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To the Highest Bidder Goes the Prize (Chuckeles/butterfly040

He reaches down taking Kiana's hand softly as Tess tells her story. "The plague was nasty if I remember it correctly." He leans in and kisses Kiana on the cheek softly. He then turns back to his food eating at it quickly. His body needing the energy to heal its self to full once more. He smiles as he sets the empty plate to the side. "So shall we go to your shop Tess and see what can be salvaged from it."
 
The four of them collected themselves and made there way to where Tessa's shop had stood. It was in actuality her home as well and when they reached it, their hopes were a little low at first as the front wall and part of the roof had been destroyed. It was a little chaotic trying to get inside the place but Grego assisted Tessa in getting inside. Once past the main destruction, the place was not that bad, though indeed nothing was left. "Well," started Kiana a little satisfied with herself that Lund was not going to be able to buy her the dresses he wanted for her after all, "It was a good try."

"Now don't count it all out yet..." Tessa started with a smile, hands on her hips as she moved the carpet under her feet, revealing a trap door. "I needed some place to keep my better stock of fabrics and there was just no place left for me to live and work." Opening the door, it revealed a hearty supply of fabrics. "This should be enough for me to make a hearty amount of dresses for while to come.

Grego smiled as he lowered himself into the hole in the floor and started to pass up the supplies from within it to be taken along with them, "Looks like we have ourselves the start of a small business here Tessa."

The girl laughed, "A dress maker in the middle of an army. Dresses on the go?"

The man laughed in return, "No. I am getting on in my years lass and need to think about setting roots down somewhere. A dress store... might be interesting."

Tessa's eyes lit up a little as the man's promise to her. Meanwhile, a beautiful forest green fabric appeared from within the hole and caught her attention. She showed it to Lund with the smile still on her face, "Will this be to your liking?"
 
He frowns slightly at seeing the state of the shop shaking his head slightly. He keeps close to Kiana trying to keep her safe is something should happen. He sighs almost ready to admit defeat till Tess speaks up. He turns towards her smiling as the carpet is pulled back. "This is certainly an interesting spot to hide some of your fabrics." He smiles softly as he plants a quick soft kiss on Kiana's lips when Tess and Grego are distracted.

He moves forward hearing Grego's talk of settling down. "You settling down Grego? I dont think I can quite believe it old friend." He turns seeing the fabric reaching out to touch it softly. "This will work perfectly. Id like at least one dress made of this material Tess if you can and Id like it to be the first one you make. As for the others perhaps Kiana would like to pick out a few colors of her liking?" He turns to look at Kiana motioning her over.
 
Grego laughed, "I'm getting older lad and I'm getting slower too. I can't fight forever and I'm not tied to this army. I work for hire. They hired me, I fought, and now I'm done. Once Tessa has finished the dresses for your woman, we will be on our way. Don't know where we will go to yet, but we'll find a place somewhere far from the fighting. Perhaps a ways inland."

While the men spoke, Tessa was showing a few other fabrics to Kiana, "Which do you like? Perhaps the lavender? It's a very elegant fabric. My finest."

Kiana frowned a little at all the deep and expensive looking colors that lay before her. "Have you nothing simple? A brown perhaps?"

"Oh no Kiana, I kept my ordinary fabrics up front since they were what were mainly used. These were my special ones. How about this blue?" She held up a very lovely ocean blue fabric to Kiana who pushed the fabric aside, "The simplest colors you have Tessa... you may pick. Just please keep it simple."
 
He laughs softly as well as he barely listens to the women talk looking down towards Grego. "What will you do if you arent fighting Grego. You saw your getting slower but I know your blade has saved my life at least twice during our fights." He turns hearing something about blue noting the fabric. His head turns back towards Grego rubbing his chin. "Im thinking of pulling out myself. I dont mind fighting Grego but it tires my soul." He sighs softly as he kneels down looking at any fabric that might be left.
 
There were only a few more bundles left as Grego passed up the last ones to him, "Perhaps I could get a job using my skills. A guard in some manor. I've lived so long out in the open that I might enjoy growing old behind the safety of some high walls for a change."

Once the last fabric and tools were brought up, Grego crawled out and started to pick up some of the bundles. "If we all take a few I think we only need but one trip with it all."
 
He takes the fabrics being handed up to him nodding slowly. "Do you intend to let Tessa make an honest man out of you then?" He smiles as he picks up a few of the bundles his eyes glancing towards Kiana watching her with a softness to his eyes. "I hope that when I get home I can find a safe place to settle as well."
 
"Perhaps we can go together. Find a place to start together. I've always like you lad and it's easier to try and get a new start with a group then on your own." Then the big man smiled as he looked in Tessa's direction, "As for Tessa... there is something about the lass. Even before we spoke, when I saw her. She was up on that auction block and no one seemed to want to bid for her so I did. Something about... the look in her pretty eyes. I was hooked from the start and I figure I knew when I bought her I would end up wedding her. I need a woman to look after me and she needed a man to look after her. It's a good match and no sane woman would accept me by her own choice."

He looked to Kiana as she was moving toward the exit with Tessa, both their arms full, "What about you and your woman? What are your intention for her?"
 
He sighs softly as he turns to watch Kiana for a moment. "I..Im not sure Grego. I could see myself with a woman like her but I think deep inside because her spirit was never broken she would always hate me for coming in and wrecking her life here." He balances a couple rolls of fabric on his arm. "Yet she still seems to have some bit of care for me. She hasnt tried to stab me in my sleep yet." He laughs softly as he begins to exit the building.
 
"It's only been a few nights lad," Grego laughed, "Give it time. Oh, and you might wanna hide your daggers."

The group went back to Grego's tent to put the fabric down. Terra pulled out a measuring tape, "I will need your measurements Kiana if I am to make you something that will fit well. Should only take a week or so to finish all three. I have nothing else to do after all." As she set Kiana in front of her and started making notes, she spoke over her shoulder toward Lund, "Any preference to the fabric of the other two dresses sir?"
 
He turns towards Tessa thinking for a moment. "I liked that blue you showed Kiana. As for the other two I dont have a preference really." He smiles turning back to Gregor as he pours them both a cup of wine. "You have been a good friend Gregor. Even if we must part ways shortly.
 
Tessa smiled at the mention of the blue fabric. She smiled even more when she say Kiana frown. As she was measuring the girls neck, Tessa whispered, "Feel blessed. He seems to be a good man. You deserve a good man that will buy you pretty things. It's what ever girl deserves." A few moments later, Tessa declared she has all she needed for make the dresses and that the first would be gone in three days, the other two a few days after that.
 
He nods softly as he stands slowly downing the last of his wine. "We will speak more about this later Gregor. Im afraid Kiana and I have some herbs to gather before we turn in for the night." He gathers up Kiana's cloak moving to place it over her shoulders. "Lets see if we cant find these herbs of yours." He guides her out of the tent heading towards the north waiting for her to begin berating him for the dresses.
 
She glared a little as he spoke of the blue. The green one was going to be expensive looking enough add to that a blue and lord help her is the third ended up being that Lavender. As she was walking away, she spotted an sort of golden yellow fabric that would not be to attention grabbing as the lavender and before Kiana moved, point to that one and nodded to Tessa, who acknowledged the pick in return before the pair went off.

At the edge of the village on the north side, a few dozen feet in to the wood, there was a small patch of herbs growing there. Kiana knelt down and started to collect them in big bunches. "Yes... this will do, though it looks like some of them are a bit trampled."
 
He smiles at her as she glares at him for picking out the blue. He offers his arm to her as they walk towards the north side of the village. "I just wanted you to have more then one or two dresses to wear Kiana. I didnt mean to up set you." He glances around to make sure they are alone. He gently lifts her up from her kneeling to press his lips to hers softly.
 
For a moment, her lips met his and did not fight them, but when the herbs in her arms started to crunch and crush between them she jerked back a step. It as if the herbs were warning her about what she was doing and she swiftly turned to kneel over the herbs again, rapidly working to attempt and change the topic between them. "There is some more herbs a little further out that would be helpful. I should like to perhaps borrow a basket from you tomorrow to collect more." She really had as many herbs in her arms as she could carry, but kept on picking to have something to do.
 
He nods sofly as he watches her frowning softly. He crosses his arms over his chest watching her work as he leans up agains a tree content to watch her for now. "Is something bothering you Kiana?You've been acting like your angry at me since we left Gregos tent." He moves towards her kneeling
slightly as he reaches out to touch her cheek. "No one else is around please tell me what's bothering you?" He lifts her chin turning her head to look
at him gently.
 
She sighed a little as she looked at him. He was right, there was nothing and no one around for her to help her attempt to avoid his question. Stopping her work, she rested her herb filled hands in her lap and confessed, "This..." she rose her hand to his at is lay on her cheek, "This is bothering me. You show me such affection as if we were lovers or something and it makes me uneasy. What I did last night was a sin and I feel awful about it. I have lowered myself to the place of a whore and this constant affection makes me feel just like one."
 
He drops his gaze slighly before looking at her his mind racing slightly. "Then as soon as tessa has one of your dresses ready I will make a proper woman out if you. Gregor and Tessa will make witness for us." He smiles as he takes her hand kissing it even with it covered in dirt. "Ill even see if I can't get you a proper ring."
 
"Your insane!" Kiana cried out loud and suddenly as she sprang to her feet, all the herbs that had been in her hands falling for the ground. Taking a few steps back, she looked at him more like she was the insane one rather then him being so. "You can't possibly marry me! We hardly know one another at all and you said early... what you told me..." she looked about and then hushed her words a moment, "That you are noble. You likely have some fine lady waiting for you back there already picked out for you! You can't marry me! I'm nobody!"
 
He laughs softly shaking his head. "I have no fine lady waiting for me. I joined up with the army to fight hoping to earn glory for myself but theres no glory in slaughtering villagers." He reaches out for her hand holding it for a moment before kneeling to begin gathering up the herbs she dropped in her haste to get up. "I dont want you to feel like a whore Kiana."
 
She quickly knelt down to quickly pick up the things he was trying to pick up for her, "It's to late for that. I already am." Her words paused a moment as she stood up and started to back again, "Nothing can take back my choice. It was mine to make and now I must accept how I feel about it. But I do not accept your offer to marriage, wither you own me or not!"
 
He sighs softly as he holds out the few herbs he managed to pick up for her before she moved to get them. "Kiana you arent a whore and I refuse to see you like that." He reaches out to touch her cheek but hesitates letting his hands drop shaking his head. He turns away from her moving to lean against a tree needing a few moments to gather his thoughts .
 
She shook her head as well, "Then we just don't see things the same way. I gave myself to a stranger.... and I liked it." It was the first time she confessed to him that and thought she figured he'd have something to say about it, she went on before he could continue. "From my raising and teachings, that makes a whore. Even if I did marry you, it can't change that. And the world would see it as that as well." Kiana turned and left him then, heading back to the tent to prepare the herbs as she needed to. She didn't look to see if he followed or not, hoping that for at least a few minutes she did not have to face him.
 
He listens to her words letting his head drop slowly. He shakes his head as he lets her go off to the tent figuring her destination out after watching her for a few moments. He sinks down slowly to a kneeling position as he rubs his chin softly for a moment. He slips his sword from his sheath eyeing it for a moment letting his mind go blank before sheathing it and heading back for Grego's tent wanting some time of his own. "Grego old man are you in there?"
 
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