The Bound - A Tale Of Tamriel

9

Tilly held back a little and stared at the Redguard walking in front of her, a sly smile curling on her face as she thought of Itagaki's reaction to Finds-Things' revelation about their history together. The sudden burst of jealousy that had funnelled through the binding had made Tilly's heart skip a beat. She hadn't meant for Finds-Things to come straight out with it, but Finds-Things was not one to keep her own counsel and it was somewhat of an inevitability that she would have said something before long.

Tilly only cared about the reaction. Itagaki definitely had feelings for her, and she for Itagaki. Now, it was only a matter of getting the Redguard to admit, and act, on them.

ii. Revna.

It was to Revna's credit that she didn't walk wide-eyed and open-mouthed through the city, despite it being so overwhelming for someone that had only ever seen the cities of Skyrim. Oh, those cities weren't insignificant, but even the likes of Windhelm, Solitude and Winterhold paled in comparison to the city of Abah's Landing.

The streets were wide avenues with high, mud daubed buildings painted a dazzling white. Minarets were on towers of many of the buildings, their golden surfaces reflecting the intense sunlight making the whole city seem to sparkle and flash. Along the avenues there were tents, awnings, marquees and wooden gazebos where people lounged on bright coloured carpets, resting heads and arms on curious, cylindrical, tasseled cushions as equally colourful as the carpets, shading themselves from the sun, but not the heat.

Great fountains dotted the avenues, spewing water from statues of fish, of horns of cornucopia, of  women, in little clothing, carrying lipped amphora. Even one where four statues 'urinated' water to each side. Everyone seemed to be wearing blazes of colour, or bleached white clothing, all made from light, wispy materials that revealed far more than than they covered.

Hawkers and merchants, beggars and nobles. Fire breathers and bards, jugglers and animal sideshows. Representatives of all the races; Redguard, Argonian, Breton, Altmer, Dunmer, Bosmer, Nord and Khajiit. Everyone, it seemed, came to Abah's Landing.

Hordes of children, clawed hands outstretched, clutching at clothes, pawing, grabbing, begging for coin, crowding around the newcomers until Finds-Things-Not-Lost hefted a handful of coins into the air that made the children scramble on the floor, pushing and fighting to grab as much money as they could gather.

Even when the party found themselves led to the Warehouse District, there were hordes of people thronging about in lazy walking patterns, weaving in and out of each others' paths. People sitting beneath tall, bendy palm trees grabbing some little respite from the continuous sunlight, beneath the shade that the large leaves offered.

Soon, the meandering path, that Tilly's Argonian friend had taken, led them to a set of tall wooden gates that Finds-Things-Not-Lost pushed open, the gates swinging inward on well-oiled hinges. And, beyond the gates, was a palace. Or, what Revna would describe as a palace.

The gates opened into a large courtyard with stables to one side and crates and boxes and all manner of wide-ranging and exotic items that Revna could not hope to identify, scattered around and stacked atop each other.

Several workers ran to the party and began taking the reins of their horses. Revna was more than reluctant to let go, snatching her horses reins away from the eager hands of the Redguard boy that tried to take them. It was only when Revna saw the smile on Tilly's face and a nod telling her it was alright, that she released the reins. Much to the relief of the boy.

By now, Finds-Things-Not-Lost had already begun to ascend a set of wide steps at the other end of the courtyard, ushering them all to follow her. The steps led to a second courtyard and a building that towered above them, three stories high. In the courtyard, Revna saw a large gazebo surrounded by troughs and pots filled with various flowers and large-leafed shrubs. And, within the confines of the open-sided gazebo, a number servants in little clothing, almost remnants of clothes, two Redguard (a boy and a girl) a Bosmer girl and an Argonian male, stood holding jugs of some kind of liquid and platters of food.