Literature
Tricksters and Ticklers
The city was alive with the sound of the crowd bustling about under the calming intonations of the bells of Notre Dame. The shouts of men ferrying supplies and repairing ships rose up from the docks. The calls of merchants and street vendors bounced about the various paths within the city proper. The warm smell of freshly-cooked goods, the laughter of children, and the loud banter of drunk adults all added to the frantic warmth of the city at large as it accepted and welcomed the new day under the auspices of their Lady. For Dario, this was not at all unfamiliar. Growing up in Italy, the sounds of docks and crowds was implanted indelibly in his mind as something familiar and comforting. For Tayanna, however, it was all an incredible new sensation for her. She ran ahead of Dario, her bare feet slapping loudly against the cobblestones beneath them, while Dario walked calmly behind her with his eyes trained on the grand cathedral looming in the distance. “Oh, Dario, what is this?”