unfamiliar grounds || minyoung ✖ ellie;
Ellie had heard about the place, but she had never gotten the chance to see it, much less be anywhere near or inside it. But all that was going to change today.
암시장. That was what she heard people call it, otherwise known as the infamous black market. It was a long alleyway of shops, located in the free district, inconspicuously set up such that it wasn't easy to find. It had to be well hidden, considering it was illegal exchanges of goods. If you were to get to the place, you needed connections with people. However, there were rumours of it spreading to other districts, and it wasn't going to be safe, especially if the military located it. Ellie had heard about it from an acquaintance of hers - One of the bandits, who was an arms dealer that frequented the market. And since she was scavenging around the area, she thought it was the perfect opportunity to pay him a visit, and maybe take a look around to see what the fuss was all about. She knew she was more than half the age of most of the people there and wasn't exactly going to fit in, but hey, fuck it. Black markets are illegal to begin with, they had no right to chase out someone who was illegally underage.
The female jogged with light steps as she navigated her way through the never-ending winding alleys, till she heard the soft bustle of people, and she knew she had found the right place. "Bingo," she led out a breathy laugh as she turned round a corner and a long stretch of busy stands that covered the entire lane came into sight. It was a tight squeeze, but Ellie managed to slip past the constant pushing of bodies with her petite size, albeit being given several weird looks, she made it out into the less crowded area where actual shops were set up. Her eyes were darting about with curiosity, because this was nothing like she had ever seen. Not that she had seen much at all, being cooped up in the military for her entire life. But it was only now, where she got to see the different sights and places, that she felt she was truly living her life-.. Not just surviving. She wasn't going about each day like a dreaded routine, not as much as when she was brought up back then. And it made her feel somewhat happy. Though it wasn't anything close to how Seoul looked like before everything went to shit, at least she got a glimpse and experience of what it was really like.
"A bar.. Look for a bar..." Ellie mumbled under her breath as she kept a lookout for the place her friend often went for deals. It didn't take much effort to find, the bar being the second last shop from the end of the stretch, and she entered without hesitation.
A completely different dimension to the outside.
The interior of the bar was more than rundown, and the lighting was dim, but it was still salvageable. And by the looks of it, people still enjoyed hanging out here despite its condition. Many groups of people all clustered in different corners of the place, all doing different activities. The counter had a man stationed there who was selling beer, some were playing poker while smoking cigarettes, and others having either casual or serious conversations. Completely distracted by the amount of things happening around her, the main objective of finding her the bandit slipped Ellie's mind as she wandered around, looking over to see what everyone was up to. The sound of cheering snapped her out of her trance, and she spotted what seemed to be a large group playing darts. I guess a little watching can't hurt. The ravenette propped herself up on one of the bar stools by the counter, and stared in awe as players competed against each other in friendly matches, many winning and losing bets. Having been so immersed, she failed to notice a woman who sauntered her way over and made herself comfortable beside the young girl.
"Wow, looks like the clientele are getting younger and younger everyday.”