The smaller of the two women looks at me with mild shock, and for a moment, something like recognition. She utters something, or part of something, that I do not understand. Phonemes that are assuredly not English, but that I cannot immediately categorize. She recovers swiftly.
"I'm sorry; I thought you were someone else."
"No harm done," I say, as warmly as one can when talking loud enough to be heard at some distance over the low rushing hiss of rain. I wonder who she's mistaken me for. While I don't exactly stick out everywhere I go, my Continental features don't usually lend themselves to cases of mistaken identity half a world from the land of my birth. Another traveler, perhaps?
The other woman stands up then, and she is taller than I expected, not far from my height. It is her footprints I am standing in, unless the other woman has someone else's shoes on and a pocket full of rocks. When she speaks, her consonants tend to leap over vowels entirely and mash each other together, so it takes me a moment to adjust.
"Ain't seen you 'round b'fore. New'n town?"
She has somewhat placed herself between the other woman and me, which makes me wonder about the connection between them. Perhaps it will become clear in time. Regardless, the last thing I want to do is to spook anyone. "Indeed, madam. I've been here less than a week. I have a bed in the dormitory at the Whitechapel." I sketch a small formal bow when I introduce myself. "Samuel Durand, Friar Observant," I say, bringing the rosary to my lips briefly. "But I hope you'll just call me Samuel. Or Brother Samuel, some prefer."
I take a couple of slow strides closer, still matching steps. I'd really rather move off to one side, but I don't want to disturb more of the area than I have to until I get to the seemingly untouched middle. "It seems like half the town's on edge about whatever happened here, so I thought I'd come take a look. I have certain skills that I hoped might be of use."
no subject
"I'm sorry; I thought you were someone else."
"No harm done," I say, as warmly as one can when talking loud enough to be heard at some distance over the low rushing hiss of rain. I wonder who she's mistaken me for. While I don't exactly stick out everywhere I go, my Continental features don't usually lend themselves to cases of mistaken identity half a world from the land of my birth. Another traveler, perhaps?
The other woman stands up then, and she is taller than I expected, not far from my height. It is her footprints I am standing in, unless the other woman has someone else's shoes on and a pocket full of rocks. When she speaks, her consonants tend to leap over vowels entirely and mash each other together, so it takes me a moment to adjust.
"Ain't seen you 'round b'fore. New'n town?"
She has somewhat placed herself between the other woman and me, which makes me wonder about the connection between them. Perhaps it will become clear in time. Regardless, the last thing I want to do is to spook anyone. "Indeed, madam. I've been here less than a week. I have a bed in the dormitory at the Whitechapel." I sketch a small formal bow when I introduce myself. "Samuel Durand, Friar Observant," I say, bringing the rosary to my lips briefly. "But I hope you'll just call me Samuel. Or Brother Samuel, some prefer."
I take a couple of slow strides closer, still matching steps. I'd really rather move off to one side, but I don't want to disturb more of the area than I have to until I get to the seemingly untouched middle. "It seems like half the town's on edge about whatever happened here, so I thought I'd come take a look. I have certain skills that I hoped might be of use."