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After being quarantined to Zena for his whole life so far.. After being stuck in one town with only stories from travelers passing through to satisfy his curiosity.. All all those years, he had finally dared to come to Sauti! All it took was a little fib that he was staying out with a friend for a couple days. His hide would be tanned to pieces thoroughly if he got caught, but it would be worth it!

At least, he hoped it would be worth it. The town he had come to just seemed to only be a dry and rocky version of Zena, complete with the basics of peddlers selling their wares, children running around with energy for hours, and adults congregating to mutter about the incompetent youth of the day. How dull. He wanted excitement on his first adventure out! It looked like he would have to make it himself. In unknown territory, he casually walked through the town to look for the perfect setup.

After making a couple purchases, Kuno had started chatting it up with an elderly tea vendor. The old man looked exhausted, thin mouth opening into wide yawns during his tales. With a little coaxing, he managed to encourage the man to go lie down for a while while he watched over the stall. The man was quite grateful once he gave in, and shuffled off to close his eyes.

Perfect.

Most of the teas available were just containers of dry leaves, but there was a big pot of steaming water hanging over a fire with a few small cups ready with a sampler. All it took was a few few drops of ink in the pot, and he was ready to sell! He wasn't very interested in the merchant life, but this was an exception.

"Fresh tea made to order or take home for later! Try it hot for a flavor to savor, or try it cold as ice, refreshingly nice!"

The first couple customers had only wanted the dry leaves, which was rather disappointing. Still, at least the sales would please the stall's owner and possibly put a couple coins into his pocket as well should the old man be feeling generous after his nap.

"Tea?" Seeing a very pretty and very interesting looking young lady approach the stall, Kuno almost forgot what he was doing there. Right! He pulled his smile right back up and waved his arm over the tins. "Hopefully, we have the kind that you like~ There's the basic straight teas, but also a few fun ones. Cullyweed, vanilla appelberry, lake lily, grand nut, mammu root... Looking for a particular flavor profile?"

Aw man, just another order for leaves? The disappointment made it difficult to hide his sudden delight in hearing the additional order. "Absolutely! I'll get that set up first so that it can sit while I pack the leaves." Rolling the mammu root leaves into a small cloth, he took the cup to the fire to pour out the ink tinted water, the ink masked by the dark cups and the strong root color. His cheeks warmed when he saw that sweet smile though. Would be a shame to watch it turn black...

He set the cup in front of the young lady and set about filling the rest of the order. "Anyone tell you yet how nice you look today?" he asked casually, unable to resist himself. ...He wasn't exactly known for being subtle, after all.

Kuno chuckled lightly. "Don't ya worry. I probably won't be the last, either." He spared a look over his shoulder to make sure the stall's owner was still safely away. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long though. Once enough cups got out, he was going to have to make a clean getaway!

He looked up just in time to see the cup raise, allowing him to brace himself for what was to come. He had to cover his grin with his hand and pretended to cough, eyes lighting up with success and amusement. Oh, those teeth! There was even a tint on her lips! "I'm glad ya like it," he said, working hard to smother the laugh that wanted to rise up. "Want some of that in the dry for later, too?"

"An aftertaste?" Kuno held his breath as the cup was inspected, but it seemed like he had set it up well enough! "Maybe it'll taste better with different water," he suggested, a little snort escaping his nose. A little ink apparently went a long way, making the young woman's lips look practically gray with the diluted color!

He rattled off the proper number and started packing up the third tea, content with his first successful amusement of the day. "Careful!" he gasped out, belatedly jerking to reach for the cup as he watched it slip. 'Oh, cruel fates..' The mouth would come clean with a little gentle scrubbing, but the clothes... "Ink? Why would it be ink? I mighta made it too strong. Would explain the aftertaste, yeah? Sorry." He had to bite down on his lip now to keep from laughing. While he felt bad for the stain on the clothing, watching her stained lips and the peeks of darkened teeth was almost too much to bear anymore!

Setting the final tin onto the counter, he took a step back for safety. "Enjoy," he managed to offer through the tension of repressed laughter in his chest.

Well, looked like the jig was up. Well, at least he had gotten someone. Finally, Kuno snorted sharply and started laughing out loud. "S-sorry.. 'bout.. dress!" he panted out, backing away from the stall while the young lady inspect her new look. Oh, that expression was priceless.

"Come on, it's a little funny." He searched a moment before finding the source of the rattling, and his laughter faded quickly. The cup was moving on its own! Was.. she a magic user? "Hey, no biggie! It'll wash-" then the cup shattered. ...Crap.

"I don't own this place don't be breakin' all his stuff!" he quickly blurted out as he turned to to bolt away from the furious lady, an amused grin still stubbornly on his lips. Time to get out of town!