[The bed in which Felix wakes is not the one he’s grown used to sleeping in. It’s smaller, for one. It eases his mind a little that Ashura is still next to him, though the two are curled up a little closer than normal in order to accommodate them both.
He sits up and tries to get a look around. The room, too, is different, though he cannot quite put
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The river seems closer here. The smell is stronger, as if soaked into the very stone around you.[
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Somehow I don't think we'll find a good place to leave them in this neighborhood.
[He almost walks into one of the peddlers and stops, grinning at the man] Oh! Excuse me, hullo!
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At least having only the live one will make travel easier.]
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The peddler staggers back a step, smoothing a crooked-toothed sneer into a smile at the prospect of a potential buyer]
'Lo there, sir. How can I help ya?
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Yes. Perhaps you could answer a few questions. For starters: Where are we?
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To distract himself from that thought, he keeps an eye on the nearby alleyways while the Doctor gathers information. It would suck to get snuck up on in a place like this.]
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Yer in the Arcane, nearabouts of Pharoahlight. Most folks come down here with a reason in mind, though. What's yours?
[The locals, though more real here, still seem mostly unconcerned by this exchange. One bouncer glares at Yuan from across the alley, his huge arms crossed in front of him.
Across the street, a few of the whores are lingering on a stoop, watching the newcomers with undisguised interest.
Strangely, the boy stops crying as he takes notice of them, picking his head up from Yuan's shoulder to stare back at them. Or one of them in particular, if the rarity of redheads in this city isn't obvious by now]
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[lightbulb] Yes! We've actually got a reason. Just came from a fire over [he gestures vaguely] that way and found this boy. Do you happen to know anywhere we could bring him? A hospital or something like that?
[When he glances back at the boy he notices that look, casually looking around to see the person who had attracted the boy's interest before turning his gaze back at the peddler.]
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Do you know her, child? [His tone is hushed to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to their conversation.]
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Fire's a nasty business in the Lower City. Ain't got, whatsit, a hospital around here, but if ya need a healer, there's them nature witches up in Scafflegreen can help.
[He gazes a little more intently than is likely kosher at the boy in Yuan's arms]
If you got yourself an orphan there, though, I bet you could find someone around here willing to take him off your hands. I know a few people that'd pay a hefty sum for a child with such unusual features. I could direct you to 'em...for a portion of th'price.
[The boy doesn't answer Yuan with words, though he reaches a hand out for the red-haired woman - a woman whose yellow eyes are a match for one of the boys'. She seems to notice this in turn and smiles, beckoning]
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If that's the case then I think he'll stay with us for a while longer. We'll not be selling anyone today. Or any other day for that matter.
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And they still have to find the adult Felix. Yuan forces himself to remember that this child version - there's no doubt about who it is, especially with those eyes - is almost certainly a part of the setting, and not a lost soul to be saved. Whatever this boy's fate is, he's already suffered it in reality.]
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Yer loss, then. Can I interest you in buying anything, if selling ain't yer pleasure? I have a few trinkets to please any lady...[He flashes a jumble of rings strung on a cord on the inside of his coat, then lowers his voice a bit as he fishes out a vial of clear liquid]...or perhaps some phoenix?
[The woman, as if lacking any voice, or any memory of one, does not answer Yuan directly, though she smiles brightly at the question.
The boy, in turn, start to wriggle, reaching out for the woman who so resembles him]
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Now then, what is that?
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He was nearly killed in a fire down the way - you should keep track of him better, especially in a place like this.
[With that bit of business taken care of, he steps back and returns to the Doctor's side.] ...We shouldn't linger too long.
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[The woman takes the child carefully, who clings to her neck and buries his tear-stained face against her shoulder.]
What fire?
[She says this brightly, but for a brief moment her face seems to take on a twisted mask of burned flesh, though the dream woman takes no notice]
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