Window shopping [open]

[Liana nó Valerian]

Today was a free-day so I decided to go window-shopping. I was reluctant to spend too much though I had made an allowance that I could buy a small present to treat myself. A nice bottle of perfume maybe.

The district was bustling, which surprised me somewhat. For some reason I'd got it into my head that it'd be quiet. I sidestepped one woman with a ton of bags only to cannon into someone else rushing in the other direction.

It seemed it wasn't going to be my day.

"Sorry! Are you ok?" I enquired.

[Alayne Lombard]

I was on my way to the Traveller's Inn – not to spend on drink or food, I wasn't all that rich, but mostly because I was hoping to find someone there and give him a good talking to about the stupidity of his actions.

I wasn't angry, no. I was weirdly worried and annoyed, and that one piece of work was shite compared to what he'd done before. I was even wondering if he hadn't done that apurpose, to piss me off, even if I was probably the direct opposite of who had been targeted.

Damn Prissy Fuck.

Bumped into by some girl, I shook my head. I hadn't noticed her either, too busy reading the note I was reading while walking.

I cursed after the note flew off under a carriage wheel and been dunked into a puddle of mud. “-- Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, wasn't looking,” I curtsied absently, “you aight, m'lady?”

[Liana nó Valerian]

"I am well, thank you." I replied quickly, before dashing around a carriage and attempting to rescue the piece of paper that I'd glimpsed flying from the hands of the unfortunate girl I'd bumped into. I grabbed up the paper before someone else could step on it and cheerily handed to the flame-haired girl.

"Here's your paper...I....oh!" Then I noticed the state it was in. It was covered in mud and had a crumpled dirty streak through it where a carriage wheel had run over it.

"I'm so sorry! I do hope that wasn't important? I'm not normally this clumsy, honestly!"

Aware that I was beginning to babble, I took a deep breath and held out a hand in a friendly, albeit muddy gesture. "Liana nó Valerian, no hard feelings?" I asked, somewhat hopefully.

[Alayne Lombard]

Before I could stop her, the girl ran after my lost pamphlet, plucked it from the puddle of mud where it had landed, and handed it to me triumphantly. Well, that was amusing – and so much trouble, when she was clearly of higher station than I was – or at least, wearing better clothes.

“... er, thank ya,” I drawled, “shouldn't have run for it, I mean, it's just La Voix. I'll just...” I paused, looked around, and upon spotting one pinned to a door, I grabbed it and tore it off. “Here, good as new.”

And having done that, I accepted the held out hand, taking her wrist for a shake. “Alayne,” I said, and there was no name to follow, not that it mattered. “Here, for your hand.”

I offered my handkerchief – it wasn't impeccable, but it was better than nothing, I supposed. I'd just throw it at whoever was on lavatory duty when I got back to the bathhouse.

[Liana nó Valerian]

"Pleasure to meet you, Alayne" I said, "Thank you for the..er...handkerchief" It was dirty but the cloth was far better than muddy hands so I wiped them as best I could, reflecting that if I'd have known what it was that I'd knocked out of her hands I'd have left it there.

I didn't like the snotty comments the pamphlet made. True, Namaah knows that the aristocracy had their foibles, but as I was an adept, it was far beyond me to criticise them.


I finished wiping my hands and proffered the cloth back to Alayne. "I'm terribly sorry to have dirtied your handkerchief as well as destroying your pamphlet and treading on your toes" I smiled at the woman. "Could I perhaps buy you a drink to make amends, that is if you haven't anywhere pressing to be?"

Day in and day out I had to converse with either other adepts or nobles, chatting with a normal person for a change held great appeal.

[Alayne Lombard]

I was relieved that La Voix was utterly dismissed – at least for the moment, and pocketed my now very dirty handkerchief, making it disappear in the folds of my skirt.

“It's quite alright, really,” I replied, a bit ambarassed at the offer, though I supposed a free drink was never to be turned down.

Besides, maybe calming myself before I yelled at Florian would be a good thing: there'd be no use in alienating him, if I wanted to talk sense into the poor sop.

“-- guess – you don't have to,” I said again, “but we're just by the Cockeral, so... if you like...”

I'd never met a Valerian adept – though I'd heard stories between the sheets, from johns who liked to brag. I'd have lied if I had claimed that I wasn't curious.

[Liana nó Valerian]

"I know I don't have to," I responded, "but I'd like to." I smiled in a friendly manner and gestured to Alayne to lead on.

The drink I'd had in mind was a hot beverage, or even a soft drink, at one of the district's numerous cafés, but since I'd offered the girl a drink I wasn't going to shun her choice.

On entering the establishment I looked around to see if we could find a table to sit at. The Cockerel wasn't an establishment that I'd frequented, so I wasn't too sure of the etiquette. Did one go to the bar and order, or just sit at a table and be waited on?

Seeing a table for two in the corner I pointed it out to Alayne to see if she wanted to sit there. I thought it would be best to take her cue.

[Alayne Lombard]

^{Continued at the Cockeral.}