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I wonder why the troupe never came to Dracopolis...? Gitana wondered, turning in a slow circle as she took in the sheer, mammoth size of the marketplace. With the size of the city, she felt certain that her ragtag family could have made enough coin to last them nearly a year.
"So, where are we headed?" Chansyx asked, breaking the rogue out of her thoughts. "You seemed in a hurry to head to the market as soon as we got here.”
Gitana glanced down at the gnome, giving her a sheepish smile. "Ah, it's a little hard to explain. Hells, it might just be a whole waste of time. But...there's something I want to... Need to check. Do you mind tagging along the whole time?"
"If it gets me away from Jean for a couple of hours, I'll go anywhere."
She laughed a bit and replied, "Alright." She then refocused her attention and scanned their surroundings for the nearest jeweler. Once she spotted one, Gitana made a beeline for it, weaving through foot traffic and around carts.
"Hey, wait! Gitana, slow down!"
She ignored her friend and opened the door, stepping into the shop. She looked around and tried to fight the urge to take a step back from the imperious and disdainful looks being thrown her way. For the first time in a long time, she felt self-conscious about her appearance; everyone in the shop was dressed in fine silks, and she did not see a single half-elf among the clientele or staff. She stood frozen for a few moments, though it felt like an eternity. She was only returned to the present when the door opened once more behind her, the little bell hung over the entryway ringing softly.
"Gitana, seriously, what had you in such a...Oh, wow!" Chansyx's face lit up in a way that Gitana had never seen before, and she went up to the counter furthest from the door.
Hesitantly, Gitana followed her, hyper-aware of the eyes that were following her, though these stares did not invoke the same thrill of performing in front of a crowd. Chansyx looked over some of the necklaces in one of the display cases, admiring them aloud to the shopkeep that had stepped up to provide her with assistance.
"Oh, is that a star emerald?" the gnome asked.
"Indeed it is, ma'am," the shopkeep enthused. "You have excellent taste."
"I haven't seen one of those in a really long time..." Chansyx sighed, almost wistfully.
"And where did you last see such a gem, if I may ask?"
"In Gnomania."
"Ah, I should have guessed."
"How much are you asking for?"
"Oh, this particular piece is going for 1500 gold pieces, considering the rarity of the gem."
"I see," Chansyx mused.
Gitana, on the other hand, blanched at the price. She doubted this was the right shop, not when Cole had appraised her necklace at such a low value. She had been a fool to latch onto the first shop she had spotted, and knew she was being driven by desperation. Panic threatened to overwhelm as she recalled the vastness of Dracopolis. It would take forever to comb through the marketplace alone, never mind any shops that may not even be located in the main shopping district. She was an absolute idiot to think she could just waltz into the city and immediately find the answers she sought.
"Hey, Gitana, what did you need come in here for?"
Once more, Chansyx's voice drew her out of her reverie. She blinked a little, swallowed nervously, and reached up to unclasp the amber pendant from around her neck.
"I-I was wondering if you might be able to identify the jeweler that crafted this...?" she asked in an uncharacteristically small voice.
The shopkeep glanced at the necklace and then looked at Gitana, expression completely unimpressed. "I can certainly tell you it's not one of our pieces."
"But can you identify who might have crafted it?" she repeated.
"...I suppose. Though we would have to charge an appraisal fee."
"How much would that cost me?"
"Fifty gold pieces."
Gitana swallowed. It was expensive. More than expensive, really. But she was desperate. Beyond desperate. She nodded and reached for her coin purse.
"No, thank you," Chansyx interrupted, tugging on Gitana's sleeve to stop her.
The rogue looked down at the sorcerer in surprise. Chansyx shook her head ever-so-slightly and turned her attention back to the shopkeep with a practiced and insincere smile.
“Thank you for your assistance, but we’ll take our business elsewhere,” she said in a haughty tone Gitana had never before heard her use.
“Very well, madam,” the shopkeep all-but-sneered.
Chansyx took Gitana by the hand and led her back out onto the street. Once they were a short distance away from the shop, Chansyx stopped and turned to look up at Gitana, frowning a little.
“That wasn’t like you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just…” Gitana glanced down at the amber pendant, still clutched tightly in her hand. “I need answers that I’ve been searching for almost my whole life.”
“...Okay,” Chansyx eventually said, seeming to accept that as an answer. “So, you want to keep an eye out for jeweler’s shops?”
Gitana nodded.
“Okay,” she repeated. “Let’s start by finding someone that’ll treat you better, first.”
She smiled gratefully and knelt down to give Chansyx a quick hug. “Thank you, darling,” she murmured.
The two then went on their way, picking their way through the crowded streets and heading in a southward direction. As they traveled, the shops and wandering clientele became humbler; Gitana finally relaxed, feeling more at home. Still, the market was vast and the sun was dipping lower and lower in the sky.
“...Maybe we should head back,” Gitana suggested, reluctant to admit defeat but knowing they could not go for much longer.
“You sure?”
“It’s starting to get rather late, darling,” she pointed out.
“Fair point,” Chansyx agreed with a nod.
Gitana turned back but paused when she noticed a sign hanging above on of the storefronts just off the main market street. It proclaimed the shop to be named Drops of Moonlight, with a crescent moon covered in twisting vines painted beneath the lettering. Something about the design seemed familiar to her somehow…
“Chansyx, darling, I know I said we should head back, but do you mind if we check one more shop?” she asked, gaze still fixated on the sign.
Chansyx looked up at her and then followed her gaze, before looking once more to Gitana. “I don’t mind.”
She slowly approached the shop, her heart beating like a bird trapped in a cage. As she placed her hand on the door handle, she swallowed, wondering if at long last...She turned the handle and stepped into the shop, looking around the room. Behind the counter was a young-looking dwarven man, rearranging some of the pieces laid out in the display case.
Gitana stepped up to the counter and asked, “Are you the jeweler in this establishment?”
“Nah, I’m just one of his apprentices.”
“Is he here today?”
“Yeah, he’s just in the back working on some new pieces. Do you need for something?”
Gitana nodded. “There’s something I’d like to ask him, if that’s okay.”
The dwarf turned away from the counter and went to the closed door tucked into the corner. He opened it and poked his head inside. “Hey, Mahlan, I’ve got a customer that wants to talk to you personally.”
Gitana was certain she was holding her breath at that point, her whole body tense with anticipation as she watched the door intently. After a few moments, a slender, human man stepped into view. He was very dark, with a tawny complexion and deep, burgundy hair. His eyes, however, were strikingly blue, almost reminding her of lightning. He approached her and smiled.
“Hello. What I can do for you?”
Trembling, Gitana placed her amber necklace--which she still held in her hand--on the counter between them. He looked down at it and stilled, the smile falling from his face as his eyes grew wide. It was all the confirmation she needed.
“Twenty-one years ago,” Gitana started, voice trembling nearly as much as her hands, “you left this necklace with a babe left on the doorstep of an orphanage here in Dracopolis.”
The man turned his wide-eyed gaze to Gitana, now studying her features intently. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door of the shop opened, drawing their attention to the newcomer. In the doorway stood an elven woman, a bow and quiver strapped to her back and a couple of full rabbit snares dangling from her left hand. Her black hair was cropped short and shaved on one side, and she had fair, albeit sun-tanned, skin. Her eyes were the same mossy-green color as Gitana’s. She looked from Gitana to the jeweler, her expression shifting from bewilderment to realization to shock.
“Nakia…” the jeweler breathed.
The rabbits fell from the woman’s now-slackened grasp and she took one slow step towards Gitana, and then another. She then all-but-ran across the small space, closing the distance between herself and Gitana, wrapping her into a tight embrace.
“Ehlonna has brought you home at last,” she whispered.
The tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did so, and Gitana buried her face in the woman’s--her birth mother’s --shoulder. A few moments later, her birth father joined them, and the three clung to each other for a good, long while.
“Um...not to make this weird or anything, but Gitana, what the heck is going on?” Chansyx eventually piped up.
Gitana laughed a bit and pulled away from her parents, wiping at the tear streaks on her cheeks, looking to her friend sheepishly. “Ah, it’s a bit of a long story…”
“A story that we can relay over supper,” Mahlan said. “Please, both of you are more than welcome to join us.”
Gitana smiled and nodded. “I would love that.”