[alaklondewen]

Lairwyn held her basket close to her side as she looked over the vegetables lined up in the small bins in front of her. Reaching out she picked up several tomatoes individually and rolled them around in her hand testing the firmness of the fragile fruit. After selecting four and placing them gently into her basket, she moved down the line to the onions and performed a similar ritual to assess their quality. With her final preferences in her basket, Lairwyn carefully pulled out a small green bag she kept tucked snugly in the top of her stockings. She counted out the appropriate amount of coins and placed them in the palm of the merchant’s hand.

As she began to return the bag to its hiding place, she stepped back and onto something…or someone! Spinning on her heels, Lairwyn apologized profusely before looking up and seeing the tall man standing over her. As soon as their eyes met the smell of liquor hit her and she gasped. While trying to back away from the man who stood smiling down at her in what she felt to be an inappropriate manner, she managed to bump into someone else and then dropped her money pouch. A couple of silver coins rolled out and she quickly knelt to catch them.

“Here, I’ll help you with that.” The man immediately dropped to his knees to help retrieve the coins. However, Lairwyn snatched them quickly out of his grasp and held them tightly in her fist. The man’s drunkenness had slowed his reaction time, and it was several moments later that he fully realized the money was no longer loose for the taking.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Lairwyn was already back on her feet dusting off her small gray dress, when the man’s gaze found her again and that creepy smile was restored. After snagging her basket from below her and throwing it over her arm, she turn hurriedly away and tried to leave the area, but she stopped when a large hand took hold of her elbow and spun her around.