Charlotte listened, interested to Isa talk, though she was a little surprised at how poorly he was treated. Of course, she knew his life would be very different from hers but it was still a bit of a shock. “At least you turned things around for you. Becoming a Warlock and an adventurer… I think that’s incredible.” she smiled.
"Yeah! My time in the Feywild helped a lot with that. I found a family here, I learned a better view on life. And of course, it is where I made the deal to become a Warlock."
“I wonder if I can do half as well as you did now that I’m here.” she mused. “Do you know any rogues who would be willing to train me? I may not be good at some of the other adventuring groups but I think I can pull off being a rouge… or a bard. I've had some practice with music.”
"Hmm…" Isa thinks, racking his brain for anyone he knows. "Not in the Feywild, no. I've known a few bards, but no rogues. And none of them have ever really been a fan of the Feywild. I mean……" Isa suddenly grins like an idea popped into his head. "Well……There's a few Fey that specialize in trading experience and skills for memories. Like, you can sell memories of a lover for 3 years experience of combat."
“Oh. That's too bad…” she started before peeking up at his suggestion. “Well, I haven't had any lovers but I wonder if those Fey would take my art lessons instead. I could live without those memories.”
"Well that was just an example. You sort of have to barter, theres not a really consistent rate for what emotions get what. But they take a variety of different stuff."
“Of course.” she nodded. “I guess I‘ll just have to get to know these merchant Fey so I can barter with them.”
"Sounds like a smart idea." Isa says with a smile. And right on cue, they arrive at the Merchant town of the Feywild, simply called, Barter. As always, it is busy, bustling with a variety of merchants with equally diverse wares. "So what do we need to get first?"
Charlotte smiled back, glad he approved of her plan. But she was surprised and impressed by how busy the town was. “Umm… basic camping supplies should be a good start. I've been able to find rooms at some inns when I was traveling before but I hadn't gotten around to getting my own camping gear yet.” she admitted.
"Okay then…Lets see if he's here today…" Isa scans the area for the merchant he was thinking of and grins when he spots them. "There they are! Come on!" He gestures for Charlotte to follow, and stops in front of a stand called Garyl's Equipment. There, an Orc sits cross legged with camping gear and similar wares around him. He waves hello. "Ah, hello Isa. What can I get for you?"
Isa waves back, and introduces Charlotte to him. "Charlotte, this is Garyl. Garyl, Charlotte. He sells camping gear and everything you might need for survival purposes."
Charlotte eagerly followed Isa through the crowd, though she nearly stumbled when she caught sight of the Merchant in question. I guess the Feywild is a refuge for many species… she thought to herself before smiling at the introduction. “Hello, Garyl.”
Garyl waves back. "Hello Charlotte. What can I get for you today?"
“I’m looking for some camping supplies. A tent and a bed roll at least.” she told him. “I wasn’t prepared for a visit to the Feywild.” she admitted with a faint blush.
Garyl nods and pulls out a bed roll and tent set. "That'll be 20 gold! If thats all you need of course." He says with a grin.
Isa is idling by the counter, tapping his foot and counting coins in his wallet as he patiently observes the transaction.
Charlotte smiled at how quickly Garyl provided the items she requested and was satisfied with the quality as well. “Thank you.” she nodded as she reached into her satchel to pay for them.
Isa turns to Charlotte once she's paid and put away her purchases.
"You've got all your camping supplies now then? Do you want to see if theres anything else you need, or are you ready to leave the market?"
“I think so.” she nodded, giving Garyl one last grateful smile as she gathered her purchase. “If not, I can come back later. But, if you don't mind, I would like to look around and meet some of the people here.” Charlotte admitted to Isa.
"Sure. There's plenty of people worth meeting around here, and plenty to avoid as well. You just wanting to meet people for fun, or are you looking for anyone with specific skills?" Isa pulls out a old tattered journal, flipping through a few lists as he considers who might be here at the moment.
“Perhaps both?” Charlotte suggested, understanding the value of meeting someone with skills that could help her in this place. “I really meant in general but I’ll trust your judgment.”
"Well, our options are: The Hags in the woods that probably will try to steal your soul or something…. There's Shade….You could Meet Olate, Lord of the Forgotten Woods, Or Syndra, who is sort of a friendly librarian. Just, there's not technical library. …. Yeah, lets go see Syndra! She's probably in the Living Bookstore today." Isa beckons Charlotte to follow, and on the other side of the town in a relatively normal bookstore, aside from it having big spider legs, and that it did talk when people approached it.
"Hi Isa!" The bookstore says. "Hey Liv. Is Syndra around?"
"Yup! She's inside right now actually." "Great!"
Isa turns to Charlotte to see how she's handling this most bizzare serving of Feywild vibes. "Come on Charlotte. Let us enter."
Charlotte was a bit shocked by Isa suggesting someone who would steal her soul but was certainly relieved when he chose the librarian. The others had been interesting but she had to admit her curiosity at the Feywild’s version of a library.
She followed eagerly, not wanting to get separated or lost. But she couldn't help raising a brow at the sight and discovery that the “living library” was in fact alive. Deciding to try to be polite, Charlotte gave a small wave at the… Liv and nodded at Isa. “Ok. Lead the way.”
Isa walks into the library, skimming through the New Releases shelf before remembering he's here to find someone. HE makes his way more directly into the sitting area, and waves to a pink-haired Eldarin. "Hey Syndra!" He says in a low enough tone to still be considered a whisper. Syndra waves back smiling. "Hi Isa! And Uh……Other….person…." She trails off awkwardly as she realizes she doesn't know who Charlotte is. "N-nice to meet you."
Isa nods at Charlotte, silently encouraging her to introduce herself.
”Nice to meet you too. I’m Charlotte.” she smiles, taking Isa and Syndra’s example of talking. A part of her was almost nervous to find out what would happen if she talked normally in here but a first meeting certainly wasn't the right time for that discovery.
"I'm Syndra! Um…..So are you new in….plane? To the Feywild?" Syndra asks, nervously tapping her fingers along the book sat in her lap.
Isa hides a smile at Syndra being an awkward mess with new people. He sits down in a nearby bean bag chair and begins to write some notes in his journal, as he idly observes the introduction and conversation between the two.
”I am. It's only my first day here.” she nodded. ”Luckily, I ran into Isa and he’s been showing me around.” Charlotte smirked at her friend as she sat down with them.
Syndra giggles. "Thats good. He's a good guide to have, most other fey would probably have some sort of ulterior motive. So what makes you want to stay here in the Feywild exactly?"
Charlotte sighed and shifted in her seat. ”I… don't really have anywhere else to go. I want to be free and have adventures… real ones, not just read about someone else’s.” she admitted.
"I think you'll find plenty of kindred spirits then," Syndra says. "I'm personally a fan of stories myself, but I understand peoples drive for that sort of thing. I hope you'll find what you're looking for here in the Feywild."
Charlotte smiled softly at Syndra’s kind words and nodded. “I think I have so far. But I have to say I'm going to have to get used to surprises.” she smirked. ”I wasn't expecting the library to actually be alive.”
Isa snarks, "Of course the library is alive, what do you think it'd be, an inanimate building? What hogwash."
Syndra chuckles and explains, "Yeah, Liv can be a little unsettling at first, but she's a good egg! She gets a 9/10 on the scale of good sentient buildings!"