Adelaide Redlyn - Chap 1 Part 1 - A Lucky Find

Trying out a new character! Let me know what you think.

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The air was soft and cool, bringing with it the distant smell of brine as the air currents twisted and curled along the fields outside town. The wind blew gently between the apple trees and along the wheat fields, as it left the bustling confines of Port Mox it crept ever closer to the low wooden palisade surrounding Daera.

When the breeze arrived, it sent a shiver up Adelaide's spine. The market was busy, packed with people bustling back and forth, browsing and bargaining. But the mass of people did nothing to mute the chill in the air. Winter was surely almost here and it wouldn't be long before the first snows fell. Not a great time of year for those who lived on the streets and in the alleyways.

Not great for people like Adelaide.

The alleyway did its best to block the chill but she knew it was time to get moving, with that thought she stood and stretched, wiped her hands on her pants, and pulled her cap lower across her face. The drab greys and browns she wore would help her blend in, especially in a crowd like this. She smiled to herself, it was time for some fun.

A bump against a rather large man had her pocketing a purse of coins. A few steps later, a silver ring was slipped off a finger. Adelaide paused at the fountain in the centre of the square, resisting the urge to peek at her loot. That was for later, once she was safe.

She had seen children younger than her gawking openly at their ill-gotten gains only to instantly be scooped up by one of the guards. No way was that going to happen to her, she hadn't yet ever been caught and today would not be that day either.

Flexing her fingers, Adelaide hopped down from the edge of the fountain and hunted around her for some small bits of glass and metal. Scrap for the blowers or the smelter could fetch a meal or two if you got lucky enough. It was amazing how little the average townie cared about the garbage scattered across the cobblestones. It also helped keep her out trouble, scavenging may not be an upstanding profession, but it was a far cry better than petty thieving in a guard's eyes.

After a few steps and some bits of metal in her hand she saw boots in front of her. Familiar boots. She took a deep breath and smiled.

"Hello sir. Brisk wind in the air today, wouldn't you say?" She put on her very best and most pleasant voice. The kind she used when she managed to get hired for the day at one of the market stalls. The gruff face that looked back at her was not familiar specifically, she couldn't name the guard, but it was not unexpected.

"What are you doing, girl?" Adelaide giggled inwardly, this was a new guard. Probably fresh off some boat in the port, drawn to Praetoria with the lure of land and glory. Or drawn by the prospect of work, who knows.

"I'm picking up glass and metal sir." She showed him her hands, and all the metal bits in them. It wasn't even a lie, she really was picking up metal presently.

"Why?" The guard looked about two bricks short of an outhouse. And about as wide too, the man's leather jerkin barely covered his gut.

"To bring to the smeltery sir. Make myself some coin and buy some bread, you know?" Her chipper tone turned her own stomach. If this went badly, it wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten a beating for her smart mouth. He would have to catch her first though, and she was fairly confident that would be a little beyond his skill level.

The guard looked her up and down before grunting and waddling off, pike slung over one arm. Adelaide let out a sigh of relief, she was far too hungry to get into a foot race today. Keeping an eye on the guard as he sauntered off, she pocketed the scrap and scooped up more pieces as she walked. Another coin purse here and a loaf of bread off a shop keepers stall had her pockets full by the time she left the market square. She made note of the shopkeeper however, she would be back to slip a few coins into his cart later on. She may be a thief, but she wouldn't take the livelihood of a man with a family.

Once in the alleyway, she pulled the loaf of bread out and readied to take a big bite...

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New character, New Choices!

a) Should Adelaide wait and buy some meat cheese and vegetables to make herself a proper sandwich for the first time in a long time?

b) Should Adeliade wait to eat at all until in a more secure location and has checked out her loot?

c) Should she just take a big ole bite?

Let me know your choices down below in the comments. And make sure you are following @tanzofett... from this point on... you have to be following to win prizes in my giveaways.

Speaking of giveaways ->

Since this is a brand new character let's start a different brand new giveaway!!

I will give away a random card after every Chapter... but all of you will get to decide how high quality the card will be. The more upvotes and comments, the higher the value of the card. And because I'm a mathy guy sometimes, here's how you guys score Community Points:

An upvote is 2 points
A comment is 1 point
and
A reblog is 5 points

01-60 points will be a Common Card
61-12 will be a Rare Card
121-200 will be an Epic Card
201+ will be a Legendary Card

And don't forget, to win you have to be a follower now!

As a challenge to myself... I will make the card chosen become a part of the story as well. So if you want some high-powered epic adventures, you better get going on those comments and reblogs.

Thank you for indulging my shameless self-promotion, and thank you twice for the eyeball time.

Tanzo