– T A Y A H –

I woke abruptly to a dripping on my face. I flinched and glared above me. John watched me with a calm expression and met my eyes over the rag.

"Oh good you're awake."

I cursed and yanked the dripping cloth out of his hand before freezing.

"What has this been used for?" I demanded.

He gave me an innocent look before leaning back onto a chair and finding the walls more interesting. I swore again and flung the wash rag at his face which made a satisfying smack.

"We've bathed in the same river before–it is no different."

"John you had better tell me right now why you woke me like this before I find a way to return the favour." I promised him darkly.

"I'm hungry." He told me factually.

I waited for this to be my problem. His eyes only grew more amused before he spread his legs wider and sank into the chair.

"The tree and I would like to fetch some provisions."

"So go do that." I grit out through my teeth. Suddenly glancing outside and realising daylight was upon us. Which also meant...

"How long has the sun arisen?" I demanded, without waiting for his answer.

"It's nay a quarter sun span why?"

I didn't answer him, instead I went for my red cloak and pulled it over my head before attaching the heavy pouch of silver to my hip. I kicked John's leg as I moved and he grumbled at my mood swing.

"Get Kaden. We're going now." I stated as I dropped carefully to Yanu's sleeping form curled up on the bed. I shook his shoulder carefully and he blinked quickly in panic before those wide eyes landed on me and relaxed.

"Teayah."

I half smiled and nodded my head towards the door. He gathered enough and rubbed his eyes before sitting up. I saw Kaden had not bothered to move from John's calls and grabbed a book nearby and threw it at him.

He swore in Uccellon so disgustingly that I was glad Yanu did not speak the language. 

"John I am going to hit you hard enough that your dead, whore of a mother can feel it–"

"I did not throw that you empty brained horse's testicles!" John snapped right back.

I started sniggering despite it all and stood to my full height stopping Kaden from lunging at him. 

"Let us get food." I said as simply as anything and watching Kaden's angry eyes dissolve instantly and a look of interest and eagerness meet my eyes. So simple. I smirked and patted his shoulder before turning to the door.

John shoved in front of Kaden and the larger giant grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him off his feet before striding over him. I stared at them both with a raised brow and a smirk.

"Have you two got... more obnoxious in my absence?" I pondered, watching John glare death at the giant man before dusting himself off and ignoring my comment entirely.

"Not possible–it's simply the pleasures of living with human foliage." He muttered.

"Perhaps you are growing more violent because of your abundant carpet hair upon your faces."

John cut me a look in exasperation. "I am planning on fixing this!" He jutted a thumb to his jaw before glaring back at Kaden. "No guarantees that the lack of a beard will improve anything about that heathen." He growled.

He stomped through the door before I could grin any wider. My men had always had such views of each other, I wasn't sure why it was surprising to see the pronounced aggression now. Perhaps it was reminding me of how my immortal had such similar outbursts in my direction. I shook the thought away before I could linger. My Valkyrie had drawn reactions out of me for very different reasons...

We ducked out into the harsh burning sun light. I pulled my crimson hood over my eyes and felt my skin sweat underneath. 

I had half a mind to discard my tunic and simply wrap the cloak over my bare body. My immortal fire would not see the light of day lest I perish of heat all together.

"Gods. It did not feel this way on our travels." Kaden grunted, as he sweated under the sun too and pushed his tunic sleeves up.

"We should see to buying garments of the natives." John agreed, brushing his forearm against his sweating face. Yanu however seemed at ease with his caramel skin showing no signs of discomfort in his loose and thin clothing with its many holes.

I nodded and strode as briskly as I could in the direction of vendors shouting out prices for spice and dried foods. I scanned the wrapped dealers and the others that shamelessly exposed their dark arms before the sun.

Yanu clung to my cloak tightly and followed on my heel. The men seemed to talk of something between an argument and threats in hushed tones which still amused me. I finally caught the eyes of a curious vendor waving sticks of... something in the air. But the smell.

I drew in curiously and the vendor became more animated and shouted in the foreign tongue quickly. I glanced down at Yanu who watched me in question. I nodded and pointed to the sticks and he darted towards the coin pouch before plucking out a single silver piece and handing it to the man.

Yanu said something before producing four little fingers at him. He nodded briskly and plucked four of the meaty sticks that dripped in something else.... but the smell was divine. Once Yanu secured the meat he passed it to me quickly before the vendor threw back a series of coppers. Change for one silver? 

I stared in shock at how cheap the exchange had been without any haggling necessary.

Yanu sent the coppers right back to my coin pouch before I passed out the meaty sticks. Kaden and John looked ready to eat the wood holding the meat too. He groaned into the meat as soon as it hit his lips and dribbled grease down his chin. I didn't waste time and tore into my own with a similar reaction.

"This is good." I groaned.

Kaden did not even have time for a response as he inhaled the stick and tossed the wooden spit to the ground. He didn't even bother to glance at me before pulling out another silver and shoving four fingers in front of the vendor again. The man grinned back and said something in the language before giving Kaden the food and he waved off the change this time to the man's delight.

"Your product is good." Kaden rumbled over another bite. "Keep the change."

On that note he passed out more meat to us and Yanu widened his eyes up at Kaden unsure. Kaden gave him a wicked grin and pulled it out of his reach at the last moment.

"If you are too full boy I will have it."

I smacked him over the head and swiped it off him before he could react. Then lowered it to Yanu without a care.

"Do not tease the child, moron. He is already terrified of you." I scolded.

Kaden still raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning to Yanu more intently and giving him a bigger grin. Yanu darted behind my cloak with the meat and I sighed.

Another local in a dark hood moved behind us and ordered the same in the foreign tongue. I glanced as he accepted it with ease and melted back into the crowds. If only we could blend into the environment as easily.

We finished the remaining snacks as we walked and I finally saw the garment stall we sought. I yanked Kaden's bare arm back and he glanced between robed citizens at the stone shop with many robes and desert suited garments within.

"None of that looks like it will fit me." He complained loudly.

I snorted and dodged people to appraise the cloth. A light and thin design. Nothing of the layers we had in Uccellon weaves. But some was very... revealing.

John suddenly came beside me and whistled low. He palmed the thin silk that slipped between his fingers and would reveal a woman's breast much more than any in our culture would ever dare. "Imagine what that blonde would do seeing you in this–"

I elbowed him hard enough that he coughed and started laughing.

But the thought lingered in my mind as I took in the white, light cloth that dipped in places and had no sleeves. My shoulders were not as delicate as the thin framed women here but I could see it on my form easily enough. It ran past the torso and hugged around mid thigh level which meant there was no need for the heavy and hot trousers we all wore. 

"Ah, finally!" Kaden boomed as he palmed a board shouldered light tunic in a deep blue. He stretched the fabric against his board chest and looked down.

"You need something looser in the chest man." John snorted, appraising him more. "You're not  a bar wench for realm's sake."

"What kind of wench are you bedding?" Kaden scoffed.

I lost interest and ran my fingers against more silk. Growing lost in the colours and design. It was so unrestricted and loose to the touch. It would make the wind feel bare against your skin. It would invite dark thoughts when looked upon. I smirked.

I pulled out another leg length tunic and saw the way the light seemed to turn it silver briefly. The same way our eyes did. I knew then that I would have it. The feel of it on my skin alone would be glorious. The heat would be nothing and the way it would cling to curves in all the right ways–

"–just admit that trees should not bother with any kind of fashions!" John grinned through a laugh and a dodge. Kaden however looked adamant and clutched the tunic to his chest possessively. 

"I will have this!" He shouted.

I sighed and glanced at a number of citizens that regarded us like we were insane. They had no idea how right they were. I hissed and ripped the tunic from his meaty hands when he looked to John. "Children. Enough of your constant ridiculous drama."

They turned to me quickly before I waved the cloth at Kaden. "You will get this and you–" My eyes snapped to John who raised his hands before me. "–will get whatever you damn well wish and be silent about it." I finished, turning from them and seeing Yanu staring at us all with a small grin.

I rolled my eyes and dropped to a crouch before him. "You are much more mature. What would you like?" I asked, raising the clothing to his eyes and pointing to the rest.

His own small gaze grew wider and he tucked his hands behind his back and shook his head.

"Nonsense." I dismissed his body language and started off deeper into the stone shop looking for small garments. He trailed behind me as I dodged another dark hooded citizen leaning against a stack of dusty books. 

"How about this?" I asked, pulling a white, light tunic from the stack and presenting it to him. He frowned and shook his head. I threw it aside and pulled a red tunic from the pile and his shook his head again before glancing towards the men–more specifically the navy tunic Kaden flaunted in front of John.

It suddenly clicked.

I smirked and innocently pulled a navy tunic with similar sleeveless design to Kaden's and held it before him. His little eyes widened in glee despite his reserved looks and clenched it tightly to him like Kaden had. I chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Come on. I think we're done for now. If we start giving them chance for undergarments we may never leave." I muttered, dodging the hooded man and finally noticing him move. I reacted on instinct and tightened my hand on a dagger when I heard the voice that was more female that I realised speak in the foreign tongue to Yanu.

I cast my head over my shoulder and Yanu frowned looking back suddenly.

"Come Yanu." I said sternly, not trusting a strangers words that were far too amused in the foreign tongue.

He stopped against my pull however and made a gesture back to Kaden. Then to me and back to the tunic. The stranger tilted their head under the hood and nodded before saying something back in the foreign tongue. But that appeared to be the end of it.

Yanu turned to me with a smile and I brought him to my side so he could speak and point again. I frowned and turned behind me to see that the stranger had disappeared.

"Kid, I don't know what you think that was but don't talk to strangers."

He dismissed me and seemed to point intently to both of my eyes before pointing back to where the stranger had been. I shook my head. "Come." I stood to full height and scanned the shop distrustfully before finding the vendor at the back and having Yanu discussing prices.

The owner allowed us to change into our new purchases in the back storage room. Once I had emerged I let out a grateful sigh.

"These weaves feel amazing." I announced as the warm air brushed my skin past my cloak freely and I no longer felt stifled. The only strange thing was the weapons belt at my hips that now looked starkly aggressive against the delicate fabric. I decided I liked the contrast. I held my old clothing in a ball under my arm and glanced back at Kaden and John who were still pulling at their own tunic's in surprise.

"It feels like I'm bare." John quipped, stroking his chest.

I palmed my face with a grin. "John stop touching yourself like that–people are staring."

"Let them." He waggled his eyebrows. "I may return the gesture."

I groaned and suddenly noticed a lack of presence at my cloak. I glanced down and my heart lurched when Yanu wasn't there. "Where is–"

I heard a giggle and saw Yanu darting between citizens down the dusty walkways. I jumped after him without hesitating and heard the men call out in surprise.

"Yanu!" I called, as his little legs rushed between people easily. I however was not as small and shouldered a few who returned angry shouts. But the kid was damn fast and so was whatever he chased. I crashed through another crowd to see a fountain and plaza of stone emerge between the buildings. People laughed and dipped into the fountain and chatted–

"YANU!" I shouted above the noise.

I spun on my heel scanning face after face. Foreign voices seemed to surround and drown me and I didn't see him. I lost him and it was my fault. In this strange world of noise. I heard that little laugh again and my entire focus shot towards the source. There sat on the fountain's edge was the boy. And right beside him like a distant mirage was a blonde haired woman with her dark hood down and her arms set back against the stone like she had all the time in the world.

She spoke to him like she had known him forever. Then those silver eyes turned to me and a smirk fell on those knowing lips.

"Kára." I mumbled.