with all of the anxiety inducing whispers and side glances filling the halls of their palace, ariella felt her otherness more than ever before. ariella had been playing catch up ever since the unity ball’s shocking and sudden conclusion, her usual skills of observation failing to keep her in the loop like they always had before. even her younger siblings seemed to know more than her. so, despite logic dictating that she should exercise more caution now, ariella decided to hire someone to help her find answers–in secret, of course. she wore a plain, hooded cloak, stalked the streets of atherion’s bazaar, and waited to see the right person. she spotted him, seen him before in the local tavern telling stories while she visited with her old governess. it was instincts that had her hands shooting out and grabbing the lapels of the tough looking fellow, tugging him into the labyrinth of alleyways behind all the shops. she had the fastest paths memorized just in case this went very poorly. she tried her best to disguise her voice before speaking, “i’m interested in hiring you.” ( @atherionmars​ )
