Compared to the market Luz had purchased breakfast from the day before, the bazaar of this strange town she found herself in was… something else.
Ravnica's people mirrored their environment in certain ways, being generally organized and conscientious of their occupation amongst the orderly rows of skyscrapers that composed their planetwide metropolis. There were always outliers - both in structures and persons, like the roaming Gruul clans - but nothing felt overly jarring or out of place.
If Luz had to describe the works of the civil planner who had laid out the streets and market before her, she probably would have used words along the lines of "criminally insane" or "really unfit for this job."
The roadways of Bonesborough were total chaos, through and through. Buildings of varying heights and make sprouted from the streets as organically as the gigantic bones that appeared sporadically throughout the city limits. It all came across as very precariously stacked in growing layers, with its people worming their way through every winding thoroughfare.
And the people – Luz had never seen so much variation in one place, before. Ravnica was filled with every sort imaginable, from humanoids to animalistic beast races, but Bonesborough was bursting with diversity. Almost no two individuals looked quite the same, running the gamut from fairly human-esque to enormous, lumbering behemoths with alien features.
It was a crazed mess, and she was loving exploring it.
Her recent failure to press on through that damnable barrier between herself and Earth still stung harshly, but the dull edge of defeat was pressed out of Luz's mind by everything she was seeing and learning. The scope of a new world was always staggering for the young planeswalker, and if she were honest with herself, it was a tad intimidating.
Each plane she visited had potentially eons of history and culture to parse through – the lives of literally uncountable masses, spread throughout the multiverse with little to no knowledge of one another. It was mind boggling – but so, so interesting.
Of course, there were always downsides with this sort of thing. Cultural differences were rife when you could be anywhere in reality, at any time, amongst any imaginable kind of people. Some civilizations were so alien and incompatible with Luz's worldviews that her only real option was avoidance for her own safety.
And then there were more mundane problems, like not having any money when you were starving from a long hike down a mountainside formed from a gigantic leg bone.
Luz could only give a put-upon sigh as her stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time, eyes roaming from beneath her violet cloak in search of something akin to a pawn shop. The nonsensical sprawl of colorful stands and tents flashed by, advertising all manner of worldly goods, but she needed a proper trader to haggle with. Her money may be unusable around here, but gold was gold, and sometimes the allure of rare foreign currency and goods was enough to keep her afloat financially, at least until something more stable reared its head.
That was the worst part about her ability to walk between worlds – just like back home, you need a decent job to pay the bills if you're going globetrotting.
Her twirled braid of hair was absentmindedly jammed back within her cloak hood as she trundled along, taking in the sights and hoping for a break in her cosmically poor luck. If pressed on the issue, Luz might admit that her efforts to pack lightly were partially on account of how misfortune dogged her heels seemingly everywhere.
There wasn't a lot of point in collecting heartfelt mementos when you had nowhere to hold them, when you stood to potentially lose your precious belongings in a heartbeat to flight.
In spite of the dull pang of hunger tugging at her gut and the dark cloud over her soul, Luz was determined to make the best of her situation. Every defeat on the path home was a crushing blow to her hopes and confidence but it was not a new sensation. She had felt the well of grasping despair claw up her throat countless times, her every struggle through that unknowable obstacle sending her careening away to new and unfamiliar places.
However, to say that the journey was completely undesirable would be a falsehood. Even in the wake of heartbreak and homelessness, Luz's travels had taken her far and wide to some of the most astounding sights she had ever encountered. Self-reliance and technical competence were imperative to travelling across dangerous planes, and it was little time at all before the harsh realities of a lonely existence far out of her comfort zone had pushed Luz into an environment in which she had learned to thrive.
She still recalled those first nights after her guttering spark flung her far from Earth into the wider expanse of worlds. The sweltering, hungry days ducking along cliffsides and through patches of inhospitable jungle, only to stumble blindly into an alien encampment and collapse at the shocked feet of what would become her first true friends.
The nomadic Kor of Zendikar were as fae and exotic as a younger Luz would have anticipated from her hours of browsing beloved selections of fantasy. Whip-lean and stark white, moving like predators through the undergrowth and deftly across mountain passes with milky eyes and slender pointed ears.
They had pitied the lost human youngling, striving to teach her the skills necessary to survive their unforgiving world even as they listened to and accepted, uncomprehendingly, the outlandish tales babbled at them about an alien world of grand cities and all-encompassing civilization. It was in the crucible of the jungles that Luz spent weeks, and then months, learning how to survive in the wilds – and beyond that, how to harness the call of the invisible swells that swirled around every facet of the living, breathing world: an undercurrent of untamed magics.
She had never felt a plane pluck so strongly at her senses since Zendikar, roaring rivers and soaring skyways and mobile landscapes so vibrantly alive in a way indescribable to those who had never experienced it through the eyes of a mage. The Kor had come the closest, even their magicless brethren able to follow the ebb and flow of such a lively world. Yet here, on this string of islands formed from the desiccated corpse of a god long passed, Luz was reminded of the terrifying pull of the Roil as it infused the eldritch tides of Zendikar's mana flues.
The crackling hum of harnessed magic echoed through nearly every object and being that she passed in the streets, wafting harmlessly into the air like heat from the very ground. The colors Luz had come to associate with various forms of mana were muted, a diffusion of endless layers of enchantment and paracausal forces at work stripping away identity and intent, leaving behind only the morass of mastered potential within the town's construction.
In a way, it comforted her. Breathing in the magically infused breeze, the wispy tendrils of formless blue mana drifting in on the wind from the island itself, Luz's mind felt sharpened by her immersion in such an arcane place. A world so steeped in magic always held significant promise for greater power and lessons, both of which could be bent towards her ultimate goal of returning to Earth once more.
With such a high concentration of natural blue magicka, it would be a good place to sharpen her skills in that particular field as well. The straightforward strengths of red and green manas had always called the strongest to her passionate soul, but any mage worth their salt would strive to connect with as much magic as was feasible.
…And then she'd have to work on being able to cast a single white spell beyond making basic orbs of light, and black mana – the thought had her shuddering.
Projects for another day.
Her slow meandering had brought her to a break in the expansive marketplace, the center of the crowded pathway dominated by a large tent reminiscent of a major circus attraction, colorful people and stands ringing it in a rowdy enclosure. Luz's eyes skittered across the varied shop signs, following her instincts for sniffing out points of interest as she gave the square a considering walkaround. The voices of the swelling crowd blended into a wave of noise, washing over her like the passing crests of natural mana in the air, suffusing her senses and seeking to overwhelm her –
"Fresh curios and wonders, people, straight from another world entirely!"
The shrill tone of one crier caught her ear, pushing through the throng of other shouts and murmuring conversation. Luz homed in on the scratchy tone, flowing through the stream of eager customers to seek out the screaming saleswoman.
"Step right up, yes you – right there! I know you're looking for the kind of quality goods I'm giving away!"
When Luz reached the stall from which the cries originated, her eyes widened as she stumbled straight into what seemed a ghost.
The woman was striking in appearance, a sleeveless crimson dress her primary garb that draped over milk white flesh. Knife-like ears sprouted from an untamable mane of silvery hair, leaving the edges of her appearance jagged and wild, accompanied by the golden fang drooping over her lip and bright golden eyes. A bizarre coincidence, that Luz's mind had wandered to her friends amongst the pale nomadic clans of Zendikar just to run right into their otherworldly doppelganger.
What really sent her gut into a messy flip, however, was the hawker's table spread, bursting from within her overcrowded tent.
The wares were little more than discarded junk – but they were items Luz recognized. Battered and cracked electronics, rusting utensils and power tools, fragments of miscellaneous objects likely tossed in the garbage with nary a thought – from Earth.
Luz had never encountered another world that reached the heights of technological prowess she had known as common back home. With such relatively abundant access to magics, and the influence of powerful supernatural beings, most planes struggled to approach an industrial age like that which had once ravaged the cities and plains of Earth, paving the way for the advanced world she once knew. It was astoundingly unlikely that such detritus could have come from anywhere else.
She stumbled towards the table in a daze, her approach unseen by the saleswoman as she heckled other passing visitors for their patronage. It seemed that despite the otherworldly nature of the goods she sold, owning useless old garbage from the 'human realm' as it was touted (Earth! Her home, the first sign she'd found in years) simply fell outside of their interests. Her heart was in her throat as Luz stepped up to the rickety stall, finally catching the attention of the woman who reminded her of the closest thing she'd ever found to home amongst the stars.
"Hey there, kid!" The strange woman gave her an exaggerated grin bordering on sleazy, draping herself over the rough tablecloth as she took in Luz's appearance. "Looking to buy some amazing wares from a different dimension? I've got plenty of choices for an enterprising young witch like yourself."
The linguistic oddity struck at Luz's perception, but she was still too shellshocked by the encounter to fully process the saleswoman's words.
"I, uh, actually I – was wondering where you found all of this, um, stuff. I – I recognize some of it but it's been a… a long time."
She tried to hide her cringe at her own cracking tone, but the awkward flinch as her voice snapped from rising anxiety was clearly visible. The stall owner reared back slightly, the intensity of her grin dimming a bit as she swept a critical gaze over Luz's becloaked form.
"Sorry girly," She drawled slowly, her expression growing more guarded, "But that's a trade secret. What's it matter to you, anyway? Think I stole it off some other shlub?"
Luz's panic swelled as she quickly swiped her hands through the air apologetically, trying to stammer out a reassuring response.
"Ha ha, sorry. I meant that I – I've seen your kind of… treasures around, you know? That other people bought before? And I was just curious how somebody found so much ju- err, salvage from the – 'human realm.'"
Her heart sank low as the woman pulled back, now in offense as opposed to suspicion, the fake grin giving way to an aggravated grimace at Luz's insincere blather.
"Nope. Can't help you there." The response was curt, bordering on impolite as the woman stared down her narrow nose at the deflating teenager. "Now, if there wasn't anything else, I've got plenty of other folk to wrangle in for a sale."
Her frustration was welling up again, the coals of her desperate rage the previous day barely turned over before being fanned back to life by this stubborn old woman. Luz's jaw tightened against her will, even as she lowered her gaze from the intense scrutiny of the bristling merchant.
"I just – okay, fine. Do you do trades?" She tried not to let any irritation seep into her voice.
"Depends." Came the wary response. "What are you looking for on the table, and whaddya got on you?"
"Not the junk. For money."
The stall owner seemed simultaneously intrigued at the offer, and bemused at her attempt to pawn something off on a working salesperson.
The young planeswalker's hands deftly freed her coin satchel from its home at her hip, flipping the squared-off pouch open as she plunked the jingling purse down onto the counter.
"Gold coins from overseas – they're an old family heirloom." The well-worn lie spilled from her lips easily, the familiarity of the fib helping to ground her nerves. "I don't know how much gold is actually in them, but I need the money and they're pretty rare around here."
The woman's slim eyebrows rose towards her hairline as she took in the clinking sack of pieces before her.
"Foreign gold, huh? Don't think I've ever seen that kind of stuff around here…" A slim hand darted into the bag, fishing a single coin minted in a distant land from the pile. As Luz expected, the merchant bit firmly onto the disc, testing its durability – but the flicker of a spell cast with a wave of her fingers was a surprise. A quick turn of the wrist, and a glowing ring leapt from her pale hand towards the coin, passing through it harmlessly and eliciting a quiet grunt of surprise from the woman.
"Hrmm…" A considering hum purred from her throat. Luz held her breath, hoping that she'd receive an easy path to obtaining some actually viable currency for these strange isles. "Alrighty kid, here's what I'm willing to do. This stuff could be pricey, could be total bunk. It's a risk taking it off you without a buyer lined up but I'll cut you a deal. No way to tell how much is real gold, or what it can get you, but they seem pretty close to snails – so, I'll give a coin for a coin, as many as you wanna dump on me. Within reason."
That was… both more and less than Luz had been hoping for. Some merchants on other planes leapt at the opportunity for rare and collectible coinage, while others made use of the precious metal for varying alchemical and magical reasons. But considering the rocky start to their conversation, and the likelihood she would receive a similar exchange rate from more specialized merchants with no demand…
"I'm willing to take that deal." Luz scooped the satchel off the table, a hesitant smile breaking through her prior gloom. "How does, eh… two-hundred coins sound? Would that keep me fed for a while?"
The bright-eyed merchant gave her an odd, considering look and it occurred to Luz a moment later that she should realistically have a better grasp on local economics than that, considering her intended impression of a townsperson looking to turn over some old family relics. She cursed herself internally at the amateurish mistake, but carefully maintained her guileless expression before the stall owner decided to drop her for being so damnably suspicious.
"Yeah." The woman's unnerving gaze never left her face, and she could feel beads of sweat crawl down her back at the scrutiny. "Yeah, you'll be set for a while with that much if you don't play it fast and easy on the meals."
She stepped back from the counter, keeping Luz in her sightline a moment longer.
"Lemme go grab the cash from the back, and we'll seal this little exchange up."
"Sounds good!" Why did she follow that statement with two thumbs up? This lady was going to call the guards on her any moment, probably for thinking she was deranged. "I'll… be right here!"
The woman swept back into the tent after another tense moment, leaving Luz to wheeze out a sigh of relief at the pause in their awkward interaction. However, with the owner out of sight for the moment, she couldn't help dragging her attention back towards the original items of interest.
The goods for sale at this stall looked freshly unearthed from a crowded landfill. Stained with rust and salt, cracked and dented in awkward places, the glass and metal of electronics marred by the passage of time. Most looked well and truly defunct, but their very presence had Luz's pulse picking up.
How, in the entire expanse of the multiverse, had all of these items come to rest on this table? They were scrap, salvaged from dumping grounds, but very far from home. If this woman was selling this stuff in such large amounts, and regularly, then that meant consistent access to Earth through some unknown means. But was it sourced from this plane, so steeped in magic? Or was there some truth clinging to ancient human myths regarding magic and how to make use of it, back home?
Her very existence proved that they weren't so cut off from the rest of reality as the encompassing barrier preventing her return would suggest. There had been almost no concrete evidence for magic, before her soul had ignited with eldritch energies and sent her hurtling into the unknown.
It was maddening, trying to figure it all out. Luz couldn't help herself, picking through the trash before her to see if there were any items truly worth preserving while her thoughts raced back and forth. One device stood apart from the junk – a worn plastic calculator, so similar to the cheap one she had once owned for math courses as a child. The casing was faded and the display scratched, but nothing was missing or shattered – just unpowered.
To her surprise (and mild concern), Luz fished a pair of serviceable batteries of the appropriate type from a shallow bowl labelled 'Human Candy?' A quick shake determined that they held some charge still, and it took but a moment to pop them into the battered handheld casing. The first press of the power button yielded no response, but a firm slap or two against the palm of her hand saw some success as the device flickered to life.
It was a stupid little thing, but – it made Luz crack another smile. Something from home that wasn't dead and gone was a treasured rarity. Maybe the merchant would still let her buy it after they finished their business…?
"Alright, I've got the cash and – hands off the merchandise!"
The growling merchant swiped the handheld computer from her grasp, giving Luz a fierce glare as the girl tripped out a pathetic excuse once again.
"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to – fix it up! See if it'll turn back on and work, you know? I – I'm not a thief, I wasn't gonna steal anything -"
The woman registered her apology with a blink, glancing down at her prize clutched in hand.
"Get it working? You mean this little doo-dad is supposed to do something for you?"
Luz flashed her a trembling grin, gingerly taking the device back from the unresisting saleslady.
"It's a calculator. See the little keys here? When you power it up, you can do some basic math with it. Normally kids use it, but it's good for quick addition on the go."
She tapped out a simple equation, acutely aware of the glowing eyes tracking her every move as the decrepit electronic coughed up an answer on screen.
"Nice and easy, see?" She made sure to inject some good-natured cheer into her voice, if only to keep herself from getting scalped for perceived theft.
"Huh. Wouldja look at that." The calculating gaze was back in the merchant's eye as she gave a silent squint towards Luz, gently taking the calculator back before seeming to arrive at a decision. "I think we got off on the wrong foot there, kiddo."
A pale hand shot out, open and waiting for a greeting.
"They call me Eda the Owl Lady around here. I run this stand outta the bazaar on off-days, but my big moneymaker is the potions I sell back home."
This was a surprising turn of events, though Luz certainly appreciated the white flag being offered. Her tanned hand slotted firmly into Eda's grip, pumping up and down a single time.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Eda. I'm Luz Noceda, new to town."
A sardonic snort followed her words.
"You don't say. Well, I did promise you some shiny new bits for your old ones, so let's get that cash counted out for you."
The enigmatic merchant circled the table once more, leaving Luz to thumb out the proper quantity of dulled currency at her leisure. Eda watched her count in silence for a few moments, before startling Luz with her inquisitive tone.
"Planning on staying at one of the inns around here? I suggest you avoid the ones right off this block – a lot of 'em have some nasty beds, and nastier clientele to boot."
Luz palmed the back of her neck nervously, giving a short laugh even as she continued stacking coins out on the countertop.
"Ah, no, I was just going to – camp nearby. Out in the, uh, woods."
"In the woods." There was that judgmental, thoughtful lilt to Eda's voice once more. "With everything out there that likes to prey on sleepy little witches. In the dark, and away from the guards."
"Yup. That's… that's the one."
"Oh. Okay."
Another beat of awkward silence.
"No family to stay with around here?" That question struck as a tad more pointed.
"My mom is… really far out of the way right now. A good few towns over, so it's – just me."
"Hmm." Eda was determined to make her sweat out every question during this exchange, it seemed.
Finally, the agonizing void of small talk was shattered by Luz triumphantly slapping her stacks of pressed coins onto the table.
"There we go. Two-hundred dollars as agreed upon. Snails, please." A winning smile was important when doing business, she had once been told.
Her eagerness earned her a snort of amusement this time, a wistful little smile twisting Eda the Owl Lady's lips as she accepted the orderly columns of coin, handing off a rough sack that clanked lightly with her movements.
"Seems like you're set. Some spending money can go a long way." The mirth gave way for a concerned frown, the singular fang worrying at her lip as she watched Luz stoop down to deposit her earnings more safely within her pack.
"Thanks, Miss Eda. I didn't have too much in the way of supplies or cash before, so this'll help a lot." Luz beamed at the woman, taking in her furrowed brow as she hoisted the satchel back over one shoulder. She was already scheming how to put this goodwill towards getting some answers about the woman's wares in the near future. "Well, I better get going – I'm kinda starving and I was hoping to snag something tasty from a stall. Maybe I'll see you later?"
"…Sure girly. I'll see you around. Be safe, you hear?"
The merchant received a firm nod in response as Luz turned to leave, adjusting the straps of her equipment one last time as it settled over her indigo travelling cloak. She hadn't caught notice of any pickpockets, but it was important to double check her belongings.
A short gust of a frustrated sigh sounded from behind as Eda grabbed her shoulder, halting her bag check.
"Wait a sec, kid."
Luz turned in surprise to behold the older woman pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, a defeated growl bursting out as she was given a serious look.
"Curse my bleeding heart but damnit, you're going to get yourself eaten in that blasted forest if you try to spend the night there."
Shock at her words coiled into concern as a distant burst of white movement amongst the crowd distracted Luz, drawing closer to the Owl Lady's rickety stand from down the cobble road.
"If you promise not to get all weird about it, I've got a spare room back at my place where you can stay. Just for a few nights until you get on your feet, you hear? And then we'll see if -" Eda cut herself off, head jerking around to follow Luz's gaze as she registered the shifting of the nearby people.
"Oh hellfire," She spat with a snarl. "It's the Bonehead's guards."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Chapter and notes originally posted on 2-17-2021.
Currently trying out some differences in formatting to account for AO3's text management, apologies for any odd spacing between chapters.
Edit (5-20-23): Finally fixed that stupid spacing issue that only afflicted this chapter after, like, two years.
