[PRP Oba] By Chance (Xariy/Kauff)

[Smerdle]

It had been a very long time since Kauff had been to Oba. He hadn't even taken up the hammer back then, though years of wielding them hadn't much improved his proficiency since. That was one of the reasons he was back here in the first place, the only reason of three that he would actually admit to himself. The Fire clan had always been skilled at fighting, if the war was any indication, and he had concluded that coming here for training would be the sensible thing to do.

The second, more insistent reason that the Wind wasn't even aware of himself, was that he was curious. He hadn't exactly been welcome to hang around the last time he'd been here, but fascination with the land and culture that had so violently opposed his own had intrigued him ever since he had left. He'd needed a change after Sauti, and what better place to find it than in... Orrod? Was that where he was?

Wherever he'd ended up, Kauff was rather embarrassed to admit he was wildly out of place. Usually eager to strike up a conversation with anyone he came across, here he felt wrong in every way, the anonymity of the city the only thing that lent him any comfort. He felt too large, too slow, too poor among the merchants and rare passing noble. And it was so damned hot. Why was he wearing fur?

The young man walked down a respectably busy thoroughfare, his gaze almost permanently stuck on the buildings above. At the very least he clutched his bag close, the pair of poscutas riding inside squeaking their displeasure whenever he accidentally squeezed a little too hard.

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

Xariy had been stuck in Orrod for what felt like ages. While she was lucky enough to have her own small place to herself now, it was really all thanks to her parents. They had most certainly stuck to their demands and she had been under a careful watch since her return. She'd even been doing more honest work as of late, a first for her. Thieving didn't really pay the bills though, and she hadn't wanted to cause too much trouble for her family after everything they had done for her so far. It grew tiresome at times, and even a bit boring. She wasn't really allowed to go anywhere or do anything so most of her time was spent selling wares with her parents or sitting alone in her home.

"You'll find the best of wares her. Why not step up and take a look?" she droned out, thoroughly bored by it all. She spotted the wind man then, and while she felt he was familiar the crowded marketplace made it difficult to tell. "Interested in any of our wares, sir?" She could only hope calling out to him specifically would draw him closer to their wagon.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

As always, being addressed directly caught his attention immediately, dragging it away from the sights toward the merchant and her wagon. It didn't take him more than three steps forward to recognize her, a wide grin breaking across his face before he could stop it. There she was. The third reason he'd come all the way to Oba looking for training he could have received in hundreds of towns along the way.

His grin had softened to a sarcastic smirk by the time he reached her, but his tone was pure amusement. "I'm looking for pants, actually. Mine were stolen right out from under my nose, if you can believe that."

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

"Well now that is unfortunate isn't it? Whoever would have done such a thing?" Xariy grinned, knowing full well what the wind man was talking about. It honestly felt like it had happened yesterday and not two whole years ago. Now that she was standing there with Kauff again she didn't exactly know what to ask him. She could ask if he found his family, but perhaps that wasn't something he wanted to talk about. There was also the fact that he was in Oba. She hadn't expected the wind to want to be anywhere near her homeland, let alone so close to their main city.

"It's good to see you. You look good," she continued, brushing her fingers against his furs. "Though I do think the furs are a bit much for Oba."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"All I know is that it was someone very sneaky," he replied. "But I can't say it wasn't partly my fault. I was... distracted." Kauff let himself preen a bit under her praise, standing straighter as she brushed at his collar. It seemed approval felt better coming from someone who had known him for longer than a day.

"I do look good, don't I?" he quipped. "And I have to agree, the furs are more than a bit much. But I can't just rip them off if I ever want to go north again." Maybe he'd have the collar modified to detach with buttons or something while he was here. But it wasn't important now, not when Xariy was right in front of him after all this time.

"You're as beautiful as ever, of course, and I'm very glad that in all of Oba I managed to find you." He looked at her as if memorizing her features, or maybe just comparing her to memory, then took in the wagon. "And you're a merchant now?" He couldn't think of an elegant way to ask why without sounding rude, but his pause was probably already rude enough. "Good money?" He happened to be hurting for coin and tradable goods at the moment. Maybe she'd have some tips.

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

"At least it was a good distraction," Xariy winked, blushing at his praise. She had always felt confident in her looks, but hearing him call her beautiful was different. He was glad to see her too. After everything that had happened she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. But he was here and he was staring, making her fidget under his gaze. There had been plenty of Oban men who had stared, but her interests had always been focused on handsome wind men like himself.

"Well I'm not fully here by choice. My parents sort of....grounded me. I guess. Dear old mother said I had to earn her forgiveness, so I've been helping out with their wagon. It'seems not all bad though. Earning a little bit of many. Have a little place of my own for now. Decent place. Not too fancy, " she explained, taking a few steps closer to him in hopes that her father was too distracted to listen in on her conversation. She wasn't exactly sure what his reaction would be to Kauff.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

In answering one question, she'd sparked a hundred more. Kauff could understand feeling obligated to repay a debt, especially to one's parents, but what debt did Xariy owe? What had made her decide to repay it now? Were her parents tyrants who had scoured Tendaji to find their daughter and forced her home when they finally did? He imagined sweeping in and saving her from their bad judgment, basking in her gratitude and enjoying more mutual distractions. Then he actually registered that she had a place of her own, which meant that on some level the merchant thief had chosen to stay. She'd also proven she deserved to feature in his thoughts as more than a self-indulgent fantasy. He didn't want to be anybody's savior anyway.

Had he known that her father was nearby, Kauff might have ducked away and run off, no matter how happy he was that they'd been reunited. Even without suspecting the reason she was being sneaky, he still lowered the volume of his voice and leaned in conspiratorially. He liked having an excuse to be closer to her anyway. "Sounds like a good deal. But if you get the urge to be whisked away to an uncertain and perilous life on the road while I'm in town, just let me know." Not a savior at all. More like an enabler.

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

"While wandering the open road with an attractive man like yourself is always incredibly tempting, I'm pretty well stuck here for now. I owe my family that much at least. It's weird though, having one again," Xariy chuckled, leaning a bit closer to him before saying something more. She did get the itch to travel from time to time, but for the most part she was enjoying her time in Oba surprisingly enough. She couldn't openly steal like she used to, but if anyone ever passed by giving the merchants trouble she was sure to take care of them. Now that Kauff was here though, the itch to travel started to resurface yet again. She knew he wasn't the sort to settle down, but the thought of him hanging around at her place every now and then was nice.

"If you ever need a place to hide out from trouble, or even just want to stick around for more than a couple of hours, my door is always open to you. Has a nice bed and everything, and I'm sure I could accommodate a handsome man such as yourself," she offered, fingers brushing against his cheek as she waited for his reaction.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Families aren't all they're cracked up to be.

It was on the tip of his tongue, that pouting negativity he couldn't help feeling when the subject of family was brought up these days, but he held back the comment before he ruined the mood. Allowing himself to b***h and moan when he was trying to stay optimistic was the last thing he wanted to do, especially in this situation. He knew now that his family hadn't changed. They weren't bad people and they wanted the best for him, he just couldn't imagine making a permanent life with them anymore. But Xariy wasn't him. If she hadn't decided she'd needed a little settling, he probably wouldn't have found her at all.

"I'm not in any trouble right now, but I'll definitely keep that in mind. I could use a tour." He raised his hand to touch hers, but his fingers barely brushed her wrist before he lowered it again. It was one thing for her to touch him, but Kauff was almost afraid to reciprocate when he stood out so plainly. "Maybe when you're done here, I could meet you somewhere. Or I could stick around, but I think it might be bad for business."

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

"It's up to you, handsome. While I wouldn't mind you and your fine assets sticking around, I'm sure you've got better things to do than to wait around for me to be done for the day. You're welcome to go hand around my place and catch a nap until I'm done. Or if you do stick around I can show off my awesome merchant skills I've picked up from the old man," Xariy said, offering up the options to him.

Surprisingly enough Xariy was genuinely happy to be doing the work she was doing. While she had been very resistant to it at first, now that she'd been there a while she enjoyed what she was doing most days. The only time she really disliked it was days when she thought of her adventures, but now that Kauff was there she could at least have some fun.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

That settled it then. If she didn't mind his presence at the stall, he would push past this strange self-conscious anxiety and stay.

Kauff smirked, rather deliberately continuing to keep his eyes to himself despite her flattering words. "Actually, I've just been wandering up 'til now. I doubt I'm going to find a new hammer or a trainer today, so I think I'll stay here." Now that he'd settled on that, he needed a place to... settle.

"Where do you want me? As enjoyable as it would be for me, it might be bad for business if I just stand here and stare at you."

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

"Mmmmm....give me a sec. I'll be right back," Xariy replied, scuttling off for a moment. Some rummaging could be heard from within the stall before she reappeared, chair in tow. She struggled with it for a moment before finally deciding on settling it down close the the wall of the stall and out of the direct sunlight. She figured it would be a good place for him to watch while being out of the way of her duties for the most part.

"How is that? Any complaints or suggestions?"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

His new perch afforded him a clear view of her work and kept him out of the way. He had no complaints. Kauff took a seat and leaned back, crossing his ankle over his knee.

"Carry on," he announced, as if he was poised to witness an evening of theater rather than an average afternoon at a merchant's stall. The words were barely out of his mouth before he snorted and grinned at Xariy, resting his bag in his lap for safekeeping.

OpticPeach

 

[OpticPeach]

Xariy rolled her eyes at the wind before chuckling and heading back into her booth. A moment later she came back out with snacks for him. With Kauff all situated she could continue on with her work and still get a chance to speak with him. Though it seemed the longer she tried to carry on with her work the more distracted she got by him. Before too long she had stopped what she was doing once more and came to stand beside him again.

"You know you are very distracting. Or maybe business is just slow. Either way, I don't think I'll be out here much longer," she smiled, ruffling his hair.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Am I?" he replied, peering up at her as he slid a piece of unfamiliar but interesting fruit past his smirk. He tried for a look of innocent curiosity after that, but it manifested as more of a flash of suggestive hunger, even though he wasn't trying to suggest anything. At least not anything more than he usually did, anyway. Something about this woman distracted him no end and made him do silly things that he would normally be able to keep under wraps. He supposed he didn't mind in the long run, it was just a little disconcerting.

"Well, if you're going to go..." He shifted his bag again, the poscutas inside waking up and antsing around. "What would you have done if I had gone to your place to nap? Would you have met me there once the day was over? Could we go there now?"

OpticPeach