Wow, I wasn't expecting to get a prize, thank you! :O
The stranger released the bottle and, as the gondola passed into the shadows beneath the bridge, continued on their journey. When they came out on the other side, the figure had already disappeared - back into the shadows, Mimir assumed. He looked up at the green spiral, but his gondolier made no comment as she carefully guided the gondola closer to Belltower Plaza.
They reached the Plaza without further incident, and Mimir felt a little guilty to have jumped to the conclusion that there were thieves around when in fact the opposite had happened and he had received something for nothing, instead of being relieved of his possessions by force.
The Plaza was packed with visitors to Levitos, a swirling mass of dragons and their guides, merchants and artisans selling wares, and it was quite a sight to behold! Mimir shaded his eyes from the sunlight as he gazed up at the Belltower, taking in the Daughter of the Sea on one side and the Tidelord on the other three as his gondola slowly circled the famous sight, allowing him to enjoy it from every angle. However, after a short while, the crowds became rather oppressive and he wasn't too sorry to move on to other parts of the city.
He was glad to have his gondolier to guide him: even with his good sense of direction, it was likely that he would have got turned around in the maze of narrow canals and broad waterways that make up Levitos's streets.
She smiled as she continued the tour, describing the Castello Reef and its rich history as they approach it.
"Many students reside in this area," she explained. "They study the prophetic bubbles that rise from the deep and sometimes breach the surface -"
She broke off, her body going completely still for the first time since Mimir had laid eyes on her - and then slowly extended one arm to point at the water.
"Look there."
Mimir turned to follow her extended clawtip. Rising up in the water was a glowing orb, silvery in colour, which seemed to grow larger as he eyed it. The surface of it shimmered with vague shapes almost like pictures, growing clearer the longer he looked at them - maybe it could be a dragon. Maybe it could even be Mimir himself.
He had never been any good at prophesy - not this kind, at any rate. Give him a dice-cup in his hands or a pack of cards, and he could sense just enough of the future to give himself an edge in games of luck and change; and he had a preternatural awareness of where to find the best deals when it came to selling his goods; but that was all. He didn't have the patience or the aptitude for reading the Tidelord's bubbles.
Nonetheless, he found himself leaning closer to this bubble. It felt almost as if it was rising towards him in particular, meant as a message for him -
The gondola tipped sharply as Mimir's weight leaning on the rim offset its balance.
He stilled, letting his gondolier bring the wild rocking under control, and then carefully sat back. It was embarrassing, when he was so experienced, to have almost capsized them just to get a closer look at a bubble - but he was glad of his error. The sudden movement had jolted him out of the bubble's trance and brought him back to himself, reminding him of just how foolish it would be to go diving after something as insubstantial as a prophesy.
The stranger released the bottle and, as the gondola passed into the shadows beneath the bridge, continued on their journey. When they came out on the other side, the figure had already disappeared - back into the shadows, Mimir assumed. He looked up at the green spiral, but his gondolier made no comment as she carefully guided the gondola closer to Belltower Plaza.
They reached the Plaza without further incident, and Mimir felt a little guilty to have jumped to the conclusion that there were thieves around when in fact the opposite had happened and he had received something for nothing, instead of being relieved of his possessions by force.
The Plaza was packed with visitors to Levitos, a swirling mass of dragons and their guides, merchants and artisans selling wares, and it was quite a sight to behold! Mimir shaded his eyes from the sunlight as he gazed up at the Belltower, taking in the Daughter of the Sea on one side and the Tidelord on the other three as his gondola slowly circled the famous sight, allowing him to enjoy it from every angle. However, after a short while, the crowds became rather oppressive and he wasn't too sorry to move on to other parts of the city.
He was glad to have his gondolier to guide him: even with his good sense of direction, it was likely that he would have got turned around in the maze of narrow canals and broad waterways that make up Levitos's streets.
She smiled as she continued the tour, describing the Castello Reef and its rich history as they approach it.
"Many students reside in this area," she explained. "They study the prophetic bubbles that rise from the deep and sometimes breach the surface -"
She broke off, her body going completely still for the first time since Mimir had laid eyes on her - and then slowly extended one arm to point at the water.
"Look there."
Mimir turned to follow her extended clawtip. Rising up in the water was a glowing orb, silvery in colour, which seemed to grow larger as he eyed it. The surface of it shimmered with vague shapes almost like pictures, growing clearer the longer he looked at them - maybe it could be a dragon. Maybe it could even be Mimir himself.
He had never been any good at prophesy - not this kind, at any rate. Give him a dice-cup in his hands or a pack of cards, and he could sense just enough of the future to give himself an edge in games of luck and change; and he had a preternatural awareness of where to find the best deals when it came to selling his goods; but that was all. He didn't have the patience or the aptitude for reading the Tidelord's bubbles.
Nonetheless, he found himself leaning closer to this bubble. It felt almost as if it was rising towards him in particular, meant as a message for him -
The gondola tipped sharply as Mimir's weight leaning on the rim offset its balance.
He stilled, letting his gondolier bring the wild rocking under control, and then carefully sat back. It was embarrassing, when he was so experienced, to have almost capsized them just to get a closer look at a bubble - but he was glad of his error. The sudden movement had jolted him out of the bubble's trance and brought him back to himself, reminding him of just how foolish it would be to go diving after something as insubstantial as a prophesy.