EXTERIOR – Suastis– rge city on the south western side of Triangle Valley, stretching all the way to the southwestern border. Its proximity to the ocean makes it the closest thing Triangle Valley has to a port city. Most goods from those that brave the seas beyond the valley pass through here at some point. By far the rgest and most prosperous city in the region. It’s something like the unofficial capital of the south west side.
PRESENT – THE BOY, same as previous scene. THE GIRL – Casual brown shirt and shorts, maroon ballcap and sungsses. She doubled back and changed clothes.
TIME – A bit after noonish at this point.
“ooo.” The boy stared, wide-eyed- Well, moreso than usual, at all the bustling streets and taller buildings around him. They appeared to be built out of basically the same stuff as the other towns- cy/brick and stone mainly- but it was all so much grander here. The world towered over him. Again, moreso than usual. “aaah.”
Here in the heart of the city, just about every surface was pstered with some kind of signage or advertisement, the boy couldn’t turn his head more than a few centimeters without seeing something new and eye-catching. And that’s ignoring the clothes the folks wore. So much variance, endless styles and colored he’d never have been able to imagine before. There was so much of it, too, as the city was more densely poputed than any pce he'd seen before.
He felt so small and insignificant in comparison to it all, but in the most beautiful way. To be surrounded by such vibrant humanity was very good, indeed.
Even the people around him seemed so tall, so much grander than average. This was pure delusion. They’re pretty normal.
The city was bustling enough that the boy’s staring was hardly noticed by anyone. Much to the mild disappointment of the girl, who wanted something funny to happen.
“OKAY! Focus!” The girl suddenly shouted as she lead him through the city. “And stick close. If you get lost, I’ll beat the crap out of you.”
“okay. where are we heading again?”
“Magic pce.”
“what is that like?”
“Magical! Probably. You’ll see when we get there.”
“reasonable.”
. . .
“how long until we get there?”
“Not long! Don’t question me, I know where I’m going!”
The girl had little reason to be so confident, she’d only been to this city on a handful of occasions, and her trips were hardly exhaustive.
It took the better part of an hour before they’d actually begun going the right way, and another good 20 minutes of walking after that.
Not that the boy minded, of course. He was just happy to be here.
Eventually, though, their trip did come to an end, as they made their way to a purplish building in the midst of a consumer business area.
Approaching the local branch of Styyl (pronounced like “steel”) Mystic Menageries (of the Styyl Corporation.) This particur building was on the smaller side, no more than three stories tall, and was painted a mystical purple/bck/a little gold and pink. The design was meant to be reminiscent of a mystical tent, but it wasn’t.
“Alright! This should work! Yeah, it’s probably good enough!” The girl decreed as they approached.
“enough?’ did you intend to go somewhere else?” The boy asked.
“It’s good enough! It’s fine!” She unhelpfully asserted.
The first floor of the shop was just that, a shop. A decently sized store full of all manner of basic magical goods. Crystal balls, holy neckces, wands, staves, parchment, ink, etc. All of it was cheaper, and mass-produced. The boy and the girl headed for the stairs, as the second and third floors housed the “Magical Consulting” services they were after.
Each dimly lit floor housed a handful of stalls with semi-qualified mages with semi-working equipment ready to do all manner of basic magical services, for a small fee. Typically basic divination, or in their case, magic aptitude readings.
It was a mildly awkward time of day, and these services were never too popur to begin with, so the wait was almost non-existent. The girl still cut in line, though. Just because she could.
The girl and the boy quickly stepped into the dark, candlelit booth. An overproduced mystical tune pyed from some kind of speaker beneath the table, and a tall (but not particurly tall) hooded figure sat across from them, a deep purple/gold/pink cloak hiding their features.
The figure stared down, and hovered their hands just above the faintly glowing crystal ball in the center of the table. It’s quality was a little higher than the ones being sold downstairs.
“Ah. I’ve been expecting you. Please, both of you, take a seat.” His voice was somewhat mystical, but it was abundantly clear this was a scripted phrase.
“Aaah, what? We got a DUDE?” The girl groaned and rolled her eyes as she sat down. “Who wants to see a MALE fortune teller?”
“… I, uh…” The robed figure is obviously fbbergasted.
“where do we take it?” The boy lifted the wooden chair on their side of the table.
“wh-wha-?”
“Sit in it, moron!” The girl would not be amused by such a simplistic gag.
“okay.” The boy sat down.
It took several seconds before the robed man on the other side collected himself again, but eventually he got there.
“So… What is it you seek, young ones? Do you wish for a glimpse into what is yet to come? Perhaps… A romantic reading?”
The girl scoffed and looked down her nose at him. “A magic affinity test, ya creep.”
“I-I’m not a creep! That’s part of the script!” The man broke character, though he kept his eyes glued on the crystal ball in the center. Also, his voice cracked. “We’re supposed to say that whenever a young boy and a girl walk in together…”
“what if they’re siblings?” The boy tilted his head. Someone had once told the boy about incest, while he was out running errands. It was an odd conversation with an odd fellow.
“That…” The guy sighed. “Yeah, that comes up pretty often. U-Usually I'm able to tell and not say it, but sometimes... I really wish they’d change it already...”
“oh. cool.” The previously mentioned fellow told him that incest was cool. Again, odd one.
