07. Observations
Nessuna leaves the Wild Flour with a slightly warmed honey and nut muffin. It is delicious, soft with the sweet of the honey being tempered by the slightly bitter nuts which added a nice crunch. She briefly considers going back into the bakery for another but is a little worried that she won’t survive another encounter with the bubbly Amaryllis.
She rests on one of the shop front’s roots, folding her legs under her as she watches the city come alive around her. It’s just after nine in the morning and crowds are already forming in the once empty streets. It is for this reason she doesn’t lower her hood, despite the deepening warmth circulating around her head.
At first, she feels as though everyone is staring at her, and her gaze darts nervously around, not staying too long in one place. But slowly she notices something: there are many different folks around. Of course there are many Wood Elves and Forest Gnomes, as she expected to see in a forest, but there is far more variety in peoples roaming the streets around her. Humans, Halflings, Genasi, Tabaxi, and more. She even spots more than a few Firbolds towering over others as they stroll along the walkways. Nessuna sits up straighter because, yes, she still stands out in this forest city, but she is by no means alone in that.
She does notice that she is garnering a few looks from those who pass her by, but most of them are curious. And more than that, there were people who paid her little to no mind at all.
She is clearly not the only one from out of town here to see the celebration of the Festival of Fireflies. Dwarves, halflings, and Sea Elves mill around, wandering in and out of shops or simply window shopping from outside. She watches a Dwarven couple deliberate on whether to go into the apothecary only to shuffle in with big smiles. There is a woman with extravagant red gloves up to her elbows who glances at the remnants of the muffin in Nessuna’s hands before her eyes flick to the shop behind her with a considering look. A small girl with light blue skin and bright eyes runs by, weaving through the crowds with the wind flowing through her hair.
The girl rushes up the incline and past the bookstore Nessuna had noticed earlier. Nessuna’s gaze locks on the shop for a few moments as she finishes off the last of her breakfast. There is a small crowd gathering outside of the shop and she wonders if it is the line to get in. Excitement suffuses her and she stands, dusting away sweet crumbs that had fallen on her cloak before making her way up the little hill.
As she approaches, she spots the sign for the shop and finds herself smiling at the clever little name: The Book Nook by the Brook. Then she sees that the crowd is not lined up at the door of the bookshop, but rather there is a loose circle forming around one of the shop’s roots. The root is raised from the ground and larger than any surrounding it by more than half. The top of the root is wide and flat, looking very much like a stage. Surrounding the flat root are other, smaller roots that some members of the crowd are using as benches. Nessuna deduces, by the excited energy in the air, that the group is waiting for something to begin.
She pauses for a moment at the back of the crowd, pulled in by the excited chatter and mystery. She thinks about staying to watch whatever may come to be, but as the crowd begins to grow, so does her discomfort. She moves to the bookshop and pushes her way through the door.
A soft bell rings over her head and it catches the attention of the two people standing very near the shop’s entrance. A beautiful Sea Elf woman and a stout human man speak quietly to each other, but both glance up as the door pushes open.
"Oh customers!” the woman greets, her voice bright and welcoming. “Hi, my name is Clari, welcome to The Book Nook by the Brook! Is there anything you’re looking for, or would you like to just browse?”
Nessuna starts a bit, caught off guard by the energy that effuses this woman.
“I... well, I am a bit of History buff?” Nessuna stutters. She hates that she sounds unsure about it but pushes through to answer the question. “I don't know much about this place, but... Do you have any history books on Embyrveil? Or maybe stuff about the festival? I’m—I'm not from here.”
“Is this your first time coming to the festival?” Clari asks. When Nessuna nods hesitantly, Clari moves forward, a bright smile on her face. “How wonderful! How are you enjoying it so far? I can still remember my first visit to Embyrveil. There was so much to see that I gave myself a headache trying to see it all at once,” she says with a laugh. “Are you enjoying the forest?”
“Oh!... Well, I've only been here a couple of hours. And- and I'm just barely seeing people awake, but they seem friendly enough. Though honestly I would… rather avoid people and be around books.” Awkwardness makes her tongue loose again and she wishes she could stop it, but the word-babble just continues. “I mean amongst my travels here I have not met many kind people, so I'm a little wary of everyone here. But your homes are beautiful, and your city is awe striking. I've never seen anything like it.”
By the end of her rambling Nessuna’s gaze is fixed on the ground as embarrassment rolls through her. Gods! She hopes that she is not being offensive to this lovely person in her lovely bookshop about her lovely town. She wishes she was better at simply speaking with strangers.
“Well, you are in great luck!” the human man says boisterously, his enthusiastic voice making Nessuna feel as though maybe she hadn’t offended everyone in the room. “If you are trying to grow your knowledge in quiet or solitude, Clari has many fantastic tomes here for any history you are interested in!” The man looks down at the Sea Elf called Clari and winks. The lady blushes prettily at the praise.
The man looks back at Nessuna, smile warm. “However, if you are a fan of oral histories I am going to give a performance on the history of the city as well as the Festival in just a little bit.”
“Yes, your timing is absolutely perfect,” Clari claps her hands in excitement. “You can certainly read any of the books here, but if you want a superb retelling of the whole history just hang around. The show starts at 9:30.” Clari pauses and looks to the human man. “Wait, what time is it?”
“I’m unsure. I was not watching the time,” the man says as he turns to look at something over the door. “Were there people outside?” he asks Nessuna.
“Yes,” she says slowly.
“Blast it!”
Suddenly Clari’s energy goes from friendly and excited to friendly and a little overwhelmed. Nessa hates to think it, but she identifies a little with the energy shift and feels even more comforted by the woman. Clary claps her hands again and shoos the man further into the shop to gather his instruments.
“You really should see the show,” Clari says as she watches the man gather his things in a bit of a hurry. “Max is going to give a brilliant performance… Oh, I don't think we introduced you! This is Maximilian–”
“Maximilian the Magnificent!” The man says with a flourish, bowing to Nessuna as he approaches them at the door once more, the cape around his shoulders flows gently in a wind that is not there.
“Max is such an incredible bard. One of the best in all of Sunmead River Valley.” Clari’s anxiety fades a little bit as she smiles brightly at the man called Maximilian. “He tells the most incredible stories! I definitely recommend that you sit for a while to hear him. Even if you just stay by the door if you don’t really want to be too near the crowd. And you are more than welcome in here…. Um, I’m sorry I didn't get your name.”
Nessuna blinks confusedly for a moment, with so many things happening at once, but slowly she responds, “Nessuna. I'm called Nessuna.”
“Nessuna. What a beautiful name. Well, if you decided to enjoy the show, I can pull some books about the history of Embryveil for when you return. There are some that are my personal favorites, for true history buffs that aren't afraid of a little bit of dry literature.” She chuckles at this, as if sharing a joke with an old friend. “We’ve got a really good selection. Though some are a little high up because not a lot of folks come in looking for them. I'll try to pull some down so that when you come back they're ready for you.”
“Oh, thank you.” Nessuna is pleasantly taken aback by the offer. Her worries about not fitting in here or not finding kind people begin to dissipate in the face of excitement about more than just the trees and the festival and the fireflies.
She follows Maximilian outside, but as he goes to the front of the crowd to stand on the large platform, she stays near the door of the shop, on the very edges of the crowd. She feels more confident and comfortable in the people that she's meeting here, but that does not mean she is quite ready to stand front and center.
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