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Taming the Gypsy Trade (Valanaer)

It seemed Tari was as puzzled by his people and their customs as he was by hers, but that was not strange, in fact he found it rather nice that they had such differences, it just meant there would be plenty to learn and talk about. It was even cute to a point how she seemed confounded by things like short sleeved clothing. Even if she hadn't expected an answer her gave a short one, "It is good in hot weather." Short sweet and to the point. Ultimately though the only reason such clothing was around was because people had too much free time and money and could buy whatever their heart desired, luxuries. While most people didn't have as many luxuries as royalty, shirts and 'fashion' as some people called it, was something most people in the larger cities seemed to enjoy.

"As for living in large groups, that is actually the reason we established royalty and kings. The hierarchy that divides the aristocracy from the common people was meant as a government to keep everyone in line but evolved into a complete ruling power over time. At first it was the strongest clan at the top advised by the heads of lower clans, a way to keep clans together even through disagreements. Now it is a king, my father, advised to a much lesser extent by the wealthier members of society." Saren found it necessary to point one thing out, "Though sometimes the idea of royalty is skewed, it can turn into people serving their king as opposed to the king serving the best interests of his people." It was a principle he had always given thought to, how many kings, his father included, seemed to find people serving him to be his right as king. Sure he father was a good king, he did look out for the best interests of his people and he was fair, but he expected certain respect and servitude from people. He was a good example as far as Saren was concerned. A worse example would be their neighboring kingdom where high taxes and extortion were implemented and how none of the money was ever used for the people.

When she mentioned children though Saren simply smirked, he could feed as many kids as he needed, if he ever really wanted kids. Living as the second prince meant his children would always be denied the crown and while that could be a good life, it could also be cruel, he would know. Being with Tari was enough to keep his mind from dwelling though, he look as she saw many new things always adorable whether she realized it or not, and she had plenty of questions. "We have all sorts of travelers though, gnomes are the most common but some Dwarves and very rarely an elf, though most are half-blood, nowhere near as... Majestic as yourself."

Saren was about to lead Tari to a table when she just stopped. He turned around to listen to her answer, not entirely surprised that she had a lover, a warrior it seemed at that. He was confident that he was just as good a warrior as any out there but he was curious what exactly the man was like, as well as this sister of hers she had just mentioned. Despite his curiosity he didn't ask anything more, mostly because talking about things that made someone sad didn't make good conversation, and secondly because he would rather speak of happier things and keep her mind on him than her past lover. He even switched back to common, since he wanted to move off the personal things. "Well, enough of that, we're here to eat, so come, let's sit and have our fill." He said, grabbing her hand so she wouldn't get lost, although he knew she wouldn't, it was just more fun to him.

He led her to a small table in the corner closest to the kitchen, a nice smell wafting out as he pulled out Tari's seat before sitting in his own. "Now, I can sit here and list out a plethora of dishes or I could order for us, whichever you would prefer. That is, unless you already had a dish in mind."
 
Even in hot weather, Tari didn't quite understand it. Sleeves or no sleeves, there was no need for anything in between. She didn't feel the need to discuss it any further. She listened as the man explained the idea behind hierarchy and how it should work in the culture of humans. it sounded like a good idea, if only things would really work in such a way. "I've heard of that happening," she told him with a small nod. "It's been the real reason why most Elven cities haven't bothered to switch to such a system. What we have works quite well. But if it works for you, then so be it." She waved her hand towards the man slightly, as if telling him to continue on with his business.

She was far more interested with the idea of having other races in the city. Gnomes she could get along with for sure, as both they and her own kind were used to using magic and gnomes were quite good at the skill. Dwarves though, there could be an issue between the small race and herself, as neither seemed to like each other. She had a theory that is she didn't bother the dwarves, they wouldn't bother her. Of course, the other race didn't always follow that idea, but she would stick with it. And the idea of having even just the possibility of having another elf in the city pleased her. There was a chance they would run into each other in that case. Tari simply nodded before bringing up the topic of a lover.

Saren didn't seem to mind her answer, which was a good thing in a way. It meant he wouldn't bother him as much as other topics had in the past and there was a hope that he wouldn't bring it up again. His next sentence agreed with that and she nodded before going inside of the building. She took a chance to look around, taking a good note of who all was inside and what it looked like before following the prince. The smell was sweet and lovely, and she expressed it with a smile. It certainly smelt like they were producing good food and, since she didn't have much food the day before, her stomach was beginning to rumble. She took a seat and followed Saren as he turned to the other side of the table. "Order what you'd like," she said, leaning forward on the table slightly. "I'd like to see what sort of food I'll have to get used to eating."
 
When instructed to order whatever he wanted he was glad, he was nervous that her one with nature would cause her to abstain from animal products. Not that he knew much about elves but he had heard that some of the tribes didn't eat meat. Luckily she hadn't said anything and so he assumed she would be fine with it, though if she was not there were items he could order, but unless she specifically said something he was getting meat. He shouted for one of the serving boys to come over, who at first looked irritable but when he took a good look at who it was he quickly cheered up and scurried over with a smile on his face. "What would you like today sir?" The boy was young but even he knew the prince, many people in the city knew Saren, by face and by name. It came from his 'job', often visiting the city when things were to be done and interact with the people as the face of the royal family, and of course he visited often enough unofficially. If it wasn't for how polite most people were it would be easy to mistake him for someone who simply lived in the city area.

Saren gave the boy his prince smile, charming and kind, much different from his real smile or the smirk he was always shooting at Tari. "Well, first off we will each have one of the houses ales, and after that bring out whatever soup they are making back there today, and... How about a piece of steak paired with some of whatever vegetable is good this time of year." The boy nodded, turning to look at Saren's guest for the first time and when he saw her he just sort of stopped, a nervous look on his face and a blush before he nodded and turned about running back off to the kitchen to drop off the order. Saren laughed a bit, "Well look at that, the boy knows a beautiful woman when he sees one." Saren got comfortable in the chair, taking a moment to look over the crowd in the inn, a few soldiers and a whole lot of working men. A few strange looking people on the opposite side of the room though, wearing rather expensive weapons but weathered clothing, no doubt a small band of mercs or something unsavory.

Despite disliking mercenaries they hadn't caused trouble and he would be damned if they would ruin lunch, the day had been going quite well. The best part of the day being the rather interesting kiss he had received during Tari and his battle, one he would be revisiting later if he had his way. He turned back to her, his eyes falling to her soft lips for a moment, his attraction had only become more intense as the day continued. She was beautiful, had spirit, and could fight. Not to mention she was a decent kisser. He looked up, into her eyes and took a deep breath, "I hope you're okay with ale, if not we can get other drinks, and as far as meat goes, I don't know if you have had cow before but they serve a great seasoned meat here." He of course just hoped she ate meat. If not he had order the in season vegetables to go with it but still.
 
Tari's eyes continued to look around the inn, only noticing the boy when he came close. She took a second, hesitating about mentioning her thought on meat. But before she could, Saren ordered a steak. Calmly, she sat back in her chair and allowed her eyes to wander again. There certainly were a variety of races in the room, most of which she recognized. When the boy seemed to stare, she looked straight at him and smiled sweetly, causing him to blush before he took off into the kitchen. With a slight chuckle, she continued to look at the other tables. Not very long, just a second or two, but she got a good look at what kind of people were in the inn before she turned her attention back to Saren. Her eyes slowly rolled as he called her a 'beautiful woman' again, but it was more in teasing then disgust or annoyance. "He has good taste," she teased with a smile.

She took a chance to eye the mercenaries just enough to remember what they had as weapons, in case there was an issue. She felt Saren staring at her, but tried not to notice or draw attention to his action too much. She wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed or flattered by what he was doing, so instead she fidgeted in her chair before waving to a couple of gnomes who had spotted her from across the inn. She smiled and nodded before it vanished and she turned to Saren once again. "Ah. Never had cow," she admitted. "We eat deer, pork, lamb or goat most of the time. It's easiest to keep in the woods." She glanced back towards the kitchen. "It certainly smells good."
 
Saren was becoming rather cheerful himself, Tari's mood a bit infectious. She was smiling at little boys, making jokes, and even waving to gnomes across the inn. It was much different than the woman he had met the day before in the gypsies camp. Sure she was still a spirited and rather stubborn beauty but she had much less bitterness, or what he had perceived to be bitterness. Then again thinking of Marcus he had no doubt it was a horrible life, that man was scum and everything he did was to fill his own pockets at the expense of others. Saren had never really liked the man and if it didn't bring in so much money for his people and the city in general he would never let the cursed gypsy show any of his wares in the realm again. Tari had come out of this trip though so he decided to leave it be, he had bought her away from the cretin and for now that would be enough.

His eyes were still on Tari as he thought, not really thinking about how long he had been staring at her. Even when he began to engage in conversation once more he didn't turn away, his rather sharp eyes focused on her. "Cow is quite delicious, if you enjoy any of the meats you are use to I am sure you will simply love cow. As for why it smells so good, well that is because this place has some of the best food in the city and they get everything locally so it is all fresh." Saren was quite proud of their local products, meats, cheeses, vegetables, even the ales he ordered had been home brews. So when the boy came back and sat two mugs of the stuff down in front of them Saren went for his immediately, taking a gulp of the strong ale before sitting it back down on the table and thanking the boy who was shyly hiding his eyes from Tari as he turned and went back to the kitchen to get the soup. It came out next, right after their drinks, "The soup of the day, a barely and vegetable soup simmered over the stove until perfect. Enjoy sir..." He turned to Tari and gave her an even deeper bow that Saren, "My lady." And then once again with a blush hurried off to let them eat.

Saren couldn't help but laugh gently, and watch as the boy ran off, reminded when he was young and got nervous around beautiful ladies. He looked up to Tari and shook his head, "Looks like I have to be careful, stiff competition to win you over." He said it as a joke but he knew that winning her over was going to be hard, she was not the type to simply fall for a man completely, especially a human, and even if she did, her damn pride would get in the way. That aside they had the first part of the meal in front of them in the form of the soup and a good ale, he was looking forward to seeing what she thought. He scooped up some of the hot soup and put it in his mouth, the delicious flavor just what he expected. Now it was her turn, "Come on now, give everything a taste and tell me what you think."
 
The elf slowly nodded at the idea of having fresh food. "That's something I'm used to," she added with a smile. But as the boy returned, it faded and her eyes turned to the waiter. She laughed again as he left the table and looked closely at the soup. "Well he certainly is cute," she joked before picking up her spoon. Cautiously, Tari tried the beginning of their meal and paused at the taste. "Barely is a grain?" she questioned, looking at it in the spoon. It certainly wasn't something she had at home, but it looked good and tasted far better then she thought. She recognized the vegetables in the soup; carrots, celery, onion and some sort of beans, and took another spoonful. "Very good," she assured the man.

Tari had yet to touch the ale though. It was rare for elves to drink alcohol and when they did, they stuck to such drinks as wine. It was easier to get a hold of grapes and process them then finding the proper grains to make such a drink as ale. Being with the gypsies, she never had alcohol. The men claimed women didn't need it, or if they did, it was only when the men allowed them, which also meant they would get the women drunk enough to have their way with them. Overall, the gypsy men weren't the kindest to their women. Tari glanced towards Saren, half pondering the idea that he would do as the gypsies would. But something told her he wouldn't, considering how early in the day it was.

"How often do you come here?" she asked, trying to turn her thoughts away from the idea.
 
Saren watched as Tari began to try the food, she seemed to like it which was good, then again the soups here were usually great, the owner did a different one each day and changed the ingredients depending on what was the best. So while it may not be the most expensive or fancy inn in the city, it was certainly one of the best, if not the best, for food. It seemed she didn't want to touch the ale though, maybe because she wasn't a drinker or some other reason. It wasn't a bad thing, he knew a few people who didn't drink and if that was the case then he didn't mind, even if not, it was merely ale, nothing worth getting upset over. He was intent on enjoying his own though, sips being taken between each few scoops of his soup. As usual it was great, fresh and delicious, and most of all well worth the bit of money that they charged for it. What would come out in a minute would make the soup look like nothing with its flavor and quality. Cow, he was sure she would enjoy the tender beef.

They had time to kill until then and there was no better way than conversation to pass time, save maybe fighting. "I come here as often as I can. I don't like coming here alone though so I usually treat my men to a meal and some ale, make a night of things when I come." Saren paused for a moment and a small smirk hit his face as he took another sip of ale. "First time bringing a lady here though, most of the women who try and get close to me care more about price than the actual quality put in to the dishes." He was eating slowly, savoring the food and prolonging their talking. "I think you will find that while the stuff the castle cooks is delicious and quite exotic, the best foods are found in places like this. Nothing beats it really. Kind of like a weapon you know, just because it is expensive and exotic doesn't mean it is a good weapon. Most of the time the best weapons are those that are made simply and for one purpose, battle." He looked at her ale, taking a moment and then smiling, "If you would like I could ask for some water or tea." He offered, still taking occasional spoonfuls of the soup, he would make sure she had a good meal, no doubt the dinner at the castle would be a more unpleasant one if he decided to attend.
 
Tari smiled at the thought of coming to the inn with the rest of Saren's knights. "And how much money to they make off of you?" she commented. They must have come here often if Saren knew the menu by heart. Or perhaps it was just a common menu between the inns. Either way, she figured it must have been an interesting time going to the inn with the knights. The whole lot of them seemed to be a whirlwind of entertainment, which she would certainly like to see more of. They reminded her a lot of the group she would spend her time with in her own clan, which only gave her another comparison and a reminder of what she had missed. But the idea of price over quantity was something she had never bothered with. A few women in her clan believed in that idea; that more money spent meant a better product, but luckily Tari knew better.

"I never believed in that," she told the man as a side thought. "It's always better to get a hearty meal before paying the top price. Besides, most of the time, a high priced meal isn't nearly as good as a good tasting one." She shrugged her shoulders slightly and finished off the final bits of her soup. "Tea would be good," she agreed with a small nod. "I'm not one for ales, but I'll try it." She wanted to be respectful to both the inn and the man who ordered it for her before she decided if she liked it or not. She decided to wait until she had something to wash it down with, in case she didn't care of it.
 
Saren thought about all the times his knights and him came in and it was always something to see, they would sing and eat and drink. The owner often gave them a discounted prince, though Saren always tried to convince the man to let them pay in full, claiming they had the money to spend, which they did. "Well I guess they make a good bit off of me, but plenty of people visit here more often than I do. It is just a good place to eat." Good or not though he had never been able to get anyone from the castle to try it, not even an aristocrats daughter, the only people who came here with him were his men, and now Tari. "Yep, and while the castles meals are not bad, the food is not something I particularly enjoy either. So I eat here when I can, or grab something with the knights in their barracks, only eating dinner with my family since it is a tradition they keep quite strongly." He spoke with a bit of dread, he hated the family dinners, it was often just Kilel bitching and his father supporting him. Sometimes they even invited nobles and their daughters just to have them try and 'show their worth'. Saren had bed more of them than he actually got to know because of those gatherings.

Dinner would be something he would no doubt have fun at later, though he had a feeling that maybe bringing Tari would make it more bearable, having someone to speak to and possibly simply get up and leave if they said a single insulting thing to her, for he was always looking for an excuse to bail. The tea was on the to-do list right now though, so he finished his soup and waited for the boy to come back over. He did soon enough, it seemed he was paying close attention to their table and he had come back to clear the soup bowls. Saren had to have a little fun with him though. "Hey, you know the beautiful lady here was just saying she would love some tea." The boy looked up to Saren with the same shy face and then over to Tari again, giving her a small nod, "Right away." Then with bowls in hand he briskly walked off, it seemed he was trying to keep himself under control which was almost funnier than his scurrying off.

Saren was still comfortable in his seat, the feeling of the inn relaxing him but the mercenaries were an annoyance, he just eyed them for a minute, sighing as he sat back up and drank some more of his ale. "Always a rowdy group ruining the atmosphere." He said with a huff, cheering up a moment later when he saw the boy heading back out with the two steaks surrounded by some lovely cooked vegetables, no doubt from a stew by the scent. He didn't touch his yet though, looking over to Tari to see what she thought. In the meantime the boy had run off and was coming back with the tea, a nice piping cup, he bowed once more and was off to see to another table. Saren was still looking to Tari, waiting for her to try something she had said was new to her, an exciting moment indeed.
 
Tari wasn't surprised when Saren mentioned he had to stay indoors for most of his meals. She hadn't had a full conversation with his parents, or any one else for that matter but just the way they had things set up in the castle gave her the idea that his family thought very highly of themselves. And showing off to nobels just fit the bill. Tari certainly wasn't impressed if doing such a thing was how they entertained themselves, but who was she to say what was right or not in a culture she was just learning about. Either way, she knew she would try to spend as little time as she could inside and around the family. She dreaded the time that she would have to actually hold a conversation with the high-and-mighty king and brother prince.

When the server boy came back, Tari looked over at him, watching again as he dashed away. "Don't do that to him," she said, kicking the man under the table. "He's in shock already. You're just being a jerk now." That was obviously the point and although it was funny the first few times, she felt a little bad for him. She knew how rare it was to get a chance to serve someone like the prince at this time, but to get to serve an elf as well was a special treat. Obviously though, Saren was enjoying himself. She spotted the look though, that he was giving the mercenaries and glanced over herself. "Certainly loud enough," she agreed before spotting the food. It looked just as good as it smelt.

She nodded slightly to the boy with a smile and took the tea from him, sipping it once he had vanished again. It tasted heavenly. Typically she was used to the basic of teas, but this had a hint of cinnamon in the mix. She cracked a small smile at it and set the cup down before taking a good look at the steak. The plate was bigger then she was used to at one time, but there was no doubt that she could eat what was in front of her. She typically ate that much, but in smaller portions. The elf would have to get used to a thing like this. Her eyes glanced up at the man across the table to see that he was waiting on her so, out of being polite, she didn't keep him waiting and cut into the steak. It melted in her mouth and tasted of the most savory spices she had eaten in some time. The gypsies ate no where near this good. She nodded and began to cut another piece. "Perfect," she told him once she had swallowed. "It tastes a lot like the venison I would have at home."
 
Saren laughed when Tari called him a jerk, he didn't mean to if he was being one, "Sorry I think kids are cute and he obviously has a tiny crush on you. So what if I mess with him a bit, it isn't like I am being some sort of ass." He said looking back to the mercenaries when Tari spoke, he hated getting involved unless something happened but with these groups you had to be prepared. He would have loved to have remembered to grab his weapons before he left his knights, he had just left, he hadn't went back over to the table and it was a shame. Walking around the city with a weapon wasn't necessary but then again he usually carried at least a sword or knife. He just hoped it didn't come to that, it would be best to have an incident free meal. The next part of the meal came and he just continued to look at Tari, who sipped the tea first. He would have to remember that she didn't drink much, he didn't want to make her feel awkward by serving alcohol when she would prefer a tea or something of the sort.

When she moved on to the steak that was when he got a bit excited, he wanted to see what she thought. By the look on her face it was good and she commented saying it was perfect. He smiled, "It does taste similar to venison. The only real difference is more fat and less muscle, usually leads to a better taste." He began to eat his own, glad he could show her some of the things that his people ate and not what they would be getting at the castle. Sure this wasn't the absolute cheapest meat but it wasn't the kind of crazy recipes and uses that people thought of as sophisticated, it was what the people ate, Saren loved it. "Anyways, I am glad you like it. I just have to say, enjoy this meal because dinner, it won't be as relaxing." He could always order then something from the kitchen to his room, something more simple, but dinner itself, it most likely wouldn't be enjoyable.

For now he enjoyed his meal, finishing off his ale and tearing his way through the steak and vegetables. It didn't take him long to be on his last few bites and by that time the boy came back to check up on them and Saren looked to Tari and then back to him, decided to just be 'nice' as she called it and not tease him again. "Need anything else sir?" Saren rubbed his head, "Just call me Saren, and I would like a cup of water if that would be alright." He said with a smile. The boy nodded and he lit up, "Yes sir..." Saren gave him a little look and he straightened up quickly, "I mean yes Saren." He smiled as he ran off this time and Saren turned to Tari, "There, happy, I didn't tease him." He said turning back as the boy came back around from the kitchen with the water. He took the water from the boy and handed him enough money for the meal and even slipped him a small gold piece just for himself with a wink and a smile. The boy gave him a small bow and then did the same to Tari before running back off to the kitchen with his plunder. His head turned to his companion, "So Tari, what do you want to do after you finish your meal? Not back to the castle yet..." He paused and dropped his voice and using an obviously teasing tone, "Unless you want to go back to my room for a bit of 'dessert'."
 
After a few good bites of the savoury meat, Tari dared to try the ale. Although she preferred the tea and wine she had been used to, the ale wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. About that time though, her meal was turned on a down note at the idea of dinner. Her eyes narrowed slightly, having an idea of what his words meant. "Dinner is inside the castle?" she asked, making sure to get her facts straight before fully assuming. But something told her that would be true. She took another drink of the ale before returning to the meat in front of her. Having dinner with the king was something she wasn't looking forward to at all. There had been plenty of horror stories of the man from both elves and others in the forest surrounding her home. She'd definitely have to have some sort of stress reliever after a dinner like she saw coming.

The boy returned and this time, she didn't look at him. She seemed to have tormented him enough by looking at him and decided it was better to just let him go. She caught the slipping of the coin from the corner of her eye and smiled slightly, looking up at Saren as the boy left. "You did good," she commented with a smile, finishing off her meal. She sat back in her chair and glanced around again, making sure nothing much as changed since the last time she looked. All still seemed well and the mercenaries weren't making too much of a problem. "I don't like 'dessert' this soon after eating," she responded, settling again on the man across from her. "You're out of luck."
 
The idea of dinner in the castle didn't seem to sit well with Tari and Saren couldn't blame her, he wouldn't attend the dinners either if he had a choice. It was never fun and rarely even civil, the royal family having more internal arguments than any normal family could imagine, and most of them revolved around Saren himself. Apparently from his attitude to his image there was barely anything positive. The only thing he ever really remembered being complimented on was how smart he was and when he started to rebel even that lost its appeal. Hell they had never once seen him fight, they had no idea he was a competent fighter, yet he was still in charge of leading the troops in a case of war. It was funny, he got whatever he wanted and people always saw his smile and carefree attitude, but castle life was different than people imagined. Not that he had it rough by any extent of the imagination, he just hated it sometimes. His parents were not cruel though, and even though his brother could be, they didn't always bicker, then again, they were never close either.

There was no acting like his life was bad. He had anything he could want and although his true family was disastrous, he had his knights and the people of the city seemed to like him. If it wasn't for his position he would most likely wouldn't even be talking to Tari, so good things did come from it. It was almost annoying though, usually women went out of their way to impress him, with her it was quite the opposite, he was going out of his way to impress her. Sure he would have given the boy a coin anyways but he was extra 'nice' and made sure to get a smile just because she was watching. It was all worth it when she pushed right back at his dessert comment. There was no angry look or offense, she poked right back. "I suppose I am out of luck... I bet you are really something when you indulge yourself in a little of life's sweetness." Saren continued to sip on his water, letting the food settle for a moment. "It does still make me wonder, what is it you do feel like doing next if not me." He smirked, waiting for her answer and being quite amused with himself.
 
The woman went silent as she thought of an idea. To her joy, Saren didn't truly push the issue. Although the kiss they had shared earlier had brought down an inner wall of sorts, showing her that the man wasn't the worst first human she could be with, she wasn't exactly on board with the idea of any sort of mating with the man. Certainly not in the middle of the day, when she could be outside enjoying herself. Her emerald eyes slid to the side, looking over Saren before smiling and lifting a finger, telling him to stay put. She rose from her seat and approached the table of gnomes. She leaned in to speak to the group, nodding once or twice before laughing with the crew. It took her a minute or two, several nods and even more exchanged words, before she returned to the prince.

"We're going to walk around some more," she told him, not giving him an option. "I want to stay outside as long as possible." She sat back down and leaned on the table slightly. "And there is much more of the city we've yet to see. Sound alright?"
 
Saren remained seated when Tari walked across the room to the gnomes she had commented on earlier. He watched as she laughed and spoke to them for a few minutes and as much as he loved being a part of things he could let her have a few words without his presence. When she came back she knew exactly what she wanted to do and she was quite forceful about it, a nice change of pace to the usual once again, she kept things interesting. Saren simply nodded to her plan, "It sounds fine to me. This is a large city, there is plenty to see. I could always take you for a ride out of the city as well, there are many beautiful places in this land, though maybe that would be best saved for when we have more time." He was trying to think of what he could show her within distance, something outdoors since she made a point to say she wanted to stay outside. There were a few options, mainly thinking they could just walk around the market, maybe he could get her something she would like.

There was also the town square to consider, she may have interest in the games and performers always around the square. Saren stood up, walking over next to Tari and looking at her for a moment, "Well, I think we should go through the market, maybe get you something to commemorate this momentous day." He talked it up a bit but it was quite a day, meeting his men, the kiss, eating the local cuisine, and most likely a couple other firsts he wasn't aware. A gift was also a way to win favor if she liked it, something she could have around as a constant reminder. "Anyways come on, we should get a move on if we want to find you a gift and possibly head to the town square." He began to head towards the exit, motioning for Tari to follow him. He gave a last wave to the serving boy before leaving as well, getting a shy little wave back. Unfortunately the boy had stopped looking where he was going in that brief moment and run right in to one of the mercenaries that had been causing such a ruckus.

The mercenary shot up from his seat with a curse, and snarled down at the scared boy. Saren looked to Tari with a sigh, "Well... We can head to the market after taking care of this..." He said, taking a few steps over and getting in between the boy and the mercenary. He looked the big brute of a man in the eyes, his voice showing his displeasure of having to deal with the situation. "How about you just sit back down..." The mercenary laughed, looking back to his buddies without realizing the entire bar had gone quiet as they noticed who was confronting him, "This pretty boy thinks he can tell me what to do... Hah!" The man turned back and in a pitiful attempt tried to land a punch to Saren's face. The other mercenaries stopped laughing when the punch was blocked, followed by a quick punch to the mans throat, his own version of Tari's favorite move, which quickly dropped the man. He turned to the others, "Now get out before I go from irritated to angry..." They quickly complied and Saren helped the boy up, patting him on the head and smiling before sending him back to the kitchen.

Only then did he get up and walk back to Tari, a small smirk, "Impressive aren't I?" His question was rhetorical of course and before she could answer he walked out of the inn like nothing had happened, waiting for her to follow before he would go to far, his goal to take her to the crafts section of the market next, where jewelry, trinkets, and weapons of all sort were available.
 
Tari suddenly wished they had more time to go further away. Perhaps she could get a hold of a horse and do a bit of her own adventuring, bringing Saren for a ride as well. She would have to test his ability on horseback as well, although she could tell he must have been good by just how his body was toned. The way his muscles looked and how they were balanced gave evidence to both his hand to hand as well as several other types of training. Tari stopped herself in her tracks, halting the thoughts before they could take a turn for the 'worst'. "Sad we couldn't," she countered before Saren got close to her. She was careful when looking up at the man, making sure she wasn't about to give him the 'doe eyes' that other women often shot him. She stood up at the same time and followed the man towards the door, stopping when the commotion started.

The elf watched and smirked to herself at the sight of Saren using her move. She put her hands on her hips as the man came back over and nodded. "You learned well," she mocked before leaving the inn. She took a minute to look around, trying to get her bearings of where the gnomes had pointed out, before starting in one of the directions. "The gnomes told me they have a stand in town," she told him. "The third stand from the end on the main strip." She slowed slightly and looked to Saren. "Is this the main strip?"
 
Saren laughed as they left the inn, having a good time and a rather good day. Then Tari informed her of her plan, to visit the stand that the gnomes she had talked to had up and he stopped himself from laughing, getting a bit serious to help her find what she was looking for. "Nope, the main strip is a few streets over, come on, I'll lead." He said with a smile, nudging her gently to follow him, leading her down the street a ways and then taking a right, "This is the main strip." It was hard to miss, the road was a tad wider than the rest and there were far more stalls than the other streets. The main strip had a reason to be so big though, it was the road on which all the caravans and merchants from outlying farms entered on to from the South gate, not to mention that this road was one of the intersecting roads that made up the town square.

After a moment of looking down the road he turned back to Tari, "What did they say the shop looked like, because we are near this end" he said, pointing towards the nearby gate out of the city. If the stand wasn't there then it would most likely be right next to the town center or all the way across at the other gate which would be an annoying walk for a single stall, especially since he didn't know what it contained. He would do it though, Tari wanted to and she seemed rather excited. He just hoped it was on the end they were currently on or at the very least just at the town square, that way they could visit the shop and look around the square a bit before it got too late, enjoy the outdoors a bit more before the dinner showdown at the castle. While he waited for Tari to answer or go investigate the stall situation he looked at some of the stalls nearby, looking for anything he thought she would like, though finding nothing particularly interesting, wanting to keep his eyes open for something she really wanted or which he thought was perfect. Maybe he would find that at the gnomes shop, considering they found it.
 
Tari followed Saren, a bit embarrassed of how she simply took off, as if she knew what she was doing. Typically she was good with directions, but in the city she was apparently thrown off. Either way, she remained close, glancing at a few of the stands along the way. Nothing too interesting and there were a few houses in between the displaying shops, which she took advantage of looking over. They were all tall and Tari expected there to be at least two families in each building. When they got onto the main strip, she stopped, her eyes widening. There were so many stores and at the very end of them all was the vague outline of the gypsy caravan. "Oh Mother," she muttered, her jaw hanging slack as she took in the sight. This was something she certainly had never seen before or even thought could exist. A marketplace, yes, but that many shops and even more people. She was, to put it simply, stunned.

It took her a minute to register the man's words, but when she did, she nodded slowly. A burst of flame from one of the stands signalled the magical beings tent and caught Tari's attention quickly. Her attention snapped over and she gestured to it. "That's them." This stretch to the stand she could lead and she quickly approached them. The tent was large with one wide door, opening to the outside tables, leaving plenty of space for all to come inside and look at the goods they had on display. From weapons to magical herbs, the gnomes seemed to have it all. There were rare plants from far off woods, scales from animals from all over the world and weapons from dwarves, goblins and of course, gnomes themselves. Outside was a young shop keeper, bare faced, unlike the other males inside. He had a small leather bag of dust which he was tossing into the air, letting it drift down before bursting into small sparks and embers as it fell to the ground. He was entertaining children and adults a like, showing off what gnomes were known for.

Tari waited outside, watching the man as he performed with a smile on her face. A few gnomes inside seemed to spot her and talk among themselves, verbally pointing out that an elf had arrived at their stand. And when they noticed Saren, word began to explode under the cover. After a minute, the elf started inside, grabbing the prince's hand to drag him inside. He had the money and the gnomes had supplies she needed to restock. This was a perfect match.
 
Saren wasn't as impressed by the main strip as Tari, he was use to the sight of it and the amount of stalls and people. He could imagine what it would be like seeing something like this for the first time though, it was written all over Tari's face. She seemed blown away by it. It made visiting the area a bit more fun when the person you were with was so excited so he smiled and waited for her to make the next move, he just being along for the ride. She gestured towards a tent and it was slightly different from the rest of the stalls which made sense, they were gnomes. He would never have visited the stall on his own but as they approached he was impressed by the sheer number of rare items they had on display. He was no expert on anything but a good blade so he had no clue what the items did but he had enough knowledge to recognize an item not available in his kingdom. There was even a show of sorts going on outside, people gathering around and it was slightly entertaining, more for children. It definitely caught the attention of passersby.

Tari seemed particularly captivated by the display. He noticed the gnomes looking at them, or more precisely Tari. Being the center of attention was not exactly something he was shy of, he had been center of attention for a long time, at least when out in public. He just stood there as usual. That was until he felt Tari grab his hand and drag him inside, something he was definitely not use to. He looked at her a bit shocked as they entered the tent but quickly regained his composure, following her inside and trying not to look ridiculous as he was led inside. He waved awkwardly to the gnomes with his free hand, keeping close to Tari and looking around at all the items inside. As he looked around he had a feeling Tari was a more expensive woman than he originally thought, maybe not jewelry but there was only one reason she would be so eager to come to the tent, she wanted something. Oh well, if she needed something it wasn't like he didn't have the money to spend, besides he usually just wasted it. That is if she wanted something, she could just be looking around as women seemed to love to do.

"Are you looking for any items in particular?" He decided to just ask, using her native tongue for no real reason other than he kind of felt like it, and purposefully leaving her name out in case one of the gnomes happened to know the language.
 
Tari released the man's hand as she approached the table full of several different bottles. Inside each seemed to be a number of plants, all the same sort, with multiple bottles of each, all set up in a row. They ranged from green to red to a deep purple colour and everything in between. There was a good selection of the herbs, along with several vials towards the back of the table with liquid stored inside, also holding several colours. Tari's fingers scanned over the tops of the glass as her eyes darted over the names, written in both the common tongue and Elven. "Some of my herbs were taken for food by the gypsies," she told him before looking at him again. "Mind helping me to restock a few? Just for healing proposes." She thought there was someplace in the castle to look for such plants, but it was always nice to be able to keep a private stock with her, in case of an emergency and she needed them in an instant.

A gnomish woman came over to the table and watched the two, waiting for them to pick out what they wanted. The gnomes inside were speaking both their native tongue and Elven, but the speed that they were speaking the slick language was even fast for Tari. She could understand what they were saying, although she didn't care too much and chose to ignore them in favour of the man beside her. After all, he had the money she needed. Lucky for him, Tari wasn't interested in the jewellery around them. If she was, she would be wracking up quite a cheque. Since the gnomes had the rare, wanted items, they had the ability to raise the price and people who could afford it would still pay. It was one reason why they enjoyed having a stand set up in the main city; they would never be low on money, as long as there were nobles.
 
Saren's lack of herbal knowledge made it quite boring to him as he read the labels, the various names and concoctions meant nothing to him, but to Tari it seemed the exact opposite. She explained how her herbs had been used by the gypsies and even to one untrained such as himself he found it silly that healing herbs had been used as food. He simply shrugged, "I don't see why not, herbs are useful and I have plenty of money." He spoke in his usual manner but it suddenly felt inadequate when he heard the gnomes speaking at a much faster pace. He could barely keep up with what they were saying, having to strain to understand it as the normal speed was already slightly challenging. It got to the point where he simply tuned it out, keeping his attention on the herbs and Tari instead of trying to keep up with a conversation that was not all that important to him anyways. It did kind of piss him off, he didn't like feeling inadequate for any reason, especially not in a matter of intelligence.

Saren moved on from the quick speaking gnomes and back to Tari, tilting his head to the side a bit, "Anyways, just get whatever it is you need. Don't be sparing either, if I get hurt and need you to save me I want the best herds money can buy." He took a look around, the gnomes still obviously looking at the two of them and it was starting to annoy him a bit, he didn't mind being the center of attention for a moment but when people starred he got a tad annoyed. He moved in closer to whisper, not wanting the gnomes to be able to hear. "Just be as quick about it as you can be, we seem to be attracting quite a bit of attention from our little friends here." He didn't say it in a way that begged her to move quicker, just a kind of acknowledgement of the attention they were getting, besides for all he knew she wanted to talk to the little guys for awhile before they left. He hoped not but it was a possibly he had considered, especially since she had seemed rather happy when speaking to the earlier.
 
Tari looked to the man next to her before slowly nodding and picking out a few of the bottles. She opened one or two of the liquid scents and took a second to smell them before palming them and picking up another couple herb bottles. The gnomes were still watching and she was beginning to feel their eyes on her back. About the time that word was beginning to get around the outside area of the tent, the elf straightened again and held them out to show the nearby shop keep. The woman nodded slowly and told the pair the price. Tari looked to Saren and smiled, allowing him to pay before she gave a small bow to the woman and started out of the tent with the prince. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

As they walked, she opened one of the bottles and took out two of the leaves from inside before gently slipping the rest of the vials into her pockets. She held one of the fresh green leaves out to Saren as she placed the other lightly on her tongue. The minty flavour began to cool her mouth, freshening her breath and leave her with a sweet taste. "Just one use of mint," she told him as a side thought. Her eyes wandered again, looking over the street around her, taking note of what other sort of shops were there. "Gnomes are just naturally curious. And their speed is..." She paused to think of a proper response. "Far faster then ours. They always speak that quickly."
 
Saren simply let Tari do her thing, keeping out of the way as she began to get a few bottles of different herbs. The gnomes still looked on and he still disliked it but soon enough Tari was done and he had a price thrown at him. It wasn't the cheapest purchase but then again he was wealthy, he never haggled or worried about price unless he disliked someone, such as Marcus, it felt so good to make the man lower the price. With the gnome though he simply smiled, giving the woman a small, "Have a nice day" in common after giving her the coins. Then he followed Tari out of the tent and they began to leave the starring gnomes behind. He turned back to see the ones outside still looking at them but let his mind forget it as he took a leaf being offered. He took it and put it in his mouth without hesitation, knowing the taste as they used the leaf in the castle to freshen breath.

Saren looked around the street, trying to think of where to take Tari to next. He was thinking of finding a card game or perhaps take her to a street performance as a nice change of pace. It wouldn't involve buying anything and eyes would hopefully be on the performance and not the elf and the prince, because even if it was the gnomes natural tendency to be curious he wanted none of it. It felt like they were being inspected like animals or some rare species, although if he just rationally considered how rare it was to see an elf or a prince in the city for most people it made more sense, they were not only there but they were together, no doubt a very rare thing indeed. He turned to Tari, "Alright, we have a few options. We can go and check out the street performers, wander around aimlessly looking at stalls and shops, or we can try and find a street game although that may attract a bit of unwanted attention for us to be playing games." He left it up to her, he didn't care, whatever they did would be better than what came after it.
 
The elf shrugged her shoulders lightly at the list of ideas. "How about we find a street performer," she suggested, glancing towards a nearby shop. Most of the shops seemed to sell the same sort of items; clothing, traded goods and of course a few stolen items. Most of what they had were at least somewhat interesting, but Tari wasn't looking for half of the things there. Then again, there was a good possibility that the other streets held more goods, but Tari didn't have the desire to look on the other streets right now. Slowly, her attention drifted back to the man beside her.

"When exactly do you have your evening meal?" she asked, mentally preparing herself for the dreaded meeting of the parents. This was far worse then any other meeting she could or would ever have and she was dreading it. Not only because of what Saren had said or implied, but more with the fact that she would have to watch every single word she said so she didn't anger the leaders of the city. And on top of that, they would be judging her from the first step she took in the room to even hours after she left the meal. There was no escaping their judgement, no matter how well behaved Tari was throughout dinner and her stay at the castle.
 
Street performer, it was probably the best of the choices, not only for him but for Tari, or at least he figured she would find some fun in it. Saren smiled, beginning to walk in the direction of the main area for the performers, though he moved at a relaxed pace so Tari could easily keep up and so that they wouldn't get separated. She seemed worried about the evening meal though, so as they walked he tried to figure out the best way to make it seem better than it would be. Not that it would be the worst thing ever but it would most certainly not be pleasant. Hell, if their own son didn't want to go why would Tari, it was a hard thing to make sound good, or even bearable. "Well, the meal is served after it is a bit dark outside, so we have a little time, though we have to get back a bit earlier since the time isn't really set in stone and if at least I do not attend then no doubt it will be more trouble than attending will be." It really wouldn't be too long before the family would meet, before the sun went down they would have to be back at the castle.

Saren felt it necessary to try and make it clear he wouldn't let it get too bad, he didn't want Tari to dread it too much. "Anyways, just try not to worry, they may judge you but they won't say anything to you while I am present, they will most likely only speak bad of me while we are at dinner. They may even simply ignore you which while not being very heartwarming or anything wouldn't be bad." He took a deep breath, it was a horrible pep talk, it was like saying 'No matter what happens it won't be welcoming', which was true but still, not comforting in the least. "You know, you don't have to attend, I can have a servant bring you a meal back to the room or simply pick you up some food from the kitchen and bring it back with me." He figured offering her an out would be the best idea, she didn't really need to be at the dinner if she didn't want to be and he left early most of the time so she wouldn't be alone long. Plus it would be easier for him to scream and yell without her watching, since he was sure Kilel would say something snide even if his parents did not.

As they were walking the sound of music and voices could be heard. They were approaching the area for street performers, plays, musicians, and even some swordplay would most likely be seen. There was always the risk of gypsies as well but that was one Saren was willing to take. Of course before they could enjoy the music, the current conversation needed an end, whether she would attend dinner with him or escape to his room for the duration.
 
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