Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Bit of a shorter one today, but before we do anything else, it's review time!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed Olberic and Ophilia having a little heart to heart! And yes, Cyrus means well, but any sense of tact he has vanishes as soon as learning is involved XD

And with that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: Tressa's Chapter Two

8. Innocence

H'aanit and Primrose watched from a distance as Tressa called out to a gathered crowd, brandishing a luminescent green stone. Similar stones littered the rug that the merchant had set out on the ground in front of her, drawing the eyes and wallets of many prospective customers.

"Tressa hath proven to ben quite the talented vendor," H'aanit commented, a hint of admiration in her tone. "I wolde not haven known those stones to ben so valuable at first glance."

"Nor would I," Primrose agreed, though her eyes were narrowed and the corner of her mouth was twisted in what almost looked like a grimace. "Our dear Tressa is certainly a skilled and resourceful one…yet I cannot help but feel that her innocence is being taken advantage of."

H'aanit arched an eyebrow, glancing sideways at the dancer. "What dost thou meanest?"

"That Ali character that told Tressa about these 'Skystones' in the first place…" Primrose shook her head. "I'm not so sure that I trust him."

"And…why is that? The lad didst not seemeth like a villain."

"Perhaps not on the surface," the dancer conceded, "but there was something…odd about the way he acted. He was all too eager to reveal the value of these stones to a rival merchant, after all. What would he have to gain from doing so without some sort of ulterior motive behind his actions?"

The huntress chuckled, resting a hand on her fellow traveler's shoulder. "Primrose, perhaps thou art a touch too cynical at times. Is it truly so strange that one merchant wolde showeth goodwill towards another?"

Primrose brushed H'aanit's hand away, though not unkindly. She sighed and responded, "Perhaps, perhaps not. I will be the first to admit that I do not know much of the ways of merchants. However, I do know the ways of men quite well…and in my line of work, I've learned that those that prove themselves villains do not always 'seem' the sort until it is too late. I simply want to make sure we look out for our youngest, that is all…"

H'aanit's expression sobered, and she nodded solemnly. "I understand," she said. "I too wolde liken to maken sure that Tressa, and all of the rest of our companions, remainest safe. But…perhaps thou shouldst not judgest that young man before thou gettest to knowen him."

"You have a point," Primrose relented, rubbing at her forehead. "Very well…I will reserve my judgment until we know more of him, should we see him again. But…should he turn out to not quite be what he seems, then - "

"Of course," the huntress chuckled. "That is when thou steppest in and givest him a true taste of thy judgment. And I, of course, will ben happy to helpen."

The dancer smirked. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure Tressa would protest, and I know she can take care of herself for the most part, but…you know how naturally trusting she is. And in some cases, that's a wonderful quality, but when others look at that innocence and naiveté, certain individuals might instead see a weakness to exploit."

"Thou art not incorrect," H'aanit agreed. "I wolde liken to given this Ali the benefit of the doubt…though it wolde not hurten to ben careful."

"It never does," Primrose replied with a nod. "I myself learned that lesson time and time again…and I would rather not see Tressa learn the same the hard way, as I did."

The two of them glanced back over at the younger woman, still enthusiastically lauding her wares and drawing crowds. Already, a substantial amount of the stones that had rested at her feet had vanished, and still more townsfolk were reaching into their purses and scooping out leaves by the handful. Tressa herself was beaming, her smile even brighter than the stones she was selling. Truly, the young merchant was in her element.

Primrose couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight. "Well…if it comes to it, we'll be around to protect her. In the meantime, however…do you think she would offer a traveling companion's discount for any of those Skystones?"

The huntress laughed. "There is only one way to finden out!"

I'll see you guys next week for Tale 9: Drive!