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Ul'dah is a huge city.
Growing up in a small village, you get used to knowing the lives of everyone around you, and having them know your life too. But here, there are too many people to count, bustling about with lives all their own that you have no notion of. For Renna, it's disconcerting and a little frightening. Here she really is no one. Her name, her story - none of it matters to these people.
As soon as she enters the gates, wide eyed and full of awe, a man nearby calls out to her. She tears her gaze away from the huge buildings and looks toward him, hesitating just a moment before he beckons her once again. Fear simmers just under the surface of her skin as she approaches him and she stops a few feet away, unwilling to come closer.
"You're new here, yes?" the man asks, and she nods. "Name's Wymond, and you'll stick out like a sore thumb to the locals if you keep looking around like you've never seen people before. Are you an adventurer?"
"I suppose you could say that," Renna answers. She feels the need to hide her intentions from him and she wonders when she'd become so fearful.
"Then here's some advice, free of charge, just this once. You'll want to head to the Quicksand - the best inn in the city - and talk with a woman named Momodi. She'll set you up with the Adventurer's Guild and help you find your way."
"Would you have made me pay for that advice otherwise?" Renna asks. "The merchant in the travel carriage said people here are more concerned about gil than anything else. I suppose that's true, then?"
Wymond chuckles, says, "You've the right of it. Never do anything for free in this city and guard your coinpurse like your life depends on it. Otherwise some sneaky sod'll whisk it off you faster than you can blink. Anyway, that's all the help you'll get from me. Good luck."
Renna nods, thanks him, then turns on her heel and follows the signs to the Quicksand.
As she tries to find her way, she can't help but continue to look around at the buildings and the people. Everything feels new, like it'd just been built. The people, though, look somewhat harried as they rush to and from their destinations. She glimpses peddlers and some rather unsavory folk in alleyways, a market lined with stalls and bustling with people of all types, even a platform where Miqo'te dancers perform for a small crowd. She notices very quickly, however, that she seems to be one of the only Viera in the place. Renna grimaces at the thought. She had hoped that such a huge city would house more people like her, unlike Ala Gannha, but it seems that the rarity of Vieras leaving their home is as much as her mother told her. Still, she holds herself tall and tries to exude confidence as she maneuvers through the throngs, keeping her coinpurse close to her just in case.
After nearly an hour of searching she finally finds the Quicksand and hurries inside. The lobby is large and ornate, well-decorated and filled with tables and chairs that seat various groups eating and drinking. A few others stand around the perimeter and the place is filled with the sounds of chattering and life. Along one wall, Renna sees a young Lalafellan woman poring over a large book.
"Excuse me," she says as she approaches the desk, "are you Mistress Momodi?"
The woman looks up with a bright smile.
"Yes, that's me, welcome to the Quicksand!" she answers happily. "What can I do for you miss?"
"I was told to come here to join the Adventurer's Guild," Renna explains, "and I was hoping you might be willing to assist me. It's my first time here in Ul'dah and the city is much larger than I expected. I have no idea where anything is."
"Of course lass, I can help you there. What name shall I put down for the Guild's roster?"
Renna freezes.
To be completely honest, she hadn't thought at all about having to introduce herself to people, and now that the situation has presented itself, she feels stuck. Should she keep her birth name, knowing that it would tie her back to Ala Mhigo and thus, the Empire? She has no idea if anyone was sent to look for her, but she doesn't want to take that chance.
"Lass? I need a name," Momodi presses.
"I - uh," Renna stammers. She tries to think quickly. "M-my name is Renna. Renna - uh - Beech."
"What a lovely name, Renna," Momodi says, seemingly ignorant of Renna's apparent hesitancy. She writes the name in the large book before her. "Renna Beech. Alright, you're all set with the Adventurer's Guild! And I can surely help you get your bearings in Ul'dah. Do you know much about this grand city?"
Renna breathes deeply as she relaxes, the pink in her cheeks fading slightly as she settles into her new identity. The surname Beech only popped up because she remembered seeing the trees on her way here and she feels slightly embarrassed that she couldn't come up with anything cooler in the moment.
"I know that Ul'dah is full of wealth, that its people seem to be rebuilding after a calamity or some such happened. The details are slightly fuzzy. And I know that nearly everything done here is a transaction of some kind, whether it's a trade of gil or a trade of deeds."
Momodi nods, "Aye, you've the right of it. But there's a bit more story to be told."
And she explains the nature of the Calamity that happened five years ago, how Eorzea was nearly destroyed by a primal named Bahamut; how they were saved by a group they called the Warriors of Light. Renna feels something stir within her at the phrase, as if she can't quite place where she'd heard it before. But she gets a sense of familiarity from it nonetheless. Momodi continues that no one can remember who these Warriors were either, but Eorzea was saved, and its people spent the last five years trying to rebuild.
"That's why everything here looks so new and shiny," she says, "we basically had to start over. And not just Ul'dah, neither, all the city-states had rebuildin' to do."
Renna nods as she begins to understand the nature of the people here. For them to have lost everything, to have to start over, it's no wonder that they hoard and collect what wealth they can. A survivalist's instinct that she knows all too well. But it doesn't stop the fire in her breast when she thinks of her people back home. They've spent years in similar straits and no help was given, so her sympathy for Ul'dah's people is slim indeed.
"At any rate, that's basically where we are now," Momodi finishes. She rummages about in a desk and pulls out a folded parchment, handing it to Renna. "Here, take this map of the city. It's pre-marked with the more important spots you should visit, and a map of Thanalan is folded underneath." She opens the map, points to a few of the marked spots in succession. "These are the various guilds you can join: Pugilists, Gladiators, Alchemists, etc. This here is the city's aetheryte, which I suggest you attune yourself to. If you're unfamiliar with the term, just hold your hand up to it and you'll figure it out. And this spot is the market place, where you'll find all manner of things you might need for your adventurin'."
"Wow, thank you," Renna says gratefully, "How much are the maps?"
"Ah, don't you worry about that for now," Momodi answers with a smile. "Get some stories under your belt first and that'll be payment enough. But don't come runnin' to me every time you scrape your knee, y'hear?"
Renna nods and puts the maps in her pouch. She thanks Momodi again for her help and leaves, her heart feeling much lighter than it had when she'd arrived. Perhaps the people here are kinder than they let on.