Eight Intertwined

46 - Noblecourt

Noblecourt was exactly as Therion remembered it. 

The people in the town square were bustling around and bumping into one another as they did their best to reach the richest of stalls selling wares. The people who were immediately perceived as having less wealth were ultimately pushed aside and shoved without any hesitation. The richer people had so much gold rolling off them that it practically made Therion nauseous, and given that he made his living as a thief, it was impressive that people were able to have so much money that it was difficult for him to bear. He wasn't sure how all of them made their livings, but it was easy enough to say that the people here lived in excess for the same reason that so many people in Stillsnow were forced into such an unfortunate lifestyle under the influence of Rufus just so that they were able to survive. The system was sickening, and Noblecourt was just another symptom of the problem as far as Therion was concerned. 

Noblecourt was exactly as Therion remembered it. He meant that in the worst way possible. 

Olberic and H'aanit were the iron walls of grit and determination that allowed the group to make it through Noblecourt's merchant quarter without running into anybody who wanted to pick a fight with them. Most people, even the filthy rich who had more than they knew what to do with and just as much foolishness to match, knew well enough to stay as far away from the two of them as possible. Therion was both glad for this and upset that this was how it had to play out. On one hand, it meant that he wasn't pushed around like he was worth less than a piece of trash. On the other, it drew all too much attention to their party, and that was the last thing Therion wanted as a thief. 

It seemed as if Therion wasn't the only one who was averse to the idea of having to make herself known in Noblecourt. Primrose had been practically gluing herself to H'aanit's shadow ever since they arrived, using both Linde and Hägen as a way of making sure nobody bumped into her. She was wearing a cloak she had seemingly bought while they were in Stillsnow to hide her face from anyone who may have wanted to get close enough to the point that they would have been able to see her face. Therion understood why she was acting this way; Noblecourt was her hometown, and that meant it posed a threat for her as a noble. Therion hadn't ever been to Noblecourt before the fall of House Azelhart, but he could imagine that this wasn't going to help her much, so it was only natural that she would want to mask herself as much as possible. 

Therion was glad that he and Primrose were able to foster as strong of a working relationship as they had, because under any other circumstances, he imagined he was bound to hate her. She was rich and lived in the upper segments of society until her noble house collapsed, though he supposed he wasn't able to really push back against her when she had turned to his same lifestyle after going through so much. Therion never expected he would find himself allied with a former noble in such a way, but he supposed that he never saw any of this coming. He would have preferred to stay as far away from Noblecourt as possible because of how obnoxious the people there were, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice but to stalk into the eye of the storm if he wanted to preserve what little pride he had left. As much as he liked the idea of making Cordelia and Heathcote beg him for forgiveness after what they had done, he knew that wasn't going to happen, and his best course of action was to just find the damn dragonstones so that he could be freed from the worst contract he had ever found himself at the heart of. 

It was only by some stroke of a miracle that the group managed to arrive at the inn, though Therion noticed that Alfyn had strayed away from them. He was likely off to try and find as much information as possible about getting a discount at the inn for the night. They were going to be there for at least two or three days as far as Therion could tell, and while he knew they had more than enough money to look after the costs of staying in Noblecourt thanks to his thefts from the Obsidian Parlor, he preferred to preserve their leaves as much as possible. There was nothing wrong with a discount, and hopefully Alfyn would be able to secure one before night fell.