Gateway Journal Day 02: The View From Here

So, before I went to bed last night, I decided to sketch the view from my window in the pension. I think it's a pretty good snapshot of the typical Gateway skyline, at least as far as I can tell thus far.

The pension is at the end of a short little dead end street, just off of a major thoroughfare with lots of shops and cafes.... There are also a few shops on this street as well, including a barber shop and, conveniently, a hat store... In case the haircut isn't so good.

So far, Gateway seems to be the bustling beacon of commerce and diversity it is reputed to be. Obviously, I have only scratched the surface, and my guess is that in the year to come, I will see many sides of this city, including its darker corners... a fact I suspect my benefactor is well aware of as he has requested that I move around and try to stay in each of the major neighborhoods of Gateway during the course of my visit here. As far as I can tell, there is no agenda on his part other than bringing images and stories of Gateway to the people of our world. Then again, everyone has an agenda, don't they?

In the distance, you can see some of the spires of Tower City, the next borough over. Most of those towers are the homes and workshops of the world's most powerful sorcerers and alchemists, or renowned schools for magical arts. They don't all appear to be occupied though, which seems odd, especially for a city as full of magic as this. I plan on visiting there for sure, but my path will lead me in another direction tomorrow.

After breakfast, I am planning on heading towards one of Gateway's many canals. The closest one to where I am is about 5 blocks, and is a major thoroughfare, so I am hoping to see some interesting boats, etc. You can never go wrong with a lovely shot of a canal.

My morning meal was prepared and served to me by the humorless Szerta, pictured here. I was able to convince her to stand still for 2 minutes so that I could sketch her. She claims she was smiling too. Don't ask me what was in the bowl, it's on my plate too.... I am trying not to look at it. She tells me it's a fruit, and quite delicious, but I have my doubts. She must have known where I was from, though, because the rest of the food seemed fairly conventional: peppery fried eggs, toasted bread with powdered sugar, black pudding, and a very sweet and smoky sausage...not too shabby.

Maybe I can muster up enough courage to try the "fruit", since I am going to have to try new stuff anyways.... Gateway has a greater variety of foods than anywhere else in the worlds, so I need to summon an adventurous pallette to participate in the whole experience. Well, wish me luck.