Letter

The passage through the asura gate always unsettled him. He was told several times that there is nothing to be afraid of, but in the end he remained distrustful of a contraption that had the power to make him go from one place to the next in an instant. Call him old-fashioned, but he preferred to walk the distance.

Still, his business led through the swirling and unstable surface, so he took a deep breath and stepped through.

The fresh air of Divinity´s Reach he left behind, the wet, dense air full of all kinds of smells hitting him in the next instant. The smell of salt and sea was just an afterthought to it. He felt no refreshing breeze here, but heavy, warm air he had learned to hate whenever he visited Arch. Still, he had a fondness for this place, one he now showed with a fleeting smile as he moved down the bustling street, watching his surroundings with a keen eye. It has been only a couple of months, but in his eyes this place had not change in the slightest. That was fine by him.

Craywin paused under the welcome shade one of the bigger makeshift buildings gave off, checking his bow. It was a worn thing, years old, but with diligent care he made sure it remained good and trustworthy. Luckily for him, he didn´t bring it to that job, taking instead that cheap one he picked up after one of the brawls in his favorite tavern. He ran his fingers at the length of the polished, well-crafted yew, remembering how every deeper scratch came to be.

He slung the bow on his back, right next to the quiver, before making his way down to the square. The fountain and the lion were still the same, big, shiny and speckled with sea gull droppings. It didn't seem to register with the locals that it should be cleaned up from time to time.

The sword on his belt was something he bought with coin he´d earned two days before, when he turned in that job after leaving Crank and that lass to their business. The Seraph sergeant who paid him was in good spirits, unlike the first time he met her. He supposed that something good happened recently to put her in such a mood. It was none of his business though, so he took the coin and left.

The sword was a good piece, a stark contrast to the worthless piece of sharpened iron he left to the inferno on that night. At the price he gave for it, it better be! The rest of it he used to pay back his debt to Crank and the barkeep. In the end, he did not spend it on drinks as he initially planned.

Earlier today, he made his way to the shabby old apartment in Reach he sometimes slept in, usually when he had enough money to actually pay the rent and had found a letter in the little mailbox addressed to him, but without any note of who wrote it on the outside.

Curious, he took it before entering his place, entertaining the thought that it might be from Sonja or the kids, which drew a faint smile on his face as he ripped the letter open. He hadn't visited them in years though, which made him feel horribly guilty, even more than usual when it came to them.

His smile was replaced by a frown when he read the letter. ˝The hell..?˝

He knew only one person that would send such a letter, without any second thoughts, filled to brim with rhymes. With a sigh, he went to the bed to grab at least a few hours of sleep before departing, already calculating who he´d have to call in for favors to get a clearance to pass through that gate.

And now he was here, in Lion´s Arch, the place many called the crossroads of the world. A lofty title, for the shipwreck of the city in which all manner of folk scrounged up for the living under the watchful eye of the ever uncaring Lionsguard.

˝Raima, this better be worth it...˝ he muttered under breath, doing his best to avoid some charr that went by, carrying boxes, but that sent him brushing off against another human.

Craywin turned to apologize, but the man didn´t seem to register him, merely walking past, a determined, searching look in his eyes as he peered at the crowd passing by him. It was a look of a man with purpose, one that Cray immediately liked. The man disappeared into the crowd.

Cray smiled, walking on.

There was always something interesting in Lion´s Arch.