RoverStorm

Lyra turns to look at the gentleman, and pinches her dress for a curtsy.  "Thank you, sir.  I am welcome.  And I come seeking to learn."

"Learn what?"

"What I can."  Lyra glances away from the man at the city before continuing.  "I am a child, at least as far as us Elves are concerned.  I'm at the point of independence, yes, but still a child.  I am ignorant to the world, and wish to change that."

The man nods "Never met an Elf younger than fifteen, that explains your height."

He clearly did not have ill intent but Lyra's head snaps back to him with a glare.  "Oi!  I'm eighteen." She said haughtily.

The man holds up his hands, momentarily having a look of surprise.  "My bad, I assumed you were younger than that if you were still a child."

Lyra slowly dropped her glare.  "Well there's a saying about assumptions.  And to an Elf, anything younger than fifty is still a child."

"You don't say?  I once talked to an Orphanage-a mostly human one-that raised an Elf, and they said they grew up at the same rate."

Thankful for the distraction, Lyra and the man continued on to exchange Elven and Human customs before Lyra suddenly cut off mid-sentence.

"Is....is there a bakery stand at that bazaar?"

"Yes!  Locals sell their baked goods at the bazaar, and many foreign traders cook leftover food that would perish during their next trip."

Lyra was already running off toward the bazaar, in search of the irresistible smell.

A short while later, Lyra was walking next to the man, with a basket full of steaming hot pasteries.  She happily munched on them as she listened to the man give her the tour of the city.

"Whuzzut?" She asked, mouth full, as she pointed to a large tower that was predominantly placed near the center of town.

"That's the library.  I imagine you may enjoy yourself there.  It may not compare to some of the Grand Libraries from where you come from, but it's very impressive to us.  There's also a greenhouse and an observatory on the top, although it's hard to see from here."

She gulped.  "And that?"  She pointed to a large Cathedral.

"A Cathedral, for worshipping....actually, aren't Elves materialistic?"

"Wub bo wu meah?"  She gulped again.  "What do you mean?"

"I'm under the impression that Elves don't worship deities."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean we....we....d-d-d-d-dism-m-iss sp...spirits."

Lyra had noticed that a downward descending staircase alongside the side of the Cathedral had a sign next to it that read 'Crypt'.  The man had not noticed where she looked before she looked straight ahead, and quickly maneuvered herself so that the man was between her and the Cathedral.  She cleared her throat.

"So, do you worship the dead to....appease them?"

"Oh no-no-no, we don't worship ancestors here, we worship..."  The man gave a brief rundown of the local faith while Lyra returned to munching.

They passed through an archway into a mess of houses with the bottom floor walls removed.  Anvils, forges, open crucibles, cooling vats, and overflowing wheelbarrows littered every corner.  The sound of hammering on anvils, the whooshing wind of bellows, and orders being shouted filled the air.

"This is way more gritty than anything back home.  But it seems way more efficient than how elves build smithies." Lyra exclaimed as she looked around the Smithy District.

"Well if you don't mind getting covered in charcoal soot and sweat, it's effective.  Although the dwarves beat us with their open lava forges.  It's a good trade to learn; you'll never be out of a job.  Although elves prefer archery, don't they?"

Lyra stayed quiet.

"Up here is the barracks, across the street from the armory.  Soldiers who don't have a home in the city stay there.  Sometimes they train there, sometimes they train elsewhere.  Mercenaries are also required to stay there by law.  Mercenary work might be good for you if you can fight."

"I can use a sword."

"Not a bow?"

"I WANT to learn how to use a bow, but if I can't lift my eighty pound bed, how am I supposed to fire a short bow with a draw strength of a hundred pounds?  Let alone a longbow."

"Fair enough" the man nodded.  "A sword has little muscle requirement."

"But I'm not giving up on the bow yet.  You can earn more muscles, after all."

The man watched her scarf down a cookie immediately after saying this and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Perhaps you should look at learning some magic.  It's possible you don't need muscles for that."

Lyra looked up at the building around her.  "I want to, but no elf would teach magic to a child.  And I doubt any local teachers would teach a stranger.  Magic is rare, and the last thing you want is to give unspeakable weapons to a future enemy.  By any chance, do you know local magic teachers?"

The man nods.  "Of course I know them.  I know many powerful people in the city."

Lyra began to wonder if the man was befriending her because she was particularly well-dressed and the only elf on her ship. 

The man showed her to a 'most trustworthy inn' and bid farewell.

As she sat in a wooden chair on her balcony, she stared off into the starlit sky, pondering what she should do now that she was truly alone.  Most likely study, perhaps simply take some time and travel around, and figure out what she wanted to do.  Perhaps find a problem to fix.  She briefly considered focusing on making friends, before she suddenly realized something.

"I never asked him his name!"

(Note here: Outfit on Alex model (see below) not final, I make all skins myself and while the skin I picked works, I haven't changed the outfit from a vaguely mid-renaissance fantasy marching uniform, which is probably not what High Elves usually wear when they travel).  Her eyes are purple, and the wiki says that elven eye color is bright when they're young and grows darker with age, and since Lyra is very young to reflect how new I am, I made them bright but they may be a bit too bright.  I went as-is until I get feedback on those details.  Naturally, I am welcome to making changes to it.)

(EDIT: I've been using my waiting period to make better outfits and make further changes at the suggestions of a ST member.  Although I have a few outfits prepared, I can only load one image down below.  They said they thought the outfit worked, but I'm still not convinced and I am amendable to making changes, or scrapping it in favor of the newer ones.)