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>>/3839/ >>/3830/ >>/3827/ As you all walk back, hand in hand, with Alice in check and ready to finally get registered, you have faith that Ashley has fulfilled her promise, that she hasn't done what you fear she might have, no matter how absurd those thoughts were, you shake them off and think only of how she must have felt, alone and away, in this city for the first time but as far as you know, in a city for the first time for her altogether. Her past before Yulya found her in that Owlbear's nest, presumably placed there for his breakfast, was unknown to you and even to her. She acted then not from experience she could even grasp but some unknown unconscious routine; an ego that was opaque, even to her. ... As she left the guard, and that large man Brutus, she knew she hadn’t impressed either of them. It was disappointing but she was released to make her way to the guild and that was her orders. She avoided questioning, she avoided being caught in her own web of lies, but that web saved them 5 gold and deception was merely a tool in her arsenal. The fittest will survive, that much she knew. Honor, and loyalty she had as long as she could afford them. She wouldn't be led to her grave just in order to hold a flag of honor. With nothing but the guild payments to her name, for her and her group to register and nothing else, and keen to put as much distance between herself and the law as fast as possible, but also feeling regret for leaving her party to their fate, she did what she was supposed to do and nothing more. Not for them, though it was Yulya's wish, but for herself, at the end of the day she needed to live with herself and if she could afford it, she would have that integrity. Past the Temple of Tyr just North of the gate, Ashley walked down the Southern main street of Neverwinter just as you were now, the smell of sea air was quickly replaced by a plethora of other pleasant scents and smells from shops and vendors, perfume, candles, tanned leather and wrought iron were the first wave that tickled her fancy just as they did for you. The storefronts lining the wide road again shifted from a more supply and industrial theme to an open market style spectacular only the big city could offer. ... As you traveled past the little shop you bought Alice's dress and mask at, you could see the market square, and it was a sight to behold. Even as the shadows grew long, you could see the stalls and tents, the hustle and bustle of a vibrant and prosperous city filled with all the races you knew and some you wouldn't believe. She was a mecca for all, welcoming to all with the coin who could afford her splendor. Neverwinter was the destination of those seeking adventure, seeking temperate weather, seeking culture and high society, and seeking refuge, for this city-state wasn't typical, it was governed peacefully and fairly according to its residents. Though it was expensive and crime wasn't much different from any other city, there was a sense here that the injustices in life were barred from entrance, though that couldn't be further from the truth in reality, still it was ultimately a fair deal, far fairer than a tightly controlled technocracy, a oppressive religious theocracy or a dictating monarchy, though they were all here, the oligarchs, the clergy and the monarchs, but they were held in check, you could say, by the will of the people. Truly that was special and that credit was owed to the guild. >>/3834/ Your hunger peeks here in the market square, any delicious delight you could imagine, you saw it, you smelled it. And you imagined Ashley's senses were overwhelmed the same way. It worried you a little, you knew too little about this girl who had your fortune and your fate in her coin purse.