A young woman with a brown robe that had a hood covering her face, walked through the city. It had not been the first time that she had been there yet the excitement of seeing the city had not gone away from the last time that she visited. On her back was a greyish pack and on her feet were worn purple slippers. She carried a bo staff with her and used it as a walking stick. There were the sounds of the city. From the horses neighing in the distance to the men laughing at the bar, everything sounded incredibly. Tristana felt as if she could just sit all day just listening to people talk or the animals or the life in the city in general. Then there were the smells of the city. Of course not everything smelled perfect but Tristana just concentrated on the stuff that smelled good. Like the bread from a nearby bakery or the smell of incense that somebody was selling. Finally there was the sights of the city itself. All she could do was to stand in wonder and awe. Just like her first time when she visited this place.

White walls surrounded and most likely were meant to defend the city. Inside these walls the city buildings itself were beautiful. Even the simple small houses that you would see just entering it were beautiful. Some of the houses were small then there were large houses that were bigger than three small houses put together. There were the markets. Each market stand had it's own merchant and it's own customers. Not to mention the beautiful fruits and vegetables it held. Yet food was not all that the market seemed to sell. Some sold these golden necklaces. Others sold weapons. Some even sold potions. Tristana watched as an older woman bought apples and a young girl ran through the streets. However, she couldn’t stay and observe everything this time. She had come to the city for a purpose. For a reason this time. Tristana also wasn’t too keen on talking or being in large crowds today. Not that she usually did that but she just didn’t want to deal with it. Instead of following the crowd to the market, she took a turn into one of the alleyways. She didn’t really know where she was going but she decided that she would figure that out as she went. The alleyway had several crates of items and some small rats darting about trying to avoid being spotted or caught. Tristana would rather deal with the alleyway than have to push her way through the crowds. Unfortunately this alleyway led to a dead end instead of acting as a shortcut as Tristana hoped.

So, Tristana reached up to the brick wall that closed off the alleyway and began to climb over it. Her left foot only slipped once but she was able to hold on. She eventually made it to the roof of the building and began to scan the area to find a road, alley, or pathway to where she was trying to get to. Tristana did see one but she would have to get to the roof next to the roof she was standing on. The issue was that there was a large gap too far to jump over. She thought for a few moments and an idea sparked in her mind. Tristana pulled out her bo staff and walked to the opposite side of the roof. Then she began running towards the gap. Just before she was about to run out of roof, she slammed her staff onto the roof and leapt into the are. The bo staff was able to give her enough height and distance to get to the other side. She landed safely and continued on her way across this roof. Then she climbed down the building to get into the alleyway that would take her to where she would need to go. All of this may have been extreme to avoid the crowds but it was good exercise. She walked through the alleyway and left it, going into the streets. There was a line of small houses all squished together in order to make enough room. Tristana walked along the street and made a left turn until she got to the street that she wanted to be at. Many of the houses belonged to people who lived in this city. Some of the homes had lights on. Some of the homes had people going in and out of them. Some of the homes were dark and lonely. But there was a specific house that she was looking for. One that had been abandoned and forgotten about long ago.

Tristana saw an old house towards the end of the street that had broken windows and rotting walls. Hopefully, there would be evidence left there. She walked up to the door and only needed to gently push it for the door to swing open. The door was barely on its hinges. It was dark inside so Tristana took out her lantern and lit it. Then she walked into the house. The house was small and only had two rooms. Furniture inside what was supposed to be the living room was tossed around, scratched up and rotting. Tristana walked further into the room. Bottles that were meant for alcohol was piled up in the corner. An old cracked lantern was on its side on what used to be a desk. Now it was missing it’s back left leg and had a giant hole in the middle of it. She reached up to touch one of the large scratches on the walls.

There wasn’t much else interesting to look at in this room so Tristana went to the other room. Apparently this other room used to be a bedroom. However the mattress of the bed was missing and what was left was a broken bed frame that also had scratches on it. The bookshelf had fallen over and had no books left in it. The rest of the room was barren. Tristana walked around the room for a moment and was about to leave until she noticed that there was something funny with one of the floorboards. She squatted down to the floorboards and investigated it. After playing with it for a bit she was able to move two of the floorboards. Underneath was a little metal box. She picked up the box and investigated it for a bit. The box had a lock on it obviously meant to keep people out of it. Tristana set the box down on the floor and used her magic to unlock it. Inside there was a letter addressed to somebody named Alexander Varington. It did not say who it was sent from. The letter had not been opened at all. So Tristana opened it and took out the letter to read it. Some of the words were faded but most of it was intact. She recognized the handwriting.

-Dear Varington,

I am writing to you so that I can request a favor. I have done something utterly foolish and given that child away. That ugly baby was apparently the one thing keeping me from being hunted down by them. If I hadn’t passed her on to somebody else then I wouldn’t be having any of these issues. I humbly request to be permitted into your home and request for your protection against the menace. It is dangerous outside and I have no idea when I will be able to send you this letter. Hopefully, soon.

From-

The signature at the bottom was scratched out. Tristana sighed and put the letter in her backpack. She really hoped that whoever wrote the letter was not who she thought it was. Tristana made her way out and left the house. She blew out the little fire in the lantern then put it away with the rest of the stuff. She continued down the street. There was a lot more to figure out. Who was this Alexander Varington? How did he know her…well the author of that letter? For now, Tristana needed a break. Perhaps she would go to the marketplace and pick up some food to eat.

Years of travel, years of wandering without a place had finally led him back to Adeluna. The streets were no different than he remembered, though he had to admit that the nostalgia might have been clouding his judgement a bit. A dry chuckle escaped his lips as he weaved through the crowds, his lean frame allowing him more mobility in the streets than most. A bit of black hair fell in front of the cracked lens of his glasses, but he ignored it. Chances were that it'd simply fall there no matter how many times he fixed it. No one paid him any mind, anyways. In his dull blue tunic and gray scarf, nothing about him truly stood out– except, of course, for the shimmering white tattoos decorating his forearms. Those did draw a few eyes in his direction. 

Adjusting the pack hanging from his shoulders, Aarek tried to keep his attention on the bustling marketplace. Colorful silks and fresh fruits tempted his wandering gaze, but he was careful not to approach any of the stalls. His silver was already dwindling, barely leaving him enough to purchase a meal. At that thought, he did end up running a slender hand through his hair, heaving a sigh as he did. The afternoon sun burned high in the blue sky, beating down on him with unyielding force. The half-elf wanted desperately to find refuge in a tavern, but he knew that larger cities like this usually had a waiting list for musicians to play, making his options limited. Briefly, his copper eyes flickered towards a little bakery wedged between two other buildings. The smell was heavenly enough to evoke a growl from his stomach.

Right. So. He'd have to settle for playing on the street today. Not that the prospect was unsatisfying (people in the market always appreciated his playing, leaving him with a nice profit of silver), but it was so damn hot, and he wasn't sure if he could handle the judgmental glares he sometimes received from city-dwellers. But with the orphanage still nearly a day's journey ahead, this was the best opportunity he was going to have to replenish his stores. With that in mind, he found a small gap between to stalls, requested permission to play, and set to work.

His flute was old, but sturdy. It produced a sound he found unique to himself, and though he'd never admit as much, he took a bit of pride in his music. Certainly, the people of Adeluna weren't shy about rewarding his talents, with plenty of people dropping a coin or two into the hat placed before him. A few even complimented him, to which he replied with an unsubtle blush across his cheekbones. There was obviously the occasional heckler, but Aarek had learned to ignore the stinging comments, shoving down his insecurities for the time being.

By the time the sun began to set, he'd collected more than enough to cover his expenses. He could even afford a room in an inn, if he wanted one. Ecstatic, he hastily packed up his flute and dumped his silver into a small pouch. Slinging his pack over his shoulders, he ventured back into the crowd, bouncing along to some melody in his head. In fact, he was so overjoyed at the prospect of food that he completely missed the approaching figure before him. They bumped into each other (actually it was barely even a tap) and the shock caused Aarek to stumble clumsily backwards. Despite being half-elf, it seemed he had inherited none of the grace that came with his race. Other than his glasses being knocked from his face, everything was okay.

Flustered and now blind, the man sputtered and felt his entire face burn with embarrassment. "I-I am so–so sorry!" his voice trembled nervously, and he kneeled on the ground both to search for his spectacles and to hide his no-doubt red face. "If–if I could just find my-my glasses…" he continued to mumble incoherent apologies as his hands flew around in a panic.

When the smell of food hit her nose her stomach growled, displaying her hunger out loud. Nobody seemed to hear it except for her. She continued walking through the marketplace towards the food stalls until she realized that she needed to get a couple of more things done before food. There were some spell scrolls that she was interested in buying which was one of the reasons she headed to Adeluna in the first place. Then there were some potions, herbs, and some other supplies that she needed to get before she went after the food. With a sigh, Tristana turned and began walking to some of the other stalls.

Her mind was slightly distracted by the events from earlier today so she ended up not seeing Aarek and bumped into him. It was light but apparently enough to send him stumbling backwards. His glasses was knocked off of his face and now he was knees trying to look for them. Tristana panicked. Was she supposed to help him up? Should she apologize first? Now he was stuttering! She leaned down and snatched the glasses up off of the ground. There! She had them. Tristana then held out her hand to Aarek to try to help him stand up. If he took her hand then she would try to pull him up. She then handed his glasses back to them.

“Found them.” Tristana said awkwardly.

Then she remembered something! Tristana quickly pulled down her hood to hide her face. On the right side of her face was an ugly ragged scar that went from her forehead to her chin across her face. Her hood was able to cast a shadow on where her scar was. If somebody stared at her long enough they would be able to see it but Tristana was always cautious about that.

“I’m sorry for bumping into you.” Tristana said quickly, “I didn’t see you and I wasn’t paying attention since I have to look for a stall for equipment even though I really want to get food.”

She was talking awkwardly and quickly. Then Tristana realized that she might have been talking too much.

“Oh, sorry. I should stop now.” She said with a nervous smile.

What was a good way to make this person into her friend and also work as a good apology? She looked him over and noticed that he had the clothing that a bard might have. Or at least she assumed that he could play music. Tristana reached into her backpack and pulled out a beautiful blue violin made up of skyshards.

“Uhh….would you like a violin? And can we be friends?” Tristana asked.

Why did she do this?! Now she probably seemed desperate or just strange or even worse, suspicious! The violin was something she bought a few days ago. She couldn’t play it but she thought it was pretty looking. So she got it. This was also one of the reasons that she had to go on so many quests in order to get money. Tristana really needed to learn to not spend her valuable money on pretty items that she really did not need. The violin itself was very magical. It only needed to be tuned once then it would be tuned forever. All music that came out of it would sound perfectly clear no matter the environment it was in.

On top of all of that, it would also amplify the emotion portrayed in the music it created. If the musician played the instrument calmly, then it would make everybody who heard it calm. If the musician played the instrument fast and with stress, then everybody who heard it would become opposite of calm. It was a perfect gift. Except, Tristana had no idea if this person was able to play the violin or any instrument at all. Why did she just give him a gift that she might not even know if he would like it?! Then a thought came to her mind which made her feel a little better. The instrument was really nice and if he didn’t like it then he could easily sell it and get something he did like.

“My name is Tristana by the way.” She said.

This was one of the many reasons why she avoided crowds. These types of things always seemed to happen. Not that she minded it, too much. But occasionally it would get very awkward. A small growling sound could be heard. Tristana’s face became a bright shade of red as she realized that it was her stomach. She was hungry. 

Through the blur clouding his vision, Aarek vaguely distinguished the shape of a hand reaching down to him. Hesitantly, he took hold and hoisted himself up, the red of his face dulling slightly. He took his glasses and quickly replaced them on the bridge of his nose. Before he could get a proper look at the woman who helped him, she had pulled her hood down over her face and was rambling away some quick apology. She was clearly as uncomfortable as he was, though something about seeing her nervousness eased his own.

While she continued to speak, he struggled to observe what he could of her face. Beneath the hood, he could make out the edge of a very large scar on her face. That must have been what she wanted to hide, though he thought to himself that he wouldn't have minded as much. Some children in his old orphanage were brought in with nasty scars that had no business existing on a child. Once he realized he was staring, he turned away and scratched the back of his neck with a hand.

He was just about to interject when she presented him with a lovely new violin. It couldn't have been more than a week old, but she was just going to give it to him. Delicately, he took the immaculate instrument from her hands, tracing along its beautiful workmanship and admiring the dedication put into it. One eyebrow shot up quizzically at her strange act.

"I– uhm, are you sure you want to give this to me?" he asked thoughtfully, lifting his gaze back to her. "Surely, you'd rather play this for yourself?" With that, he studied her curiously. Perhaps she already had a violin of her own, or maybe she couldn't play at all. But that seemed, well, odd. 

At her introduction, he smiled warmly. "Of course we can be friends, Tristana," he assured her, humming to himself as he removed his backpack. "My name's Aarek. Lovely to meet you, miss." Carefully, he made a place where the instrument could sit without being jostled too much by his movement. Satisfied, he slung his pack back to his shoulders and beamed down at the girl.

"Actually, I was just about to get some food," he laughed quietly when her stomach rumbled. The poor girl appeared absolutely mortified, but he simply shrugged it off. "Looks like we could both use a meal, right?" 

A few seconds passed before he realized his suggestion. He squashed down the blush before it returned to his cheeks. "Erm, only if you want to, of course. I was going to find a tavern around her, so it might be nice to have someone to sit with." Above, the sun was settling along the horizon. Soon enough, the taverns would all be crowded with people seeking ale and a good time. A small frown replaced his smile, and worry became evident in his features. "We'll have to go soon though. Don't wanna get caught up in the night crowds." 
While she continued to speak, he carefully studied what he could of her face. He couldn't see much, but the edge of a large scar was visible upon inspection. Once he realized he was staring, he turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. He was about to interject when the girl presented him with a lovely new violin, which couldn't have been more than a week or two old. Eyes wide, he delicately took the instrument from her hands, tracing along the fine workmanship of the wood. True, he wasn't nearly as good with the violin as he was with his flute, but he could still play a decent tune. It was a truly remarkable and unnecessary gift.H"I…uhm, are you sure you want to give this away?" Aarek asked thoughtfully, his gaze finally returning to her. "This is a fine instrument; wouldn't you rather play it for yourself?" Tilting his head, he considered the woman. Perhaps she already had a violin, or maybe she couldn't play… though that seemed odd.At her introduction, he nodded, a soft smile forming at the corners of his mouth. "Of course we can be friends, Tristana," he assured her, unused to being the calmer person in an interaction. "My name's Aarek. I was just about to get some food…" He paused when her stomach growled. The poor girl looked absolutely mortified, but he just let out a quiet laugh. "I suppose we could both use a meal."He removed his backpack and found a place to fit the violin where it wouldn't be damaged, before realizing his words and looking at her with alarm. "Er, only if you want to, of course. I was gonna find a tavern, actually… it might be nice to not sit alone." His voiced trailed off. Was that how situations like this worked? It certainly felt like the next logical step, but he couldn't be sure. Above, the sun began to settle on the horizon, meaning soon the taverns would be crowded with people craving ale. A small frown replaced his smile, and the worry was evident in his features. "Everywhere will be full soon."

Tristana was glad to see that the stranger was not injured. He also seemed very confused about the violin. Her mind slightly panicked as she realized that this might have been a bit strange to do. Especially for a stranger and with such a lovely item. At least he wasn’t too suspicious to take it.

“Oh, I can’t play.” She admitted, “I bought it on a whim since it was so beautiful. Then realized that I can’t play it. For a long time it was taking up space in my backpack. You’re actually doing me a huge favor by taking it.”

Tristana was glad that he wanted to be her friend despite her awkwardness and how strange she probably appeared. She was also glad that he mentioned food. He mentioned night crowds which drew Tristana’s attention to the time. The bright sun was starting to set in the sky. She knew that she didn’t want to end up having to deal with night crowds either.

“I would love to go to the tavern.” Tristana said, “Not that I often do, but it is fun to hear all the music and to see all those different types of people. I actually know one that isn’t too far off. It’s called The Winking Mermaid. Let's go there!”

Tristana could remember going there last time she visited Adeluna City. It was a shock to her back then to have seen so many loud people all squished into one room. A good shock but she was not expecting it whatsoever. It was also the first time she tasted alcohol. Unsurprisingly, Tristana hated it. The drink was too bitter. Even when she ordered one of the sweetened ones it tasted like some sort of cough mixture that healers created to make their patients better. Actually, the cough mixture might have tasted better than the alcohol. Later Tristana realized that it wasn’t just the alcohol there but all the alcohol everywhere. She hated it all because none of it was sweet enough for her. If they just took out the alcohol then it would taste great. But then it would either be sugared water or just juice.

However, the food there was delicious and they did have other drinks besides alcohol. One did need to be careful since bar fights were a common thing in all bars. Tristana saw her first bar fight in the Bohar Plains and ended up stopping the fight with her magic. She only learned afterwards that these fights were common and best ignored since both parties would be upset if they were stopped. Even if they were losing. But all of that was in the past. Tristana was ready to enjoy her moments at the bar with this new friend. They could talk, share knowledge, and maybe get to do something really fun!

“Come on. We wanna get there before dark, right?” She said with a smile to Aarek, “Then let’s go!”

She then attempted to grab his hand and pull him through the crowds as she walked very quickly in the direction of the tavern.

(Would you like to finish this in The Winking Mermaid thread?)