Tales of the Jewel

The day was quickly warming, as Rufus could attest to from the sweat that was already beginning to prick the back of his toga. He had thought the Grekoi climate would have offered some form of preparation but at the moment the feeling was beyond compare. He would be spending a good part of the daylight hours inside, especially with a lack of refreshments currently available.

He does a double take as he walks down a street.

I don't think I've seen this one open before.

It wasn't much of a high bar to reach. Rufus had been in the city for only maybe two months, arriving shortly before the archery festival that he had participated in. There was so much to see, and he felt that he was only beginning to unravel the mysteries of this place. After a moment he internally shrugs.

Why not? The good stuff doesn't start until the evening anyway.

He peeks his head into the shop, hand pushing aside a curtain.

"Hello? Are you open yet for the day?"

"But of course." A young woman answered. "Please, come in. Look around and see where your interests take you."

The voice sounds young and feminine. The shop keeper's assistant perhaps? Rufus peers around to take a look at the girl, and also to peer through the stacks of odds and ends.

"I'm looking for things with a story. Things about the history of the city, if that's possible"

"The city...." The girl tapped her chin as she looked around. "Much of what I have originates from far off lands, but there are some things from the Jewel. Here is a piece of the Jewel itself."

Rufus does a double take. The girl...no, the woman was quite pretty, and was holding a piece.

"What is it from?" He reaches out, fingers brushing close to hers.

"It is said it was once a part of the Prophet's Wall. It is inscribed with one of the Forty-Seven Sayings of Mekhem." she explained. “Women are charmed by bold audacious men, Lady Fortune is no different.”

Rufus moves his hands, ostensibly to move to a better grasp on the antique, but also to place them over the womans hands. He examines the piece and slowly looks up with a small smile.

"Is that true?"

"As true as any story in Medinaat al-Salaam." She said. "Every tale has a life of its own. Every myth has a ring of truth. What is important is what you believe."

"And what do you believe?" Rufus makes no motion of removing his hand, but returns his gaze to the piece. "You said it was from he prophet's wall? I don't think I've seen it yet? Or if I have, it didn't mean anything to me. If there are pieces missing, it must not have the splendor it once did."

"Centuries ago, the city walls fell to raiders, but the legends say that the prophet restored them with a touch and a single word." she explained.