Blue Raspberry strolled through the bustling market district, fascinated by all of the different objects displayed in stalls and hanging in shop windows. They had no idea what most of these objects were, but they were fascinating none the less. As they walked, most people moved out of the way of the person in an imposing suit of armor, afraid they must be some noble or adventurer that they hadn't heard of yet. They didn't want to be in the way of such an intimidating figure.

My, what polite people! thought Blue Raspberry as a mother puller her child out of his way. As they strolled along, someone in one of the stalls called out to them. "Why, what would such a strong-looking knight like yourself be doing without a weapon? Come, take a look at my wares! I'll give you a great deal!" the man called out from behind a counter that was covered in all manner of fine-looking weapons. They wore a leather apron over their clothing. From their physique, it was clear they worked as blacksmith. They were well-built with a few burn scars on their muscled arms. They gave a smile as they motioned for Blue to come over.

They were intrigued, so they walked over. They stumbled for a moment, catching themself heavily with a hand on the blacksmith's counter. The blacksmith was surprised for a moment, but wrote it off as the armored man trying to act a bit intimidating to get a good deal on whatever weapon they might purchase. He just gave a smile. "You see anything you like? I've got swords, maces, polearms. What's your weapon of choice, my friend?" they said, motioning to each weapon as they spoke. The polearms hung on the wall behind them while maces and swords of various length and size sat on the counter.

Blue Raspberry straightened themself out and looked at each of the weapons as they were pointed out. "What great wares! Is this a sword? It's very small!" They said, picking up a dagger off the counter. "Uh, no that's just a dagger. Were you looking to buy a dagger?" the blacksmith said, slightly confused. They thought someone in full armor would be more interested in a heavier weapon, but if they preferred a dagger, he wouldn't complain.

"Very good!" Blue Raspberry said as they put the dagger back on the counter before turning and walking away. The blacksmith stared after them as the left, utterly baffled by the short exchange.

Sarne saw the strange clumsy knight walk out of the blacksmith. Now Sarne could feel the knight from across the street Sarnes hair was standing up on his arms. most people gave the knight a strange look as the knight walked. But was it the strange smell of berries from the knight or it's helm visor being down looking Sarne could not see any eyes. Sarne could not figure out what was different about the Knight.

Sarne fallowed for a short time then approached the Knight "Knight, are you ok?" asked Sarne. The man you see has soft features like an elf with a husky build. He is strong and has swift movements. You can tell he is a nobleman in the way he presents himself, his armor, and his clothing. His perspiring green eyes shine in the light. He stands almost 6 feet. His dirty blond hair is neat and well-kept. His skin is slightly tan shows the time he spent in the wilderness. His armor has a crest that could be seen on his front and his cloak, A large tree with two wolf heads on each side pointing at the tree with three stars above it. With a black sword in the background pointing down with a holy rune over it.

Blue turned to the man who had approached them, their head turning to look at them slightly faster than their body.

"I am very good sir!" they said as they clapped the man on the shoulder a few times. Their fingers and elbow bent back oddly as they hit the man in what they thought was a mimicry of a friendly greeting they had seen before. Each time their gauntlet made contact with the man's shoulder, a small spark of electricity shocked the man. 

"Knight!" they said as they gave a salute and turned around to continue walking through the market. "Later, crocodile!" they called back to the man as they walked along awkwardly. They wanted to meet new people, but this man already seemed suspicious of them. They should get away from him.

They tried to walk a bit faster than usual, but they still weren't completely used to walking even at a normal pace. They stumbled and fell, catching themself in a kneeling position. They looked up in front of them to see a man sitting on a crate next to a market stall, staring back at them with a sandwich in their hand. Blue gave them a thumbs up before using the crate to help them stand up again and continuing on.

"Have a good sand witch!" they said as they walked past the man.

Not accustomed to the bustling city, Vaera did the best she can to remain inconspicuous, moving the hood of her cloak up to better conceal herself, as she walked through the streets. Every stride seemed like an elegant dance, moving to avoid the flurry of people going about their business. As she moved her way through the crowd, she felt the herd like movement circumnavigating an obstacle, like water around a rock. Looking up, she sees an imposing armored figure making their way through the crowd, opposite to her own direction of travel. "Curious..." she says to herself, curious as to what manner of being this person was, she changed direction to follow them. 

She observed, from a respectable distance, as this person was beckoned over to the blacksmith's market stall, catching the moment they stumble and chuckling to herself. Continuing to observe the person's exchange with the vendor, She thought, "Given their physical disposition, surely they are there to purchase a weapon with some heft, perhaps a mace...", in the next moment, much to her disbelief, they pick up a dagger. She stares awestruck, uncertain if any other person with their stature would ever consider such a small weapon. But as quickly as the exchange started, it was over. She tried to quickly follow after them but the dense crowd made it difficult.

She loses sight of this armored person. She quickens her pace, dodging and weaving around the crowd, looking for any indication of them but with such a dense crowd and un-advantageous height, it was difficult to see what was ahead. Before she knew it, her face suddenly met metal plating. In her haste she had managed to break through the crowd, into this being's exclusion zone, and walked right into them. It would seem as if being inconspicuous was no longer on the table.

The Knight turned to face Sarne and listen to the Knight's answer. The Knight's fingers and elbow bent back oddly as they touched Sarne. He thought it was a mimicry of a friendly greeting Sarne had seen before. Each time the Knight's gauntlet made touched Sarne's shoulder, a small static charge shocked Sarne.

The Knight tried to hurry away. Sarne knew something was off. First He Just answered the Knight and did not use any proper etiquette. The Knight must not recognize Sarne's markings Sarne had trained years as a Ranger a hunter of evil. Not that the knight was evil just Sarne was good at tracking people or most things.

Sarne moved threw the crowd swiftly just keeping the Knight in sight. Sarne lost the Knight for a second. Sarne spotted the Knight near a food cart. Sarne was almost to The Knight when a gray cloak passed by quickly. and ran into the Knight. the girl looked like she had a slender build. Her pallor complexion and long white hair stuck out some. Sarne could see her light crimson eyes under her hood. She dressed like a common drifter, in a grey tunic, black pants, and a hooded grey cloak.

Sarne stepped to one side blocking any quick escape by the Knight. Sarne paused for a moment. watching the girl then spoke "young Lady are you good? Knight, are you with her?" asked Sarne in a pleasant tone.

Blue was surprised when a small girl suddenly walked right into their rear. They turned around to look down at the young girl, a bit confused and unsure what to do. They hadn't seen this happen before. They were unprepared for this situation. What was the proper response? They should just leave!

But, then, the man who had spoken to him before that seemed to be suspicious of them already moved into the way, blocking their quickest means of escape, and asked more questions. This is totally not good! they thought, panicking slightly. They had barely spent any time above ground at all and they were about to be exposed! They had to think of something quickly. The longer they waited to say anything, the more suspicious they became. They decided to just repeat what the man had said.

"Young lady are you good? Knight, are you with her?" they said, looking toward the girl and then the man. They really hoped this worked.

---

As this exchange happened, a woman stared with wide eyes at the armored figure. They moved to stay out of the view of the man, hiding behind some barrels. This couldn't be right, she had just murdered him in the sewers hours ago! They had to have been dead! Was that lightning bolt not enough to kill him? And why is he acting so strange? Who are these people he's with? Was he looking for her? Did he seek revenge?

Damnit, I knew I should have checked him to see if he was really dead. But that weird sloshing noise made me leave before I had a chance. Ugh! And it was probably nothing! This is terrible. I have to follow him and make sure he's not heading off to tell someone what happened she thought to herself, her face filled with anger.

Damnit, how could this be happening?

Vaera rubbed her face, as if trying to magically sooth the affected area by touch alone. Quickly realizing the situation she was in, she straightened up, tugging her shirt down to straighten it out , and moved the loose strands of hair to behind her ears. "I'm sorry, I was trying to make my way through this crowd" she gestures around her "and my haste seems to have gotten the better of me."

She pulls the hood of her cloak back over her head and positions herself such that she can speak to the two people more comfortably. "Yes...yes, I am quite alright, nothing harmed aside from a little pride. And no I am...travelling... Alone..." A look of confuse crosses her face, realizing that these two people said the exact same thing. "Forgive me, perhaps the blow to my head is making me hear things,  but did you two just say the exact same thing?" Pointing her index finger back and forth between the two. She was genuinely unsure if that was the case, or perhaps it was simply a trick of her ears, she figured it would be quicker to ask than wonder.

Sarne looked at the Knight "I can tell you are not from here. But that's good. Why did you repeat what I said I am not here to hurt you in any way" says Sarne with a friendly smile. "I am here to help pepole in here travils Thats you could say my job. I am Young Lord Sarne Sequoia, Vanguard of Solaria, Lord of Grey Stone Keep." Sarne said with a slight bow looking at the two of them "and your names?" asked Sarne.

Blue Raspberry mimicked the slight bow back to Sarne.

"Did I repeat you? Excuse me! My name is Blue Raspberry. It is nice to meet you Young Lord Sarne Sequoia, Vanguard of Solaria, Lord of Grey Stone Keep!" they said before turning to the girl and bowing slightly to her as well. From what they had seen before, the best way to cover up a mistake was to simply pretend it never happened. And this slight bend forward seemed to be the proper way of greeting someone new. At least they were learning a lot from this situation.

They wondered if they repeat Sarne again and ask the girl for her name, but that might be too suspicious. They had already been called out for repeating him once. And it seemed he had been speaking to both of them when he asked for their names. It would be best to just wait for them to respond on their own.

They were now trapped not only physically, but also by societal convention. They had never seen someone leave as someone was talking to them without the other person becoming angry or annoyed. They had to stay until this conversation was over, or these two might be angry at them.

Although unfamiliar with all the intricacies of social protocol when in the presence of nobility, Vaera, at the very least, knows that one should at least bow or curtsy; something she has never had to do on her travels but has seen many a time. Yet this did not help to build her confidence in what was to come. She attempts what can barely be called a curtsy, looking more akin to an awkward, lopsided squat. "You may call me...", She considers whether to give her name out to the strangers, ultimately deciding to err on the side of caution and give them a moniker, "V. It is a pleasure to meet you both, although under rather unusual circumstances." She smiles.

"At the risk of being too forward, could I trouble you gentlemen in showing me around the market? You see, I'm not from around here, and as you clearly see, this crowd has been giving me quite a difficult time in navigating around. You presence would give me some reassurance in my safety." She looks at both of them, displaying a slight look of worry on her face in attempt to increase her chance of them accepting her request. Not only would she be able to observe Knight Blue Raspberry, but has the added bonus of seeing what manner of man this lord Sarne Sequoia is. It would seem her day keeps getting better.

Sarne slightly bowed "It would be a pleasure to show both of you around. There is a lot to see and eat we have stuff from all corners of the kingdom. You can see the mix of cultures that we have in Sol City. We can even have dinner at my keep if you would like it's not too far. Let's just say we have a lot of visitors as the Gray Citadel The keep is in side" Explied Sarne in a polite tone. "It is our job to take care of travelers." Sarne finished with a charming smile.

Blue didn't expect this at all. Now they were both saying they wanted to stay together with them? Were they that suspicious that these people couldn't let them leave their sight? Or were they doing all the right things and now these people were trying to be friends? Walking together and visiting each other's homes was something friends did right? That must be it. They were just such a good actor that these people trusted them and want to be friends! Everything is going much better than expected. What a relief!

"That sounds nice!" They said as they patted V on the head, causing her hair to start sticking up from the static. "I am a traveler and will reassure your safety, V. The people here are very polite. They move out of the way for me."

They began walking along with Sarne and V, following Sarne.

A perfect opportunity, she thought, to judge at least one noble family of this land. For she would at least afford some of them the chance to prove their merit that would spare them from her inevitable wrath. "That sounds lovely! I would be remiss if I did not accept such a gracious offer." She smiled brightly, genuinely entertained with the notion of dining with a potential adversary, unbeknownst to them. "I shall follow your lead".

Unexpectedly, Vaera felt what seemed to be a hand upon her head, though something was off. She did not feel the same kind of weight and rigidity of a hand made of bone and flesh, rather it felt more viscous like a gel, conforming to the structure of her head as oppose to resting against it. Coupled with the unusual static build-up, especially since there were no obvious external factors to suggest any of them had built-up a charge, she concluded that it must've come from some sort of internal force. Though, she did not use Sky Domain magic, which only left... the knight!. At this cognizance, Vaera quickly turned to face the owner of the hand, eyes wide and fixed upon the face covering of Blue Raspberry's helmet "You...". She stared for a moment, lost in the tangent of her own thoughts, wondering what exactly this person...this being was before catching herself. She continued "Ahem, you must not presume to touch people you've only just met so informally. I would ask you refrain from doing so to my person." She began straightening the statically raised hairs down to their rightful place.

Sarne shook his head some and smiled "V is right. I know proper etiquette can be confusing in a new land. But sometimes you just have to read the people in front of you. Sometimes even ask before you touch someone." said Sarne in a polite tone to blueberry.

Sarne turned "I will take you to one of the main squares in this part of town there is always something to see in that area." says Sarne but just stay away from back alleys not too safe to travel that way stay on the main streets it safest way to get around" suggest Sarne.

The group travels down a few streets a lot of people moving about doing their daily shopping or trading. There are a lot of different races and places from all over the kingdom in all shapes and sizes.

The group enters a large main square the place had all kinds of things going on. There are bards playing music people dancing drinking and food carts and others selling things like jewelry. This place was alive with all kinds of festivity. Sarne turned to the other too. "welcome to Sol city anything you want to try or See?" asked Sarne. motioning to the main square with his hand.

"Oh. I am apologizing." Blue said to V after they explained his mistake. At least they were nice about it instead of being angry. I'll have to be careful who I touch from now on. I wouldn't want to make that mistake again. They though to themself as the three walked into the square.

They looked around at all of the bustling activity in the square. There really was so much to see. Was there something special happening right now or was it always this lively? They didn't remember seeing this much activity before, but maybe they had just been watching the wrong parts of town. They glanced around for any sewer grates in the square, but didn't see any. Maybe this area didn't have any, or maybe they were blocked by the carts and stalls around the edges of the square? That man behind that food stall was kind of familiar.

"What a lovely day." they said as they walked toward the familiar man.

"Fresh skewers! The best grilled chicken and onion skewers in the city! You want some?" the man said, holding up a skewer in each hand with cubes of chicken and wedges of onion on them.

"Yes, good sir." Blue said as they pulled out some coins from a pouch. They had learned that they need to give these to people for things, but they still weren't completely sure why or how much, so they just gave the man whatever they managed to grab in a loose handful.

"Alright, that's a lot of skewers, but okay! Just give me a few minutes to get more on the grill." the man said, surprised by the amount of money they were being handed. They must be buying some for their friends over there, too. That's nice of them. The man thought as they loaded more skewers onto the grill in front of them.