Skyrun

Chapter 15; Reunion.

A thousand colours whirled past Liam as he sprinted through the streets after Valentine, following the musical sound of her laugh.

Vaguely, he was aware of Tophsy running at his heels and Sinclair yelling at the both to stop.

Grinning, he sprinted faster, breathing in the strong smells of spices, machine oil, and other people packed in too closely for comfort. 

Pipe music floated and bounded off the white stone buildings, the sound of it crisp and clear, mingling with the clamor of the crowds. From one market stall, a man called out prices for automata parts, and from another there came a seller advertising perfumes in many coloured glass bottles that glittered like precious stones.

From a scarlet coloured tent, Liam heard a woman offering to tell his fortune.

Stopping for a moment, he quickly bowed and shook his head. "No thanks, miss. I've got a captain to catch." he said, already chasing after Valentine once more.

He did not have far to run, however, as he quickly spotted the captain standing before a stall filled with jewelry. Stopping beside her, Liam panted for breath, his eyes drifting over the many necklaces and bracelets inlaid with precious stones.

There were ruby earrings, delicate silver crowns spattered with opals, rings with emeralds bigger than Liam could have ever imagined. His breath caught at the sight of them and for a moment, he wondered if he would ever have treasure such as this.

Maybe if he stayed in the pirating business for long enough, perhaps.

"Pretty things, aren't they?" Valentine said, grinning at him. "I've got half a mind to buy something for Sin. I'd think he'd look good in emeralds. Though ruby might be more his colour."

Liam squinted at the jewelry while the jeweler gave him a dirty look. In truth, he had no idea what would look better on Sinclair, nor did he care very much.

Thankfully, Tophsy piped up with an answer before he had to. "I think rubies suit him best." she said confidently.

"Ah well done, Miss Turmabond! I have no doubt you have the best taste in finery. Rubies for Sinclair it shall be then!"

Liam watched as Tophsy beamed under the captain's praise and he felt himself smile.

This was what he liked about Valentine; she cared about her crew. To her, they were more than just workers on her ship. They were family. She treated them all fairly and with respect and they, in turn, did the same.

Thus, while Tophsy and Valentine chose the piece of jewelry they thought was best, Liam decided to have a look around at things that interested him.

He deserved to have a bit of fun as well, after all.

Peering through the crowd, he thought he saw a boy watching him, but when he looked closer, he was gone. Strange, but it was not unusual for people to stare at foreigners, after all.

Liam roamed through the streets, gazing at every wonder that caught his eye. There was a man who could eat fire and spit it back out without dying-- which Liam found quite impressive.

 Once, he stumbled upon two twins who were doing a juggling act in the middle of the street. One twin would hold the other on his shoulders and his brother would do the rest; juggling fruit, wooden objects, and even a man's sword.

There was a plethora of food to try as well, and though Liam did not have much money, he managed to buy a tart who's filling of berries was a wash of bitter sweetness upon his tongue, the crust of the pastry seeming to melt in his mouth. 

Sitting down at a corner to eat, he realized that he had completely lost sight of the jewelry stand as well as the airship docks. Needless to say, he was quite lost and though he could simply ask for directions, he was not sure if the people here spoke his language.