OPEN THREAD PROMPT
[SHOP PURCHASE 5/5]

Noora Sætre is lost and asks someone for directions, but it turns out they don't exactly know where they're going.

---

B

arely a day in Thisbē and already Noora regretted accepting the Vanyar Marshal’s invitation. She should have known better than to get the least bit involved with Éodred. After all, they had met during a disaster and all but one interaction (by her count) thereafter had been somewhere between vexing and total catastrophe. Presently, Noora and her chaperone, Eva, were quite lost. The note with where to meet the Marshal’s party had been damaged by a spill, blurring ink and making the directions very difficult to read. That part was not Éodred’s fault, of course, but her frustration was mounting to the point of wanting to go home altogether.

Eva sat on the edge of a low wall, huffed, and whipped out her fan. Noora sighed sympathetically. It was the heat of the day and so far they had only managed to go in circles. She unfolded the note and scanned the smeared lettering for what felt like the ten-thousandth time in yet another futile attempt to decode the watery message. “Whyyyy didn’t I memorize it…” she grumbled to herself. Then to Eva, “Stay and rest here a little longer, Eva. I will see if anyone might assist us.” The woman nodded and relaxed a little, grateful for the break.

Noora stepped back into the bustling throng of people passing through the street but stayed within view of her attendant. When she started trying to ask people for help, she was repeatedly rejected without even finishing a sentence to explain she was neither asking for money nor proselytizing. Sometimes dismissed without uttering a single word at all. More than a few people gave Noora a wide berth. Others did not even attempt a lame excuse and simply eyed her androgynous style of dress with disdain as they walked on. Noora grew increasingly impatient and the Thisbēan heat was not helping her temper.

She stopped the next person to approach, fully blocking them and holding her hands up. “Hello. I need your help.” Her gaze was direct and her voice perhaps more assertive than was necessary. Polite but not exactly friendly. “Can you tell me where. we. are. and if we’re near–” Noora withdrew the damaged note from her pocket, folding it so that the blurry words of their meeting place were more-or-less all the stranger would look over, “–wherever this is?”

---

tag: Jackson Déor

FoR Noora Sætre

There hadn’t really been an option for Jackson when it came to being at Solstice. Athena wanted him to go - so of course he would - but there was also the small matter of being a bit of a security detail for the Marshal. He wasn’t on duty yet, and probably wouldn’t be the whole time, but it was the one thing he took seriously when he was. Until that time, however, he was looking forward to a bit of drink and socializing.

He had arrived when it seemed most others were getting into the city, the amount of people giving him pause before he dived right in. It was only a few minutes before he ran into some of the other men that were traveling to Thisbe to assist with whatever was needed from the Marshal. It would certainly be a raucous occasion for the lot of them, considering they were let loose for at least one night. They had confirmed where they would be meeting with everyone else, leaving Jackson to explore on his own for a little while.

He had barely made his way back into the hustle and bustle of the street when he was stopped by an intense blonde woman. He looked down at her, brows coming together in an attempt to hear her over the noise of the crowd. “Ok…” He paused, watching her pull a ratty piece of paper from her pocket as he tried to piece together what he was asking. She fumbled with it for a moment before showing Jackson where it was she was trying to go. “Did you go swimming with this?” He chuckled, glancing down at the note and back to the woman.

Jackson wasn’t entirely sure what the directions said, but figured as long as they moved forward deeper into the city, they would be able to find whatever it was she was looking for. “Looks like we have to go…that way.” He pointed forward down the way. “Maybe we can get a cold drink on the way? On me.” He offered, noting how flustered she seemed to be.

---

N

oora’s tense disposition lightened at his joke. Well, it probably wasn’t as much of a joke as it sounded. The waterlogged note was in pretty bad shape… She laughed a little anyway and appreciated that he was giving her a moment of his time at all. “It was an unfortunate spill,” she told him, gently shaking her head. “I should have memorized the directions.” Noora sighed and watched with a sense of increasing hopelessness as his eyes roved the blurry page.

“Looks like we have to go…that way.”

For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Too stunned to speak. Had she heard him right? Had really he managed to decipher the directions and knew where to go and was volunteering to show them the way? “Are you serious? You’ll help us?” she asked in utter disbelief. Her expression melted into pure gratitude. Before he could answer (or rescind the offer), Noora was thanking him repeatedly and calling Eva over.

“Please, sir, I insist you allow us to furnish the drinks. It’s the least we can do.” she insisted gratefully. “I am Noora, by the way, and this is my duenna Eva.”

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tag: Jackson Déor

du·en·na
/ˌd(y)o͞oˈenə/
noun
an older woman acting as a governess and
companion in charge of girls; a chaperone.

FoR Noora Sætre

Jackson idly wondered how long the woman had been trying to get some assistance reaching her destination to be so surprised that he was willing to help. He wasn’t entirely sure where they were headed, but he assumed that whoever she was trying to meet up with would probably be in one of the main areas of gathering. If not, he could feign innocence at the end of the day.

“Of course, we’re all going the same general direction.” He glanced over the woman’s shoulder at the other person she was introducing him to. “It’s really no problem.” He assured her, giving the pair a small smile. “I’m Jackson.” He offered, running a hand through his hair. “It’s nice to meet you both. Is it your first time here?” Jackson asked in an attempt at polite conversation - something he had struggled with his entire existence - as they headed in whatever direction he thought they should go.

---

N

oora raised her brows in mild surprise when the man commented that their respective destinations shared a path to some degree. “How fortuitous!” she replied, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. Eva politely smiled in agreement– although, if Noora was not mistaken, she saw a look of suspicion behind her duenna’s expression.

She dipped her head in a casual sort of bow at the introductions. “We are rather in your debt, Jackson.”

“It is, indeed,” she answered with a friendly tone, “Or, at least, insofar as I am able to remember. My family visited Thisbē once while I was still in swaddling clothes.” In fact, Noora was a very under-traveled person of her status, apart from the annual family holidays in the countryside. It was something that was not uncommon for her gender but neither was she very interested in exploring the world outside of Noria. It was such a colossal city, she was always discovering new people and places.

“Are you from here?” she asked of Jackson as they walked on.

---

tag: Jackson Déor

du·en·na
/ˌd(y)o͞oˈenə/
noun
an older woman acting as a governess and
companion in charge of girls; a chaperone.

FoR Noora Sætre

If Jackson had any drink in him, he would have maybe flirted a bit, but managed to keep it perfectly polite with the two ladies. He had no intention of making them feel any more uncomfortable than they already were, considering how they were a bit turned around and had to rely on him for directions. “Consider your debt repaid by your pleasant company.” He told the pair, waving away the comment as he led them further down the road.

The crowds thinned out a bit as people cut off the main road into other parts of Thisbe and festival happenings. “Well Solstice is a great introduction despite the crowds.” He offered, wondering absently who the woman was trying to meet with if she had never been here before. It certainly wasn’t any of his business, but that didn’t make him wonder any less.

Jackson shook his head at her question. “No, not me.” He glanced over at Noora. “I’m from Vanyar, though, not a terrible distance from here.” He paused. “Are you familiar?” He asked, his mind wandering to when he would be able to find his own friends in the mess of people that were already there. “I’m sorry, I haven’t even asked where it is you’re coming from.”

---

J

ackson was a perfect gentleman, by Noora’s count, and was continually impressed by his generosity and good nature. She was still determined to buy him a drink or in some small way repay his kindness, but dropped the discussion for the meantime at his insistence that their company was enough.

“No, not particularly,” she answered in regard to her familiarity with Vanyar. “Although, the friends we are trying to meet are from Vanyar. Bersan, I think. Or maybe Korin.” There was a slight hesitation before the word ‘friends’. Noora was not sure what else to call the Marshal without launching into some sort of long, philosophical dialogue on the matter. They had become friendlier in their working relationship to develop the Ymaret in Noria’s Bowery, but he also frequently drove her to irritation. “We traveled here from Noria. I was not sure I would come with how things are there,” she explained, “but it is interesting to see how Solstice is celebrated in another place.”

“Are you here with friends and family?”

---

tag: Jackson Déor

FoR Noora Sætre

For a day that started much like any other, Jackson was having a good afternoon. He enjoyed meeting new people at every opportunity - and being able to be in a place to remember them was even better. He certainly wouldn’t look a fool if he happened to run into Noora later on in the evening when he was in the drink. She wasn’t the kind of woman he was used to meeting, but thought her much more interesting than the people he was privy to in Vanyar.

“Bersan?” He asked, arching a brow as he gave her a glance. “I live in Bersan, maybe I know whoever you’re meeting.” He added carefully, wondering if she wanted to tell him who exactly she was looking for. Either way, he wouldn’t be surprised if he knew of this person - or their family - from his time in the city and working intimately with others.

Jackson made an understanding noise at her mention of Noria, the city still recovering from the quake. He was glad she was able to get away for a little bit and give herself some reprieve from such an event, regardless of how personally impacted she may have been. “I’m sure to run into some friends, but here mostly for work.” He paused as he ran a hand through his hair. “I work with the Marshal in Vanyar, so here for some security purposes.”

---

“Y

ou are??” Noora grinned. “And you know everyone in Bersan?” she added teasingly, trying to deflect the answer a little while if she could. “Or Korin,” Eva chimed in unhelpfully. Noora’s duenna had not yet been apprised of who exactly they were meeting either, but she had made no protests against the scheme as she wished to travel and so rarely had the opportunity. “A small world it is, indeed!”

The trio started to merge into a large crowd that slowed the foot traffic of the street. Noora did not quite catch all of what Jackson said, his voice partially drowned out by the cacophony of other voices. Something about his work. She nodded somewhat and smiled politely in the unsure way of someone who had not heard enough to make any other reply. She gestured toward a nearby pub. “Drink?” she asked, raising her voice to unladylike volume.

---

tag: Jackson Déor

FoR Noora Sætre

They closer they weaved into the festivities, the louder the crowds got. Jackson let out a light laugh at Noora’s joke. “You never know!” He almost shouted back at her. “I’ve lived in Vanyar my whole life - I know a lot of people. You could say I get around.” he joked with the pair, truly having spent most of his adult life spending as much time outside of Vanyar as possible. He certainly wasn’t going to get into that within the first few minutes of meeting someone.

His ears perked up at her question. “Drink, yes. Absolutely.” He weaved them through yet another crowd before holding the door of the pub open for the pair.

---

S

he smiled with something vaguely knowing. Noora thought Jackson probably did know everyone in Vanyar, if her first impression of him was anything to go by. He seemed like the friendly sort of person that naturally forged lasting connections of varying degrees absolutely everywhere he went. The kind of person that had a guy for everything. “Perhaps it should be a surprise, then!” she half-shouted back.

Noora was a little glad Jackson was up for a drink if she was being honest. She felt a sort of nervous energy building in her belly and was supremely annoyed by it. Why should a little Solstice gathering with Éodred elicit such a feeling? A sip of a strong spirit ought to burn that nonsense away, she thought.

From the outside, it looks to be an inviting and well-maintained public house. It was hard to see through the small windows, but the animation from within could be felt from the outside. As the trio entered the tavern through the old, metal door, they were welcomed by the sounds of profound merriment. The place was packed but the drinks seemed to be moving quickly.

Noora gasped in unison with the rest of the patrons, her eyes sparkling with amazement, when there was a sudden burst from the upper level, and what appeared to be snowflakes fluttered down over the crowd. She held her hands up high above her head to try to catch some. “Where are we??” she asked with a lilt of laughter.

---

tag: Jackson Déor

FoR Noora Sætre

Jackson had been looking forward to Solstice for quite some time - feeling quite the itch to get away from Vanyar for at least a small time, even if it was with the Marshal. He enjoyed meeting up with old friends, and making new acquaintances was a keen interest of his. Jackson could never know too many people or be surrounded by too much noise and excitement. It was where he was in his element.

The smile that spread across Jackson’s face at Noora’s delight was as genuine as could be. He watched as the magical snowflakes fluttered down, the entire place caught up in the excitement of a small display of wonder. Before he met Athena, something like that would have elicited a different response from him - perhaps something akin to fear - but Jackson enjoyed a little magic every now and again, especially around this holiday. After all, it wasn’t about humans.

“That’ll be the least of your excitement during Solstice!” he spoke over the crowd. Jackson waved a puff of pipe smoke out of his way as he led the pair deeper into the pub, finding a small table free for them. “First round’s on me.” he shot them a wink before slapping another patron on the back and leaning over to order for them.

He was back in a few minutes, setting down a pint for each of them before joining the ladies at the table. “You see your mysterious friend yet?” He asked, arching a brow.

---

N

oora’s eyes sparkled with awe. Though technically legal in the capital, magic was still restricted in many ways; especially socially. She had very little exposure to magic and never had she experienced or witnessed it so… freely. Never so whimsically. It was amazing and delightful. All of which she relayed to Jackson before acquiescing the drink round to him, despite the fact that he was doing them the favor of helping them find their way in the first place.

She and Eva were both very gracious in their thanks when he returned and savored their first sips. Noora had sometimes heard folk griping about how watered-down tavern drinks could be. This place did not seem to be of that ilk, or at least not in a way her inexperienced palette could detect. Or, perhaps, it was just that the ales were cold and it was such a novelty in the heat, it didn’t matter what they tasted like. “Not half-bad!” Noora commented approvingly, smiling before taking another blessedly cool sip.

When Jackson asked if she saw her friend, Noora looked a little puzzled. “Is this where we were going?” She sat up a little straighter and started to scan the crowd. “I’m not sure…” It was hard to tell with such a crowd. “I do not believe so.” Then again, Éodred could easily have been concealed by a large entourage if he was seated and she would never know from that vantage point.

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tag: Jackson Déor
note: do you spy the bts easter egg? lol

FoR Noora Sætre

Jackson would be content to sit in the tavern the rest of the night getting to know his new acquaintances or people watching, either way he would be satisfied. Solstice had always been one of his favorite times of year, both for the people it brought into his small circle and the events that happened in and around the few days of celebration. The magic - despite having seen a lot more since he had known certain people - was still impressive, and at times took him by surprise.

It was even better to see someone like Noora seeing everything for the first time. “It’s nothing, really.” He dismissed their thanks as they all settled into their drink, becoming more curious by the moment about the women he was with and who it was they were trying to connect with. It was none of his business outright, but now he simply had to know.

Jackson followed her gaze that wandered over the room full of people. “Not quite, but your directions weren’t entirely clear.” He nearly had to yell over the noise of the place before taking a long swig from his drink. “Maybe you could describe whoever it is you're looking for. I can keep my eyes at the ready for as long as they stay alert tonight.” He joked.