[OPEN] as the sun rose

It was a cold day, but the Denerim market was bustling. Shoppers wound their way between shops and stalls, intent on the wares laid before them and altogether unaware of the many pickpockets and cutpurses robbing them blind. A chill wind swept through the market, icy and biting, and more than one shopper pulled their coats and scarves more closely around themselves. It was not a day to linger, to haggle over prices; it was a day to make your purchase and make your way home as quickly as possible.

Isadora Cormier was one such shopper, intent on her mission to purchase a new cloak. Her old one was worn and threadbare, but she hadn't been in a market the size of Denerim's in quite some time, preferring to wander the wilds on her own. It was easier to be alone than it was to make up polite pleasantries, and nothing reminded her of her preference for solitude quite like a busy marketplace. Already she had been forced to fend off three pickpockets and four desperate shopkeepers intent on making a sale. She was in a foul mood, and she still had yet to find what she'd come for.

How Thedas could be in the midst of winter and yet so few shopkeepers have a simple cloak for sale was beyond Sadie, but then she had never had an eye for fashion. Most of the pieces she had seen today were too grand and flashy for her preference. It would be one thing if they were simply of fine make, but no - these monstrosities were layered with exotic furs or gaudy jewelry. It seemed too much to ask for a simple black cloak, perhaps with a fur-lined hood, that she could wear over any outfit of her choosing.

She'd just about given up, resigned to making do with her old, ratty cloak and ready to retreat happily from the city once more, when she saw it - 'it' being a simple cloak of fine make hanging in a shopkeeper's window. Sadie hurried into the shop, paid the shopkeeper with a minimum amount of chatter, and wrapped her new cloak around herself happily. It may have been more expensive than she'd planned for, but the warmth was sure to be worth it. Now if only she could convince herself to go back outside and brave the cold.

Despite the bitter cold, Jaqueline was in a decent mood - after all, it wasn't often that she could slip away from home without having to invent and orchestrate an excuse.  Besides, she was hopeful she'd have time to visit an old friend while she was in the city.  

She stood in the back of a shop, carefully counting the items in the delivery she had been escorting.  She'd counted everything once already, but she was nothing if not diligent.  Hey, if this crap was important enough to warrant her escort, she wasn't going to drop the ball on something as easy as proper accounting.  Finally finished, she marked the count in her ledger and handed it to the shopkeeper to verify. He was a pudgy man who was mostly bald up top.  But his face was kind and, as far as she could tell, he seemed honest.  Of course, that didn't mean he was honest, just that he seemed it.  

As he began a count of his own, Jaqueline wandered to the front of the store and watched as shoppers bustled about the marketplace through the window.  They all moved with the swift efficiency of people desperate to complete their errands and retreat to their warm homes.  She smiled to herself.  It was the sort of day that people didn't pay enough attention to their surroundings - when people would be so distracted by the bite of the cold to notice the shadows stirring down long-forgotten alleyways.  

As she stood there musing, she caught sight of the woman who seemed somehow out of place.  Jaqueline took in the woman's worn cloak and the way her brow furrowed ever so slightly each time her eyes searched the shop windows she passed, obviously not finding whatever she sought.  But there was something else about her...almost as if the dirt of this world didn't quite cling to her in the same way it did with other people.  She was an anomaly. 

As a force of habit, Jaq checked her surroundings to make sure she was obscured from view.  Once satisfied, she returned her attention to the woman, curiosity growing each time the mysterious shopper entered a store only to emerge empty-handed.  Finally, the woman's eyes fell on the window behind which Jaq stood and the worry of her search seemed to melt from her face.  Whatever she had been looking for, it was here....and she was headed this way to claim it.  

Jaq remained in her spot as the woman entered and bought a cloak that had been proudly displayed.  It was a beautiful thing:  simple, versatile, and clearly well-made.  The shopkeeper, distracted by his task, didn't make the usual small talk one might expect as a new customer.  Jaq was a bit disappointed, honestly, because the banter may have afforded her the opportunity to learn more about this strange person who didn't seem to fit.

But then the woman hesitated after her purchase, the reluctance to return to the cold clearly written across her face.  She stood just a few feet away from Jaq, though clearly unaware of her.  That tended to happen...provided Jaq wanted it to.  She was, of course, trained for such a thing.  

Before the moment could slip away, Jaq seized it.  [color=#7cd98a]"It's too cold out there...and they said it's supposed to get worse." [/color]

Her purchase made, Sadie shrugged off her old cloak and wrapped herself happily in the new one. It had been some time since she had bought anything new; she tended to stay out of the main cities, which limited her purchasing options. This cloak, although dear, was much warmer and more comfortable than her old one. Sadie settled it around her shoulders with a grateful sigh.

Still, Sadie was not a fan of the cold, and it showed on her face as she hesitated at the door of the shop. She was staying at an inn during her time in Denerim, but the inn was on the other side of the market, and she was loathe to leave the comfortable warmth of the shop. Just when she had resigned herself to the need to venture back out into the cold, a voice appeared next to her, making Sadie jump. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly, startled by the appearance of a young woman at her side.

Her new friend was young and pretty, with dark hair and piercing eyes. Sadie wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed the girl before, but she supposed that she had been so intent on making her purchase and returning to her room at the inn that anyone could have slipped by her unnoticed. It was not, perhaps, the opportune moment to catch Sadie for a chat; she was in rather a hurry to get back to the inn, though she couldn't have said why. Perhaps it was simply that she had grown used to silence and solitude.

Ever since the Veil had fallen, Sadie had been happier alone. She'd have been happier still in a Circle, but that wasn't likely to happen any time soon.

In any case, she offered an apologetic smile to the young woman. "Worse, you said? Maker's breath - I should have headed south."

Jaqueline smiled, repressing the urge to bite the inside of her lip.  Something about this woman...when she looked at her, it felt as if someone was plucking the string of an instrument as if the hum and vibrations seemed to resonate in her spine.   She wanted to know more about her, wanted to figure out why she was so intrigued by her.  Jaq had long ago learned to listen to her intuition on such things.  

[color=#7CD98A]"That's what they say at least."[/color]  Jaq gave a half-hearted shrug.  [color=#7CD98A]"Honestly it's already too cold for my taste - I don't want to think about what "worse" would be like.  The whole thing makes me want to find a warm inn where I can sit next to a crackling fireplace...or at the very least buy a steaming bowl of stew.  Of course...I suppose that won't happen while I stand in here watching the world through this window."[/color] 

Jaq hadn't yet made arrangements for her stay...though she knew of several places that would happily provide her with fine lodging should she be willing to drop a name or two.  Still, though, she'd prefer to eschew using her family's resources whenever possible. Her mind flashed back to a moment during her last visit here when the assumption about why an Antivan would be in Denerim led to a deadly threat delivered by the witch of the wilds.  

Jaqueline mentally shook off the memory, returning her attention to the beautiful woman next to her.   [color=#7CD98A]"Don't suppose you have any recommendations, do you?"[/color]

While Sadie was most certainly not in the mood for company, she was never one to be rude. It came from being born to the Chantry; her youngest memories were those of someone raised for a life of service. Even after she'd returned to the Circle, she'd had Chantry rhetoric embedded in her memory. Magic exists to serve man, never to rule over him. She'd always been one to take that literally: her purpose in life was to serve, and that meant being polite. Even when she didn't really want to be.

But, if she was going to be polite, she may as well go all the way, so she smiled. "As it happens, I'm staying at a cozy inn across the market. They have treated me well thus far, and their food is good. Would you care to join me?" Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, inviting a stranger to share a meal. It had been so long since she'd been around people. Since she'd had friends. What was the harm in trying to make one now?

Her mood slightly lifted, Sadie looked out the door and sighed. "Well, it's not getting any warmer out there, that's for sure. Shall we go?" She pulled her cloak more tightly around herself, took a deep breath, and walked out the door. "My name is Sadie, by the way."

She slipped on her own cloak - a simple, unassuming thing that doesn't attract attention or stick out in people's memory.  It was warm, though you wouldn't be able to tell from looking at it.  Of course, that was not something that occurred by chance - she had had it specially made to be both comfortable and utterly forgettable. 

Once ready, she nodded at the shopkeeper who waved her off.  She'd done her part and was finally free of the cumbersome delivery.  

Bracing against the cold, she followed Sadie from the store.  [color=#7CD98A]"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sadie.  My name is Jaqueline."[/color]  She smiled warmly despite the frigid air, relieved she'd have the opportunity to get to know this stranger better.  She wasn't sure what the pull she felt inside meant - it was different than those she'd experienced in the past...making her all the more curious.  It felt...well she didn't want to say warm in this particular weather, but something like that.  Almost...friendly?  The concept seemed strange to Jaq.  She didn't have many friends...and certainly didn't make new ones from complete strangers in the market.  But still, that tug was there, gnawing at her. 

The two women made their way across the marketplace toward the inn, dodging shoppers who bustled about with their heads down as if the cold would somehow ache less if they didn't face it head-on.  Passively, Jaqueline reflected on that thought - the idea that things hurt less if you didn't look forward.  She wanted to dismiss it as foolishness, but immediately saw the hypocrisy of doing so.  She smiled to herself at the aptness as she pushed the thought away.  After all, the here and now needed her attention.