[Closed] I'll be fine on my own (Yazad)

[Cassidy Elwes]

Loshis 14, 2720

Basin Court market, afternoon.

Cass kept her hands in her pockets as they walked. She gave a warm smile as Yazad mentioned how well she seemed to know the market, casting her gaze around the place. The market itself was ever-changing, as new vendors came and went, but there was a familiarity about the place. Three years living in the finer neighbourhood of Castle Hill had not dulled her recognition of the streets on which she had spent her childhood. Even parts of the city she didn't spend much time in, she could usually find her way through. She couldn’t imagine wandering around like Yazad was, with little idea of where he was or where he was going. She nodded to people she recognized as they went.

“I grew up ‘round here,” she replied, “lived here most of my life. I know these streets like the back o’ my hand. I’m o’er in a different part o’ town now, but I still remember this place.”

When he asked if she enjoyed cooking, she laughed. “I do!” she said, “As a matter o’ fact, it's sorta my job. I run a bakery in Castle Hill. It's called the Good Pan. I've been runnin' it on my own for a few years now, but lately business has been pickin' up. I might need t' think about bringin' on some help, actually…"

She scratched her cheek as she thought about that sentence. She hadn’t actually considered the need for help before this last year. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep up with what she had to bake in a day to fill demand and still have some left over for the folks who depended on her handouts at the end of the day. She was jarred from this line of thought, though, as she caught sight of a jewellery stand and remembered that she was supposed to be thinking about where one might find Hessean trinkets and oils. Yazad had been talking, as well, and she realized that she had not quite been paying attention. She remembered hearing Brunnhold, which raised a few questions as to why he was here in the Rose, but she remembered he had also mentioned a master and figured that he was likely in Brunnhold independent of the golly school. She gestured to the jewellery stall as they drew closer.

“Here, is this the stand y’ were at earlier?” she asked, buying herself a bit more time.[/color]

[Yazad]

Basin Court market

Loshis 14, 2720 - Afternoon

I t was amusing to see people -traders and otherwise- nodding to Cassidy in greeting as the two of them walked through what looked to the passive to be similar paths. It could be his height, it could be the crowd, it could be his generally abysmal sense of directions--but Yazad could not tell which way is which. Every direction looked the same to him, with stalls that carried the best a seller can offer, and eager merchants hawking their wares.

"So you have always resided in Old Rose Harbor? I can understand the familiarity now." the man commented, wondering if he would have been a tad better at navigating a city if he had not changed places of residence a few times. From the Logarchon manor where his parents -and he, back then- lived, to the manor of the other Logarchons, then to Sophronios’ own, secluded house. And lastly, The Stacks. But no. He concluded, with ease, that he really just was never meant to be good at it.

"My goodness, well I will be!" Yazad managed to chime in a tone of controlled glee, his hands clapping once and his cheeks glowing with an additional hue of pink. Cassidy worked at a bakery. Her very own bakery. What a joy that must be, at least in the perspective of someone like him. His mind instantly wandered to a conversation that was had before, about impossible dreams and unattainable wishes. "The Good Pan, what an adorable name. If only my circumstances were not what they are, I would have applied for the position in a heartbeat." Yazad commented with a lighthearted smile, allowing himself the image of him being a bakery worker. It was an entertaining enough mental image, but one that he knew he would never consider in actuality. He was in service of a man who needed him, and whom he owed a debt of kindness to.

The constraints of reality, however, did not stop Yazad from launching into more details about the woman’s statement. "I do adore baking myself, especially pastries. But I imagine that operating a bakery is in no way close to cooking for only two. It is rather impressive that you had managed the establishment on your own for years, madam. And the thought of you in an apron is rather endearing." The chuckling passive was not sure why he found the idea to be so delightful, but he did. With arms such as hers, Cassidy was probably capable of making twice as he would in a day. Most people were ignorant of how much effort kneading and rolling dough required.

"Oh, goodness, yes. Thank you kindly. If you would excuse me for a moment, please." Yazad responded, bowing his head quickly before weaving through a couple of people to reach the stall. The tanned elderly woman greeted him with a hearty laugh, which Yazad responded to with a sheepish smile. With him knowing what he wanted, the exchange of tallies and jewelry was quick. Instead of having his new earrings wrapped and packaged, the passive opted to carry them where they were intended to be used. On the spot, he deftly removed the two loops of string that he was using to maintain his piercing, then replaced them with the more weighty accessory of gold and pearl. Most likely not even real gold or pearl, but it was a well-crafted trinket nonetheless.

"Pardon me." Promptly, Yazad made his way back to Cassidy, standing before the woman with a canted head as his hand went up to tuck the dark strands of his hair behind his ear, revealing his new purchase to her. "What does the madam think?" He asked, almost playfully.

[Cassidy Elwes]

Loshis 14, 2720

Basin Court market, afternoon.

Cass laughed as Yazad complimented both the name of her bakery, and herself. She liked him. He was a sweet thing, though perhaps a bit naive. He liked baking too, he said, especially pastries. She liked making pastries, too. It had taken her a while to perfect puff pastry when she was learning, but she’d had a good teacher and now it was like second nature. He’d mentioned that he would have liked to help her, if he wasn’t already employed. She liked the thought of him trying to maneuver around one of the big trays of buns she baked on the daily. She wasn’t sure he’d be able to manage, but she had to think he’d give it his best. He’d probably look rather endearing in an apron himself.

“I like makin’ turnovers,” she said, “they’re real simple, but it’s satisfyin’ t’ see ‘em puff up an’ get all flakey. Y’know you did it right, an’ they’re gonna be delicious. Bread, too. I think makin’ bread’s prolly my favourite thing to do. S’another real simple thing, but versatile. Ya can put just’ about anythin’ into a loaf o’ bread.”

She watched as he broke apart from her to return to the stall and make his purchase. Earrings, it seemed. She hadn’t noticed before that what was in his ears now was just some string. The ones he had picked out were nice. Likely fakes, but still pretty. Too pretty for her tastes, but they suited him well. He was a cute little thing, and actually brought to mind a young wick she knew. She smiled when he came back and asked her opinion.

“Fair macha,” she answered, “very pretty. They suit you.”

She gestured down a row of booths off to one side. “I think y’might be able t’ find what yer after down this way,” she said, “no guarantees the stall I’m thinkin’ about is open today, but it’s worth a shot.”

As they began to walk again, she looked to Yazad. “What brings you an’ this master o’ yours out to the harbour?”

[Yazad]

Basin Court Market

Loshis 14, 2720 - Afternoon

Y azad nodded as he listened to Cassidy, the shine of his eyes speaking clearly enough about his enjoyment of the subject. "A simple endeavor indeed, and one that is convenient when time is short. I do like that you can make them sweet or salty, depending on your fancy." Or in his case, depending on what he thinks the galdor fancies. The type of turnover filling Yazad used was often decided to complement whatever else he would be making. "Bread, goodness how I adore bread. Not so much the kneading of it, though. For that reason, I make bread that requires no kneading." A quick look at Cassidy’s build gave Yazad the thought that his companion does not share his kneading difficulties. "A slice of buttered bread with a bit of jam is a fine way to start the day." He added merrily.

Now with new earrings purchased to replace his loop of string, Yazad was already feeling even more pleased with his appearance. It was not difficult for him to be content with how he looked; he often made sure of that by permanently looking his best. "My, thank you kindly for the gracious words." The passive was not too shy to display how much he appreciated the other’s comment with a small flick of his hair and half a twirl around himself. For a moment, it seemed as if Yazad was lost in a world where he fully relished the moment.

"It is worth a try if the good lady agrees." Yazad responded to Cassidy. He was not going to drag her all over the market to his selfish whims, but visiting one more stall with her seemed both benign and pleasant enough. "Goodness though, where are my manners? Please, if I may." Yazad was not wearing a hat -they were abominable things that looked odd on him- but he made a show of lifting an invisible top hat with his left hand, while extending his right to Cassidy--like a proper gentleman should when escorting a lady about town.

"Goodness knows. A scholarly society gathering of some manner, perhaps bound by the common interest of beans or some such. I adore the man like a three-legged puppy, but Hurte knows that he lives in a mental state of his own, away from the world we live in." The passive was polite yet open in his answer. Yazad was told no more than they were going to Vienda and Old Rose Harbor on vacation, which would have been suspicious if the raven-haired man was not too busy being thrilled for his master to experience more in life than books and scientific theories.

"We do not stay here for long, which is both a relief and a shame. It is so very different here than it is in The Stacks. What places do people often visit in Old Rose Harbor?" Who is better to tell him about the city’s most notable and perhaps most obscure visiting spots but the kind woman who had lived in it for all of her life?

[Cassidy Elwes]

Loshis 14, 2720

Basin Court market, afternoon.

She had chuckled when Yazad insisted she go first. A proper gentleman, he was. She didn’t mind showing him around at all. She had closed the bakery for the day, after all. She had no pressing engagements, not until later in the day, after she would have closed up. Even on days when the bakery was closed, she still made enough to hand out at the end of the day. There were people who depended on her for that. Poor folk who might not have enough to eat otherwise, street kids who would turn to stealing. She didn’t want anyone to have to turn to crime to feed themselves, least of all children.

She listened as Yazad explained that he wasn’t quite sure of the reason that his master had brought them to the harbour. Social events, he said, or perhaps just a shared interest in beans. Cass laughed at that. She wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there was actually some small contingent of gollies who were passionate enough about something as simple as beans to gather and converse. Rich golly folk did seem to live in an entirely different world than the humans and wicks who had to put in a hard day’s work before they could think about relaxing and devoting time to talking about something so trivial. She supposed they had to fill their time somehow.

The question about what people come to see in Old Rosie gave her pause. She had, of course, lived here her whole life. It didn’t hold the same interest to her as it would to someone who had never seen the place before. She supposed that would be true of any place one spent a good deal of time. She scratched her cheek as she thought.

“Well,” she began, “I ent really the best person t’ ask, I don’t think. There’re theaters and such in the fancier parts o’ town. I suppose that’d be something to see. I’ve never been, I’ve got better things t’ spend what I make on than seein’ some sorta show.”

She looked at Yazad, fancy thing that he was, and considered him before she continued speaking. “I doubt it’d be yer thing, but there’s also th’ Rose Arena.”

“There’s fights there every night,” she explained, “All sorts of ‘em. There’s always somethin’ t’ see, and it ent too expensive t’ get in. If y’ fancy the thought o’ watchin’ some kov get the stuffin’ knocked out o’ him or wanna see some sap spilt, that’d be the place to go. I used t’ fight there m’self, a few maw back. I retired after I got hurt pretty bad.”

She smiled. “Now th’ only thing I punch is dough.”

[Yazad]

Basin Court market

Loshis 14, 2720 - Afternoon

A s time went by, the market seemed to be growing livelier and rowdier. If he did not have Cassidy’s company, the short passive would have found himself lost in the crowd in an instant. Thankfully, it was easy enough for him to weave through the clusters of gathering people and eager hawkers. "Hello. Pardon me. Excuse me." The raven-haired man continued to utter politely while walking, feeling as though just being within viewing range of someone else obliged him to greet them.

"Ah, theaters." Yazad nodded knowingly, smiling to the taller woman. "I have been to some of these before. Not my favorite activity, I will admit. A poorly-written play is sadly more common than you would think." The passive shook his head, instantly thinking up a dozen of things that he -like Cassidy- found to be a better use for his time and earnings. The woman gave him a look for a moment, then offered another recommendation.

"Rose arena?" Yazad echoed the words, blinking. His first thought was of a large open space filled with roses, but if his trip taught him anything, it was that Old Rose Harbor was in no way relating to its namesake. The passive’s curious look morphed into deeper confusion, his fine brows furrowing slightly. "People fight there and others simply...watch?" There was both incredulity and disbelief in the man’s soft utterance of bafflement. And this boorish practice is something that is supposed to be an attraction? He simply could not fathom it, nor the logic behind it--if there was any at all. It was no less than shocking to hear that her companion herself used to be a part of that.

"Oh, goodness gracious me. Is this how you got...the..." The passive sheepishly lifted a finger to trace the middle of his chin, where Cassidy carried a notable scar. The mere thought of what injury could have caused it was enough to make his stomach tighten. Strangely enough, the woman did not seem to be too bothered about her past pain, or the remnants of it.

"I do not mean to offend, but that does not sound like a rather--healthy or good life, if I may say so. Why would they--why would you take part in such a thing?" Yazad asked, bearing a look brimming with concern and genuine puzzlement.

[Cassidy Elwes]

Loshis 14, 2720

Basin Court market, afternoon.

She had known it wouldn't be Yazad’s cup of tea as soon as she had mentioned it, but it was a particularly large draw on this side of town. She would have been remiss to not mention it. She hadn’t expected him to ask her why people fought. Why she, specifically, had done it. He’d also asked about her scar, and if that was how she’d gotten it.

“Aye,” she replied, reaching up and rubbing her chin, “I fought hand t’ hand, just fists, but one o’ my early opponents, he snuck in a riff — a knife — in his boot. Got me pretty good! He regretted his choice right quick, though. I broke his arm fer it.”

She was quiet for a minute then, as she ruminated on what to tell the young man as to the why of it all. She knew why she had turned to fighting. She was good at it, first and foremost. Other than that, she’d been angry. Angry at the world, angry at Silas Hawke and his Bad Brothers, angry at her own brother, angry at the collies for not doing more to find who had killed him just because he was a human in Voedale. Not that they cared much about humans no matter where they came from. Didn’t much care about anyone other than their own kind, unless they were doing something to break the law. There were the darker reasons, too. The slaves in the arena that were forced to fight out of a debt to the owner. Her brow furrowed, and she sighed.

“Most do it fer the money,” she said, “some do it ‘cuz they enjoy it, others do it ‘cuz they hafta. Me, I liked it. An’ I was good at it — real good. They used t’ call me ‘the Bear’. Some folk still do, ‘round here. There’s a tournament every season fer a big payout, and I won it more than a few times in the near ten years I was fightin’. I got put out, though. ‘Nother laoso bastard with a knife, only this one got me in the ribs. I was out fer months, and I ent never really been th’ same. I get winded a lot easier than I used t’, an’ it makes me woozy.”

She looked down at Yazad, a grin creeping across her face. “I beat ‘im though. Bleedin’ more than I’d ever bled in my life an’ I still put th’ bastard’s lights out.”

[Yazad]

Basin Court market

Loshis 14, 2720 - Afternoon

Y azad had never thought that he would hear about fistfighting from a woman, but there he was. What amused him more was not the statement itself, but rather how easily he accepted it. Cassidy did look very capable of that, even more than most men that he could list. "A lowly coward!" Yazad gasped indignantly, his hand pressing against his chest. Not only did the boorish cur raise his hand on a lady, he did so with a knife. Honor is dead, truly. His temporary pout over the cheater switched into a wince when hearing what Cassidy had done to him. The paling passive’s hand moved down from his chest to his own arm, squeezing it lightly.

Yazad was not a squeamish person. He did not think himself to be that, but the recount of treachery and violence had affected him more than the sight of blood or injuries. The more he heard Cassidy speak about what went on in this arena, the more his baffled discomfort grew. He had cut himself with kitchen knives in the past. He had bumped his head on shelves and scalded his skin with water that was still too hot. They were all accidents; painful ones, but no doubt nowhere near as horrible as being slashed or having an arm broken.

Money.

It was perhaps very foolish to use his own judgment on the matter, for Yazad knew well that he was never left wanting. Not when he was a child nestled in the lap of luxury, nor when he became a servant. As much as he did not know what it feels like to ‘get the stuffin’ knocked out o’ him as his companion put it, he also did not understand -or experience- desperation for coin. "Mhm, I can certainly see that." Yazad commented quietly, still politely. She might have been good at it, he really did not doubt that, but--

The passive could only continue to listen silently, eyes brimming with unspoken thoughts. It was all in the past, and this was no longer the life that Cassidy lives. Punching dough, she said. A much better alternative as far as he is concerned. When she looked at him, grinning and cheerily telling him of her victorious retaliation against her stabber, Yazad could only smile back, appreciating how proud and accomplished the woman looked then. "You are incredibly strong and courageous, madam. Your life is not one that I can live, but I do admire determination when I see it." The raven-haired man’s smile brightened. He chose to think of Cassidy, beaming with a winning smile, over the thoughts of bloody bodies and pained screams.

"Additionally, bears are rather adorable and cuddly. At least they appear that way. Perhaps I should begin to call you Lady Bear." Yazad chuckled, looking up at his taller companion. Cassidy, he thought, looked similarly the same.

[Cassidy Elwes]

Loshis 14, 2720

Basin Court market, afternoon.

The smile never left Cass’ face as Yazad spoke about how her life seemed hard, and not one he himself could live. She supposed he was right, in a way. It had been hard almost right from the start, when she was born a sickly baby and her parents worried if she would survive. She did, and had continued to. She had survived losing her brother, losing her parents. She survived her worst injury and came out the other side of all those hardships stronger in more ways than one. She had made something good from something bad, and continued to put more and more good into the world.

“I wouldn’t trade it fer anything,” she said, “I don’t regret anythin’. It mighta been hard, sure, but it made me who I am. Made me stronger, an' I'm proud o' what I've done. Ent nothin’ I’d change, even if I could.”

She laughed as Yazad mentioned calling her “Lady Bear”. “Gods no, don’t be doin’ that. Just Cass is fine. ‘Lady Bear’...”

She shook her head, chuckling again. They were getting closer now to where she remembered seeing the stall that she was thinking of. Sure enough, ahead of them was an older woman seated behind a stall littered with bottles and trinkets of various sizes. Cass remembered stopping at her stall before to have a look, though she never did buy anything. She tapped Yazad’s shoulder lightly and gestured to the woman.

“There y’are, looks like we got lucky. I think y’ might be able t’ find what yer lookin’ for over there,” she said. “Let’s go have a look, eh?”

[Yazad]

Basin Court market

Loshis 14, 2720 - Afternoon

Y azad had admired Cassidy’s strength and the ease in which she had stopped that thief at the beginning of their meeting, but the passive felt a different kind of admiration bubbling inside of him. It was not the amused awe of a child seeing a woman picking up a person as though they were a hare, but rather something closer to respect. "And you should be." Yazad smiled and nodded to the taller woman. He was proud of how far he had come in his own life, too. But his years of existence were not nearly as harsh or eventful as hers. It truly was a life that he cannot survive, and not only because any stab he takes is one that he is not likely to live through.

"If this is what the good lady wants, I shall abide. Cassidy it is." The raven-haired man complied playfully, though he was not able to be so impolitely casual as to call her ‘Cass’.

The woman’s assured steps led them to another stall; one where the smells of scented oils mingled pleasantly with the humid air. Yazad took in a deep breath, smilingly. "Do you smell this, Cassidy? Simply delightful." His pale green eyes lifted up to the woman who placed a hand on his shoulder. "I shall only be a moment." Yazad stated, walking towards the older woman behind the stall’s busy counter. The seller gave him the wide grin of a vendor welcoming a potential spender.

It, as it turned out, took Yazad a little more than a moment. The simple questions of prices and specific scents somehow had turned into an exchange about the applications of milk and honey for skincare. Knowing that it would be shameful to hold up his guide any longer, Yazad excused himself with the promise of returning at a later time with more tallies and a few recommendations of his own. "Pardon my tardiness, Cassidy. This is a rather lovely merchant and I would make certain to manage a second visit." Yazad sounded both eager and grateful. Cassidy mentioned before that she had nothing urgent to attend to, but he still could not bring himself to drag her along to his whims. Additionally, he could visit the market on his own, but the time spent with a nice former fighter turned baker was far more valuable. "I am grateful for your kind assistance. If I may ask, good madam, would you tell me where I might find your bakery so that I perchance visit it if I am able?"