[center][h2]sdsss[/h2][/center] -1- And so, life went on. After their fateful meeting with the Wyn the Goddess, Lorelei and Astarte, sisters by fate, continued with their aimless adventure followed closely by their latest friend Shadobig the Iwak and shadowed very loosely by Julles the Wielder of the Bloodbow. They left the vicinity of Heavenfall after their search for Big Smoke turned up nothing and moved on to the Stormbreaker Mountains. “He has to be hiding in my shadow! He has to be!” Astarte repeated over and over at random points throughout an entire month, poking and biting at her own shadow, trying to scare Big into coming out, even though she knew deep down that he wasn’t there. They delved into caves (not too deeply, only for a lack of proper lighting and definitely not for a lack of desire), they climbed mountains and hills, they visited the local Kingdoms, and even met a few other [adventurers]. All was good, until they came across the biggest obstacle of all – A bridge connecting the largest mountain in the range to the peak of the second largest mountain had collapsed, grinding their progress to a halt. At that point, after being told it would probably take years to rebuild the bridge and that the alternate route involved going all the way around the mountain range (which would probably take them months at this point), they decided to do one thing that Lorelei had been hesitant about… They’d have to go into the Bazaar. -2- It had been a very exciting development for Astarte. To be able to jump into a magic shadow portal and come out the other side into a magic bazaar selling magic things and with a lively atmosphere on top of that?! Paradise! Or so she had thought. At that moment, Astarte was floating an inch off a bar stool, finishing up a pint of the sector’s traditional beer, Coronashe. She liked the slight taste of powdered chocolate and soot in the background of the drink’s almost overpowering fizziness and the buzz she felt in her head after having drunk most of the mug (which was almost as tall as her forearm) was an experience that she’d never had before. Few meters behind her was Lorelei, haggling with a stall owner as if her life depended on it. Apparently, a single one of the cat girl’s many screwdrivers was worth at least ten of the vendors’ assorted tools. Something something, blah blah, Astarte didn’t really care! She’d been travelling with Lorelei for so long that she was sure she’d reached the max level at the very important skill of [selective hearing]. “I’m tellin’ you! This d-driver’s Prime-branded. It’ll outlast every single one of us!” Really? Astarte thought and took another sip of her Coronashe. “And I’m saying I dun care ‘bout none of that. Primes, Brands, screwdrivers, none of those matta when no one even knows what a screw be! Ye’r crazy, cat lady.” Nice response, Astarte thought as she scavenged for the last few drops of beer at the bottom of her mug with her soggy paper straw. -3- Astarte ran, panting, behind Lorelei. They ducked into a dangerously-tight alleyway and climbed onto a sheet metal roof, only to climb even higher onto a neighbouring shop’s roof. Her socks were soaked, her hair dishevelled, and her head dizzy. She had no idea what was happening. One second, she was enjoying a Coronashe and the next, the two women were being chased throughout the entire sector while shoeless and soaked. The ex-goddess licked a fresh scratch on her wrist and caught her breath. “How many times have I told you that you gotta pay for s-stuff here, dumbass?!” Lorelei practically screamed at her, to which Astarte huffed indignantly. “But I did pay for everything! With my presence!” Lorelei stared at Astarte for a while, eyebrow and ears twitching, before grabbing her by the wrist and jumping into a nearby shadow. They came out the other side and crashed right into a stack of hay in a stable. It was cold, dry, and they had a dozen winged horses looking straight at them, stone faced. “Wait… You’re not implying my presence isn’t a big payment, tip included?! I’m a Goddess, you know! Acknowledged by the likes of Gwyn, Rock Cat, and Vestec. Hmph!” “Yeah? S-Show them your Goddess ID card next time then.” Lorelei slapped Astarte’s head and stood up in one fluid motion, then pushed past the horses and out of the stables. “... Ow.” Astarte rubbed the sore spot and quickly chased after the catgirl, hoping to find a pair of new boots along the way. “… Aren’t we missing something?” Astarte wondered to herself as she stepped out of the stinky stables, but quickly shrugged and forgot all about that nagging feeling. [hider=Summary] Lorelei, Astarte, and Shadobig enter the Bazaar after stumbling upon a collapsed bridge in the Stormbreaker Mountains, action taken both as a short holiday and a way to circumvent the obstacle. There, they enjoy the trading and atmosphere for a while until they get chased out after Astarte forgets that her Godly Presence isn’t enough payment for the food establishments. At that point, Lorelei and Astarte dip outta the Bazaar and end up right inside the Lonesome Masters’ Hold. [/hider]