Books are nice. Expensive, but nice.

She pokes at books. She reads some. She doesn't have enough money for any of them and doesn't really want to ask for more.

"You want something?"

"I guess. If we're gonna be down there a while. If that's - I don't have enough money for anything."

"I owe you a book."

" -  oh. Yeah, I guess you do."

"So - pick some stuff out."

"Okay. - one book?"

" - if we were in Osirion the fine would've been twenty gold."

"Oh. - you okay with paying that much?"

"Get yourself some books. You look at them like they're - orphaned puppies, or something." He gives her twenty gold.

Eee. "Okay."

She spends half and gets herself three books. One history, two poetry. 

And then they can get lunch somewhere.

Yeah.

It's honestly kind of hard not to pet her books, but she manages to mostly focus on eating.

"I think we should leave for Starfall in a couple hours. Give us time to walk in and find an inn before dark."

Bounce bounce.

"Fine by me."

So they wander a bit more.

They can wander through more shops. She looks a little at various items and a lot at her books.

And then they can go on to Starfall.

They teleport to a ways outside the city and walk in, same as before. It's less conspicuous. Five travellers with some heavy backpacks, maybe a family rather than adventurers.

Starfall is in much worse condition than Elidir. It might be in worse condition than Xer. It's larger than either. An emaciated man is lying down just inside the city gates; it's not immediately clear whether he's alive or dead. There are other homeless people in varying condition, some about as bad. There do seem to be various businesses, though the people interacting with them are too thin, and are sadder than people most places are. The nearest temple is for Iomedae, judging from the symbols, but it's in a rather pitiful state of disrepair.

There are also constructs. They look like shiny bronze and are shaped approximately like men, though each has only a single crystal eye where one would expect a face. They are stationed on corners or at businesses or patrolling streets, walking the same routes over and over again with perfect mechanical precision.

"Thought you said it was only as bad as Elidir," whispers Verita, to Hagan.

" - well. It wasn't like this last time I talked to people who'd been here," he says quietly. 

She holds Imrainai's hand and stares at the constructs as they pass. 

Everyone seems to speak Hallit here; they can't hear any Taldane walking down the street. No one interferes with them, though they do get a lot of suspicious looks. 

On the other side of the street a woman is arguing with a couple human guards in Hallit. Or maybe she's pleading. She seems to be crying, actually, but she doesn't run when one guard takes her hand and leads her away. She wouldn't get very far; the guards have construct backup.

Verita kicks a rock, not very hard.