Rosevale's merchant district looked different in the afternoon light.
Less chaotic, more colorful. Street vendors hawked their wares while children ran between the stalls, stealing fruit and getting chased by shopkeepers who weren't trying very hard to catch them.
Sophie dragged Aegis from shop to shop with the enthusiasm of someone who'd been locked in a tower for years.
"Look at this!" She held up what appeared to be a crystallized tentacle.
"What is that?"
"No idea! Isn't it great?"
"It's kinda horrifying."
"I'm buying it."
"Why?"
"To put it in Vera's bed."
"That's a little bit mean."
"She'll think it's funny. Eventually. After she stops screaming... Probably."
Aegis watched Sophie haggle with the vendor, talking him down from fifty gold to fifteen through sheer persistence and creative threats about what the tentacle might do if not properly contained.
[She's actually pretty smart when she's not trying to molest me.]
