The three men entered the settlement of the Golden Bazaar together, hastily seeking the first sliver of shade they could find. The irony of the weather was not lost on them -- the aetheric disturbances caused by the Calamity had caused Eastern Thanalan to play host to frequent and sweeping showers. The blazing sun of this day was actually considered unusual weather in what was supposed to be a desert. Along the way the fellows had actually begun wondering which of the extremes was worse.Â
They were all hyur, two highlanders to one midlander. The highlanders resembled strongly, with dark brown skin, thick nosebridges and jet black eyes. The structure of their faces was statuesque in nature, framed by long, almost glossy shoulder-length hair. The differences between them were quite subtle -- one sported thicker eyebrows, while the other was a good two ilms taller. It was not at all difficult to tell that they were closely related. At first glance it appeared that they both wore the same colors of loose fitting garb, but in truth the dust and dirt had simply coated them in a simple tan -- down to the matching metallic cesti slung from their waists.Â
The midlander walked a few steps ahead, his silver and sigiled armor glittering almost offensively in the harsh sunlight. It seemed to bother him none. The occasional wind swept mischievously though the otherwise well-combed strands of thick golden blond atop his head -- that hair gleamed perhaps more obnoxiously than the armor. An ornate shield was strapped to his back, decorated with silver, gold and ivory. His sword was equally intricate in its craftsmanship -- as they should be, seeing that they were replicas of the relics of old. He stood quite apart from the dusty highlanders behind him, though the resembling pair didn't seem to care.
"There a reason why we up along in this shite-hole of a town, Ray?" The taller one asked loudly. They had just approached a blessed slice of shadow cast from one of the stone buildings. Ray the midlander glanced around at the baking premises with squinted silvery-blue eyes. "I just wanted to pass by and make sure everything was okay before heading to the Shroud, Rory."
"The Shroud?" The shorter highlander barked in a tone of protest, "Oi, Ray, how many times me and Rory gonna tell ye? We got that woodsin buggery them ponces always on about. We can't go through there."
Ray untied a silk coated waterskin from his belt and lifted it to take a carefully rationed drink of water before speaking again. "Well, Mack -- what I want is for that to stop being a problem. We'll go to someone in the Shroud who can help you get rid of it. That way we can adventure there and make more of a profit." Without concern for the pristine state of his water's vessel, he offered it across to the pair.
Rory and Mack laughed in loud unison and waved the offer away. "Keep that, Ray! I ain't drinkin' from summat that looks like pretty bloomers. I got me own." Mack was the one who spoke, but they both made the motions to get their own rather worn-looking leather skins. "Suit yourselves," Ray allowed gracefully. "All looks well here, at any rate, don't you think?"
"Yeah, looks quiet," Rory grunted after an excessive pull, "Could probably jus' take a breather an' march on."
"Good! It's settled then -- let me just find a privy, comb my hair and we'll move on."
Another scandalous pair of howls belted from the highlanders. "Come off it, Ray! Privy an' combin' yer hair? What next, powderin' yer nose? Next yer gonna be wearin' Felicia's dresses! Forget yer damn hair, go piss on a rock an' let's get on with it."
Ray patiently shook his head and offered what looked like an almost embarrassed smile, "I don't think what I have to do can be done on a rock." His words quieted them instantly, and it was a few moments before Rory murmured an awkward, "Oh. Well uh, well you fix up then, we'll wait out here."
Again Ray smiled and turned, before stopping. "Oh! Erm --" Hastily he dug into a travelling satchel on his hip. "Could you hold these for me? I always get nervous that I'll -- lose them. If they fall in or something silly like that. I trust you two." The objects in question appeared to be two brightly glowing -- though small -- crystals; one orange and one blue, yet both irregularly shaped. Perhaps he was being silly; he handed one to each.Â
"Yeah, sure, give it here, we'll keep it safe."
"Mhm, don't worry about it."
Ray beamed. "Thank you! I'll be back in blinking." Once more he trotted into the sun to find himself a privy, tossing light everywhere with that armor of his. The Highlanders leaned against the wall, inspecting the crystals they had been given; the glow had faded the moment they left Ray's hands. "Odd lil' things ain't they?" Mack remarked, "Don't know shite 'bout crystals though, so it's all odd to me."
Rory agreed with a snort. "Same here. Is what it is though. Ey, how long you figure he's gonna take ta get outta all that armor just to take a shite? Maybe he's got a hatch that opens up at his arse."Â
They both shared a loud, raucous peal of laughter that drowned out the distant and anguished shriek from the Burning Wall.
They were all hyur, two highlanders to one midlander. The highlanders resembled strongly, with dark brown skin, thick nosebridges and jet black eyes. The structure of their faces was statuesque in nature, framed by long, almost glossy shoulder-length hair. The differences between them were quite subtle -- one sported thicker eyebrows, while the other was a good two ilms taller. It was not at all difficult to tell that they were closely related. At first glance it appeared that they both wore the same colors of loose fitting garb, but in truth the dust and dirt had simply coated them in a simple tan -- down to the matching metallic cesti slung from their waists.Â
The midlander walked a few steps ahead, his silver and sigiled armor glittering almost offensively in the harsh sunlight. It seemed to bother him none. The occasional wind swept mischievously though the otherwise well-combed strands of thick golden blond atop his head -- that hair gleamed perhaps more obnoxiously than the armor. An ornate shield was strapped to his back, decorated with silver, gold and ivory. His sword was equally intricate in its craftsmanship -- as they should be, seeing that they were replicas of the relics of old. He stood quite apart from the dusty highlanders behind him, though the resembling pair didn't seem to care.
"There a reason why we up along in this shite-hole of a town, Ray?" The taller one asked loudly. They had just approached a blessed slice of shadow cast from one of the stone buildings. Ray the midlander glanced around at the baking premises with squinted silvery-blue eyes. "I just wanted to pass by and make sure everything was okay before heading to the Shroud, Rory."
"The Shroud?" The shorter highlander barked in a tone of protest, "Oi, Ray, how many times me and Rory gonna tell ye? We got that woodsin buggery them ponces always on about. We can't go through there."
Ray untied a silk coated waterskin from his belt and lifted it to take a carefully rationed drink of water before speaking again. "Well, Mack -- what I want is for that to stop being a problem. We'll go to someone in the Shroud who can help you get rid of it. That way we can adventure there and make more of a profit." Without concern for the pristine state of his water's vessel, he offered it across to the pair.
Rory and Mack laughed in loud unison and waved the offer away. "Keep that, Ray! I ain't drinkin' from summat that looks like pretty bloomers. I got me own." Mack was the one who spoke, but they both made the motions to get their own rather worn-looking leather skins. "Suit yourselves," Ray allowed gracefully. "All looks well here, at any rate, don't you think?"
"Yeah, looks quiet," Rory grunted after an excessive pull, "Could probably jus' take a breather an' march on."
"Good! It's settled then -- let me just find a privy, comb my hair and we'll move on."
Another scandalous pair of howls belted from the highlanders. "Come off it, Ray! Privy an' combin' yer hair? What next, powderin' yer nose? Next yer gonna be wearin' Felicia's dresses! Forget yer damn hair, go piss on a rock an' let's get on with it."
Ray patiently shook his head and offered what looked like an almost embarrassed smile, "I don't think what I have to do can be done on a rock." His words quieted them instantly, and it was a few moments before Rory murmured an awkward, "Oh. Well uh, well you fix up then, we'll wait out here."
Again Ray smiled and turned, before stopping. "Oh! Erm --" Hastily he dug into a travelling satchel on his hip. "Could you hold these for me? I always get nervous that I'll -- lose them. If they fall in or something silly like that. I trust you two." The objects in question appeared to be two brightly glowing -- though small -- crystals; one orange and one blue, yet both irregularly shaped. Perhaps he was being silly; he handed one to each.Â
"Yeah, sure, give it here, we'll keep it safe."
"Mhm, don't worry about it."
Ray beamed. "Thank you! I'll be back in blinking." Once more he trotted into the sun to find himself a privy, tossing light everywhere with that armor of his. The Highlanders leaned against the wall, inspecting the crystals they had been given; the glow had faded the moment they left Ray's hands. "Odd lil' things ain't they?" Mack remarked, "Don't know shite 'bout crystals though, so it's all odd to me."
Rory agreed with a snort. "Same here. Is what it is though. Ey, how long you figure he's gonna take ta get outta all that armor just to take a shite? Maybe he's got a hatch that opens up at his arse."Â
They both shared a loud, raucous peal of laughter that drowned out the distant and anguished shriek from the Burning Wall.
![[Image: tumblr_ojgu7zoaag1robwlio1_540.png]](https://68.media.tumblr.com/80be4033cdf57fb6268473ef9ce37db6/tumblr_ojgu7zoaag1robwlio1_540.png)
