Ash 42, 4621¤
"How does one put this?"
Izul asked Miki as they rode their chariots to the inn.
"How much do you think we should keep, sell, and give to the contact?"
Miki wasn't sure. They tied their hogs up where the horses belonged and went inside to find some lunch. They would be here for awhile to scope and talk about their next move. The duo talked for some time and got few looks in the tavern, it was as if everyone was trying to make themselves small and not give credence to their existence. Miki liked to think it was because she was intimidating but knew it was simply because she looked like a freak show on this planet. There had been many times where Miki was mistaken for a mage and had to inform the other that she was possessed of NO magic.
~~~
Instead of staying and chatting throughout the night, Miki head out on her own in her Amoren villager attire. Izul would watch the hog and make sure no one threatened them. The black dress with white sleeves looked great on her figure. Her hair came down in long tresses and waved when her head shifted.
She walked out to find a quiet bench to study a book she picked up back in Amoren. 'How to Read Masks; Candor Etiquette' was the title. If she would ever play the part of someone better than a fool she would learn how to speak to those who dared sneer at her. How else would she get into their ranks and schmooze their betters so she could get to the real money changing hands. You never knew who needed hired muscle. Stealing casks of wine or getting intel, they would do it all so long as the price was right. The demandable horns and skin though, it was quite the bane to learning any sort of disguise. Instead, Miki would need contacts willing to moonlight and get her in other's favor. She considered using her name as a ruse, having multiple Miki's in different places who all spoke to her as their top in command. What the idea brewed in her head was a spy network of Miki's who would take the heat off of her and serve has her in her own place. Miki would rather not show her face unless it were necessary. Being so obvious was hard in this world, part of her wanted to miss home but it had been a long time, since she was a girl, when she was back in utopia.
It was early evening with the sun dipping behind the buildings in the sky casting a light purple and pink under glow to the Atharen sky. Getting up she walked some paces but the streets were mostly dead. Through the winding streets she found her way to an overgrown courtyard. She couldn't tell if anyone lived there but the courtyard was huge and seemingly connected to it was a dilapidated home. The whole thing was covered in vines and crumbling as if a single breath would blow anything over. Recognizing a broken down, nonfunctional fountain she fished a coin from the shallow, algae covered water. Flipping it in her hand a couple times she let the coin toss drop and go into the fountain's shallow depths with a plop. Miki assumed fortune favored the bold and didn't mind taking a coin to use for herself.
~~~
In fact, Miki thought that fortune would favor the one who took all the coins from the fountain. There was barely any, around ten dranari farthings, but they were hers now. She walked from the home with her pants in her pants whistling a tune. A strong Ash wind blew, causing her to grab her skirts and shiver. It would prove to be a harsh winter here in the desert, Daravin was warm but even some nights had a biting cold. This was one of them.
