Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Replace

           False snuck around Gobland, hood pressed over her face, hiding her features. It wasn't like the coat she'd bought from Katherine would help her much; in this empire, her mere height made her stand out compared to the normal citizens. Around her, goblins hurried past each other in the marketplace, haggling over prices, shouting jovially. False had always felt short being a hermit surrounded by tall emperors, but now she was the one who felt too tall. 

           She was in the Gobland marketplace to try and find some machinery to repair her damaged computer, which she had safely tucked away in a sling bag under her large coat. Doc was here too, in another part of the marketplace, helping look. Honestly, with his green features, he ironically blended in better than False did. But False didn't want people knowing she was here. The thirteen emperors were too well known, and she looked too much like her clone. 

           False paused in front of a stand that seemed to be selling used hardware. Gobland was the second most technologically advanced empire among the thirteen that so far existed, with the first being Cogsmeade, which was the reason why False was there in the marketplace. She honestly didn't like being there too much. It was noisy and crowded, with narrow hallways/alleys formed by tall wonky goblin buildings that seemed all too intent on turning the whole empire into a dark maze. 

           The marketplace was the most complicated place in Gobland. Stalls brushed up against other stalls and poking out of preexisting buildings, giant neon signs and lights hanging precariously from eaves and often other signs that boasted the owners' wares, deep alleys that hoarded the best products but were home to pickpockets and swindlers. False found herself bumping into other people and tripping over wares that had fallen from the stands onto the rocky floor too many times. 

           Then a goblin practically crashed into her and they both tumbled to the ground, cursing. False was on her feet in an instant; a trait she developed over years of pvp training. "Hey, watch where you're going!" She shouted, although the goblin had already blended away into the short green crowd. False glared at no one in particular and started to walk away, but she quickly realized that her pockets felt... lighter. Worried, she emptied them and found them empty. 

           False cursed. That pickpocket took all my diamonds! This wasn't good. Gobland was known for overcharging its customers so False had brought along practically her whole savings since travelling through the rift. And now she was penniless. But how was she supposed buy the parts she needed without money? There was still the option of trading, a monetary practice that had replaced the use of currency in most empires, although diamonds were usually still available for smaller goods. False just wasn't sure what she had on her to trade. 

           She stepped out of the crowd and into a side alley, standing under a bright flickering sign that proclaimed an ongoing sale in the nearby store, checking to see what stuff she had on her. She had her armor, obviously, but she didn't want to part with the set after spending so much time mining for lapis lazuli to enchant it. The same went for the sword and ax she had on her belt, and she was always safer with a weapon on hand. And her battered computer was the whole reason why she was here, to get it fixed. 

           Frustrated, she punched the wall and immediately regretted it, wringing her hand in pain. The stone cave walls of Gobland were made of very tough rock, although in some places they seemed to have... bite marks. False did not want to know why the walls had bite marks. "Are you okay?" False whirled around to see fWhip standing there, chewing on something gray and hard. "Yeah," False said, disguising her voice and pulling the hood further down to obscure her features. "Just annoyed because some pickpocket took my diamonds!" 

           fWhip nodded in understanding. "Yeah, we have those a lot around here," He said, and held up a watch. Not just any watch, though, it was False's watch. Which was not on her wrist anymore. False glanced at it to her wrist and back again. fWhip grinned and tossed it back to her. "Sorry, couldn't resist," He said. False rolled her eyes and stepped away from him just the teensiest bit to keep her remaining stuff far away from his grabby hands.