Love Is Weakness

Confrontation

The air was noticeably cooler the next morning, the summer heat drawing to an end as the first signs of the winter season set in. I stood at my window, not looking at anything in particular as several thoughts swirled throughout my head. Anxiety was already beginning to stir at the thought of facing Kyla, though I was determined to see this through to the end no matter what the outcome. The sound of the door opening at my back indicated Kyla's arrival and I steeled myself as I kept my back to the girl.

'I thought you might be up early, did you want some breakfast prepared?'

'Not at the moment, I'll grab something later,' I told her lightly, not wanting to risk looking at the girl in case she saw the true feelings reflected in my gaze. No movement was heard as Kyla hesitated, clearly wanting to say more.

'I heard that there was some kind of meeting yesterday, anything important?' she inquired innocently, not noticing my teeth clench in frustration at her attempts to recover information from me. How I had not noticed this before I would never know. Maybe Lexa had a point, perhaps I was too trusting.

'Just going over some issues regarding Skaikru, nothing to worry about,' I assured her, forcing a smile as I turned to face her. 'I'm going out for a walk in the city, I shouldn't be long.'

This false pretence was as hard as expected and I wanted to keep interactions to a minimum just to be on the safe side. Kyla nodded slowly, asking if I would like any company but looked relieved when I insisted that I would rather be alone.

I blew out a sigh as I descended the tower, a material hood drawn over my face to avoid any encounters in the streets. Acting my usual self around Kyla was just as hard as pretending that I knew nothing of her betrayal when all I wanted to do was find out why she had done it. That was something that would have to wait for later.

It was pleasant to blend in with the crowds for once, lowering my face as I passed by the many stalls that were littered through the streets. It was still early so there were no hordes of people gathered which made it easier for travelling; the space away from the tower was much needed in the current situation.

I slowed my pace and stopped in the shadows of a store building, virtually invisible as I observed the activity around me. Different clan members bartered over goods, selling clothes and food for decent trades. My attention was drawn to where a young man was serving an elderly woman at his stall, impressive carved wooden figures lined up in rows on the table. He was clearly skilled at the art, the intricate designs in his work requiring great dedication and time to perfect.

The women was admiring a beautifully designed staff, curved and patterned to show the ripples and waves that spread through the wood. It was truly mesmerising just to look at and the woman appeared crestfallen when she only had three animal furs to trade, the masterpiece requiring at least four in good condition.

A friendly smile appeared on the man's face and he held the wooden item out to her, insisting that three furs would suffice. From this distance I could not make out exactly what was being said but the woman finally agreed, and after trading the three furs she left with the staff in hand. The man soon moved onto his next customer, the tattoos decorating his cheeks lifting with every warm smile that he gave the people around his stall.

I continued to watch the interactions for a few more minutes, wondering if I had bumped into this man around the city before. There was something strangely familiar about him, though I couldn't quite place the feeling. His kindness was almost surprising at such a time, and it reminded me that there was more to Polis then power play and war.

There was no more time to dwell on the thought when I noticed a bald man quickly striding down the street in his flowing robe, recognising it to be Titus as he headed in the direction of the tower, disappearing quickly between the scattered stalls. Turning away from the familiar man I made my way back through the streets to the centre of Polis to find out what was going on.