“Hands off the merchandise, Caelica!” said a rough voice.

Leera flinched and pulled her hand back as if she’d burnt it on the stove. “Sorry! I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean–”

“Relax,” said the merchant. “I'm just messing with you.”

He was leaning casually against the side of the stand, wearing a lopsided grin. His hair rolled off his head in a waterfall of blood, splashing stylishly off his shoulders. It was a woman’s haircut, Leera thought, but he didn’t seem like a person who would care – this man would probably look smug and confident even in a skirt.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“You seem a bit stuck-up, that’s all.”

Still recovering her balance, Leera glared at the man. She’d never met anyone so rude before.

“Typical behavior from a… a…”

“Yeah?” The man put a hand behind his ear. “What am I?”

Based on the fiery hair, she wanted to call him Ignut, which was the derogatory name for an Ignis male, but his wavy casual movements and almond-shaped green eyes screamed water folk.

“You’re rude, that’s what…” Leera mumbled.

“How about I make it up to you with a tattoo?” He leaned his upper body to the side and tilted his head, leveling his eyes with Leera’s. “Free of charge, of course!”

Not wanting to meet his intense gaze, Leera examined her arms. They looked like pale sticks in comparison to the merchant’s suntanned logs, knotted with muscles. An ink sleeve of ivy climbed from his wrist up to his bicep, wrapping it in thorns, before sprouting into a black rose on his shoulder. Getting a tattoo would hurt a lot, she imagined, even though the drawing of the cloud was really pretty.

“No, thank you.”

“Are you sure? I’d love to… put my mark on you,” he said and smiled deviously.

Crossing her arms, Leera turned away. The walkway was bustling with customers, jostling one another to purchase groceries and knickknacks from the trading boats. She wondered how many coins got lost in these hasty transactions – the murky depth of the volcano lake was probably filled with riches. There was still no sign of Quick.

“Is that your boat?” said the merchant. “Where are you headed?”

“Oceanpeak,” Leera said. “Not that that is any of your business!”

“Oh, the Caeli capital – fancy. I actually have some business to attend to there, mind if I tag along?”

“Yes, I would mind that very much, thank you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that now, Caelica. You don’t even know me.”

“That’s exactly my point. And stop calling me that; it’s rude.”

“Well, you better give me your name then,” he said with a wink and held out his hand. “I’m Bryne Teller.”

Leera sniffed and turned away.

“Well, look who is rude now,” he said. “And here I thought the air folk was known for their impeccable manners…”

She turned back, just so that she could properly roll her eyes at him. She then attempted to stab him in the chest with her index finger. Bryne caught her hand and gently placed it back against her side. He grinned at her and started packing up his shop.

“If you think, even for a second–” she started but then noticed that Quick was finally returning, and with large bags slung over his shoulders.

She never thought she’d be so relieved to see the bearded face of the doddering old man.

“Can you help me with these, dear?” Quick said, with pearls of sweat rolling down his brow.

Eager to get going, Leera held up her hands and lifted the first bag off his shoulder. They were much heavier than expected and Leera lost her equilibrium. She staggered backward with the bag locked above her head. Oh no, she thought, as her left foot lost ground and she suddenly faced the blue sky.

Images of her brother being devoured by the lake flashed before her mind’s eye. Then, something caught her around the waist and stopped her fall. The bag, however, went straight into the wet floor of the floating market. The splash made people look up from their goings-on and caused the man in the restaurant to hit his lover in the eye with a grape. Bryne smirked and pulled Leera back to her feet.

“Oh, well,” Quick said, shrugging. “I guess the fish here will taste like tea for a couple of weeks.”

“Tea!” she cried. “We went here for tea? You said our business here was critical!”

“Oh, but it was. Tea isn’t something that should be taken lightly,” Quick said dismissively, and then turned towards Bryne. “Could you help me load this one, young man?”

“I could do it!” Leera pouted.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Bryne said and heaved the bag on board.

“What an absolute gentleman,” Quick said, nodding at Leera. “The manners of a Caeli noble, wouldn’t you say?”

Leera crossed her arms and glared at her reflection in the muddy water. The soft breeze played with her long white hair. She felt small next to the two men. She wasn’t ready to face the world outside of Jane’s Spire, or become an Iso-bender and whatever that entailed. She just wanted to go back home and watch the sunset over the Sleet Mire. At least she would get to see her brother soon.

“I notice you’re packing up your shop. Say, where are you headed, boy?” Quick said.

Leera’s eyes went wide.