Jowan was not in the habit of approaching people on the streets of Kirkwall. That could mean suicide if you weren’t careful. Talk to the wrong person at the wrong time and you could potentially be done for before you even knew what happened. Call it paranoid, but it was a good rule to live by.
Yet something in the air was drawing his attention, tugging at his curiosity with every passing second. It happened rarely, that one would encounter a form of magic so powerful or foreign that you could sense it. But here it was.
Jowan wasn’t actually sure he knew what this sensation was himself, he had no clue where it came from or why it made him alert. The mage had been sitting on the ground, back against the wall. Resting and observing his surroundings with a careful eye. He would have likely nodded off, had he not been pulled back to attention by whatever it was that tugged at his attention. He scanned the crowd before him, uncertain of what he was looking for.
“Maker’s breath, pull it together. You can’t afford to lose your mind just yet.” He mumbled, brows knitting together. He was going to discard this as a haunting feeling from a dream, meant to shake him awake and prevent him from sleeping on the street. That sounded like a reasonable explanation that the mage would accept without further notice, before he saw her.
There was a strange attraction going on, urging the mage to approach. Jowan gently rose to his feet, moving past the crowds until he was close enough.
“Uh, excuse me.” He reached out hesitantly to touch her arm for attention. “I know I’m going to sound like a idiot, I mean, we’ve never met. I don’t think we did. But.. do I know you?”
He looked at her with some confusion, still not understanding this sudden impulse.
Distraction was found in every corner of the market, for she took in the smell of the various foods cooking and her eyes grew wide with the fresh fruits for sale. She was always hungry, but knew that there were those within the alienage that couldn’t afford most of the things here - mostly children. They were thin and were part of the impoverished many, but very undeserving of their fate. With that thought, Sarah would cast aside her own pangs of hunger and headed toward the vendors to put in her order of food.
Gathering the small satchel of coins from her side, she weighed it in her hand and pressed it to her chest as she now began to weave around the bodies in this busy street. Sarah moved swiftly, not trying to bump into anyone and avoid sticky fingers from reaching for her coin purse. But, as she started to move, the maiden abruptly came to a stop and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She had felt this before and because of that reason the summoner was vigilant of her surroundings.
Sea-green hues narrowed with the lowering of feathered lashes while looking at the faces of those passing her by. Funny, she didn’t feel like she was in danger, and trust me, Sarah knew when it was time to run. So busy with what was before her, she failed to notice what was coming from behind and had reached for her. That small gesture of contact sent a small shock through her. This person had a gift - and possibly now knew she shared something similar.
Time halted.
In this moment, Sarah held her breath longer than usual and glanced down at the hand on her arm. Now, she had a choice of running after breaking free and melting into the crowd ahead; Sarah could start a small commotion and draw attention to the man, thus causing him to leave her be, or .. she could remain calm and cast aside her paranoia.
The third choice was the one she was going to go with, because honestly, she didn’t want another episode of nights prior. Regaining composure that was momentarily lost, the maiden slowly turned around and tilted her head enough that the hood revealed the confused features of the woman hidden in its shadow. “You do not sound like an idiot,” her accent was immediately a give-away that she indeed was not from these parts. “It is one of the better pick up lines I have heard actually since my time here,” soft lips pulled into a lighthearted smile and her gaze had softened.
He wasn’t a Templar. Oh by the Gods was this a relief. She immediately released the tension from her shoulders and seemingly relaxed before Jowan. Like clockwork, she started to examine his face, her scrutinizing gaze fell to his own eyes, to the contour of his face, to his lips and then what fabrics adorned him at the present time.
