"I think he's volunteering, now do we have anything to help him if he can get up there?" Amunrel asks Adjunta after nodding at Ewald.
"I suppose we'll need some fruit then." She waited a moment as she clicked a couple of coins together, in case anyone else volunteered or if Ewald had anything to say about what kind of fruit would be best, before taking off to buy some.
"If it is a fruit eater soft fruits are best"
He turns to the temple priest..."Father..you said you have a ladder for maintenance...is it keept out back and may we borrow it?"
"The older produce then..." she punctuated with one last click of the coins before heading out of the church and towards the markets.
Might as well check on Halsanna on the way...
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"The older produce then..." she punctuated with one last click of the coins before heading out of the church and towards the markets.
"Perhaps a cleaver and attractive girl such as yourself could sweet talk a merchant into taking some rotten or spoiled fruit off his hands for free?" Adjunta muses without looking to Vivaeri, "I mean the rotten stuff is nearly worthless anyways, used as slop or compost . . ."
"Here buy a selection after all this bat is supposed to have been reared better," Amunrel says passing Vi a couple of gold coins.
"And yes you can pick, better get Ewald to help you after all he can carry them back with you," Amunrel nods to the ranger.
"And you," Amunrel locks his gaze with Ewald.
"Know what those bats would like better don't you?" he asks directly.
"Ewald looks from the elf to the girl scurrying out the door and nods with a smile..."Aye I'll just go and help her..if she'll take my help and doesn't think I'm trying to make her look foolish or weak"
He hurries after Vae...
"hmm...maybe..." Vivaeri replied half-heartedly to Adjunta's suggestion. She wasn't looking forward to carrying some food vendor's trash around town, but if it got the job done...
When Ewald caught up with her, she cursed inwardly. There's no getting away from him, is there?! She tried to hide her frustration, immediately turning towards the task at hand, but keeping her eyes forward. "So what kind of fruit do they prefer anyway?"
Gods, I hope Halsanna doesn't see him now...
I don't have a ladder here . we usually borrow one
If you leave the church , turn left ... (some directions given) you can tell MR Buford there you have been sent by me . He will lend you his ladder . but you should hurry , I 've got a service in one hour.
"Okay I'll need Adjunta's help after all this fellow will appreciate being asked by someone at least human after all," Amunrel nods to Adjunta.
Ewald takes in the momentary stiffening of her shoulders and sighs inwardly, this girl is not going to be easy to win over.
"We could try oranges..or plums.I'm afraid bats are not really one of the creatures I've studied in detail so best to get a selection. Off course we are only assuming it's a fruit bat...but best to be prepared for every eventuality I suppose"
"Right..." Vivaeri answered flatly. She remained silent for a bit longer, as unnatural as that was for her.
Gods...might as well try to be civil with him... "So..." she cautiously started, watching her tone for fear of starting in on Ewald and not being able to stop. "...what did you do to end up having to marry the Firdraes family's black sheep?" She asked as if it was a punishment; it was certainly what it felt like to her.
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"Okay I'll need Adjunta's help after all this fellow will appreciate being asked by someone at least human after all," Amunrel nods to Adjunta.
"Very well," Adjunta says, "you lead the way."
Adjunta follows the elf hoping for a quick end to this silly familiar hunt so they can get back to the investigation.
With Adjunta being the one who ask , you get the ladder without any trouble .
"By the way what did you feed the bat by the way," Amunrel asks the lad out of curiosity.
"so it's not a fruit bad," Adjunta says, easily hiding his smile behind his veil, "I'm sure the others will be happy to hear that."
"Yes I'm sure they will be," Amunrel replies drily.
"So what else can we do?" the elf asks as they approach the church.
"Oh your the black sheep." Ewald grins.."Well the same could be said of me you know..if father had had his way I'd have been commandinga troop in the 3rd Lancers ..instead I told him I wanted to be a 'real soldier' and applied for the Border Legions...you should have seen his face"
"That was four years ago...I hadn't been home until he summoned me saying he needed me urgently..and when I got home it was to find that he had arranged a wedding..so you see this was as much a surprise for me as it was for you"
Oh gods! I didn't want your life story! Vivaeri thought to herself, though she listened intently. Okay, so an actual professional soldier instead of some twit in a fancy uniform and position his father bought for him. 'Sanna might have actually been inter-don't. Don't even think it.
"So, you just went along with it when your family told you they were arranging this for you?" she asked, barely able to veil the underlying statement of 'Because I certainly didn't.' She was grudgingly coming around to seeing Ewald as an actual human being though.
"Blessed Barley brew no...that's why I came alone..to find out why my prospective bride had chosen to run away without even meeting me..I told you I don't want an unwilling bride. But to be honest I was curious to see the sort of girl my father thought suitable...I was expecting some hysterical schoolroom Miss..instead I find you. witty,independant and,if I may say so, a damn sight more attractive than those pasty faced girls my mother used to throw at me at every ball we attended"
He looks at her with no sign of mockery or deception visible in his countenance.Then shifts his attention to spotting a fruit vendor.
Vivaeri paused in her tracks at Ewald's statement. She was torn between being relieved that she had misjudged him and being angry at him for not being the pretentious, pampered fop she had been expecting and eager to detest.
It was infuriating to meet someone decent only because they were arranged for you to be with. Still, she couldn't hide her slight smirk at the "pasty-faced remark". Ha, hasn't seen me at work yet... "Yeah well, you weren't what I was expecting either."
She suddenly looked around, as if she just realized a sudden danger lurking about. "My sister is around here somewhere, at one of the smiths. You might want to keep your head down. I think she still wants to twist it off." She put the last statement forth as if Halsanna actually could do it if she chose.
"So where do we put this whilst we wait for the happy couple?" Amunrel gasps he and Adjunta maneuver the ladder safely towards the bell tower.
'Well...at least she's talking to me and not at me' muses Ewald to himself.
"The smithies over there I think...and theres a grocer on the other side of the square...if we hurry we'll catch him at a free moment"
Vivaeri still hadn't found her balance when Ewald pressed them onward. "Right..." She looked at him sideways as they approached the fruit vendors, almost managing to not ask, "Seriously though...witty?" She seemed to want confirmation of that compliment far more than the others.
She kept looking around warily, half-expecting Halsanna to come stomping forward at any moment. She was somewhat certain she wanted to avoid making a scene at this point.
"Yes...witty and you can think on your feet too.Plus you have a talent for the arcane...which is well beyond my feeble brain to understand... we don't see a lot of the subtler magics where I'm stationed you see,it tends to be destructive force or Healing"
Ewald moves towards the fruit stall.
Vivaeri tried not to bask in compliments, though it was in her nature to do so. "Well, you would probably need more...utilitarian magic in the military. I'm more of a...performer." she avoided using a more pretentious term. Best not to give him any ammunition in the form of pride, she thought. She was at least engaging in civil conversation with him now.
Idly clicking the coins still in her hand, she called out to the closest fruit vendor. "Excuse me, do you have any peaches? Perhaps something softer. Perhaps a bit old?" If she could avoid toting rotten fruit back to the temple, she'd do it.
"Ah! A few of both then, good sir!" she instantly turned enthusiastic and cheerful once engaged in the sale. "And, this will sound odd and believe me it is, but if you have a few that have gone a bit bad back there, could we take a bit of it off your hands?"
She quickly handed over her coins, insistant on paying herself.
Ewald is content to stand back and let Vae sweet talk the stall holder.
"Ah." Vivaeri hid her relief. "It's no problem, sir! We'll just take the softest you have to offer then!" She glanced at Ewald, wondering if there was anything else they could be forgetting.
As far as she was concerned, fruit of any kind should have been good enough for a fruit bat, but she did realize her expertise on nature was limited to say the least.
"Just give us a variety nothing too old but yesterdays will do I think"
"Ah, exactly what we came for, good sir! Thank you!" Vivaeri said with a wink and a smile.
She looked over her shoulder as the fruit was being picked out for them, making certain that Halsanna wasn't going to come charging Ewald. It was perfectly understandable, but hardly ideal at this moment and at this location.
Ewald looks around the square noting with distaste the people returning home exhausted from their labours knowing that the Grand Princes heavy taxes force them to labour long hours for a pittance whilst some of his own class wallow in a pit of excessive consumption.
He runs his hand over his smoothly shaven jaw..something else he and his father have had disagreements on.. and turns his attention back to the Fruiterer in time to accept the bag.
Well , I do have some fruits I intended to throw away this evening . Here take them ...
Vivaeri paid the man double the asking price for his troubles. "Thank you, sir!" She hesitated for a moment, looking sideways at Ewald and uncertain whether she wanted to let him in on yet another part of her life, but she couldn't resist advertising. "And if you have the time, I understand there may be a show at the Grey Frog Inn tonight. Entertainment for the entire family, I hear!"
"A show is it" Ewald says as they walk away from the stall "what kind of show?"
"Here's another for your time, sir!" Vivaeri gave the stall-keeper an extra gold piece. I have more just like them, so why not? she thought.
"Oh..." As they started back to the church, she wrestled with her nature as a showwoman and as someone trying to throw off a suitor. Her pride won out.
"Simply a display of multi-disciplined artistry in action!" She said with pride, which apparently had won out by quite a wide margin. "Comedy, dance, illusion, and feats of acrobatic daring and expertise with sharp opjects of various sorts all combined to entertain and liven the spirits of all! Not just for the over-priveliged and pretentious..." she couldn't stop herself from throwing in that last sentence. The treatment of her father by the rest of her family had done much to influence who her preferred audience was.
She coughed, a bit embarrassed that she revealed even that much of her life to The Interloper. The possibility of scaring him off by appearing in her jester's motley and white make-up did play about in her mind though. Now she was wrestling with whether or not she should stick to the more conservative costume which was the only one her father knew about, or the more scandalous one. She peered at Ewald through the corner of her eyes, trying to figure out if seemed to be the sort that would be put off by the latter or if would simply encourage him.
She looked about for Halsanna again.
Vivaeri nodded towards her sister and immediately whispered to Ewald without looking at him. "Okay, whatever you do, don't say anything, don't look her in the eye, and don't make any sudden movements." She then broke from her pace with him and walked towards Halsanna, trying to keep herself between her and Ewald.
Holding up a hand to stay her sister's temper, she started, "'Sanna, don't hit him, it's oka...well it's not okay...but I'm not running off with him and he hasn't tried anything yet." She looked about to see if there were any guards around. She certainly didn't want her sister in trouble with the local law. That wouldn't go over well with Father...
"Don't worry I'll do nothing to provoke her..but I reserve the right to defend myself if she takes it into her head to do something stupid"
Ewald hangs back studiously ignoring the girls conversation. He exchanges greetings with the smith and casts a keen eye over his wares asking to try the heft of certain blade.
Amunrel sneezes suddenly not enough to spoil his balance but it does make him shiver.
"Why do i get the feeling something ominous has just happened?" he mutters under his breath as he and Adjunta continue to maneuver the ladder towards the bell tower.