So here's what I came up with for next part of Trick. I tried to to follow along with the advice I'd gotten on the last part, but I may have slipped here or there. Let me know what you guys think. Did it get better or worse??
Aral’s Middle City marketplace, known as the Sun Market, lied in the city’s southern region. Its back bordered the Medin River, which this far down from the Palace constantly smelled of laundered clothes and gutted fish. Its eastern and western edges were lined with the locals crumbling, hastily patched buildings. Wooden stalls and haphazardly built carts were scattered across the area, their time-worn paint peeling and cracking away like the skin of another era as they sat day after day in the open weather. Brightly colored items ranging from foods to silks covered every available surface, their brilliant hues shinning provocatively in the sun and forcing me to shield my eyes every now and then. A warm breeze blew throughout the maze of vendors, wafting the delicious smells of freshly cooked pastries and meats towards any passersby while rows of cloth waved happily at them, beckoning them to come closer for a better look.
The fair weather had lured out an excess of people to the already crowded market and the venders were hard at work trying to get as much profit out of the potential customers as possible. Cries advertising the best bargains in town rang out in hoarse voices, somehow managing to blend together in the strange harmony that is the music of mankind. A baker named Ms. Jenkins, famous for having the best cinnamon apple patties in town and notorious for being the worst penny-pincher, had set up a buy two-get-one-free deal in order to ring in more customers, though it must have gone against everything in her nature to do so. Mr. Henslowe, the enormous man who sold the finest and most expensive jewelry this side of the Medin, had set out a few of his wares on a table bathed in sunlight in order to catch the rays on the delicate gems and show off their clarity. Another woman, a seamstress known as Mrs. Harrison, marked ten percent off on all her second hand clothes.
And underneath this sudden festival like atmosphere lay something else. All throughout the Sun Market people were in unusually high spirits, whether because of the great deals or pleasant weather was hard to say. The only thing that was definite were the small, almost insignificant details that said that the people were happier than usual: children’s hectic behavior was tolerated just a little bit more by their parents, who seemed more tended to laugh than scold; Ms. Jenkins gave a chunk of three day old bread to an orphan she ordinarily would have chased away with a broom; a cat and dog lay side by side beneath the shade of a nearby stall. The whole market was filled with undeniable hint of kindness, turning this otherwise average day into one of those rare, magical ones where goodwill thrives. One of those blissful days where everybody seems to regain their humanity and absolutely nothing goes wrong.
Needless to say I was bored out my mind.
I sighed and glanced down from my perch atop one of market’s surrounding buildings. Everywhere I looked lurked more smiles and laughter than I’d of thought possible. Compassion had spread across the market like an unstoppable weed, sinking its benevolent roots into everything it could find. I couldn’t even turn my head without getting a glimpse of someone’s overly cheerful face. It was enough to make a girl mad.
“Stop, thief!”
My head shot up so quickly it hurt as I scanned for the source of the commotion. It wasn’t very hard to find, being the only disturbance all day. A tan boy, clutching a brown bag in his hands, sprinted across the market, zigzagging his way randomly through the thick crowd and towards the Medins edge. Some ways behind him ran three or four men, all having more difficulty navigating their huge bulks through the surplus of people than the scrawny kid. I looked further behind them and saw an immensely fat man gesturing wildly after the boy.
“Stop him! Someone, quick! Stop him!” he screeched, his face exploding in a series of angry purple splotches. I smirked as I instantly recognized the gem merchant Henslowe; I’d have known that fleshy face anywhere.
I turned my attention back to the unfolding drama. The boy had quite a lead on his pursuers, but the idiot was running up to a dead end. He’d trap himself in between the river and the crumbling buildings in a matter of moments. Escape by jumping into the Medins deep, spiraling water was out—he’d be swept away like a dead leaf by the river’s raging, unpredictable currents, regardless of what kind of swimmer he was—and there was no way someone as small him would be able to fight himself out of a corner. He’d be caught and would probably lose a limb or two for his crime.
Finally, I thought in relief, something to break the boredom. I quietly climbed down from my perch, all the while keeping a close eye on the chase. It was still a good distance from me, so I had plenty of time to get in position. All the same though, I quickly made my own way through the crowd, ducking in and out of side paths between buildings and stall as I listened to uproar.
“Guards! Summon the guards!” came the gem merchant’s high pitched cry again.
“Out of the way woman!” commanded a deep voice – probably one of the thugs chasing after the boy —as another, higher-pitched one screamed.
“Don’t you dare treat my wife like that!” a male voice yelled angrily.
“Get out of my way!” ordered the first man as a number of other voices chimed in.
“Guards! Get him! He’s stolen my jewels!”
“John, be careful!”
“Get off me!”
“Hey!”
“Watch it!”
“Get that boy!”
“I said, get off m—Hey! Put that dow—”
“Look out!”
“Stop him!”
I bit back a laugh as I settled myself in a shadowed alley between two particularly run-down hovels and waited for the boy. To think that I’d ever thought today would be boring. It was turning out to be one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. I peeked around a corner and watched as several men started fighting, pounding senselessly at one another while the crowd circled eagerly around them like a bunch of school children. The boy, completely forgotten by everyone but the gem seller, snuck away from the brawlers and headed straight towards me. A huge grin stretched stupidly across his thin face.
I ducked back into the alley I was lurking in and waited until the kid raced past me. I reached out with one hand, grabbed the back of his shirt, and quickly covered his mouth with my other. Before he could recover from the surprise, I switched my grip from his shirt to the arm not holding the bag, pulling it up behind his back in a way I knew from personal experience could be pretty painful. Despite this, he immediately began to resist and I had to struggle to pull him back into the safety of the alley’s shadows. I’d gotten us down it half-way when the little brat bit the hand I had covering his mouth. I fought down a yelp, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from watering as he continued to chomp down with all his strength. For such a little guy, he sure bit hard.
“Hey! Knock it off or I’ll take you straight to Henslowe’s men!” I whispered furiously. He stopped struggling and let go of my hand, obviously surprised that I wasn’t one of them myself. “Good boy. Now keep quiet or they’ll find us both.” I commanded softly, moving us against a wall that provided a decent view the dead end and still going fight.
Sure enough, moments later two of Henslowe’s thugs— having escaped the brawl—sped right past our hiding place and on towards the dead end. We watched as the idiots came to a halt just at the river’s edge and looked around, dumb-founded. Then, after much head-scratching, they turned around and took off back they way they came.
I waited a few more moments just to be sure they were gone, then let go off the kid. I was careful to position him against the wall and myself in front, partially blocking his path. I didn’t think he’d try and run just yet, but I was never one to take chances. The boy watched me with suspicious eyes as he rubbed his shoulder, which probably stung pretty badly from my hold on him. Well, it was his own fault for resisting. Next time, he’d know better than to bite the hand that rescued him.
“My, that was exciting wasn’t it? My heart's still pounding from all the adrenaline.” I said, smiling at him.
He narrowed his eyes and adjusted his grip on the bag. “What’d you do that for?” he demanded.
“Do? “ I asked innocently.
“Stop me from getting myself trapped. Why’d you do it?” he said again.
“Isn’t it obvious? I couldn’t very well let a cute little boy like you get caught by those men. Just think of all the horribly nasty things they would have done to you! My conscience simply wouldn’t allow it.” I explained, taking a closer look at him. Judging from the baby fat that still lingered on his face, I guessed his age to be around ten. His dirty, brown hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in awhile, and the grim on his clothes said that they hadn’t been either. The way he talked hinted that he’d grown up near the lower part of city, which had been given the name The Slums for obvious reasons.
“Liar.”
“You know, it’s awfully rude to accuse the person who just saved your bum of being a liar.” I said lightly.
“You’re a nut.” he said, moving away from me.
“Probably. In any case, I think you’ve got the right idea. It’s not safe to stick around here for very long.” I replied. Then, before he could stop me, I quickly ducked toward him and snatched the bag out of his hands. “I’ll just take these so you can be on your way.”
“Hey! Give those back! I swiped them fair and square!”
“Silly, there isn’t anything fair about stealing. That’s why it’s illegal. But you do deserve a reward for all your hard work I suppose.” I reached into the bag, which, much to my surprise, was more than halfway full, and pulled out a particularly large jewel. I tossed it to him. “That should tide you over for awhile. Now, run along before I change my mind and turn you in anyway.”
“You wouldn’t.” he insisted, though his tone more like a question than a statement.
“Wouldn’t I?” I feigned a grab for him and he turned-tail and ran. I giggled to myself and headed in the opposite direction just as the world around me exploded in light.
Pain flared through my head as I shielded my already blinded eyes, barely managing to stifle a startled gasp. My temples throbbed, feeling as if my head were about to split in two and it took everything I had not to fall to my knees. As it was I had to slump against a nearby wall as my legs went numb beneath me. My body trembled as unexplained spasms racked through it and the air had grown so heavy that I could barely breathe.
“Oh. Sorry about that. It’s been awhile since I was last around mortals and I tend to forget what my presence does to your kind.” The voice, if you could even call something like that voice—it sounded more like the whispering of a breeze through a forest—reverberated across my mind, tearing into it in such agonizing pain that I gasped and almost blacked out.
Then, as a suddenly as it had happened, the world around me returned to normal. The air lightened enough for my lungs to work properly, though it still clutched at me with an abnormal pressure, and the light dimmed back down to a level that didn’t sear my retinas. Nevertheless, it took every ounce of willpower I had to keep my breath steady as I opened my eyes.
Leaning up casually against the wall opposite of mine was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. No, I corrected myself, that wasn’t quite right. He couldn’t be measured by any form of standards and trying to limit him thusly was in vain. His smooth, alabaster skin shimmered with a golden glow that was so bright it made my weary eyes ache. It contrasted alarmingly with his ridiculously dark hair and his sharp, angular features had a slightly soft edge to them that seemed completely out of place. His long, sensuous lips were too big for his face, but at the same time went flawlessly with his delicate appearance. He was garbed head-to-toe in black clothes that matched the tone of his hair and continued to add to disturbing mismatched perfection about him. The overall effect wasn’t one of usual beauty, but it held such unparalleled magnificence that even that term fell short.
Cold-sweat beaded across on my brow and my every muscle in my body tensed anxiously. My heart beat so hard against my ribcage as it struggled to rip itself out of me that I almost noticed it. Almost. The wave of sheer terror that had flooded me left me pretty oblivious to anything else.
Well, no question about it. I had a god on my hands.
