girl. An attractive girl.

Well then...

Arik walked the few paces to her, blocking her path. “Hi,” he said, his smile sharpening into a grin. [/size][/ul]

[ARIADNE LARK]

Being that it was morning and Ariadne had only awoken less than an hour before, she was a tad on the spacey side. Granted, being as day dreamy as she was, she tended to sort of seem on the spacey side the majority of the time. But if there was one thing Ari was, it was observant. Despite how far gone she was, she could relay to you every single conversation that had happened near her, and told you sufficient detail of almost anyone who passed, especially if they were interesting or suspicious. She had to be alert at all times: its what kept her alive.
She stopped for a moment at a fruit stand, and smiled at the old woman a moment before continuing on, humming a bit to herself. No one could hear it, of course... too much noise. But it let her know she was in a playing mood. Not now, she wouldn't play, though... once again, too much noise. But that didn't make her unaware of the weight of the flute at her hip, bouncing against her side. Her fingers itched to play, but there was still so much to see... and she refused to leave until her curiosities about the area were satisfied.

Brushing her fingers through her hair, she tilted her head at the booths and tents, eyes trying to drink in all the sights, ears absorbing all the sounds. The money in her pocket started getting heavy: she needed to buy something. There was no way she was leaving without a souvenir.
Aridane was so busy sightseeing that she didn't see the man that had stepped in front of her, and stepped on his toe before stumbling three and a half steps back, catching herself in midstep as she blinked up at the stranger. Her brain immediately started taking notes: tallish, dark haired, scruffy almost, grinning... cocky grin? Traveler perhaps... the clothing was a bit worn... and the uniform...
Dragon rider...
A uniform she well knew. There had been a few she had met in her time. Smiling a bit, still a little shocked at his sudden apperance, she lay a hand casually over her hip pouch.
"Sorry about that, sir... wasn't my intention..."
He'd said hello, she remembered.
"Hi... though that's really out of order, forgive me for that..."
Wrinkling her nose a bit, she twisted it as if trying not to sneeze, but was really stealing time to think of something polite or clever to say. Her brain was still groggy.
"I didn't mean to step in your way. Looking around, you know? I'll admit I haven't been here before... its fascinating..." she said, getting lost for a moment before looking at him with a smile. Conversation. She always did like conversation with strangers. They made for interesting stories.

tag: open
words: count em later...
notes: oh oblivious dear. she wouldn't know flirting if it was about to hit her in the face... xD

[ARIK SENTRY]

[/i], and then I didn't mean that...

He wasn't one for apologies, but this was different.

Arik actually enjoyed this.

He nodded with the enthusiasm of someone very interested in what she had to say. It was a nonverbal way of telling her that yes, everything was fascinating. So fascinating. Most fascinating thing ever. Go on, he almost seemed to say. Tell me everything. I am completely interested in what you have to say about a marketplace shoved into a long-forgotten cavern. His smile, ever disarming, stayed on his lips, quirking around his mouth every time she said something.

“It's alright. I know,” he nodded, his eyes filled with agreement. “Trust me, I know.” He made a gesture of turning to look at the market, as if trying to take it all in. So fascinating. His head tilted back, and his dark eyes found hers. "What brings you here, chev?” he asked, his heavy north-western accent easy to identify. [/ul][/size]

[ARIADNE LARK]

Her imagination was ever active and drifting at this point, so her attention span was worse than usual, and not all that good to begin with. That didn't stop her from taking note of the accent. Ariadne pulled back her hair as if she were to put it in a ponytail, then let it fall, exhaling as she glanced at a vendor nearby, then back to this man. He sure was curious... very intent on what she was saying, he seemed. Well... not that she complained. When she ranted, people often nodded absently, and she could see in their eyes that they were far from with her. He smiled a lot, too... just stood there smiling and listening to her. She knew few people who did that... interesting. Interesting indeed.

Smiling back, she crossed her arms and sighed, hugging herself a bit.
"Well... curiosity, above anything. Lack of a productive task, so I wander, you know? Why not? If you have nothing to do, see the world, eh? But I heard about this place... thought it was worth checking out."
She shrugged. It was always hard to answer someone when they asked a question like that. If she had answered what was true she would sound rather odd: "This is another step of my lifelong quest to discover, learn, explore, and enjoy life" or something flowery like her mind tended to think things out. This feature was one she liked to keep unknown, especially to people she didn't know well. She always felt awfully boring whenever she went on about quests and epic adventures.
"Its rather interesting...but what brings you to this place?"

tag: open
words: count em later...
notes: ---