Post by RAINA AEGLE PALLAS on Dec 29, 2013 19:17:28 GMT
the sun was only just rising above the horizon as raina walked along the river, heading away from her home. she resisted looking back, knowing the sinking feeling in her stomach would only grow when she saw how far away she already was. she would take the long way to letho, following the river until it reached the lake, then finding her way from there. she wasn't fond of the idea - the part about leaving her home - but raina needed money. already she'd been holed up alone for what could have been months and desperately needed new clothes. hers were worn and starting to get holes; she looked homeless and poor. actually, by most people's standards, she was poor. she didn't have an actual house, she just lived in a cove off the lethe. as a naiad, a woman whose life depended on the water, it was more than enough. she didn't even need that cove, but she'd wanted a place to put her collections of shells and gems and feathers.
before long, raina reached the lake. raina now had to tilt her head up to see the sun; she figured it was about noon, a reminder that made her stomach growl. sinking down into the sand, her dirty dress lying limp over her legs, raina pulled her sack off her shoulder and opened it. it was mainly filled with handmade jewelry she planned to sell, but a smaller bag revealed an assortment of fruits. raina grabbed a handful of berries and plopped them in her mouth. she rested there for several moments longer, before rising with a quiet sigh and continuing on her way.
when she finally reached letho, it was well into the afternoon. it had taken her longer than normal to reach the edge of the city. she'd left as soon as the sun rose, but had taken too many breaks. raina wouldn't have enough time to sell her goods and make it back home before the sun went down - she would have to stay at an inn for the night, something she was not happy to realize. it wasn't that she was afraid of villages, she was just nervous being away from home. home was familiar - this village was not.
raina slid on a pair of cloth shoes, knowing her feet would not stand a chance against the hard stone roads. she preferred to walk barefoot, but she wasn't so stupid to do so in the village, where she could easily step on something an injure herself. she entered the village, holding her bag close against her body. she could feel the stares of curious people on her, probably wondering why she was wearing such a light, worn dress in the middle of winter. raina could barely feel the cold; it rarely bothered her.
she found the marketplace and set up a stall to sell her jewelry. her items were fairly simple, but raina thought they were just about the prettiest things around. suede and leather necklaces with gem and shell pendants; the latter two things she'd found at the bottom of the river. she loved to talk about the meanings of gemstones and help people choose what suited them best. raina believed the gems had special, magical properties; for example, amazonite was said to have a soothing, calming effect. jade alleviated fear and anxiety, and turquoise attracted success. it wasn't even questionable to her, these things were facts. some people believed, some didn't. either way, she loved to talk to people about it.
a lot of people who came up to her bought things out of pity for the naiad. they didn't know that she was almost perfectly content with her life. to them, she looked like she needed a new dress and warmer clothes. raina didn't need any of that; she just wanted a new dress that didn't have rips and more leather for her jewelry. she sold several necklaces in just a couple hours, getting coins in return. she'd traded a loaf of bread with a young girl who'd been interested in a rose quartz necklace, something that had suited her well. at the end of the day, raina was sure she would be happy with what she'd sold. leaning back against the wall, she watched as people began to leave the market, many closing their stalls to head home for dinner and end the day. raina would stay a little bit longer before finding a place to stay herself, hopefully selling a couple more necklaces to pay for the inn.
before long, raina reached the lake. raina now had to tilt her head up to see the sun; she figured it was about noon, a reminder that made her stomach growl. sinking down into the sand, her dirty dress lying limp over her legs, raina pulled her sack off her shoulder and opened it. it was mainly filled with handmade jewelry she planned to sell, but a smaller bag revealed an assortment of fruits. raina grabbed a handful of berries and plopped them in her mouth. she rested there for several moments longer, before rising with a quiet sigh and continuing on her way.
when she finally reached letho, it was well into the afternoon. it had taken her longer than normal to reach the edge of the city. she'd left as soon as the sun rose, but had taken too many breaks. raina wouldn't have enough time to sell her goods and make it back home before the sun went down - she would have to stay at an inn for the night, something she was not happy to realize. it wasn't that she was afraid of villages, she was just nervous being away from home. home was familiar - this village was not.
raina slid on a pair of cloth shoes, knowing her feet would not stand a chance against the hard stone roads. she preferred to walk barefoot, but she wasn't so stupid to do so in the village, where she could easily step on something an injure herself. she entered the village, holding her bag close against her body. she could feel the stares of curious people on her, probably wondering why she was wearing such a light, worn dress in the middle of winter. raina could barely feel the cold; it rarely bothered her.
she found the marketplace and set up a stall to sell her jewelry. her items were fairly simple, but raina thought they were just about the prettiest things around. suede and leather necklaces with gem and shell pendants; the latter two things she'd found at the bottom of the river. she loved to talk about the meanings of gemstones and help people choose what suited them best. raina believed the gems had special, magical properties; for example, amazonite was said to have a soothing, calming effect. jade alleviated fear and anxiety, and turquoise attracted success. it wasn't even questionable to her, these things were facts. some people believed, some didn't. either way, she loved to talk to people about it.
a lot of people who came up to her bought things out of pity for the naiad. they didn't know that she was almost perfectly content with her life. to them, she looked like she needed a new dress and warmer clothes. raina didn't need any of that; she just wanted a new dress that didn't have rips and more leather for her jewelry. she sold several necklaces in just a couple hours, getting coins in return. she'd traded a loaf of bread with a young girl who'd been interested in a rose quartz necklace, something that had suited her well. at the end of the day, raina was sure she would be happy with what she'd sold. leaning back against the wall, she watched as people began to leave the market, many closing their stalls to head home for dinner and end the day. raina would stay a little bit longer before finding a place to stay herself, hopefully selling a couple more necklaces to pay for the inn.
762 words | tagged: open | (c) ENY |
