Joker Wild

Solstice took one look around the busy steets before deciding to call it a day. No one was interested in anything she had, after all. It was rare for her to make a sale, but every so often even she, with her poor excuse for a shop, had something that someone wanted. Raking in her spread of miscellaneous objects ranging from rusted trinkets to interesting looking gadgets from the old world, Solstice doubted that it was all completely useless. Surely, somebody somewhere would make great use of her junk and give her money for it.

Despite the bad business, she wasn't too heartbroken. She merely folded up the badly worn blue rug on which she displayed her wares and stood to head off towards her next destination. Something was different about the market today, although she couldn't quite place it. Truth be told, she was hardly concerned.

"Roscoe," Solstice spoke so quietly, as if she thought herself to be standing in the middle of a silent room.

The ugly, one eyed fellow turned his head and caught sight of her familiar face. "Solstice," he returned courteously. "Business as usual, I trust?"

Solstice nodded her head solemnly, stepping aside to make way for a rambunctious train of children sprinting through with a loaf of bread held high in the air. Orphans were frequently snatching food and pilfering coins from unfortunate tourists hailing from the bright glass pyramid that periodically docked in the East end of Crystal City. They were her prime customers, swimming in enough wealth to spare for an assortment of charming, yet useless sculptures she fashioned out of metal.

"The same," she said, not offering anything more to their conversation. Solstice simply reached a hand into her pocket to scrounge up a small amount of money for him.

"Word is that some shady characters from the Arc seem to be looking for something," Roscoe said, lifting his hand to his face as he coughed into his palm. She didn't bat an eyelash at his lack of sanitary habits, but instead handed him the money and took the orange. "And there seems to be some kind of bug going around, so watch your back."

"Will do," she nodded mildly, promptly continuing on her way towards the Arc. She had plenty of things to do before the night was done and one of those things included sifting through the new piles of junk that were tossed off the Arc each time they took the time to dock.

Solstice peeled the outer layer from her orange, letting the rinds slip from her fingers and litter the broken cobblestone path she walked. Her dark eyes drifted over the people of the market, realizing that many of them did appear more run down than the rest. She could see how their eyes were beginning to sink and the dark circles were slowly becoming more prominent. Solstice considered them as she peeled the orange apart and popped a segment into her mouth.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice as a rush of terrified citizens suddenly surged from one direction and she was caught in the panic before she knew what was happening. Solstice flinched as someone violently shoved her shoulder and she gripped the orange in her hand, careful not to drop or crush it. Thankfully, the chaos seemed to pass quickly and she was left mostly unscathed. Something hit her boot and she looked down to peer at the silver knife glinting in the lantern light.

Solstice bent slowly and picked it off the ground, turning it over in her grasp before lifting her gaze to find its owner. Her eyes drifted over one limp body, then another, until she finally found a pair of feet that lead up to one man standing. She pulled another orange segment into her mouth as she walked forward and offered him the blade without a word.

The man reached out and accepted it, squinting at the peculiar young girl as she continued to eat her food. She nodded her head once before continuing on, but he reached out suddenly and stopped her.

"Wait, you're hurt," he said, gesturing to a line of blood drawing down her left arm. "You should take care of that before it gets infected."

Solstice looked down at the scratch and then back up at him as she shook her head slightly.

"It's fine," she murmured.

The man seemed bewildered at her lack of urgency and his brow furrowed in concern. A small cut like that could easily become blighted, especially with the miasma being as thick as it was today. But she did not wear a respirator or any kind of mask over her face at all. Even though her skin was pale, it was without a rash or blemishes. She was quiet and subdued, but she shined with a subtle brilliance in a place downtrodden by drab circumstance.

Solstice put the last of her orange into her mouth and a ghost of a smile curved the corner of her mouth. She turned and continued on her way without another look back, passing the oncoming traffic of uniformed guards as they descended on the scene.