“The weather is more decent than I thought it would be. It is not a surprise that there are so many of them,” quiet murmurs could be heard when the hooded woman spoke to herself and stumbled across the streets leading up to Orchidia Town. Seira Navillera, a frequent visitor, was yet again taken aback by the amount of people passing through the gates every day, oh so eager to get into the city. The population was ever so welcoming and the town’s undying charm and roguish atmosphere were beneficial factors that attracted many wanderers and travellers—anyone could settle down in Orchidia for a few days and the infrastructure offered plenty places to do so at. Travellers from across Fiore were appreciative of the town’s practical and convenient location and throughout the years it became a generally busy place. Seira, in hopes of finding a job, removed the hood once she was close enough to the entrance gates. People minded their own businesses and she felt comfortable enough not to hide. Minutes passed until she spotted a man standing amidst a small crowd, diligently handing fliers over to the visitors. Upon taking a closer look she noticed that his face was a familiar one and he was, after all, a well known man in the town.

Dacol Lubex, if she recalled correctly, spent his days working for the city. He welcomed visitors, provided travellers with maps and information regarding the town and acted very much the same as any tourist guide. Even though his work was simple he was passionate and Seira, in a strange way, respected that. She approached him slowly and waved as soon as she stepped into his line of sight and although it took Dacol a moment to notice her, he grinned widely when he did. “Welcome to Orchidia Town!” Dacol exclaimed with overflowing enthusiasm and handed Seira a flier. “Why thank you,” she responded with a brief smile and, almost dismissively, scanned the piece of paper before she spoke to him again. “I’m inclined to believe that you, Mr. Lubex, are a very busy person indeed—there’s doubtlessly more for you to do and I believe I can help out. My name is Seira, I’m a wanderer looking for work,” She offered to shake his hand, an unusual gesture for her kind but she did it for the sake of friendly communication, and he accepted willingly. “Fantastic,” Dacol nodded a nod of approval, “You are just what I needed!” He clearly enjoyed the straightforwardness of her approach and handed her a large stack of fliers. “Give these to everyone who enters the town. The fliers include a map, a list of places to visit as well as a list of places to avoid. Remind them of the great services we offer here at Orchidia Town, and I will pay you fairly.” Seira grabbed the fliers and Dacol explained that he planned on taking single travellers or tiny groups on little tours through the inner city. They came to an agreement and Dacol stood with her until his first customer arrived. They walked off shortly after and easily blended with the masses.

By the time Seira started her work the number of people arriving had, fortunately, decreased quite a bit and she handed out a flier to every single person passing by with relative ease and also—of course—educated them on its usefulness. Travellers and tourist were appreciative of the effort she, and Orchidia Town in general, made to ensure that everybody had a great experience during their stay and most fliers were accepted either wordlessly or with a kind smile and nod of approval. On the contrary, however, there were also one or two who felt offended at the sight of what appeared to be an aid or a guidance, as they had been to the town many times before and clearly didn’t need such a thing. Seira could not comprehend as to why someone would feel offended when receiving a flier and she dismissed their negative mood and moved on to the next person.

A handful of people passed by before Dacol returned and kept her company while he waited for the next traveller to join him on his little tour through the inner city. They spoke about the places Seira had visited before and those she planned on visiting this time and after they exchanged a few words the man eventually left to guide another group of visitors and Seira returned to her work as well. The Sorceress remained like this for quite a while now and during the afternoon hours less and less people showed up. Seira still had a decent amount of fliers left and Dacol provided her with more as soon as it became necessary. You would think that her work became tedious after standing around the entire day, but Seira actually enjoyed the different people she met—some were more interesting than others. Orchidia was, after all, not aligned to a single guild and many wizards, good and potentially even bad, could visit if they chose to. Seira was a cautious girl, and she was well aware of the large amount of wizards that entered the city, but fortunately she did not sense any danger, nor did it distract her from her work. Seira was talented at appearing ‘unsuspicious’ and so she lurked, overheard some conversations while handing out maps but did nothing else to gain attention. The sun went down and eventually her shift ended. Grateful for the opportunity to make some money so early, but also tired from her own travel, Seira took a seat on a trunk nearby and waited for Dacol’s return from his final customer. “Busy day?” He took a seat next to her and Seira returned the remaining fliers to him. “Somewhat,” she responded and put a thoughtful expression on, “It depended on the time of the day, really.” They spoke for a few more minutes, Dacol eventually handed out Seira’s reward and she left after she had finished counting the money, now also looking for a hotel to stay at for a few more nights.

[1020]
Quest.