[ The shove, abrupt and unfocused, catches him briefly off guard - it's not enough to knock him truly off balance, but it's certainly enough to nudge him against the wooden plank of a nearby railing whose merciful presence spares him the indignity of a sudden plunge into bracing waters.
It's with raised brow and arms full of thick, coiled rope that Stephen turns his gaze toward whoever just knocked into him... ah. The widow woman. He's seen her before, inevitable in a village this size, but considerably less inevitable has been the depth of his sympathy for her. They're not close, they've barely really spoken - he's even lost track of her family name - but all the same and especially now in such close quarters he feels a responsibility for her, for her grief, that clenches uncomfortably in his chest.
That softens whatever his reaction might have been. He hefts his rope into a firmer hold, leans himself away from the plank that saved him a plunge and - after a quick glance out to notice the likely cause of their collision - nods backwards over his shoulder. ]
This way. There's a vendor route to the harbour that'll cut you back into the market from another angle.
[ And he half-turns, looking back at her, ready and waiting to lead the way. ]
🕸 the drifting - markets.
It's with raised brow and arms full of thick, coiled rope that Stephen turns his gaze toward whoever just knocked into him... ah. The widow woman. He's seen her before, inevitable in a village this size, but considerably less inevitable has been the depth of his sympathy for her. They're not close, they've barely really spoken - he's even lost track of her family name - but all the same and especially now in such close quarters he feels a responsibility for her, for her grief, that clenches uncomfortably in his chest.
That softens whatever his reaction might have been. He hefts his rope into a firmer hold, leans himself away from the plank that saved him a plunge and - after a quick glance out to notice the likely cause of their collision - nods backwards over his shoulder. ]
This way. There's a vendor route to the harbour that'll cut you back into the market from another angle.
[ And he half-turns, looking back at her, ready and waiting to lead the way. ]