It was still Aya's first week in Ul'dah, and never had this Ala Mhigan refugee raised among the dregs of Ishgard, felt quite so out-of-place. From the burning sun, to the strange local customs, and even the stranger local smells, she had to continually remind herself that she was still in Eorzea.
Wandering around town to sight-see and learning her way around town seemed to be a great use of a free morning. On her list of objectives was to see the Hustings Strip, off-limits to a poor foreigner such as herself, but worth seeing despite the risks!Â
The expectation in her expression was almost palpable as she stepped slowly along the richly carpeted stairs, trying but failing to hide her face while watching the sight of the chamber unfold before her eyes. The full affect of the massive domed room was astounding: it seemed that the rumors of Ul'dah's vast wealth were, if anything, understated. She stood as if struck, marveling at the decorations of the room, hanging tapestries, gold fittings, perfect carved stones, the uniforms, armor, and weapons of the guards who seemed like characters pulled right from the pages of a story book, and a Lalafel running...wait what?
She sucked in a sudden breath, her eyes opened to a full wideness as her lips hung slightly open in awe; she was lost in the moment and entirely unaware of the wary eyes of sentries that turned her way. Her mind wandered over the difference between this hall, and the forest city of Gridania that had been her home for most of the past year: with its bare wooden structures, recently re-constructed homes, and shabby-looking guards who mostly provided their own mis-matched equipment. For a moment she was reminded of Ishgard, only with less oppressive overtones.
A sudden cough startled her to attention, and with a shake of the head she looked at the sentry with the expression of a deer suddenly caught in the open. She froze in place before dawning a bashful smile and turning to return down the stairs she had come. Still, as she started to step away she turned to look back over her shoulder watching the little Lalafel run passed again. He was breathing like a man ready to expire, the tunic beneath his armor drenched with sweat, what could possibly have possessed him to run like that?
She tilted her head a bit, and looked back once more as she walked away.
As she explored the city a while longer, the strange sight in the Hustings continued to beguile her. After wandering her way through the winding local markets she decided to peek into the landing one more time, and once again, a little less entranced by the majesty of the space, she spied the little Lalafel running desperate laps bearing a tortured grin. Resigned, she shrugged her shoulders and let out a soft sigh, "certainly he couldn't be doing that by choice?" she thought, and turned to make her way back to Momodi's.
Aya dressed for her barmaid shift, still thinking about the Lalafel she decided that she had to do something for him. Still rather unaccustomed to the fashion of Ul'dah, she wore the corset, thigh-boots, and other accessories expected of a barmaid in Northen Eorzea. Once readied for work she made her way to the back room of the kitchen, and filled one of her own water skins full of fresh water, surreptitiously plucking an ice shard to chill the liquid, and after pausing in thought, another. Chilled water was not cheap in the land of the desert flame and scorching sun, but she thought it a risk worth taking...
A few moments later, while she should have been starting her shift at Momodi's, she arrived once more at the Hustings: standing near the circle that loops around the Chamber of Rule. This time the sentries were even more suspicious, as they watched the strangely dressed woman standing there holding the filled skin close to her body. She ignored their gazes and watched the Lalafel running his next lap, ready to offer him the cold water.
Wandering around town to sight-see and learning her way around town seemed to be a great use of a free morning. On her list of objectives was to see the Hustings Strip, off-limits to a poor foreigner such as herself, but worth seeing despite the risks!Â
The expectation in her expression was almost palpable as she stepped slowly along the richly carpeted stairs, trying but failing to hide her face while watching the sight of the chamber unfold before her eyes. The full affect of the massive domed room was astounding: it seemed that the rumors of Ul'dah's vast wealth were, if anything, understated. She stood as if struck, marveling at the decorations of the room, hanging tapestries, gold fittings, perfect carved stones, the uniforms, armor, and weapons of the guards who seemed like characters pulled right from the pages of a story book, and a Lalafel running...wait what?
She sucked in a sudden breath, her eyes opened to a full wideness as her lips hung slightly open in awe; she was lost in the moment and entirely unaware of the wary eyes of sentries that turned her way. Her mind wandered over the difference between this hall, and the forest city of Gridania that had been her home for most of the past year: with its bare wooden structures, recently re-constructed homes, and shabby-looking guards who mostly provided their own mis-matched equipment. For a moment she was reminded of Ishgard, only with less oppressive overtones.
A sudden cough startled her to attention, and with a shake of the head she looked at the sentry with the expression of a deer suddenly caught in the open. She froze in place before dawning a bashful smile and turning to return down the stairs she had come. Still, as she started to step away she turned to look back over her shoulder watching the little Lalafel run passed again. He was breathing like a man ready to expire, the tunic beneath his armor drenched with sweat, what could possibly have possessed him to run like that?
She tilted her head a bit, and looked back once more as she walked away.
As she explored the city a while longer, the strange sight in the Hustings continued to beguile her. After wandering her way through the winding local markets she decided to peek into the landing one more time, and once again, a little less entranced by the majesty of the space, she spied the little Lalafel running desperate laps bearing a tortured grin. Resigned, she shrugged her shoulders and let out a soft sigh, "certainly he couldn't be doing that by choice?" she thought, and turned to make her way back to Momodi's.
Aya dressed for her barmaid shift, still thinking about the Lalafel she decided that she had to do something for him. Still rather unaccustomed to the fashion of Ul'dah, she wore the corset, thigh-boots, and other accessories expected of a barmaid in Northen Eorzea. Once readied for work she made her way to the back room of the kitchen, and filled one of her own water skins full of fresh water, surreptitiously plucking an ice shard to chill the liquid, and after pausing in thought, another. Chilled water was not cheap in the land of the desert flame and scorching sun, but she thought it a risk worth taking...
A few moments later, while she should have been starting her shift at Momodi's, she arrived once more at the Hustings: standing near the circle that loops around the Chamber of Rule. This time the sentries were even more suspicious, as they watched the strangely dressed woman standing there holding the filled skin close to her body. She ignored their gazes and watched the Lalafel running his next lap, ready to offer him the cold water.
![[Image: 21282370099_a814a08664_o.png]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/590/21282370099_a814a08664_o.png)
