“How does that feel, miss?” asked the grizzled shoemaker looking at at her expectantly after finishing the lacing.
From her chair Asana waved her feet, now bound in new custom made black boots. They felt good so far. She stood up and paced the length of the store a couple of times then bounced lightly on her toes. Very good actually, she acknowledged with happy approval. Comfortable, lightweight, nothing loose. Gerand always seemed to get them magically perfect for her. Now that’s what you call a professional.
“Not bad I suppose, they’re a little tight,” she commented lightly.
He grunted. “So you love them, good. You’re not going to destroy these too are you? Your last pair was a travesty.”
She rested a hand on her hip and shot him a look. “Oi! They weren’t that bad. Just a little…” She waved a hand searching for the right word. “Used. As they should be. I spend most of my time walking through rough terrain, what else would happen? Honestly I’ve been putting off getting a new pair for too long anyways. Hence why I love you!”
“Your love is unwanted here.” Gerand walked back over to the counter and grabbed a sheet of paper. He scanned it briefly and wrote down a few additional notes. “However, your money is. That’ll be eight gold for the pair and fitting.”
Asana chuckled and fished around in the coin pouch at her belt. “Not popular with the ladies are you? You should try to be more flattering. Attempt a smile.” She placed ten gold coins in front of him. “Keep the change, my good man.”
He swept them away and gave a casual salute in thanks, with as stony a face as ever, as she left the store.
Asana winced a little as her eyes readjusted to the warm afternoon sunlight outside. She was in Stormwind’s Old Town district. An aged and run down section of town, but a busy one nonetheless. More shops lined the street in both directions tantalizingly attracting the attentions of a handful of wandering people. Though entering any of the darker alleyways would probably just get you robbed. She had run into that fun before.
Now then…where to next? Kendra was still busy, she’d meet up with her later. Their supplies were already set for their departure tomorrow, this was her last errand. Maybe she would bother Ellis for awhile. She was probably still working at this time…or at least pretending to. Asana was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the rushing footsteps a second before something ran into her.
Her reflexes kept her balanced, but not so much for the other one. She looked down to find a young teenage boy kneeling on the ground. He was probably about twelve or thirteen with messy blonde hair and a small skinny frame. She also noted the poor quality of his clothes. Definitely not one at the top of the food chain. The dirt under his fingernails was the hard proof.
“There he is!” shouted another teenager. Two of them in fact, both clearly older than the first, who were running over to catch up.
The blonde swiftly stood and hid behind her. “Please help me!”
She could already tell these three were not comrades. There was something about the malevolent glint in the older boy’s eyes that told her it wasn’t just boys roughly playing around. “Need something, gents?” she asked.
They disregarded her. “Eric, you little imp, quit hiding. You’re just embarrassing yourself!”
“Just leave me alone…” Eric muttered half-heartedly.
Asana addressed him instead. “Friends of yours?”
He shook his head. “No…definitely not. I um…was trying to hide from them…”
She nodded. “Thought so.” Well whatever she could make this quick. There weren’t many people around so it’s not like it would cause much of a disturbance.
“We aren’t done with—” One of the boys tried to say, but he never finished his sentence. Asana moved far faster than he expected and swept her foot in an arc taking out his legs. With her hand she pushed his chest and planted him hard into the ground. The other boy was much too slow to react. She kicked his shin then elbowed him in the back and pushed him down too.
It was over in seconds. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Asana hated bullies, but of course these two were still kids so she went easy on them. They would walk away with some bruises and damaged egos, nothing more. Of course both of them just laid there groaning like they were dying from the damned plague. So dramatic. Was she ever like that at their age? Hopefully not.
She walked back to Eric who’s expression seemed to be locked in stunned silence. “You’re welcome.” She patted his head then continued away down the street.
He hesitated for a moment before following her. “That was incredible! Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me yet, they’re probably just going to come back later even angrier. I’d stay hidden if I were you.”
“You’re really strong.” His tone was nothing but unconcealed awe. “How did you learn to do that?”
She shrugged. “Natural talent. Some of us are born amazing, ya know?” The real answer was many years of training and field experience, but she didn’t really want to explain that. It should be obvious shouldn’t it? She turned a corner and started working her way back to the exit tunnel towards the canals. Eric continued following her.
“Can you teach me to fight?” he asked.
Man he sure jumped into that quickly. Asana had no interest in gaining an apprentice, especially not one she had met two minutes ago. “I can, but I won’t. I’m too busy anyways and not interested.”
He looked at the ground for a moment in clear disappointment. “Right…sorry, I got carried away. It’s just I get picked on a lot and no one usually helps me. You beat them so easily so I had to know.”
She glanced at him. She related to him more than he realized, her own early life had been similar to or likely even worse than what he was probably going through. Still it wasn’t her problem. “Don’t really care. Try growing a few more inches, see if that helps. Or find a girlfriend. I guarantee those two kobolds back there are single. That’ll show them.”
“Do you know other people who could teach me anything? You seem like you’d know other strong types.” He completely ignored her comment. Furthermore she was starting to think this boy was an opportunist.
“Oh I know more than a few. Half of them are lunatics. And again no I’m not going to. Look, if you want my advice strength isn’t about beating someone down, though that is a handy skill if you roam around dangerous places like I do. It’s your ability to overcome a problem. If you can’t solve something with brute force then think of a more creative work around instead. There’s a solution to everything!” She smiled and playfully winked at him.
He nodded along listening intently. “I’m not sure I get it, but I’ll think about that! You’re very nice. What’s your name by the way?”
They had entered the canal roads now and Asana stopped here to let a large canvas covered wagon being pulled by two horses cross the bridge. Just as it passed she reached over and picked up the boy without warning to set him down on the back end of the wagon. He was very light and easy to lift. The driver didn’t notice or stop and kept on rolling down the street.
“Just a passing traveler,” she said dismissively. “Later, kid.” She waved farewell and quickly crossed the bridge before he could stop her escape. He watched her go, still mysteriously holding on to the wagon sweeping him away.
Well he would probably be fine, Asana thought. Maybe. She mixed herself back into the river of people. Rather than concern for the boy, her mind was already drifting to more interesting things. Like what her dear sweet other half was doing. Or what that delicious smell in the air was! Was there a bakery near here? Could she afford it if there was? Gerand and his boots, very nice as they were, had drained her purse a bit. Curse this city and its endless distractions.
Fortunately, by tomorrow morning they would be gone and free. She was eager to be on the road again and back into the wind.
It is fun to think outside our normal conceptions. After all, our characters would live life, and it isn’t just “Do dailies, do visions, raid” like we play them. They would need to shop, clean, and generally participate (or live wild) with the world around them. That is what makes a world alive.