She found herself back in her old stomping grounds today on a visit to her former trainer and mentor. He was the closest thing to family that she had, and he had done a great deal for her. He had not only trained her, but had almost become like family to her after her parents had passed. She visited as often as she could, between running the bakery and whatever else came up. She liked spending time with him; she often brought him food she made, and they talked about all manner of things for hours. It was getting later in the day now, though, and so it was time to head back home. She kept to herself as she walked, past mostly run-down houses and shops. There were some places that were in better shape than others. She knew from growing up here that those places were the ones that paid for the Bad Brothers’ protection. Anyone stupid enough to cause trouble for them would find themselves with more than they bargained for.
She was through Voedale proper now, and into the open-air market that sat just on it’s edge, between it and the bridge leading across to the small island and then on further still back to the mainland. Things were no less run-down here, though the broken windows and abandoned building were fewer if only by the virtue of most of Basin Court being taken up by stalls of merchants selling any number of things from clothing to trinkets and spices. There were other, less honest stalls as well. Rigged games of chance, mostly. Find the Lady and every imaginable iteration of the shell game, among others. Cass didn’t begrudge their proprietors; they had to make a living the same as anyone else. Better to trick hapless tourists out of a few coins than pick pockets. There were, of course, pickpockets. Cass kept one hand in her coat pocket on her coin purse, as she was sure most of the other people who lived and worked in this area did while they were shopping.
The market was busy despite the light mist. After the last few days of incessant rain, it was a welcome reprieve. Truly sunny days were few and far between in Loshis, and those who sold here had to take what they could get. With no other pressing engagements for the day, Cass decided to take some time to browse what was on offer here, all the while keeping a wary eye out for any sort of trouble. Her imposing stature generally discouraged anyone from trying to cause her any grief, but there were plenty of others around who were not so lucky, and she was not above stepping in if it meant keeping others from harm.