she walks in beauty, like the night;; - jarvis! -

[Mimi]

The eyes are drawn to a particular section of the moving mass, one block of bodies from one end to the market's other, and at first, he might not know why precisely he was drawn to that particular spot. By the time he notices, she's long gone, taking with her the scent of jasmine and honey splashed into the stiff, staid strands of hair that break uncharacteristically into curls at the ends. He might - might - just catch a glimpse of her if he's a second quicker, but that's enough, and his mind is gone; after all, the cloth wrapped about her midriff and chest leave little left to the imagination. Silk and cotton meant to hide curves accentuate them; the hood drawn conservatively over the head meant to dissuade curiosity heightens it. He might then decide to follow her, dodging between vendor and shop and mother and babe just not to lose sight of the dark purple hem of her robe, and he might, in the process, notice her rigid posture and her quick, mincing steps drawing her farther and farther out of reach and further and further into the shifting, grey-brown-black background.

He might then develop an irresistible urge to touch her -- no, lay with her, and that's, that's perfectly natural. After all, she is a prostitute.

Colin pulled the shawl tighter about her shoulders and the hood further over her eyes as she moved through the masses, her body sashaying through the crowd and hips swinging to an unnamed tune as she went. She could feel the eyes on her, fleeting, but every few seconds her stomach tightened only to have her glance over and see a young man (or otherwise) giving her a silent onceover. It would have been discomforting had she not come to expect it and had her costume not been so provocative and generally inappropriate for outdoors wear. Well, at the very least there wasn't any question what she was.

Fingering the few coins in her satchel, Colin peered curiously from behind her cloak at the goods being hocked off -- jewelry and sweets and toys and confectioneries and books; she found herself envying the books most of all even though she wouldn't have been able to read a word. She nervously messaged the silver through the course cloth and chewed contemplatively on the side of her mouth before hesitantly turning her head askew. No, she wouldn't allow herself to fall into temptation; the guilt would be too great, and that aside, she had little use for anything beyond what the Mistress provided. It was why they were given so little allowances.

Colin, with renewed determination to maintain her abstinence of worldly (and expensive) goods, struggled past a few more stands without even so much as a glance in spite of the enticing incentives. ("Cheap fish! sparkling diamonds! fresh fruit!") With her head lowered, she didn't look much like the proud prostitute that some men had characterized her kind to be.

"Oi... oi! Girly!"

Colin's head snapped up. "Oh!" she gasped, but a smile quickly spread across her lips as they assumed the casual greeting. It nearly scandalized her that she'd almost past this one stand which had initially been her entire reason for making the journey out anyhow, but she hid the self-disappointment as she moved close.

"Nanna! How're you? I ne'rly missed you th'r. I'm ter'bly sorry."

Dipping her head humbly, Colin took another step out of the mainstream and towards the old, bent woman with her fingers spread against her lips and their enigmatic smile. Her bright eyes shined against the wrinkles radiating from the edges, and her frizzled grey hair was tied up in a neat bun, but she was thinner. Colin knew, and her eyes threatened to fall to the ground again, ashamed. An old woman and her little open shack couldn't compete with her young neighbors; she just couldn't, and Colin's eyes glanced over the meager sacks of apples and spices and bruised peaches, and she felt shamed for every having wanted to use her money for anything else.

The old woman squinted an eye at Colin before cracking a wider grin and slapping her thigh, greatly amused. Her cackling laughter as drowned out by the dull clang and clamor of her neighbors' wares as they flashed them about before prospective buyers.

"Wry, wry, wry, Ros'lin, you nev'r do learnt. Sorry dis and sorry dat. I your Nanna, ain't I? Per'aps not by birthing right and all them, but in ev'rythin else. So's, come set here. I wants to talk to you."

She gestured at a spot beside the shack farther from the crowd and continued in a nasally, high-pitched voice not devoid of the occasional murmured swear as she picked at a splinter in the finger.

"Naw, naw, girly. I been settin' here and thinkin', and I just wanted to make sure that none 'a them Silus boys been givin' ya trouble. They's rough, them Silus boys, and I fearin' that they rough'n you up. They ain't been doin' that, have they, girly?"

Colin smiled almost shyly at her concern, and her thoughts immediately touched upon the young, dark-haired man who'd come in the past two days bearing the Silian royal signature. He was a good-looking, young fellow but had taken the least expensive girls as was to be expected. He probably wasn't much higher than a knight-in-training, but Colin had found herself secretly wanting some more conversation with the youth other than the occasional greeting at the door when and if he saw her coming in. He didn't seem very interested, but then again, her asking price was set high.

Nanna, sensing something awry, looking sharply to Colin with the slightest hint of a frown weighing down on her thin, dark eyebrows. "What th'matter, girly? Cat gotten ya tongue?"

"Oh, no, no Nanna. I-I was just thinkin' that was all. I'm goin' to the castle in a few days; a Silian nobleman-like called for my services while he stayin' here."

The hinted frown emerged accompanied by several new wrinkles in Nanna's dark skin and around the mouth.

"But he's gonna be a good one, I know, and I'll 'ave some mor' coins; he's payin' well, Nanna, " Colin quickly added.

The frown remained, but Nanna nodded slowly, hearing and at the same time not hearing Colin's explanation. "You 'ere to buy some fruits 'n such, girly? Ya know I save'n the best 'uns for you."

Colin was glad for the subject change and eagerly nodded her head. She clutched the thin bag of silver coins in her hand and, upon seeing Nanna's bony hand reaching across the rickety table, became all the more convinced she wouldn't let Nanna give her any more discounts like she was wont to. No, Colin wouldn't let her this time, and she meant it this time.

"Yes, m'am," and she stepped back around the girth of the small stand towards the front again where she could get a better overall view of Nanna's collection even though there wasn't very much. A man brushed roughly against her arm, and Colin, out of habit, excused herself before returning her attention to the assortment of buy-able stuffs before her. She stole a glance at Nanna and sighed inwardly. She wanted to help; she really did, but then again, she was only a prostitute, and as her Mistress had put it, when was a prostitute good for anything but a lay?

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