Essentia Animus

16-Occupational Hazards

Outside of the cafe, the three girls took account of their surroundings in order to gauge their next move. The afternoon having only begun, they had plenty of time to explore whatever new lessons the city had to offer.

Ryixia took another look around, this time getting to physically look around, without the additional distractions. The new exposure however didn't give her any new answers. The cafe was itself along the side of the river, exposing a giant cliff drop off the east side of the road deep into the river valley below them. Vwyx herself was fine with staying on the current side of the road, waiting on a bench she found at the roadside, not wanting to get any closer. Further down the road was a bridge crossing the river, with a gate towards the bridge looking massive and intimidating, an embodiment of fearsome security. More than just Vwyx's fears, none of them were all that compelled to trespass on somewhere so uninviting. Otherwise, there were simply the same continuous roads with continuous buildings.

"Oh, sorry ma'am. Could you tell me if the 171 had gone by already?" "Err, what?" "Bus 171, westbound." The uniformed gentleman's approach had caught Vwyx totally off guard, but his gesture to the pole beside the bench lent some clarity. Sryine looked up at the pole, noticing a couple of listed numbers, including 171. She had remembered reading about such things, not just slight references in her books, but actually the last time they were at the train station. So, more than just trains, the city's transit service had a lot of extra vehicles for transport, making things a bit more convenient. That would make for an interesting opportunity as well, especially since their LTPs should be valid for such a similar service.

Ryixia in the meanwhile was taking account of the individual's uniform, a slate charcoal gray with a golden stitched emblem of a winged longbow, with a similar matching beret. The uniform itself was identical to the same ones worn by the individuals working at the bridge. It was plainly obvious this was someone leaving the site, to go somewhere else.

"Sorry, we just got here ourselves. Haven't seen anything yet." "Well then, that might be my good fortune then." Vwyx was just intent on the individual conversing with her, feeling put on the place a bit. The guy pulled out a Cell and started a call, putting it away after a moment of waiting. "Maybe my luck might not be that kind. Why does he always do that, especially at the worst of times. I know it's annoying, but set aside some focus for your stupid cell, jerk. What if the boss called?" The same guy kicked the bus station pole, venting his frustration. The conversation did answer a question Vwyx had been having ever since she had first seen a Cell used. She hadn't been certain how the thing worked if the other side was too occupied to support it with the gift. Guess that answered that question.

"Sorry about that, guess I should do better while still in uniform. Which bus are you waiting for anyway?" "Oh, uh, we were actually planning where we wanted to go today." "Ah, a free day in the city, huh? Not bad. I kinda got left with a free day myself, work letting me and one of my coworkers go free today. We were thinking of spending our time at East Market, maybe pick a few things up while on this side of the river, something like that at least." The gentleman was clearly trying to save face before Vwyx, after such an unprofessional moment.

"East Market, so you're going to visit the market on the east side?" "Yeah, I take it you've been there before too? I heard they had some good deals today on some of the latest instruments, too. It might have been easier if my coworker had actually stayed over at Irongate Bridge, but it seems he was far too eager to hit the market." Sryine actually wasn't sure if the guy had implied the east side of a market, or a market around the eastern area of town. She was wondering if the names being so blatantly self-describing was part of a ploy to make their locations similarly self-evident. She noticed that some of the businesses gathered right near the bridge at this distance started with the name 'Irongate'. Maybe there was some method to this madness after all.