The noise on the market was loud and the smell unbearable, the fish stunk up Wilwarin's nostrils. And the screaming of the stall around him blew his eardrums out, if these merpeople could be any more louder, he would walk out of this market deaf.

He still didn't let the chance go to look around the stall out of pure curiosity, he never went to a vegetable market, but he has been to many fish markets. For some reason most of the drug dealers he worked with always wanted to meet around there.

If it was to mask the smell of drugs or the scent of their bodies, Wilwarin didn't care, he only followed the orders of his father nothing more nothing less. He was the middleman, that is what got him killed also, maybe then his mother wouldn't have misunderstood him.

The memory of the trashing from his laptop also flew there shortly, but he didn't want to face that yet so he concentrated on the prize. Where to find Ardon?

He walked a bit off the market and looked at the stores that were located in a building. Nothing of value and nothing of interest, he went into a few of them to ask about Ardon, but nothing came up.

He spotted some merpeople, they looked like young men back from a shopping trip, their hands were adorned with jewelry and their clothes seemed to be handwoven. Wilwarin didn't see any machinery that could make something fine-lined as this, so he had found his targets to follow.

Wilwarin was never too close, and never too far, the training of shadowing a person was etched into his bones. Even though he had never been in this environment, he knew which spots he could use to his advantage to hide from both his targets and the surrounding folk.

He followed them pretty far, Wilwarin soon his on top of the rooftops as they were easy to climb and hard to be spotted on. Wilwarin moved like a snake slowly, but deadly. If they saw him he had the advantage point of knocking them three out, if necessary.

He could hear their petty words and wordplay, gossip and blackmail. Pride over their riches and the gloat over the unfortunate. As they walked further and further, the surroundings were harder and harder to hide in. The area for the rich was designed to be safe for the rich.

Wilwarin could see some sandstone pillars, around the buildings, little pictures of fishes carved inside and some had the first interaction between the merpeople and the humans.

The merperson was half in the water as they looked up at the human being that was kneeling in front of them as if to get a better look.

Wilwarin decided to walk on the street, his clothes were more than enough to qualify, and he was nowhere as a chick or as jeweler heavy as the other people here, but he carried an aura of untouchableness, that probably came from his being as an elf. A high carried head, even his clothes fluttered with a kind of ethereal feeling, like he is precious and should be carried above the world.

Most of the passersby merpeople and sometimes rich humans, that past him took a second and third look at him. Wilwarin carried that untouchableness, but with it also a coldness. Unreachable, distant, with a goal in mind.

He walked further and further, the youths he was following long out of sight, but he didn't need them anymore. He reached the area of the rich, so he looked around for high-end stores and found a very popular one.

'The glistening Pearl', was very generic in terms of naming, as he walked in it seemed like a tourist attraction. Fishnets with pearls were hanging from the ceiling and the walls were adorned with seaweedlike features, corrals, and fishes. Wilwarin felt like he was in the aquarium, he was only there once, and it was a birthday present from Val.

The floor was made out of a darker wood.

There were no fish tanks or anything like that, but rather little display cases made from glass. In it laid many things somewhere magic scrolls, jewelry, clothes made from dragon scales, and even some exquisite foods. High-quality potion ingredients, and a few rare herbs.

He didn't know if they were really that rare, but it was what was written on the little signs.

The merpeople working all had nice uniforms that looked like butlers, and the cashier was the only one with gold-adorned clothes. His big belly was laughing as he struck a deal with the person in front of him, as he looked closer he saw that girl, Cyrene.

As he walked a little closer he realized that the cashier was not laughing out of happiness but out of awkwardness.

"Listen here you old crook, I don't know which rock you live under but this here," she held a pearl bracelet high, "Is NOT as valuable as you make it seem." Cyrene put the bracelet back down the table and slapped on the table with her other hand, "Are you trying to cheat me out of money?"

The cashier sweat a little bit but tried to keep a professional smile, "Young miss, this is a shop of the HIGHEST quality. We are one of the best jewelry shops in this district, under NO circumstances would we EVER sell fake wares. From the front to the back it is of HIGHEST quality and of GENUINE origin." The merman was showing to the door and then through the whole store, always pronouncing some words elongated as if trying to sound more sincere. But Cyrene didn't believe a word that cashier was saying, her back was stiffening even more and Wilwarin watched how short her fuze was. She looked like she would throw that bracelet through the whole store if the merman in front of her wouldn't begin telling the truth.

"Listen you slimy, golden, little fucker, you may be from the ocean, but this pear bracelet is as cheap as your words. If you won't show me real pearls in the exact form of this bracelet right now, I will go to Eugene. He is an old friend, he certainly wouldn't take kind to you selling fake wares in his district," Cyrene spoke slowly, her words with intent and silent threats. Wilwarin didn't know who that Eugene was, but he could imagine that the guy was another resource should the merman, who sold Ardon his shop, not work out.

The merman with gold scales around his ears and nose, trembled upon hearing that name, he looked nervously through his store as if that Eugene was already coming. As he looked at Cyrene, he trembled, "We don't need to bother him with that I feel like Lord Fallington has many other things to do. He should not care about a poor little employee like me, indeed this is what we sell to... ehm... our people of lesser standing. Yes! The people who want something nice and not pay as much."

A cold laugh echoed through the shop, "Not pay as much? This is double of what an original pearl bracelet would cost. These are fake pearls overall, so maybe price them right and put the original in the class display cases instead of the fake pearls. So may I have a genuine pearl bracelet in the exact same design?"

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The cashier nodded and walked to the back with the pearl bracelet Cyrene had originally in her hand, Wilwarin knew this was a perfect time to approach her.

"Seems like you're shopping. Hello, I'm Fe- ehh Wilwarin. You were at Ardon's shop packing your things last I saw you."

Cyrene looked at him with a piercing look, trying to remember, "Ohh, yes the elf boy. Indeed, I am shopping. What brings you around these parts, not very usual to see an elf around here."

Wilwarin nodded and looked around the shop, he couldn't look her in the eyes, and a weird feeling of guilt seemed to hit him, "I lost Ardon, he was supposed to look for an address around here. He didn't come back though so I am getting worried."

She scoffed, "Ardon getting in trouble wouldn't be a first, his bad jokes and punchable face bring an invitation to trouble. What address were you looking for?"

Wilwarin looked at Cyrene trying not to get burned by her brown-blue eyes, "Something with-"

The cashier came back, Wilwarin stopped talking and let Crene finish her business first, "Here, my lady. I changed the pearls with real pearls as the bracelet truly is one of its kind, which is why it was so expensive in the first place. Of course, because of a misunderstanding in the sign, we will still sell it to you for the price advertised."

Cyrene smirked in a sarcastic manner, "Advertised price? No no no, you sell them to me with a discount of course. After all, I, a loyal customer was betrayed by the quality of the shop. You almost sold me a unique bracelet with FAKE pearls. If I go to the scallopsy press, you'll be fired by tomorrow with such a scandal."

Wilwarin watched as the merman's hands began to tremble and the bracelet he had been holding was slowly put on the counter, "Yes, of course. A discount for your difficulties, how about instead of five gold coins I will sell this to you for three and you'll get a nice seashell-neckless for free with it?"

Cyrene nodded slowly, and her brows tightened with her nodding, she seemed not satisfied but accepting of that price, "If I ever see this again, I will make sure you lose your job."

The merman nodded with sweat running down his face, he put both the bracelet and the neckless in a nice bag and gave them to Cyrene. She paid and took the things with one last warning look.

Wilwarin walked outside the shop with her, as they arrived outside she watched him inquiring, "So? What street were you two dumbasses looking for?"

Wilwarin twitched with his head, "Oh, yes. We were going to some kind of lobsterstreet or corner? I don't really know the number anymore, but we were hoping to see the guy who was selling Ardon his shop and look at his other merchandise."

"What? Lobstercorner? You're totally wrong in this area though, that name sounds fancy but look around. There is the Shiningcoralstreet, the Tritonarea, and the mermaid passage. Lobster might sound fancy, but it's the practical joke around the merfolk. The streets with fish or sea fruit names are poor," she looked into the distance and muttered something Wilwarin couldn't quite understand.

Wilwarin looked even more worried now, "Do you perhaps know where that is? You don't have to help me find him but just show me the general area so I can find him."

Cyrene looked back at Wilwarin her eyes scanning him up and down, "No offense, but you don't even look like you could throw a punch. Much less saving someone while you look like... this." She pointed to all of Wilwarin, one hand movement that was from his head to his toes, "Little elf, these guys would eat you up in a second, maybe even more you have what is considered a pretty face for a guy."

"Thank you? I can take of myself, I know a little about fighting," he said and then realized that the 'original' didn't know anything and was even not talented in it at all. Why else did he choose to dance like his mother. Cyrene just shook her head and motioned for him to follow her.

"If you can handle yourself so well, don't count on me rescuing you. I will bring you there, and then I'll leave, don't blame me if those merpeople do something vile and disgusting toward you."

"I won't. Thank you for guiding me."

"Don't thank me yet, little elf."

...

The streets were littered with fishheads and Wilwarin could smell a familiar smell, a scent he has often traced outside of his hometown. Opium. He covered his mouth and nose with the light fabric around his arms, it didn't do much, but it could ensure him a little.

"Disgusting," the woman with the black hair in front of him muttered, she shielded the bag with her goods from the smoke and walked further inside. "We're almost there, and we didn't see him on the way. Nor did we get kidnapped, yet again we are here at a different time. You said he was here yesterday evening?"

Wilwarin nodded, before he realized that Cyrene would not hear that, "Indeed. I left roughly around two hours until sundown, and he wasn't seen coming back at all."

"He definitely either got kidnapped or was drunk and still is a passed-out drunk somewhere around here."

"He drinks?"

"No, that was a former employer. Who knows maybe Ardon could be the type, then again it is more likely that he got into trouble with someone." Wilwarin could hear annoyance out of the sentence and what seemed like nostalgia, he saw as Cyrene's footsteps began to decrease and she turned around. Her hands rubbed the back of her neck as she looked anywhere but his face, "I'll help you find him. NOT because I think you'll be fishfood as soon as I leave, but..." She seemed like it was difficult to talk about it, "Ardon, he was like a friend. Whenever there was danger he... Anyway, not that concerns you but he was different from my other employers, he was kind."

Wilwarin smiled, "Yes, I know somehow I get the feeling that with Ardon... Everything will be alright. That is why I am looking for him, he isn't someone I can abandon. I... don't know how to feel about that but I know that I feel like he is important. That's... all that matters to me right now."

Cyrene watched him and for the first time it felt like, she was really looking at him, she smiled, it seemed like her face brightened up even with the scar on her lip. It seemed sunny and almost kind, "Indeed, he has this weird effect. Let's go to the Lobstercorner is not far from here. We can just ask around for Ardon there. The Lobstercorner has a much lesser drug problem, the people there are cleaner." She looked at the surrounding merpeople in disgust and walked forward. Wilwarin just followed her.

Around the Lobstercorner the merpeople were much clearer in the head, Wilwarin and Cyrene asked around for Ardon, they got info as to where he went so they began making their way to Lobstercorner 24. They saw a weird little shop, and before going in they confirmed with surrounding shops if Ardon even made it this far.

They all told the same thing that made both of them nervous, Ardon was seen going in, but never going out. Throughout the merfolk they asked it seemed to be a common mystery, people went in. No one ever walked out.