Adventure of Danny Black 2

Hamper Alias market churns beneath patched awnings, thick with rain-damp wool, spice smoke, and bargaining voices. Danny secures bread, dried meat, lamp oil, and cord from a crowded stall, where the broad-shouldered stall keeper, a middle-aged man with a weathered face, sandy beard, brown tunic, and stained leather apron, sorts the goods.

A group of women passes between the stalls, cloaks brushing shoulders as they laugh together. Beyond them walks a young adult woman, lean-faced and olive-skinned, with a narrow build and a small scar through one eyebrow with dark braided hair, a high-collared green coat, and unusual brass fastenings.

The woman in the green coat slows near a display of buckles and carved pins. Her gaze travels over the market, alert and measuring, before settling briefly in Danny's direction.

The stall keeper busies himself weighing another customer's flour. Around Danny, the market continues its noisy flow, leaving the question hanging in the narrow space between the two strangers.

The woman studies Danny for a quiet moment, then her guarded expression eases. Rain ticks against the awnings while market voices blur around them.

She gives the name without ceremony, one hand resting near the brass fastenings of her coat. Her eyes remain alert, but no longer openly suspicious.

The stall keeper glances over briefly, then returns to his scales. The woman in green waits, leaving Danny room to answer or let the observation pass.