Post by Harpsdesire on Sept 27, 2010 8:56:01 GMT -5
Dania glanced around nervously as she trotted down the cobblestone street. The Capital City was never a place she found comfortable, and now that she was on the questionable lane that marked the extreme end of the inner bazaar and the beginning of the outer, she was even more apprehensive.
This wasn't the sort of place the timid diamond preferred to frequent, even in broad daylight. There was a mix of shops along the street, some well kept, others shabby and disreputable. She peered carefully at each sign when she passed it, seeking a certain dealer of used books and trying not to lose her nerve before she even arrived.
A few more blocks, now. The area was getting dirtier and more questionable by the minute. Strange cards leered at her from the doorway of a bar, and garbaged skittered across the street on a surprisingly chilly breeze. Dania knew it was folly to come here, but curiosity and a strange sense of destiny drew her. Books were her life in more than one sense, and this one had the potential to become an important part of her life indeed.
After weeks of searching and sending out inquiries to various stores and libraries, she had received a letter informing her that this certain shop, out of all she had contacted, had a copy of the book she desired. It was sure to be a well worn copy, for the title had been so long out of print that she feared she would never find one for sale at all. The price quoted in the letter she now kept in a pouch about her neck was higher than she would like, but she had no stomach for haggling, and unless the volume was in very bad repair, she intended to pay the asking price and get back to a more desirable part of the city with all possible haste. The sun was setter faster than she expected, and although the afternoon was still bright, apprehension sent a chill down her spine. Dania shivered, and briefly regretted the fact that courage had never been one of her virtues. At least she must be almost there by now, and she was sure she would feel better once inside. Bookstores were always so comforting.
The rat noted a shop decorated in peeling turquoise and gold paint, and she felt a rush of relief as the name came into focus. "Grimm's Used Books and Magical Curiosities" the fading sign proclaimed, and she paused outside the door only to look at the strange dusty things within the shop's dirty display window.
There were several books, some bound in leather and gold leaf, others more mundane, a chipped ceramic crow, a pair of bookends shaped like the faces of rather terrifying clowns, a shriveled object that could have been just about anything, a pair of shackles that looked like they may once have been a Torquehelm's binding. She shuddered, repulsed by the idea and having sudden second thoughts about entering the store.
Maybe it would be better to forget all about the book and head back to the safety of her room at the inn. After all, no one had to know that she had failed, chickened out at the last minute... no one but herself.
((Feel free to PM with any questions or if you want some backstory info for Helen to use. =D ))