A/N Thank you LunaSphere for beta-reading this! You are my hero!
Hamen- Trader-speak for idiot.
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There was a low wall along the side of the tailor's shop. Briar and Daja leaned against it, while on the other side of the shop's entrance stood Sandry's guards: the serious man and woman who had insisted on accompanying them on their outing, although Daja could not see their purpose. Didn't they see just how well Sandry could take care of herself?
All four of them were waiting for Sandry to pick something up inside, but when a wave of joy passed from the stitch-witch to her sibling's outside (Oh! Look at that pattern!), Briar and Daja exchanged bored glances and both pushed themselves up onto the wall in order to rest their feet while they waited out Sandry's enthusiasm.
Daja ignored the looks they were getting from the guards. Introduced as Oama and Kwaben, neither of her guards had yet figured out just why their charge and her odd friends acted with such coordination, and their confusion wasn't obvious enough yet to warrant one of Sandry's abrupt explanations. Daja had no interest in explaining the story behind their mind-speaking, not when it would probably only serve to make the two of them more suspicious in her presence, and not less.
Daja tilted her head back, enjoying the sunlight on her face. It was probably going to be the last warm week before the winter's damp chill set in and she wanted to enjoy it thoroughly, especially since the four of them had been getting impressions of the cold that had already set in at Lightsbridge from Tris for nearly two weeks.
Briar chuckled softly and she opened her eyes to see what had caused his amusement. The street before them was busy, with carts, horses and foot-traffic all pushing along the dirt lane between the shops lining its edges. They were close to the market and Summersea's main square here, which meant the crowds were unusually thick. Briar was watching two men bicker over items which had been knocked off their carts in a small collision and now lay, dirty, on the street.
Daja shook her head at their foolishness– didn't they realize the longer the fought about it, the more damage that would be done?– and caught a glimpse of Sandry's guards, who had also noticed Briar's amusement.
They're glaring at you again, Daja told Briar, sending him the unimpressed, suspicious expression they shared.
Without any shift in his expression, Briar took one of his longer knives out of the sheath on his leg and used the tip to clean under his fingernails. The female guard, Oama, shifted restlessly without taking her sharp brown eyes off of him. Daja turned her head away, bringing her fist up to her mouth to hide a smile.
They had hated him the moment they had met, when she, Tris, and Briar had first visited Sandry at the Citadel before their 'vacation' to Namorn.
It wasn't anyone's fault, really. He was just the type of threat that they understood- and they hated letting him near Sandry when they saw his thief skills and his war-hardened eyes and the looks he exchanged with practically every young woman they passed.
They've known Sandry since she was fourteen, and they only met us last summer, Daja thought, watching as a boy tried to drag a stubborn pig past them towards the meat markets. They just do not understand how impossible it is for us to be a danger to her.
And its not like you're helping anything, Daja continued, glancing at Briar as she let him hear her thoughts. You bait them every chance you get.
Briar ignored her, except to start flipping the blade into the air, catching the flat sides of the blade in his fingertips. Oama's scowl deepened, and even the usually unshakable male guard was watching Briar suspiciously now.
Daja looked away quickly, coughing to hide a laugh.
Oh, stop teasing them, Sandry said, sensing their amusement and its cause.
I'm bored, Briar sent back, putting the knife away. You said nothing about taking forever and leaving us out here to roast like slaves in the sun when you talked me into this.
You're hardly roasting, Sandry replied, unconcerned. If it's such a trial, go on without me.
Briar sighed loudly, but did not reply. He didn't want to admit that he wanted to spend the day with his sisters, together, even if it meant a few minutes of boredom while he waited.
They watched the crowds get out of the way of a noble couple on horseback who pushed their way haughtily down the centre of the street. Daja and Briar glanced at each other and didn't need to mind-speak in order to communicate their thoughts– noble hamen.
A merchant, barely older than the four, walked past their perch quickly, pointedly ignoring them. His foot came down awkwardly on a rut in the road left from the last rain and he stumbled without looking down, attempting to pretend it hadn't happened. Briar snorted loud enough to attract a glare, which both he and Daja responded to with bright grins.
As the merchant passed out of sight, blushing, Briar pulled a small orange out of his pocket, peeling it in one long strip which fell to the dirt below the wall in a twisted spiral. He pulled the fruit in half, passing one of the halves to Daja.
Thanks.
She pulled it apart one piece at a time, eating it slowly. Just as she knew he would, Briar ate his half in two mouthfuls and after a moment glanced over at her portion, which she passed back to him, hardly eaten.
Thanks, he said, almost contritely.
Daja smiled at his foolishness, but forgot it completely when she caught sight of a woman leaving the bakery across the street, a few shops down from where they were sitting.
She was wearing a bright yellow dress which made her deeply tan skin seem a deeper, more beautiful gold. As she stepped out of the shop she set her basket down in order to remove the apron she was wearing. She arched her back and shook her head as she pulled the apron off, the deep brown of her hair catching the sunlight and glinting with red and golden highlights.
Daja heard Briar whistle softly beside her, but was too captivated by this woman to look away and see what had caught his attention.
The stranger folded up her apron into a small square and smiled as someone spoke to her from inside the shop. She turned her head to look back and Daja admired the curve of her neck and back, the way her face lit up as she laughed, her sweet smile and pretty face.
The woman turned her back on Daja and bent down to put her apron in the basket on her feet. Daja tilted her head slightly to–
"Oh honestly, you two!" Sandry's voice shocked Daja back into reality and she turned to stare at her foster-sister. Sandry was standing outside of the shop, hands on her hips, glaring at the two mages who sat on the wall before her.
Daja looked from her irritated sister to Briar, who met her look with the same confusion before they realized they had both been sending Sandry vivid images of the woman emerging from the bakery.
They grinned and then burst into laughter, continuing to laugh as Sandry turned on her heel to return to her confused guards.
Well, we know how to get her Nobleness to hurry up now, Briar said, laughing as he jumped down off the wall.
Not funny, Sandry said, trying not to sound amused. That poor woman being ogled by the pair of you!
Briar just grinned as Daja dropped lightly to her feet and turned to grab her staff, which was leaning against the wall. They hurried after Sandry.
You have to admit, she was– Briar started, with a wicked grin at Daja.
No! Sandry yelped, the reaction he was going for. I want no part in this! she said, trying not to laugh.
Daja smiled as they reached Sandry and her guards. Briar put his arm around Sandry's shoulder, knocking her into his hip and making her laugh. Daja looked back along the street. It was still full of people on their way in and out of the stores, common people on their way to market with goods to sell or purses full in order to buy, merchants, servants on errands... but the beautiful woman had disappeared.
She turned her face forward, into the sun, and smiled as Sandry and Briar bickered.
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