Strangers? [Alli, and anyone else]

[Damien]

Damien strolled throughout the marketplace, searching for someone he was supposed to meet. It had been almost a year since he had seen her, and they had some catching up to do. His brown eyes swept over the crowds in front of him, trying to spot a girl with long, curly blond hair. He had been told by letter of her arrival in Corus, and she would not be able to stay long, as her parents wanted her back home in about a week. He smiled at the thought, as it reminded him of how young his cousin still was.

They had been inseparable when they were together, and their parents almost had to pry them apart when the two families would go their separate ways. Now that a year had passed, and his life had changed dramatically with his new allegiance to the Rogue, Damien wondered what his cousin would think of him. She most likely wouldn't care, but one could never tell what a farm-girl was thinking; especially one that was almost a young woman.

He smiled at the thought and continued his search of the crowds. She should be here, he thought to himself. His eyes became serious at the thought that something could have happened to her, and he would not be seeing her today. He shook his head. Alli was a strong girl, she wouldn't let anything happen to herself, let alone not meet her cousin in the marketplace for a 'reunion' of sorts...

[Alli]

Alli Sortre walked through the marketplace, her sage green eyes scanning the crowds and vendor's stalls for someone...a person she had not seen for about a year. Occasionally, she would see someone that looked like him, but after a half-hour of searching, she was about ready to give up. Her cousin, Damien, was nowhere to be found in this Gods-forsaken market. With a sigh, she decided to wander a bit and look at what some of the jewelry vendors had to offer. Although she didn't have the money to buy anything that caught her eye, she still enjoyed shopping around.

It was getting to be later in the afternoon when Alli became fed-up with her cousin's absence. She exited the current shop she was in, a seamstress's shop, and stood in the middle of the street. She was dressed for traveling in breeches, shirt, boots, and a light blue tunic. He long blond curls were tied up and away from her face with a few wisps hanging to the sides of her face. The look on her face now was one of frustration. Where was her cousin?

He's probably off gallivanting with his friends, she thought. He told me to meet him here long ago, he should be here!

Alli turned and looked to the crowds behind her, trying to see if any of the young men matched the description of Damien. It was a few moments before she finally spotted him among a crowd of people bustling about in the street.

"Damien!" she shouted, ignoring the strange looks she acquired for the passerby.

[Damien]

Damien's usually cheerful disposition had turned sour when his cousin couldn't be found. He walked along the streets, his brown eyes dull and his normal smile nonexistent. He had been wandering the streets for over a half-hour now, and he was beginning to think that Alli was not in the city, and that something had come up to make her unable to meet him. His frown deepened at the thought; if something happened to her...Gods, he didn't know what he'd do.

Just as he was about to turn and leave the market, a shrill cry made him turn around. "Damien!" The voice was a young woman's, one that he remembered well. He frantically searched the crowd for Alli, and then he saw her standing in the middle of the road, looking just about as frustrated as he felt.

His face brightened up instantly. He weaved through a crowd in front of him and strode up to his cousin. His arms were open as he reached her, and he threw them around her in a large hug. "I thought you weren't going to be here," he said as he let her go.

[Alli]

Alli watched with a wry smile as her cousin spotted her through the tangled mass of the crowd. He strode over to her and gave her a welcoming hug. She almost couldn't breath, but he let go just before she felt her lungs would scream. She looked at Damien through sparkling sage-green eyes as he said, "I thought you weren't going to be here." Alli laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"You thought I wasn't goin' to be here?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "You were the one who didn't show for an hour, at least!"

She raised an eyebrow at her cousin, resisting the urge to break out laughing. A light wind came up, blowing her blond curls into her face. With a sigh, she swept them out of the way with an annoyed expression. "Anyway . . . " She looked him over. Something was different about Damien. He carried himself differently, and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that was stronger than it ever was when they were growing up. Her mother had told her that he wanted to become a Rogue, but Alli kept telling herself that her cousin stoop down to such a level.

"What have you been up to?" She led him to the side of the street, where they wouldn't block the way of people trying to move through the market. "Causin' trouble, no doubt. And in the capital city, no less! What would my mother think?" Her eyes widened. "What would your mother think?"

[Lirael]

Una slipped through the stalls of the market place, it was not her usual
haunt and it was getting darker. Why am I here?. A merchant called out the prices of his silks and startled una so much she slipped on an un-even cobblestone which send her sprawling onto the wall next to a brightly coloured pot stall. Cursing, she lifted herself up. Stupid girl! You know the market like the bck of your hand, you manage to look like a fool in your own home! Her brain scolded her. She was a rogue now, she had to pull herself together.

Pushing herself back into the crowd, she tried to spot a friend. Useless little urchins, they are never here when I need them! said her mind, although she didn't meen it, she liked her friends. She walked over to one of the dwellings at the sides of the square, it had a large overhang that leaned artistically into the street. Una felt like climbing, she could sit on the roof and watch passers by- that would be far better than walking around in the market at this busy time.
She walked into one of the alleys, there were convenient cracked places in part of the rock of one of the houses, worn down by rain or greedy plant roots. She slid part of her worn boot into the crack, and grabbed at another, pulling herself up. The second step was a little more difficult, she slid a little from her hold and nearly fell, but rectified herself at the last moment and pullted herslf up again. Finally she was on the roof, from here she could see the whole market full of people. She spotted a few tourists, pointing at attractions, or old buildings.

[Sapphire]

Sapphire wandered through the marketplace looking for something to do. She saw many of her friends and stopped to say hi to most of them. She stopped at a silk merchants and looked at the brightly coloured silks. They were the makings of a rainbow, all ruby reds, brilliant blues, bright greens, deep purples. She picked out a red scarf and some orange, blue, purple and green silks. She paid and went back to the streets.

She saw Damien talking animatedly to a girl she didn't know. Sapphire continued to wander, not wanting to disturb Damien.

[Damien]

"You thought I wasn't goin' to be here?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "You were the one who didn't show for an hour, at least!"

Damien crossed his arms and gave his cousin a look of superior authority. He was, after all, almost five years her senior, and young people should respect their elders. But he could only keep a straight face for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. To see Alli trying to scold someone was an interesting sight . . . even if he had seen her chide her older brothers for teasing her. She was a girl who could take care of herself, but Damien still looked after her.

"Come now, I've been here for about an hour looking for you!"

A smug grin crossed his face as she led him to the side of the street where they would not interrupt the flow of foot traffic in the market. "What have you been up to? Causin' trouble, no doubt. And in the capital city, no less! What would my mother think? What would your mother think?"

Damien grinned and thought for a moment. He knew that her mother had probably told her that he was an aspiring Rogue, but he wasn't sure if Alli were to believe it. Finally, he shrugged and ran his hand through his brown hair. "My mother tried to stop me, but I'm a big lad now, and I can choose my own life."

[Alli]

Alli raised her eyebrow at Damien when he crossed his arms in front of his chest. She, in turn, crossed her own arms, and waited for the moment of seriousness to be over. Things between the two of them were never very solemn. In fact, when they were younger, they were often mischievously playing pranks and laughing nonstop. There was seldom something serious between them.

"Come now, I've been here for about an hour looking for you!"

A grin of satisfaction crossed her face when he started laughing. He never ceased to fail her predictions, no matter how silly or unimportant they were. Alli saw her cousin grin, and then he pulled her to the side of the road where they wouldn't be in anyone's way. She had heard that he had joined Corus' infamous Rogue, and she was determined to find out more about it. About to flood him with questions, something in her mind stopped her from blurting them out.

"My mother tried to stop me, but I'm a big lad now, and I can choose my own life."

She nodded, an air of sarcasm seemed to emanate from her very body. "Of course! You're such a big lad that you can go off and choose a life that has little meaning to rest of the world today."