The Slums of Euridayl

19: When in Rome

The dock pulled into Taudor's icey harbours after two days journey or so. The women stepped off the ship shivering, and huddling close together to maintain some semblance of warmth. Alias had brought a heavy coat, under which the both of them huddled beneath. It was snowing lightly and Alais smiled up at the substance in wonderment. It hardly snowed in the slums, and if it did, the snow clumped with dirt and became an ugly sort of slush.

In the city of Taudor, however, snow packed together tightly and created blankets of crystalline white all about the walkways. The women moved this way and that before the shops, with people bustling about. It wasn't until the girls caught glimpse of an orphan pickpocketing one of the store tenders that they felt comfortable in the strange place.

Crime was a universal language of Azzan, much to the chagrin of the many different governing bodies. Euridayl was the palace of whores, Sterstaal was home to the poachers and drug engineers. Drumwe was a violent place with a great many thieves. This was the way of their world.

"What now?"

Alais grinned back at Lynet, kissing her cheek excitedly.

"I don't know. I wasn't sure we'd get this far."

Just then the two women were stopped by a burly man outside a fisherman's shop. He smelled of blood and sea, with a meat cleaver tucked into his messy apron and a raised brow implying they were in trouble.

"Oy, lassies."

The women turned to him.

"Yessir?"

He looked back and forth between them with an unreadable expression. His dark hair was pulled back in a messy bun at the back of his head.

"Did you just kiss?"

Alias and Lynet looked to each other confusedly. However could that make a difference?

"Well I don't think that's any of your business, good sir."

The man scratched his head confusedly and ushered for the women to step into his shop. They obliged, scrunching their noses at the overwhelming aroma of fish but settling in front of his counter nonetheless.

"You lot aren't from Taudor, huh?"

"Why, no. We're from Euridayl."

The older man nodded his head with a sense of understanding. He wiped his hands on a ragged cloth atop a crate behind him and turned back to the women.

"Women don't kiss other women in Taudor lassies. You're asking for trouble that way. Just a fair warning before someone else spots it."

Lynet frowned at the man and Alais nodded a thanks before they ducked out of the shop.

"Alais?"

The smaller girl turned to her, long blonde locks flicking in the wind and cheeks red from the cold. Her expression was a curious one.

"I don't think we should stay in Taudor."

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Taudor was a much simpler place to escape than that of Euridayl. Most times when the girls stopped to ask for instruction, they were given it with no trouble. They'd even found a place to exchange their Castle District currency for Drumwe's galleons. If they had been rich in Euridayl, they were disgustingly rich in Drumwe. It was a hassle to carry all the coins so they began to purchase items they found to be prime investments.

First, two large knapsacks. Couldn't gather other things without a way to contain them. Then they invested in some heavy fur attire which still allowed for agile movements. Drumwe's winters were not a force to be reckoned with. That was when their investments diverged.

Lynet fancied some decent weapons and snacks. Things to sustain them for the trip to wherever and ways to keep anything horrible from happening to them in the meantime.

Alais opted for a pamphlet about edible and non-edible plants in Drumwe, a basic kit of medical supplies, and a knickknack to keep her hands busy on the journey.

With that settled, they set the rest of their coin away where it was difficult to access and made for the edge of the city.

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In the outskirts of Taudor, the amounts of crowds and people strolling about thinned very drastically. On the other hand, the amount of isolated little inns with built in pubs increased heavily. Lynet and Alais took up to one of their regular pastimes, consuming pints of mead and wandering about aimlessly. It reminded Alais of their youth in the streets of Euridayl, before they'd ever gotten involved with Miss D.

She smiled, leaning against the smaller girl for support in the back of a cosy inn they'd found. Alias sat upright, listening to the story of an older gentleman and how he'd lost his arm in the Dillac army. By this part of the city, people seemed primarily disinterested in the manner of relationship between the two women and they had relaxed some.

"Damn Elves. Their blades are enhanced with enchantment, I'm telling you."

Lynet snickered slightly but didn't dare interrupt the old warrior. Alias nudged her companion and nodded for the man to go on. He smiled very faintly and waved the limb around for emphasis.

"One of them came down from the trees on me, took my arm off in one swoop!"

Alias gasped, evidently intrigued.

"At first, I had no idea. Started thrashing wildly with my other hand and the adrenaline rendered me completely immersed in the battle."

The man's blue eyes glossed over with the memory and the lines in his face drew deeper in the orange firelight central to the inn. It was as though the moment was returning to him in its entirety.

"One o' my mates snatched me away from the Elf. Killed the fellow swiftly and then started to tie a belt around my arm. When I saw what he was doing, I couldn't stop screaming."

Alias' face was completely fat and expressionless but Lynet could tell by the way her fingers twitched on her left knee that she was entirely fascinated.

"He'd slapped me a few times when he thought I was close to passing out. He was a real one, that lad. Damn Elves."

The man grumbled into his tankard, lifting it up for another swig and slamming it back down on the wooden surface. His story was finished now, or he was finished telling it. Lynet was unsure of the difference. Alias returned her attention to Lynet and blushed lightly when she found her companion already staring at her.

"Shall we head to another inn..."

The question trailed off as Alais recognised the hungry expression in Lynet's eyes and she gulped nervously. They'd been together for a very long while but she couldn't help still being embarrassed. Lynet scooped Alais up effortlessly and kissed her cheek before carrying the girl to one of the inn rooms.

"We have to pay for these!"

The nervousness bared itself in the heightened pitch of Alais' voice and she buried her face in Lynet's neck, hiding.

"Already did."

Alias blushed deeply and nodded as the door drew shut behind them.

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