Crowded

Civilians clattered around the filthy streets. Makeshift stalls were set up indiscriminately, hoping for any sort of customer. Venders boasted at street corners, competing with one another on who could glamorize their product best. Even the street urchins were louder than usual, yelling far too animatedly to be as "starving" as they claimed.

Lina cursed herself. Of course today was the Market. It was Month's End, and every village, town, and city would be hosting the chaotic event. She had led their group to a very annoying and possibly dangerous place. Her time must have been extraordinarily muddled not to realize the date, and there was no doubt in her mind that they could've survived a bit longer in the wilderness without needing to stop for supplies. Poor Cynn appeared to be lost in the madness, and she prayed the blind priest would find some way to manage until dusk.

A calloused hand gripped her arm and tugged her through the crowd. They tumbled into one of the many alleyways that surrounded the main road. Lina smiled humorlessly up at her helper before shaking off his grip.

"It wasn't necessary to hold on so long. You know those things annoy me," she muttered unpleasantly. Jaden's eyes twinkled down at her, apparent even through his shaggy black bangs.

"Not necessary," he agreed, "but definitely worth it.  He looked at her intensely, and she had a faint urge to hit him.

"That cleric uniform isn't bad on you," he noted with a grin. "Why don't you wear it more often?" Lina pursed her lips impatiently.

"You fully know why," she snapped. "They are uncomfortable and demeaning. Making myself seem like a homely, defenseless girl is not something I am inclined to do."

"And yet you wear them whenever we enter large towns," he laughed.

                "Only because no soul trusts a woman that refuses to wear a dress or skirt," she pointed out. "People can't get it through their blasted heads that women can act and work like men." Jaden frowned slightly, reached out, and gave her hand a squeeze.  

"Well, I am sure with your height and attitude, all we'd need to do is cut your hair a bit and you could pass for a man – and a pretty one at that," he said thoughtfully. "Of course," he added, eyes raking over her form, "we'd need to do something about your chest."

Lina's face flushed and anger rose in her gut. "You leech," she spat, shaking his hand away once again. "Are those sort of things all you think about?"