Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cecily loved Oldcastle. It was quieter than Palisade, and much more soothing, even on days like today when everyone was out and doing shopping. Her guardian in Oldcastle, the old maid Margaret, had stayed in their quiet cottage and barely noticed when her charge swept out the door. Cecily supposed that made her an inadequate guardian, but it suited her purposes just as well.

Cecily loved market day as much as she loved Oldcastle - all the people, the excited children running around! And travelers came by as well, she'd spotted a wagon trundling into town in the early hour, and certainly more that she had missed. The small girl was making her way through the bustling streets, stopping at each stall with a shy smile. Her basket, held in the crook of her arm, was full, but not with wares; Cecily had picked a large abundance of flowers before leaving her cottage, specially for today. Her smile was even shyer as she handed a pink tulip to the old woman behind the stall counter, blushing at her thanks and moving out of the way.

Still pink, Cecily paused at the next stall, her eyes wandering over the wares with awe. Glass and metal; an odd combination spread across his table, to be sure, but even the metal looked as delicate as the spun glass as Cecily lightly picked up a fragile-looking metal flower. She set her basket on the ground at her feet, tucking it partially under the stall's table cloth, worried that she would accidentally knock over one of the pieces.

Cecily put the flower back on the table with reluctance, just in time as someone pushed past her a bit too hard. A soft short cry escaped her and she stumbled against the stall, thankfully knocking nothing over and attracting no attention. Her foot did manage to hit her own basket, however, and she quickly bent down to pick up the few flowers that had fallen out of the wicker. Her hand touched something decidedly not plantlike and brought it to her lap. Oh, it was gorgeous! A fingertip traced the wooden petals of the rose and a delighted grin spread across her face.

Peering up onto the stall table from her crouched position, Cecily reached to put the flower back on the cloth and paused. There was nothing wooden amongst the wares. Her eyes drifted back to where she had picked up the beautiful flower and she followed a pair of shoes up to shocking red hair. Cecily quickly stood, tapping her heel against her basket to make sure it was where she left it and brushing a hand down her skirt.

"Excuse me, but is this yours?" She held the rose out to the boy.

This was Trinian's first time in Oldcastle and he couldn't tell whether he loved it or hated it here. The air seemed different somehow. It put Trini unconsciously at ease and that unnerved him. He had no reason to be comfortable in this unfamiliar place. He shouldn't be here at all as far as he was concerned. He should be back in Palisade where he belonged.

Be he was here on a mission.

He gently placed the vial into his shoulder bag. This particular hawk medicine could only be found here, in this shop. The animal apothecary here was the best Trinian had ever met and they had just run out of this much needed medicine in the mews.

Trinian shook hands with the man, thanking him graciously, and pushed an extra shilling into his palm before exiting the little shop. Out on the street, Trinian was greeted to the many sights and sounds of market day. He stopped for a second, to appreciate the hustle and bustle of the day. Activity meant prosperity. It also meant dealing with crowds of people.

Trini squared his shoulders, pointed out his elbows, and pushed his way into the mass of people. He was doing rather well too, following the flow of bodies, until he ran into a rather large fellow. Put off balance, Trinian stepped back. And heard a snap as he stepped on something.