How she made it all the way through the Serha Plains and through the desert into Essryn was still beyond her. The woman wiped across her brow, sweating in the desert heat, even though it was supposedly autumn. The desert city was thriving, bustling even, and Kahlani was struggling just a little to keep herself on alert for all the people. The pack on her shoulders was digging in, and her back ached even though she'd managed to get a ride into the city for the last day of travel. She'd never been out this far before, but after seeing a painting made of the city, and the colours that filled it, the young woman had been determined to get out there herself, and see whether or not she could acquire some brilliant fabrics to take back for the men and women of Adela.
While the streets were busy, Kahlani was being extra careful of watching the people around her. Not being able to hear a single thing did not help, and while people knew her back in Ketra and the other small towns in Adela and kept an eye out for her, she had stubbornly determined to make this journey by herself. Her pale green-gold eyes watched the stunning array of colours, the vendors calling out to each other, goods being traded and exchanged, all in slight awe. It was an awesome sight to behold. She was smiling a wide, happy smile as she approached a stall that had row upon row of ribbons and buttons and sashes and rolls of fabric all on display.
Her hand reached out to touch a silken thread, when a hand at hers. She looked up, surprised, and clutched her hand to her. "Don't go touching my things!" He snapped. Kahlani watched his lips moving, his scowling brows low over his dark eyes, and the aggressive set of his mouth ... and reached out again. Again, her hand was slapped, and this time when she looked up, it was with a downturned pull to her lips. She frowned, and pointed to herself, and then to the ribbon, rubbed her fingers together, and then back to herself again. The vendor shook his head; clearly he did not understand what most back home would have known meant 'let me see if it's a good quality. I might buy it'.
Kahlani reached out her hand, and before the vendor could deter her again, snatched up a dark red ribbon, and let her fingers run over it lightly. She nodded to herself, and smiled to the man who was clearly furious. He ripped the fabric from her hands, and Kahlani's mouth dropped open in surprise. She stamped her foot, and reached out for it again, and then out of nowhere, the man pushed her away roughly on her shoulder.
Kahlani stumbled backwards, face a pure expression of shock. She landed heavily on her backside, having miraculously not bumped into anyone on her way. With her hands on the ground on either side of her, the young woman could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and a feeling of extreme confusion began to shake in her stomach, just as a tremor started shaking the ground beneath her hands.
She looked up to see the stalls swaying, and people hitting the ground like windfall peaches. She struggled to get a grip on her emotions, but the longer she looked at the beautiful fabrics rolling to the dust, the more distraught she became, and the earthquake, while gentle, just continued on. In the end, she just closed her eyes tightly, and lifted her hands from the ground, noticing only then that she'd managed to snatch up a salmon pink ribbon on her way down.
