Bilgewater certainly looked bigger in the daytime. Even though she was uncertain, nervous, and uneasy, perhaps there had to be a way to learn and adapt to being somewhere out of her comfort zone. At least that was something to keep in mind. Her hands were grasping the piece of paper so tightly she hadn't noticed that she let a ripping tear in the corner. What errands did Vadoma want exactly? The woman was stranger than before, pushy for some reason. Tauriel pulled her hood closer, making sure she was covering herself and began taking a step further into the streets of Bilgewater. Her eyes were searching for any sight of people as she was ensuring she wasn't being too out of the ordinary.
Tauriel began scanning the paper, a map with included some things that Vadoma needed. She needed to be careful. This was Tauriel's first time doing anything like this, and she had no one to rely on for help. Like a lost rabbit she wandered the busy lanes, occupied by locals, men, and women, all of which looked strange to Tauriel, all going about their own business, no one giving her a second glance.
The closest destination she needed to go to was a shop in which she had to pick up some ingredients? It was a dark alley, next to a row of houses. It wasn't the most direct route, but it was a much more efficient one. The sun could barely get its way into this alley and even in daytime, it gave Tauriel an aching feeling of nervousness every time she passed by. She slowed her pace, looking closely at the ground, trying to avoid making any unnecessary sound. There was an establishment that carried a bright orange banner, it looked like a shop of some kind. A sign reading "BARGAIN AND BARTER" caught Tauriel's attention as she took a glance inside.
The place was dark despite it being bright outside. It was dimly lit by a few windows with red curtains that were drawn close. She looked down at her feet, trying to minimize the amount of noise she was making and continued walking. Suddenly, a figure popped out from behind the set of curtains covering the back part of the shop "Oh!" A large man with a long bread appears in amazement as if he hasn't seen a person before in his life.
"Hey, hello there! What's the rush? Why are you looking so worried and anxious? I can see it all written on your face, dear, you need something?" Tauriel froze, frantically looking around the shop.
"I-I just... need things. I-i don't know I have things to... collect." She quickly handed him the piece of paper, pointing her finger at the acquired item written on it. The man scanned the list and pursed his lips. He then went passed the counters as he began to search for whatever it was. "Alright little lady, let's see what we can get for you." The shopkeeper continued to speak. Tauriel didn't even notice how long he had been talking to her. She watched as he handed over some sort of small wooden box. She finally blinked, "Oh, is this...?"
"Yep, little lady, that's the one. Anything else ya need?" He planted his hand on his hip. "No, no! That's it..." Tauriel crept a nervous smile and slowly left the shop. Now she could go to the next destination. Well, she would know soon enough. She was about to peak at the box with curiosity when she felt someone grabbing her hand. "What'ca got there?" A tall man with a large hook blade stuck in his belt, a longbow slung over his shoulder, and wearing a conical green hat asked. The man's voice was deep, serious.
"Nothing!" Tauriel tightly held onto the box and quickly departed from the strange man who didn't bother to follow her way, instead he kept staring at her as she went. Tauriel shifted her legs out of that alleyway and into the parts of the streets that had more sunlight present in them. It was a waft of fresh air. Her heart was beating pretty fast during that encounter, she was terrified. But she got a sense of relief as well, knowing that she wasn't being stalked or followed. Tauriel breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking.
Tauriel was happy. Bilgewater was littered with clutter and barrels. It was very different from Noxus. It did not bear any cleanliness or tall structures that intimidated you from afar. It was a chaotic mess that was hard to navigate. It seemed as though anyone could be anyone or anything. Tauriel looked up at the sky, it was a deep blue, unclouded.
The scent of fish, piss, and sewage clung to it. After a moment, she looked down, staring at her feet. She was lost. The only thing she could rely on was her instincts, and those were telling her to run and to avoid a conflict. But it felt like trouble was attracted to her. Perhaps the locals could smell her distinct scent of innocence, untouched and aching to be ruined. Perhaps it was best to stay away. Tauriel could not take it anymore.
The constant fear that made her heart beat faster and faster was getting to her. It was making her feel sick. She quickly rushed to the nearest part of the streets, alone, and took a breather. She was breathing heavily, but it was a good kind of pressure. She could feel her heartbeat subside. For the first time today, she was able to look around. What was next on the list? She looked at the torn piece of beige paper and had to make her hand stop shaking before she could continue. Vadoma wasn't specific of the errands, the strange items that perhaps only people of Bilgewater would know. She had to go to three different locations to complete the list. For the next one, she had to head over to the docks.
It was a busy place, bustling with sailors and merchantmen of all kinds. If she were to go there, then maybe she could get help, or at least, a lead. A market stall that had hung meat, and fish caught her eye in disgust. It was a repulsive sight that made her uneasy. She quickly headed in another direction. She needed to do this. She couldn't rely on others or stallholders to help her.
It took a couple of blocks to familiarize herself with the place, understanding that she couldn't get lost and to make sure that she would know her way back to Vadoma's home. It was a big city, but there were still small sections, alleys, and nooks that were kept out of the way, never to be found. After that, she went to the port entrance. There was a small market stall by it, it seemed to be the destination she needed to stop by. She had to obtain some strange spices.
A woman tended to it and soon, Tauriel approached her, "Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find...?" The woman stopped talking abruptly and looked at Tauriel. "What? What you need?" She was annoyed for some reason. Tauriel shifted the piece of paper to her and pointed to what was needed on the list. The woman read it carefully and handed it back to Tauriel.
She turned to the stall and began piling some sort of strange spice into a bag. "For Vadoma, yes?" The woman said, without looking back. Tauriel nodded. When she was done filling the bag with the spice, she instantly knew that Tauriel was someone unique and different. The woman's eyes glared at her.
"What are you? Her caregiver now?" Tauriel didn't know what to say to that. Her face turned red.
"Oh, I— maybe? Don't know… She just needed—"
"Vadoma still has debt to pay." Tauriel didn't reply but she wanted to voice her opinion until a brooding man and a dark blue coat came into view. He was blocking Tauriel's path. "I thought I smelled something…" He said in a low voice.
Tauriel was frozen in fear. "—I don't know anything…" Tauriel stuttered.
"The old witch owes coin. If you are her messenger, then you are her messenger." The man sneered. He grabbed the bag from Tauriel's hand to which she responded with shock.
"-Hey!" The man turned and looked into Tauriel's eyes. His lips curled back, showing off his sharpened teeth, "What's this?" Suddenly, behind Tauriel appeared that familiar strange man in the conical green hat. He grinned with his yellowed teeth, and the feeling of uneasiness struck deep inside Tauriel's heart. She started shaking, she felt like screaming, like running, like fighting, like doing anything. But she had none of these things. "Grab her." The man said to the other. "Grab what? What are you—" Tauriel didn't know what was going on.
"Grab her, idiot!" The bulker man who she would assume was the leader or the captain ordered the man in the green hat to seize her for whatever reason was unknown to her. The other man obeyed and put his hands on her arms. Then, one of his hands clamped down over her mouth while the other grabbed her bag from her shoulder.
They began walking over to the docks, ushering themselves to one of the large vessels anchored. Whatever was going on, it was clear that they intended to take her on their ship. Why wasn't anyone helping her? Wasn't this a distressing scene? The conical hat man shoved her into the boat and she fell backward, the bag tumbling out of her hands. They were on the ship! The thud was rough causing her cloak and hood to bounce off.
She was stricken with fear that she hadn't noticed the look of interest in their shocked expressions. Then she noticed that her full set of hair was showing. Her rabbit ears were moving frantically.
"Look at that, a Vastayan in our midst. She's a cute one at that." The man said in a hushed tone. He crept down and brushed her velvety ears with his fingertips. Tauriel began breathing heavily through her nostrils, paralyzed with dread. "Leave her." One of the men said in a bored voice. "She ain't what we're after." He continued.
"What's your name...?" The men were getting ready to climb on board the ship.
"Tauriel Aunget..."
"Where are you from, Tauriel Aunget?" He asked. She refused eye contact with the man and then spoke, "Noxus."
The man whose name was not known to Tauriel said, "What're you doing here? You a runaway?" Tauriel's head snapped up and she glared at him in annoyance, "No! I never ran from anything in my life." The man glared at her as if he could see through her lies.
"You're scared." He stated, "There's a reason why some of us come from the shadows and some of us don't." Tauriel scowled at him angrily with trepidation, her cheeks flushing. Silence filled the air. The captain stood up, smiling down at Tauriel.
"Go. Looks like I've turned you into a ghost."
"W-what..?" Tauriel's slowly turned to confusion. "Send this message to the old witch of yours, rabbit, make sure she understands it." She was confused for another minute and then she saw the men heading up and the ship lifting off the ground. She looked around in confusion, "B-but what about my things?"
The Captain turned to her and said, "I'm keeping. For now, go before I change my mind." Tauriel shifted her legs as she struggled to get up from the floorboards. Quickly, she scurried off the docks, not looking back. Who were these men? What did they want? All of these questions plagued her. She sat on a ledge of the nearest building to her to think over all of these questions. She didn't want to come back to Vadoma just yet, she felt like she didn't deserve to.
She decided she'd stay on the streets of Bilgewater. At least until she found answers. Her mind mended into ease as she grew less wary of her surroundings, slowly traveling back to Vadoma's home as it felt like the day was burning by. Tauriel continued to wander around the city until she found what she was looking for, an empty spot that heated no people. A shore just down the steps from the cliffs. She could wander on a beach for hours if she wanted to, and be completely alone. She sat down on the edge of the steps and looked out to the waters of what was known as the serpent isles.
The ocean was nice, vast, and blue but Tauriel herself had a fear of water. The idea of sinking or drowning in it was much scarier than anything else she thought would happen. She turned her head slightly and rested it on her knees. She listened to the swish of the water, almost hypnotic.
The air was pleasant and smelled of the salty sea. What an odd day, a strange time being in another region of Runeterra, misplaced with the feeling of emptiness inside of her. Yet, she felt at ease.
The city streets kept her on her toes, but this serene moment was the most she could ask for. She felt like she had no one else to be with but herself... Suddenly, deep inside of her it felt as if she was being carried by something heavy. It was a feeling of dread and apprehension, something she had encountered before. Tauriel rose her head and stared into the sea from across The feeling of guilt was upon her, she didn't want to come back to Mother Vadoma empty-handed but she also had to tell her of what happened. She felt as if she was being torn in two.
