The Stage is Set

The Town of Irdien

Streets

THE CARRIAGE DRIVER seemed more than happy to snatch the money from Zosia’s hand. After counting the coins one by one right in front of them, she gave them a final dirty look and departed.

“Good riddance,” Tytania mumbled as she watched the carriage meander back up the main road out of town. “I swear, the drivers around here...”

Zosia didn’t disagree. Still, the tension that had built up between her Tytania in the carriage lingered, and she didn’t want to risk making it worse. She settled for an accommodating nod instead.

Lifting her hand against her brow, Zosia squinted through the bright sunlight. The port town of Irdien lay nestled in an inlet along the Glorin Coast. The water in the harbor sparkled in a long path that grew wider the further it stretched out to sea. High above, the sun dazzled in a cloudless sky.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” Tytania said, leaning close to Zosia.

Tytania either didn’t feel the tension that was still smoldering between them, or she was pointedly ignoring it.

Zosia shifted away slightly. “Yes. I suppose so.”

Around them, townhouses and shops painted a motley of colors dotted the road. It was a bustling main street that teemed with people, carts, and small shop stands. Zosia scanned the buildings down at the edge of the harbor. They were so far away that their colors started to merge together beneath the sun. Although they were too distant to discern which was their destination, she could see that the road they were on wound down to the water’s edge.

“We should head to the docks,” Zosia said, gesturing to the harbor. “The passenger ships should have a stand somewhere.”

“It’s a big building, the same one where passengers disembark.” Tytania raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t come through here on your way to Partyn?”

“No,” Zosia replied. “My ship went further north to Rivain.”

“I guess it makes sense that the Under wanted to keep our trails uncrossed.” Tytania shrugged. “No point in doing that now though, hmm?”

The comment didn’t seem to be bitter, nor was it teasing. Zosia wasn’t quite sure how to read it. She was painfully aware of the balancing beam she was walking on with the other woman. “I suppose not.”

“Well, since you’re new to Irdien, I’ll lead,” Tytania said, pointing to the harbor. “Follow me.”

Tytania swept forward. People moved easily out of her way as she moved down the street. Zosia couldn’t help but wonder if it was the other woman’s height, or perhaps the sweeping steps she took, each one as precise as if she was about to step into a dance routine. Or maybe it was that aura about her—even in her roughed up clothes with questionable stains, striding down a dirty street that smelled like fish, Tytania acted like she was constantly in the spotlight. She commanded attention everywhere she went as easily and confidently as breathing.

In comparison, Zosia was a silent shadow at her side, unnoticeable next to such a beacon of attention. Their jobs for the Under suddenly seemed silly to Zosia. Perhaps Tytania would have made a more commanding officer, while Zosia, quiet and detail-orientated, would be better suited to the shadows.

What a curious pair we make.

The two of them were complimentary, in an ironic kind of way. Like two opposites drawn together to form a cohesive and working whole. The thought brought the hint of a smile to Zosia’s lips.

She followed after Tytania with a bit more energy in her step.

The sound of waves knocking against the pier and the cry of gulls welcomed them to the harbor. After a quick look around to regain her bearings, Tytania was able to find the pier where the passenger ship that matched their tickets docked. They stopped briefly to ask someone who looked like a sailor, who then directed them further down the pier to a covered pavilion.

The pavilion’s slate-tiled roof cast a protective shadow over several booths and covered stacks of cargo. They passed one stand for registering trade shipments, a holding pen for live animals, and then finally found the ticket booth for passengers. After a quick conversation with the person manning the booth, they learned that the papers they had received from the Under were vouchers. The ticket seller exchanged the papers for tickets for the next ship’s departure.

“Mid-morning tomorrow,” Tytania said, studying the small print on their new documents. She looked up at Zosia. “Which means we’re staying the night here in Irdien.”

Zosia tucked her chin against a gust of wind that whistled across the pier. Once it had let up, she nodded to Tytania. “Doesn’t seem like we have another choice.”

If her assessments of the police department and mayor were correct, chances were slim that a patrol would make it the nearby towns around Partyn, nevermind a day’s ride away to Irdien. Still, Zosia preferred to err on the side of caution. She had been hoping to leave the continent sooner rather than later. But if there weren’t any ships, there was nothing they could do but wait.

Zosia took their tickets and tucked them carefully back into the pouch. The papers folded inside easily with plenty of space to spare. After paying the carriage driver, there wasn’t a single coin left for other expenses.

Tytania eyed the pouch as if reading Zosia’s thoughts.

“Skimpy Under,” Tytania laughed. “Good thing you have me.”

She dug around, patting her sleeves. After a moment, her hands slid beneath her breasts, pushing the fabric taunt in a way that Zosia found to be irksomely eye-catching.

Zosia paled, sparing a furtive at the dock workers and other people going about their business on the pier. “What are you doing!?” she hissed at Tytania.

“Aha!” To Zosia’s complete horror, Tytania reached down into her shirt. She dug around for a second before her hand emerged victoriously with yet another small pouch—this time a green velvet one.

Zosia could not fathom a way for the other woman to possibly have more pouches there, especially now that she knew Tytania wasn’t wearing a bra.

“How many of those do you have on you?” Zosia asked, equal parts exasperated and impressed.

“I have lots of places where I hide things,” Tytania replied. “I can show you later.”

“I—” Zosia stopped; that felt somehow dangerous. She waved Tytania in front of her. “Let’s just find an inn. Also...” She plucked the new pouch from Tytania’s fingers. “Some different clothes. We shouldn’t keep walking around in these.”

She gestured to her worn-down police uniform and Tytania’s stolen martial guard outfit. The blood speckling their clothes had long since dried, but the stains were suspicious.

“Fine by me,” Tytania said. “I’m always game for an outfit change. You should see how fast I can take off my cloth—”

“Let’s go.” Zosia took Tytania’s arm and steered her down the pier and off the docks.

Irdien was a stop along several cruise lines, and the harbor had a collection of tourist shops. It didn’t take them long to find several clothing stores. The shops here attracted cruise-goers and ferry-riders with everything from Island sundresses to fur-lined jackets that would have been suited for the mountains of Ridon to the north or Lythenor across the sea.

As they meandered around the harbor, the last traces of tension Zosia had hung onto from their time in the carriage ebbed away, as if carried off by the waves. Here, following one another up and down the narrow pathways and breathing in the fresh sea air, Zosia felt like a new person. The memory of Partyn and the role Zosia had played there felt stripped away by the salty breeze, leaving an open ocean of possibilities in its wake.

From the sparkle in Tytania’s eyes as she skipped from one shop to the next, Zosia hoped the other felt the same.

After perusing several shops, Zosia found a lovely dark blouse and pressed pants in a second-hand store. Tytania, meanwhile, tried on what must have been a hundred different items across ten shops before finally choosing an outfit. As she ducked out of the shop’s doorway to where Zosia was waiting outside, Zosia took in Tytania’s new clothes. She sported a leather jacket over a flashy blouse patterned with gold, with white pants to complete the ensemble. Very tight white pants, in fact, that accentuated the other woman’s long legs.

“How do I look?” Tytania said, spinning around so the tassels hanging from her jacket chased her hips.

Zosia weighed the potential benefits of telling the truth with the risk of inflating the other woman’s ego another notch. She settled for a safe: “Good.”

“Well you look ravaging,” Tytania said, reaching out to trace a finger along the subtle embroidery on Zosia’s collar.

Zosia dodged the touch, but couldn’t manage a frown. She felt light and happy in a way she hadn’t in a very long time. She almost wished that their ship would come later, if only so they could continue their carefree meandering in this cozy little town.

“Come on,” Zosia said, standing up. With Tytania in her bright array of color and Zosia in her cool blues and blacks, they made quite a striking pair. Complimentary opposites, indeed. “Let’s go find a place to stay before it gets dark.”