Nesah was still stuck in this miserable town and with her miserable brother. She had applied to several universities, but was still waiting to hear back from them whether she could take an entrance exam. Some had rejected her immediately. She had been schooled abroad and that worked to her disadvantage. Had she been one of her brothers, she could have mentioned a reputable school in Europe. But she had been schooled at home, and her finishing school was hardly an academic center of repute. No, she would have to prove her talents, unlike some of her family members, who had clearly gotten opportunities offered to them on a silver plate on the ground of having... male parts. 

She wasn't angry.

Mother had written to her that morning. Would she not come home? The Jacobsens son - did she remember him? - had grown up to be such a charming young man, with a successful business too! She really should meet him. Would she not come home? What was she doing there anyway, wasting valuable time on the barbaric English coast? Where there any successful Jewish gentlemen in Zech's circle of friends? There were plenty at home. Oh and were there any suitable ladies for Zech over there? Was there a synagoge there? And how was Uriel? How was university going for him? Any news from Menachem? He hadn't been up to any trouble again, had he?

It drove her mad. Nesah had left the house to clear her mind, but it did not leave her mind. One day, she knew, she was going to marry some impotent loser with money, just to be rid of the pressure. For now, perhaps she should make Zech answer. She could always threaten to inform mother of Uriel's little accident if he didn't. 

Her feet led her to the market. The smell of fish was appalling to her, but she was bored and wouldn't mind watching "normal" people, rather than her morose brother. She stopped at a stall, bought a little cake, and then moved to a corner of the square from which she could observe.

The reason for Saoirse's visit to the market was much less melancholic or dramatic, unfortunately. She just needed to (suspend your disbelief for this one, please) buy some food. That worked out rather well for her.

Her shopping was quickly done and over with, but she decided to linger for a few moments. It didn't last for long, and she eventually moved a bit away from the small crowds, towards the edge of the square. It was then that she noticed somewhat near her a girl who looked a bit vaguely familiar to her, and because she is one of those freaks who actually enjoys smalltalk sometimes, she initiated that. "Lovely day, ain't it, miss?"

Nesah quickly turned her head, surprised (and somewhat offended) that someone had dared to disturb her stream of consciousness. She recognized the other woman however, and her mouth curled into a smile. She remembered how outrageously strange this one had been, but she had visited the museum three times already, got weird glances when she dared enter the reading room unattended, and was too annoyed with ill-mannered children to go to the public baths. A little circus was a welcome change of entertainment. "I suppose it is," she said. "Could do without the smell of fish."

The girl's reaction certainly didn't give Saoirse a clue asto whether she recognized her as well. Ah, well, it didn't matter much anyways. "It does take some getting used to," she said with a small shrug of the shoulder. The fact that this woman was seemingly bothered by the smell quite a bit also clued Saoirse in to the fact that she was probably a foreigner. "are you from around here? I'd think most natives wouldn't be bothered by it anymore." Did that come out rude? It felt rude. "No offense intended."

Nesah quirked an eyebrow when the other woman suggested she was a foreigner. She did not remember her then? Perhaps she had ended up falling off that roof and hitting her head, or perhaps that man had clubbed her over the head. She did not have time to ponder it, for what the girl said next annoyed her. Nesah was easily offended, and often the slightest suggestion that someone might be offending her was enough for her to feel offended. She pursed her lips as she looked at the other woman. "No, I'm from Europe... You didn't get beat to a bloody pulp then?" She asked in such a casual tone that it was clear that she didn't care whether Saoirse had or has not been injured.

Saoirse could certainly remember her, but she couldn't remember why. Until the girl said something which made her recall that very quickly. Oh! Oh, yeah, that makes sense. She felt very proud of her discovery, but also a bit foolish for not remembering sooner. "No, not at all. Everything ended up fine," she shrugged. Fine for her, but not very fine for the owner of that house. "more or less." Now that she understood where they'd met before, this was much easier. No more plain guessing games or whatever.

Nesah had hoped for a more exciting answer. "I see..." she said. "I suppose it's not really helpful to pick fights with the people you're trying to liberate..."

Saoirse shrugged. "It's one person out of thousands. That's not a permanent roadblock for me or anything. I'll still keep trying to 'liberate'," on that word, she mimicked Nesah's voice, though there was no ill intent behind the action, "those people, even if we hate eachother by now. I can't decide whether people are worthy of basic human rights based on whether I like them or not." What was the point of all that? She could've just condensed all that down to one sentence. Nevermind.

Nesah shrugged as well. "You're wasting your time..." she advised.

That made her laugh. "And what, then, should I spend all my time on instead? Any suggestions?"