[Loras] Precious Goods

[Leliana]

17th of Searing, 120th of Steel

Patrick and Connor were both busy at the Manor today and if Leliana was being completely honest, it was regarding portions of the business that the halfling had absolutely no interest in. Closing. Generally, she was intrigued by the inner workings of their ongoing dealings and trade agreements, but today it seemed to be a lot of paperwork and signatures. Therefore it seemed as good a time as any to head to the market and see what this town had to offer for the return trip to Álfsós.

The town itself was quaint and quiet. The mountains the rose up to the east were like the scaly backs of slumbering beasts, stretching into the distance and protecting the town on one side. It might even be a relaxing sort of place to be if Leliana was capable of putting herself in that kind of mindset. Either way, Lady Milana had a lovely home, and she'd been an excellent hostess. Lily couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed her stay. The market was no exception to the overall organized and pleasant flow of the whole town.

There were a few tiny shops, some stalls, and several wagons set up belonging to traveling pedalers. Her initial interest was in the town's blacksmith. They had a nice assortment of swords, axes, knives, hammers, and all manner of farming tools on display. Leliana picked a horseshoe and turned it over in her fingers, examining the pins sticking out of the bottom of it. It had one each heel and the toe.

"They give the horse lots of traction on slippy and tough ground. It can make it harder for them to walk on paved roads though."

"Easier for them to trip on a slick surface?"

"Yeah. If you ride a lot on cobbles or smooth stone you can use something like this." The smith disappeared momentarily into their shop and returned with another shoe. Leliana swapped it for the heel-toe and examined it closely. It was similar... but different. It had what looked like three round jagged metal pieces attached to the bottom, again one at each heel and the toe

"They're sharp and have lots of grip so they catch the surface of the road well. Knights use them a lot when they're riding their horses in parades, or staying in the cities for a while." Leliana handed the shoe back to the smith and nodded.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

"You some kind of mercenary or something?"

"What? No--no I'm not."

"That's a fine sword you have." They motioned to the blade on her back and she instinctively grabbed the hilt sticking up over her shoulder.

"How can you tell?"

"It's something you pick up over the years." She couldn't help the smile that tugged the corner of her mouth. If only they knew.

"Thank you."

"Aye. Let me know if there's anything else you want to look at."

[Taelian Edevane]

He awoke that morning with a pleasant sigh, as the slight chill of wind creeping through his window soothed the semblance of heat that had begun to accrue on his skin. Wrapped in blankets save for his face and his arms, the effect was minimized, but Taelian was still so pleasantly enraptured by his sleep that he found it difficult to unfurl himself from the sheets. When finally he did, he rose to his feet from the side of the bed and stared forward at the wall, blinking twice. Eleanor, who slept on the opposite side of the room in her own bed, was already gone. She was far more vigilant and dutiful than he was -- while Taelian was a man who could be replied on to act and perform incredible feats of might, Eleanor was the backbone of their operation. The one who discovered the things that needed to be discovered and kept track of the Dranoch and their movements.

This often meant he had a lot more free time than her, spending his days training or engaging in some droll or tedious affair. His interest in tailoring had been partly sated by this, but every time he tried to pick up a needle and sew he felt an incredible mental block bearing upon him. Sewing was, perhaps, just not his thing.

"Ah!" he quietly exclaimed to himself. Last night he was meant to buy loafs of bread and water for he and Eleanor, as well as some dried meats for them to consume to mend their muscles. The woman, especially, had recently gotten into a prolonged physical scuffle with the Dranoch while Taelian had mostly relied on his magic. She was tired and weary, and awoke to the feelings of cramps in the night. She needed better food than what they'd been eating, as for some reason the Duedrop Inn appeared to feature mostly an assortment of fruits, drinks and some variety of spiced ham. Eleanor was not fond of the latter; she had been beseeching Taelian for jerky the following night, though he acknowledged that might have also been due to her intoxication.

Finally the Ebon Knight got onto his feet and exited the room, dressed in simple linen clothing with his sword kept at his back. Each time he left his room, people stared at him and muttered things beneath their breath. He had murdered Loras' captain of the guard in the streets not two days ago, piercing through his skull with a precise ray of jutting fire. He and Eleanor, with the inclusion of Milana as a mostly unwilling benefactor, had culled large numbers of Westweald operatives who appeared to be collaborating with Loras' internal structure.

It was madness, particularly for their small town. Many already started to view him as the bringer of some sort of conspiracy or even doom, and the brusque way in which he regarded most people did not particularly help with that. Taelian began to worry for his safety, being here. Atinaw was filled with people who enjoyed expressing themselves with violence.

The Siltori finally made his way to the market, which was not a very long walk from the fringes of town. Loras was home to only three hundred people, after all, and to step from one end to another it often only took a few minutes. Less when you had long legs and a naturally quickened pace, always rushing to get things accomplished. When Taelian arrived at the shops lining the interior of the town, seated before the Manor, he was at first mostly unimpressed by his surroundings and the typical human folk that had gathered to do their business. He noticed that their gossiping mostly stopped as he drew near, with a lot of looks being cast towards him, and then someone else: a woman of silver hair. Perhaps they imagined that she was Eleanor, almost equal in blame for the maddening things that had befallen them of late.

Of course, the chittering was lessened and eventually silenced the closer he got near to them. Taelian however kept a curious eye out for the girl, who he certainly did not recognize. Somewhat obscured by her hair appeared to be lengthened ears, though it was difficult to tell if she was one of his kind or not.

"Whaddya want?" the merchant finally asked Taelian, who was very much distracted, emerging from the store that connected to his stall. Taelian turned and offered him a surprised expression.

"Um -- ah, jerky. Just that."

"Four dranari for a bitty. Ten for a small bag. You that boy who killed the guard cap'n?"

Taelian frowned. "I didn't kill anyone; he was a Dranoch, no longer a person. And I'm not certain if you've heard this, but he was likely going to try to take Lady Milana hostage. I was just protecting the Lady."

"Right," the man replied. "No complaints from me. He seemed a right ass, that'un. Glad he's got a big hole in his head."

"It... erm, did not quite happen like that. I'll take a bag of jerky, though. Here are my farthings," he said.

"Mmm." The shopkeeper affirmed with a hum, grabbing the dranari and heading to the back to grab a bag. Taelian continued to sidewardly glance at the woman, though he left it at that.

[Haldir]

Oh Dear, you seem to have contracted a REVIEW!

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