A rapid sideways glance from amber eyes gave clear indication that dark-haired beauty was well aware of Blackwell, and of the notorious woman's interest.   After the brief shot, the girl turned her attention back to the newcomer and smiled.<strong>"I'm Sora."</strong>She stood primly with her shoulders straight and her hands clasped behind.<strong>"What's your name?"</strong>She looked out toward the sea to the south where the rigging of two ships was visible beyond the buildings of Uptown.<strong>"Did you sail in from Magnimar?"</strong>A tone of wistful longing was obvious in her voice.<strong>"I want to go there, or go anywhere really. My Uncle Jasper says it's no place special, but I'd like to see for myself."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Guh."</strong>was Aldus' first reply to the raven-haired lass. Surely whatever had killed all those men at the party hadn't followed him across the sea? But here he was dwelling on the past when he was being spoken to. That wasn't very polite... Aldus cleared his throat.<strong>"Aldus."</strong>He answered the first of the battery of questions, and then dryly replied the to the others.<strong>"Yes. Yes I am, and I did. I got in less than an hour ago."</strong><br/><br/>Blackwell's arrival interrupted further conversation as the warriors unexpected touch caused the young man to jump like a skittish cat.<strong>"How did you find..."</strong>He reached for the sharp, hooked dagger at his belt but restrained his urge to attack when he saw that his 'attacker' was simply a local woman.  The dark-haired girl giggled and shot Blackwell another glance as the man struggled to regain his composure.<br/><br/>The giggles dissolved as quickly as the man's bluster though, when Blackwell spoke, and not to her but to the ruggedly cute stranger.  She wasn't good enough to talk to directly?!  She glared a frown at the warrior even while almost unconsciously leaning in toward the bully.  She wondered if the thug even remembered her?<br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><strong>"Jaltan!"</strong>The young boy called.<strong>"Here boy, come Jaltan!"</strong>All to no avail.  There were a couple dogs in sight, but none responded to the youngsters call. His father had the sandy brown hair and pale complexion typical of the Chelaxian invaders, but the dusky olive complexion of they boy hinted that his mother was Varisian. The father smiled down at his son.<strong>"Dog's probably just chasing a donkey rat or a squirrel."</strong><br/><br/>The boy had other ideas.<strong>"Jaltan wasn't chas'n no donkey rat, he was chas'n a goblen. He hates goblins!"</strong><br/><br/>The man smiled again at the boy's remark, and he mussed the lad's dark hair though his eyes were focused more on the exchange halfway across the square - both of the girls were striking in their own way, and if he were just a bit younger...  He shook off the thought.  He was a married man!<strong>"Fool dog is probably stealing scraps from under a table." </strong><br/><br/><strong>"Jaltan's ah good dog!"</strong>The boy declared with total conviction. He looked up to his dad.<strong>"Can I go look for him? I don't wanna lissen to no speeches anyway."</strong>He was obviously worried about his dog. Taking his father's moment of distraction as assent, he moved away, passing close by the a fancy-dressed man and Pill.<strong> "Hi Pill!"</strong>The boy's family lived near the sawmill, and the boy was one of the few people that treated her with respect.<strong>"Have you seen Jaltan?"</strong>Goblins occasionally came around in the dark of night to pick through the discards of the sawmill, and Jaltan always went wild when he sensed them.  She knew the dog well.  His sharp fang and fierce bravery had aided her several times in her constant war with the tiny raiders.<br/>----------------------------------------------<br/>The width of Ausk's shoulders, the breadth of Ausk's chest, and the bulge of Ausk's biceps were not unnoticed by the local girls.  Even girls escorted by their husbands or beaus threw him glances in passing, and a trio of young Varisian women that were dressed like they might be with the gypsy caravan kept passing his post, throwing black-eyed glances his way before turning to each other in fits of girly giggles.  More to the point perhaps, his powerful build and striking appearance had captured the eye of Teluli, an acolyte dedicated to the goddess Shelyn.  She was a pretty girl dressed in the formal acolyte attire of the Goddess of Love and Beauty, which in her case meant not much of anything.  She had to feel the autumn chill with that much fair skin exposed. But the cause of her rash of goosebumps was debatable - was it the cold, or was it her feminine reaction to the big ugly tower of muscle?