Return of the Runelords, Book 1: Secrets of Roderic's Cove [IC]

[lostsole31]

The best place to do that, of course is by Coots' Cart, though it is a painful act of self-denial on the warm day not to have another cup.

No sooner does she take her spot there, than a very colorful, fancifully-dressed man in an outrageous costume takes the performer's stand. It seems to be a foreign-born man of swarthy skin and extremely well-groomed, close cut beard, practically stubble-length but with meticulous design. The an himself is 6'4", but his performance hat adds a few inches to that, and has the most outrageous width to the brim. A trim man with dark eyes and black hair, he doesn't appear to be one of the "motley" types of bards so much that his very colorful outfit is just that ... some specific type of outfit. The most noticeable of which are these skull-faced pauldrons. At his side, he has a weird device on a fanciful belt that Alandra has never seen before.

He steps up on the dais and begins his set with voice and some type of mandolin she has never seen before. He even adds all manner of dancing flourishes into his performance. As she watches, she realizes he minimizes his singing .... he isn't very good. That doesn't matter, though, as that is more decoration. His dancing is great, but his mandolin(?)-playing is incredible, and he gathers an enviable crowd listening to a type of music she has never heard before and that is very lively. Even when he switches to a slower love song (or at least it seems like a love song), the string playing is liquid and deft.

As the afternoon winds down and gets closer to Alandra's time slot (half past, so fifteen minutes before she has to report in for her slot), a group of five men and women converge on Possum's stand near where Alandra is standing, and they drink and talk to each other. Alandra can even overhear part of their conversation - they're commiserating over the loss of several friends who perished in "the slaughter" the previous week) - and Alandra notices at least one crude patch on a bit of clothing bearing what appears to be a mouth with jagged fangs descending from it. Alandra easily recognizes the motif as the sign of the Horned Fangs gang.

Looking at what they look at, and trying to make sense of what they are there to do - the whole point of people-watching - Alandra notices a group of five other shady types winding their way through the crowd toward Possum’s cart, their expressions intent. None of them appear to be armed, but they certainly don’t look friendly.

As far as "the slaughter" ... Alandra heard that there was a row between rival gangs last week that left several people dead. It was no minor fracas but something that was definitely alarming to the sleepy town of Roderic's Cove, and now it seems that there might be some confrontation brewing again in the crowded Circle Market on a busy Oathday with lots of innocents about.

Alandra, what do you do?