Ward watched as Ria's eyes rounded when she caught sight of the market. He'd been looking forward to seeing what her reaction would be. From the little that she had let slip, it sounded like she had spent most of her time working some sort of desk job, collating information in order to best deal with varying regions. Because of this, he doubted that she'd had the chance to experience a real market day.

From the way that her eyes suddenly sparkled, it looked like he'd been correct. He mentally congratulated himself for making the right choice. She'd been so stressed the night before and he'd wanted to find a way for her to relax. It wasn't that he didn't understand her dilemma, he really did. But throwing herself against an unmovable wall again and again in an attempt to return to her world was just exhausting her. He'd noticed the growing circles under her eyes but the frustration and despair that he saw on her face the night before was the final straw.

If she hadn't agreed to the outing today, he would've called in the big guns and sicced his mom on her. His mother was well used to dealing with recalcitrant star travelers who either worked too hard or didn't work at all.

However it wasn't an issue, she had agreed to the outing and her questions about the currency showed that she was acclimating to Audrilandre well, even if a little reluctantly at times. He knew, that she still wanted to return to her world, that that was why she was working so hard. Still, he had never heard of a star traveler returning to their origin world after coming to Audrilandre. He knew that the other guardians were still combing for information as was he, but he hadn't even found a whisper of a rumor of the possibility.

She turned to him, drawing him from his thoughts, and he saw that she was resisting the urge to bounce around and act like Lynne. "When you said that it was market day, I was thinking that it was something like a small farmer's market, maybe a dozen stalls and a few dozen people. This is huge! Where do we even start?"

He offered his arm again and was pleased when she took it, not wanting her to get lost in the crowd. "This is on the smaller side for a market day, you should see it at the end of the harvest season. Remember, this is not just the villagers but people from all the surrounding farms and even some travelers passing through. It is a good thing, it shows that the community is thriving."

She nodded absently, craning her head as she tried to take everything in at once. "The energy, the vitality, you can feel it flowing through this place. Even if we don't find any information, it was worth coming to see this." Her voice gained a hint of wistfulness, "I wish that Charlotte could see this. Even Father would have an amazing time here."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Hey, don't give up so quickly. You never know what you can find here, market days are nigh on magical."

She glanced at him for a long moment before the tension in her shoulders eased. "Very well, I trust you. You have not led me astray to this point so I doubt that you will do so now. So, where do you suggest that we start?"

He led her around the edge of the plaza, aiming for the far side. "Why don't we start at the novelties and odd 'n' ends section and work our way back? We can grab lunch at the tavern and then do the food shopping on our way out of the market. Will that work?"

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"Odds 'n' ends and novelties sound intriguing. And if they're unusual, people probably have to work to gather the components, which means that they might have heard or seen something unusual. Sounds like the perfect place to start looking."

Her fingers twitched as she spoke as if she wanted to reach for something, something that he had noticed over the past several days when she was especially intent upon something. At first, he'd thought it was a nervous tick and that she was reaching for a nonexistent weapon. However, as he and his family had come to know her and he'd learned that knowledge was her weapon of choice, it seemed more likely that she was reaching for some sort of writing utensil to jot down some notes.

Pausing, he flicked open his guide and retrieved a small item that he'd picked up at the end of his last circuit. He offered her the small notebook and pencil, unable to repress his smile when she stared at it like it was some sort of illusion before tentatively reaching out and taking them.

She ran her fingers gently over the cover before flicking through the pages. "Where did you get this? Faye had a couple of paper tablets to learn writing on but I have not seen anything like that here. And when I asked Faye and Lynne, they didn't seem to understand what I was talking about."

He shrugged, tugging her gently back into motion. My guardian log was getting full so I grabbed one before I finished my circuit. However, I still have room in my current one, so you're welcome to have that one until we can find more for you."

She clutched it to her chest like she'd just received a priceless gift instead of a small notebook. "Thank you! I'll make sure to replace it when I can. This will make things so much easier."

"There's no need to replace it, it really is a trifling thing. I'm just glad that it will be able to help you out. Now, ready to answer some questions and possibly haggle?"

She beamed at him, "I'm ready!"

X

Ria couldn't believe it when Ward offered her a notebook, a real notebook, not a paper tablet like Faye had been teaching her her letters on. She was half convinced that it was an illusion but the cool leather under her fingers and the quiet rustle of pages turning convinced her that it was real. She couldn't count the number of times that she'd gone to write something down, only to remember that she didn't have anything to write it in. Not only that, the guide didn't have any sort of notes app where she could type things in. There was where you could send and receive messages but nowhere to just write.

From what she'd seen of this part of Audrilandre, it was an odd mixture of styles. According to Faye, there was a 100% literacy rate because everyone used the guide. However, much of lore and culture was passed down orally, which meant the answers to her questions might not be in a book at all.

If she had been back on Earth and people who lived like this had been discovered, she would've found it a fascinating case. Would've probably begged her father to let her go study them and see what their lifestyle and culture were like. She couldn't help the small grin that kicked up the corner of her mouth. Well, looks like she got her wish, in a roundabout way. Still, to come from a world where there was constant information bombardment and you could find anything with a few quick internet searches, this particular culture was turning out to be very frustrating.

Which was why she was so grateful that Ward had suggested this outing. With a guardian at her side, it would undoubtedly be easier for her to find out what she needed to know. Not only that, but Ward would probably know the right questions to ask, something that she was coming to find that she was sorely lacking. Yes, it was all well and fine to master the language and know how to use the guide but she had no idea how to actually interact with the people of Audrilandre, which left her grasping at straws.

Determination filling her, she made a beeline for the nearest stall in the section that Ward had pointed her toward. He had graciously cleared his schedule to make this happen for her, she was not going to waste this chance.