#aevum threads

Despite her status of royalty (as scant as it had been) or perhaps because of it Alisha had always loved Ladylake's open air market, particularly on its busiest days; true, it had been overwhelming especially her first few times shuffled back and forth by her overly attentive maids, but soon Alisha began to appreciate it for what it was: freedom, a chance to live amongst the common folk and most importantly enjoy it. The Temporal Gardens gives her much the same feeling, although the anxiety is back as if she is just a child again; here, though, Alisha does not hide her face and hair under a hat - indeed, she strides confidently today toward the reason for her visit.

At that was, of course, delicious pastries! Alisha was doing her best to make do with hunting and foraging, of course, but Eterna Village was so conveniently located and the smell from the bakeries in the Central District so heavenly that finally Alisha had given in. She finds herself picking out a cafe by vibe alone and comes to stand in line, excited despite the wait; she notes that the girl in front of her has her eyes on the display cases in the shop's windows and when Alisha can, she catches her eye and smiles.

The community kitchen in Eterna Village was so much larger, and better accessible than the one near her abode in Seaside Province. It had truly been worth it to come all this way here, loaded with fish from the sea and various edible foliage she had collected elsewhere  – even if several known community chefs she had contacted with basic questions were oddly missing.

Flayn was still having an excellent time doing what she did best, which was improvising of course! She hummed as she played with the dough she’d purchased and did so a little more loudly once she realized part of the steamed fish had been a little burnt but… (oh, it was still quite tasty though she thought if she could just-)

“Hello, there,” Flyan says, looking up from her place at the counter when she suddenly senses another person coming into the room. “I do not believe we met but I have seen you! You used to live in Seaside Province, yes? Oh, you must be so hungry, I know I am, please sit!”

Flayn rushes over and with a flourish covers one of the simple tables with a lace tablecloth, and then hurries back to the counter to reveal what she has been working on for the last few hours – steamed bun!

“I have here an assortment of healthy and aromatic buns. I heard they can be eaten savory or sweet and have thus tried a different assortment of ingredients in each. I do so  hope you enjoy!”

And if this man had come here to cook himself surely he had the time to at least take a bit and give her some advice, before starting his own project. Surely?

Normally, coming to the seaside province would be something of a luxury for Alisha who had been running every which way since entering the Isles in an attempt to map the place (there were, of course, actual maps but what type of an adventurer relied solely on those?)

The sound of the flow of the water, while salt water as opposed to the fresh aqueducts of her home, should have been comforting. And it was, really - but something about this meeting with the information broker she had recently heard of kept her nerves on edge.

"Hello, there," Alisha says, finding the person she believes is said information broker at a small beachside tavern, "I take it you are the Mr. Badou I have heard of? My name is Alisha Diphda. I was hoping we could have an honest exchange, outsider to outsider."**

@magnusmodig

Arriving in the Isles has been disconcerting, certainly, but Alisha has done her best to adjust; though she cannot help the familiar tinge of worry for her homeland she knows it is in good hands with Rose and the others. Still, it seemed quite ironic that just as she had come to terms with her multifaceted identity: a royal, a politician, and a normal girl, that she would now be thrust into the role of a foreigner.

It is enough like her youthful dreams of adventure that Alisha is able to at least find some joy amidst her anxiety. There were any number of colorfully dressed folk here and as special as it to her as it is to her, handed down from one Dipdhan knight to the next, she had elected to leave her armor at home and find a simple tunic and pair of pants that suited her well enough.

But being without a weapon, even in such an apparently peaceful sort of place as this… it made her unease even greater.

That was what had brought her to the Vespertown Market this day but while Alisha had thought herself quite able in finding the place, well, just being there and navigating the many stalls and shops touting more goods than she ever thought possible had her at a standstill.

A man possessed with what she understood as a sense of purpose passes her and Alisha with just one swift intake of a grounding breath runs to step beside him, “ho!” she calls out, “hello there, I do not mean to be rude but I was hoping to ask about a particular shop here.”

He has the physique of a warrior and as Alisha cranes her neck up to look him in the eyes she finds them surprisingly pleasant; nodding she continues, “I find myself in need of a hunting knife but I am at a loss for where to find one. This market seems to have everything, truly, but I have found no forge and see no indication of any other metalworking goods… might you know where to begin?”