#adrian.open

The waves crash upon the docks, rotten wood holding even as it croaks. Moonlight beckons the sea close. Firelight flickers from the torches, and laughter and shrill screams of delight twists together both, the ruckus from the dockside’s taverns enough to make one’s ears buzz. A cloaked figure stands there, alone, peering at the signs on the stone. Looking curiously and lost. They turn to one side, straining their neck as if hoping to glimpse something, then the other side, where they catch a stranger’s gaze. Adrian stills, then, like prey. Then, their mouth curls into a tight, awkward smile. “Uh. Hello.” She curtsies. The edges of her clothes sweep the thick wet grime of the stone below, and she grimaces. “I—uh. I appear to be lost.” The tight smile widens, looking ridiculous. “Do you think you could help me out? I’ll—” Their dark eyes flicker over the stranger’s frame, lacking any lust, full instead of cautious hope. “I can… give you a reward?”