The moment Cassi had stepped out her cart a miserable drizzle started. It matched her mood, neither here nor there. Business had been rather slow over the last few days, but that was mostly Cassi's fault. She hadn't had that twinkle in her eye.

Her hair was getting damp and after a quick glance in a nearby window it was getting rather out of place. She unintentionally slicked back her fringe and was about to right the wrong but she was rudely interuppted by a loud stomach grumble. Cassi glanced around and then slowly realised it was her own. She clutched her empty stomach and started tapping her feet to cover up the noise. She thought back to her food cupboard at home, in her minds eye it was stocked full of edible goodies but in reality it was empty exept for a small piece of cheese and a book.

Food was the order of the day and so Cassi began walking towards Kingsway market at an alarming pace. Her heels clicked on the cobbles in a statisfying manner, this pleased Cassi untill her elation was broken by another grumble.

As she neared the market, she felt the magnetic pull towards the voices and exotic smells. Yes, food shopping was exciting and it was something that Cassi enjoyed.

She slowed her pace and started idly browsing the stalls. Cassi knew she was terrible at haggling, although used to it she gave in too easily especially when the traders told her a terrifying story of all his children and thier ailments. She had to give the impression that she knew what she was doing.


(((any takers? )))

The stall owners had become sluggish in the afteroon sun, but still shouted loudly as soon as Cassie came near.

"FRESH? FISH!!" bellowed a foreigner from Bastia, with his unique inflection standing out from the rest. "COCKLES! MUSSELS!" screamed a woman from a pushcart. "BEST POP IN THE CITY," hollered a greasy-looking individual nearby.

Cassi jumped at the sudden noise, she wasnt used to all these people. Maybe she had romanticised the market too much, everything always seemed nicer in her head. She took a deep breath to clear her head and found her nostrils filled with the stench of fish. She shuddered and pushed her way through the throngs of people towards the foreigner. He seemed to know what he was doing, unlike Cassi.

She stumbled slightly and brushed herself off with a cautionary glance at the man. She then attached a huge grin to her face, thrust out her hand and cheerily greeted the man " Good afternoon my man! Has the day been treating you well?"

"You want fish?" he offered, grinning wide. Although his accent was aristocratic, like everyone from Bastia, he seemed to be a true gutter rat. His coat looked like he had sewn it together from discarded boot soles.

"Beautiful cod, caught this morning," he pressed, uninterested in unrelated conversation. "Or here, the winter salmon. Halibut? Got rockfish here..."

Cassi peered at the myriad of fishes, she spent a while studying the strange man's wares.

"I think I'll have the cod. No the sal-No the cod definitely the cod. He looks like a lovely specimen" Stated Cassi, completley ignoring the man's briskness earlier. She then bravely went on to say "Terrible weather isn't it? Neither here nor there?"

The man looked at her quizzically, wondering at her odd wording. In his tiny, fish-obsessed brain, he imagined Cassie was attempting to speak to him in code. This was because no innocent person had ever attempted to strike up a conversation with him about the weather.

"Ye-es," he said slowly, handing over the cod. "Er...you should look around the Drought, the...weather's more there than here. If you know what I mean." He winked.