losthunter | The Doors of our Heart

"Great..." Jim rubs at the back of his neck. As much as this Apollo guy sounds like the kind of god that'd do his people right, the lack of an obvious temple to go to is an annoying stumbling block.

"Perhaps we could ask for directions," Faris murmurs from Hunter's chest.

"Good idea. I think one of those merchants might be willing to answer a few questions..." Hunter smiles at Jim. "They won't part with the information, without selling us something. One of us might have to barter us one hell of a deal, though."

That's a good idea, there's just one problem. "I don't have anything I can trade," Jim says, looking over at him.

"Here..." Hunter reaches into a satchel at his side. And gives Jim a few pieces of decorative marble. "This should help."

Huh, well that's handy. Jim takes the marble in hand, mentally reviewing suitable cover stories for why they're here. In a small village like this, anyone local will probably be able to tell they're from out of town, and that's assuming that there won't be any language issues. "All right, I'll give it a shot."

He approaches the merchants, his steps casually measured, a faint smile on his lips as he raises a hand in greeting. "Hi there."

"Greetings good sir! Welcome to Delphi!" The merchant seems to know that Jim isn't a local. But is gracious all the same.

"Are you looking for some fine silks today?"

That's a good sign. They get travelers often enough here that two strangers aren't terribly out of place, and the more people assume, the less lies Jim has to tell, and therefore the easier it'll be to keep the story straight. He puts on his charming captainly grin and meets the merchant's eyes. "Not at the moment, I'm afraid," he says, making an effort to scrub his more modern slang from his vocabulary. So far, the language doesn't seem to be an issue, but he can't tell if it's magic or his universal translator, and he doesn't want to risk muddying the waters with a modern idiom that might not come across the way he means it. "I was hoping perhaps you could direct me to the Temple of Apollo."

"You look to be in good health, my friend. Why would you want to find the Temple? Especially, when I have so many beautiful silks to offer you..."

Here goes cover story number one. Jim gestures towards Hunter, not beckoning him over, but drawing the merchant's attention to him. "It's not me, it's my friend. He has come to see the oracle." It's not entirely a lie, if Kendra really is associated with the oracles here.

But he makes sure his smile doesn't slip at all, regarding the merchant with the same friendly expression he has been wearing, putting as much honesty into it as he dares. "Perhaps we can work out a deal?" he asks, deliberately fidgeting with one of the pieces of marble, obviously enough that the merchant will see it while pretending it's just something to do with his hands.

Hunter approaches when Jim beckons him over, a little curious to why. The merchant glances over at Hunter, and balks slightly.

"The oracle?" He repeats.

Then his eyes draw to the marble in Jim's hands. "Perhaps... yes. We could do that. For the right price, I can tell you want you desire."

As awful as it is to see others react to Hunter that way, Jim certainly hopes that the merchant's attitude has more to do with Hunter's appearance than the fact that he's asking to see the oracle. Because if it's that, then it's possible people might assume they're seeking a cure, and that's a decent enough excuse. If the merchant is concerned that they're looking for the oracle at all, that'll be a lot harder to explain.

Jim continues smiling, drawing the merchant's attention back to himself. "I'm afraid I don't have any coin. Perhaps this will do?" he asks, holding up the piece of marble.

The merchant had indeed reacted due to Hunter's appearance. In this early times, someone who had that many markings and piercings would be considered an outcast. Or worse.

The merchant is quite happy to focus his attention on Jim. "A very lovely piece of marble."

"The Temple is located within the home of the Seamstress. Her shop can be located by the Spider Web pattern on her door." The merchant holds out his hand for the marble, as promised.

[bed]

Jim hands it over without hesitation, never breaking the smile for a moment. "Thank you. I appreciate your assistance." God, I sound like I'm channeling Spock. But it's worked, assuming the directions are accurate, and he sees no reason to believe they're not.

It doesn't take them long to walk from the market down one of the cobble roads to reach the seamstress house. As detailed by the merchant, the door is decorated by a large Spider Web on it.

There are a couple of young girls, ages five to seven at best, who are working on sewing some clothing. The youngest of these girls drops a spool of thread, that rolls down the street, stopping close by where Jim and Hunter were walking.

Well, that seems like a good way to approach things. Jim picks up the spool, and approaches where the girls are sitting. "You dropped something," he calls out.

The young girl had been searching around her station frantically when she looked up at hearing Jim's voice. She rushes over, relief on her face.

"Oh gracious tidings!" She reached for the spool of thread, but pausing as her small fingers touch Jim's hand. "The stars await for you to explore them once again. How exciting...."

"Kassandra!" A sharp voice speaks from the doorway of the seamstress house. It belongs to an old woman. "Leave that man alone! Get back to work!"

Well, that was pretty unambiguous. Not to mention accurate. Jim throws a look over his shoulder at Hunter, one that says, This is the right place.

"It's all right, ma'am. I'm the one who distracted her." Not entirely true, but he doesn't want this little girl to get yelled at for a simple mistake, or a moment's lapse in attention.

Hunter has this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that the little girl had seemed awfully familiar. He nods slightly at Jim's glance his way.

"The girls should know better to be distracted." The woman points out coldly. The little girl returns to her station, head down. Quiet.

"Now, what brings two travelers to my shop today?"

No reason not to be truthful, although obviously it's not the whole truth. "We're looking for the Temple of Apollo," Jim answers. "We were told we might find it here."

"Ah! Travelers who wish to speak with the Oracle... yes... yes... Please come inside." The old woman gestures for them to enter the hut.

The little girl watches them, while still keeping her head down to not alert the older woman of her attention.

The inside of the seamstress hut is decorated with many fine silks and delicate designs of all kinds. The old woman guides Jim and Hunter to a back room, where seated upon soft pillows is a beautiful young woman. Her hair is brunette, and very long. It is braid, and wraps around her body. She wears very suggestive clothing. And has a bright smile for both of them.

"The Oracle..." The old woman introduces them. Hunter frowns slightly to himself. Something feels off about this whole situation. It was almost too easy.

Yeah, Jim's getting a bit of that vibe too. Especially since, you know, the little girl knew from a single touch that he's waiting to go back out into space. "Is she?" he asks, not disrespectfully, but just skeptical enough.

"Please sit... speak with the Oracle."

The young woman flashes Jim a shy smile. But to Hunter it seems like she is putting on some kind of act.

"I see such great things for you." She speaks softly. "You have been traveling for such a long time. But opportunity awaits for you in a new town. Love. Marriage. A family."

Hunter starts coughing, to cover up the fact that he wants to laugh right now.

She glances at Hunter, her eyes narrowing a little. "But your friend. He will soon walk alone. Forgotten and unloved. For the rest of his life."

Even though Hunter knows that the woman is a fake, her words still hurt. He shakes his head, excusing himself out of the room. The young woman takes the opportunity to reach out to touch Jim's hands. "But you, are quite blessed today."

Yeeeeaaaaah, total bullshit. Jim looks over in concern when Hunter leaves the room, and the only reason he doesn't just get up and leave too is because the fake oracle is touching him.

Well, fine. If she wants to play games, he can play them right back.

"What about my parents?" he asks, pretending to play along, if only for a moment.

"They have been concerned about the drought, haven't they?" The fake oracle flashes him another smile. She twirls her hair slightly. "Have you come to ask me to speak to Lord Apollo, so that his Sun Chariot doesn't shine too brightly on their crops for the next year?"

Hunter meanwhile has slipped through the exterior room, without being noticed by the old woman. All that time on the streets, hiding himself, seems to work in his favor here. He moves until he is closer to where the girls are working. And just stands there, watching them to get an impression of their routine.

She's fishing, and Jim gives her nothing. "Shouldn't you already know why I'm here?" he asks. A quiet challenge, hardly subtle but not too belligerent.

With Hunter, Faris observes what he can from his position on the man's chest. He doesn't understand what strange masquerade this is, but the false oracle's words held no wisdom, no knowledge. And with the presence of the girls nearby, he cannot ask, so he stays still and silent, doing what he does best - listening.

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