Welcome to Gaia! ::

Iro pranced through the streets of Jatine, eager to make her way to the market. This one had always been close to her home, set up near the ports to capture the crowds of sailors coming in every week. It had been smaller in her youth, but the arrival of merchants from outside of Oba had caused the entire market to thrive, growing so quickly that the young prentice could barely recognize it at times. But that was part of the fun. The everchanging nature of the market meant that nothing ever grew stale, even if the faces became more familiar over time.

The lanes of the market were loud, full of chatter that rose above the hustle and bustle as vendors laid out their carts and called for customers to view their wares. Every so often, someone important would wander through here as well, and it was always worth it to keep two eyes peeled for any nobles who had decided to visit the port. Iro always kept a watchful eye out, in part for thieves and urchins, in part for any local celebrities that were nearby.

Laughing as she traded a couple of small, salted fish for a handful of candy, Iro popped some sweets into her mouth and continued down the lane. "Hello!" she said affably with a wide grin on her face as she sauntered up the next vendor. "Lovely to see you! It's a beautiful day out. What have you got today?"

1/7

Ahh, the noise! The bustle. She'd never grow tired of any of it. Market days, she'd long since decided, were the best days. They reminded her that there was a life outside of fishing, that there was more to look forward to, even within their home city.

Iro had just finished laughing and exchanging pleasantries with a spice merchant when she caught sight of a caravan pulling up at the end of the market. The people inside leaped out and immediately set to work placing wares on the table and putting up their stall. She eyed the wares curiously, seeing just about everything come out of the caravan with a speed that could do nothing but impress. It seemed they had just about any kind of trinket one might think of buying at a market.

She decided it was a worth a look, and ambled toward the new stall, weaving her way among other market-goers who seemed much more keen to get where they were going. Iro felt like she had all the time in the world. No need to move too fast, the market would still be here in a few hours and there would still be things to buy.

As she approached the new stall, she noticed a girl about her age piling objects onto the stand, setting them out to entice buyers. "Hey there!" she said to the girl, whose hair was adorned with gold. They must do rather well for themselves, this caravan, Iro thought. "You got anything special today? Looks like a good spread of stuff you've got here."