“Two silver? You trying to make me destitute?” Rhadd held the squash in his hand, looking for blemishes to haggle down the price.
“Sorry, sir. Prices have gone up due to the recent drought in Gwynffordd,” returned the shop keeper.
“Last time I ever buy from here. Unlucky for me these veg make the best stew I’ve ever eaten,” Rhadd smirked, pulling the two silver coins from his coin purse.
“Thank you, sir. Pleasure doing business with you, sir.” The shopkeeper offered his hand to Rhadd, collecting the coinage and placing it in his own purse.
Rhadd placed the squash in his near full shopping bag, its hempen fabric almost bursting at the seams. He made his way through the market, shoulder to shoulder with his fellow shoppers. Leaving the hustle and bustle onto a comparatively empty Mairwen Road, Rhadd looked to the sky, making a quick guess at the time using the position of the sun.
“You know, back at the university we’ve got meteorologists looking at climate models that showed that a spring drought was due. But nobody listened to them. Now we’re all paying the price; raised costs of living, not enough drinking water to go around, bodies piling up in the slums.”
Rhadd glanced back down to the street, his ears pricked to attention by the conversation happening just a few feet away. An unlikely group of what looked to Rhadd like adventurers, equipped with armour and armaments, passed him. The largest of the group walked straight through him, his meagre form fading into the brickwork.
“Sorry there, sir!” The hulking figure pulled Rhadd back upright, patting him on the shoulders.
“It’s alright, I should have watched where I was going,” replied Rhadd, placing a hand on his forearm.
“Well, have a nice day.” The man smiled, and Rhadd reciprocated with his own.
A female gnome, a slight female human, and huge male human. Rhadd was just happy to get away mostly unscathed. Adventurers were somewhat of a law unto themselves; the guards and police reliant on their mercenary work to keep the city safe while turning a blind eye to some of their more unscrupulous actions. Rhadd had learnt long ago it was best to stay well away. Wherever adventurers went, trouble was soon to follow.
Today's prompt: climate model
This week's worldbuilding prompt: spring
If you'd like to participate too, the contest/prompts can be found here:
@mariannewest/day-1605-5-minute-freewrite-monday-prompt-climate-model
