Kyanite woke up much earlier than she intended to. After a late night, and a restless sleep she was surprised at how awake she felt. Anticipation seemed to thrum in her paws as she got up, and had a quick bite to eat. Trying to seem… inconspicuous, and not at all like a wolf with plots under her thinking cap.

She almost choked getting breakfast down as quickly as she could, and then pulled her bandana down. Covering her eyes as she stepped out of the warrens, and out into the Col. Lioness was already there waiting for her, and she felt the cat wrap about her paws as she walked. Letting the cat lead her to the markets, though she did not need a guide in lands so familiar to her. It was still useful to keep her from tripping over anything that had been moved since she was there last.

She made her way into the market and out the other side, taking a seat slightly out of the way, and in view (she hoped) of the entrance. She sat, Lioness in front of her, and lifted her head upwards. Sampling the scents around her. Looking for one scent in particular as she waited for her Kissing Companion to find her.


"Speech"

'

Sleep hadn't been kind to Beru in the night before.  The yearling only found himself able to get a couple hours or so before he grew sick of tossing and turning.  That was fine by him though, because the root of the matter had been the pure excitement he'd felt for what was to come, and he was still young enough to where the effects of sleep deprovision didn't really affect him the way they would a year or two down the line so he was basically good to go for the day.

Once it grew time to start worrying about meeting back up with Kite the yearling sent his raven ahead to keep an eye out for her.  He'd remain close by, but he didn't want to just pace around outside the entrance for fear of it weirding anyone out or making someone uncomfortable, and if prompted he definitely didn't want to inform anyone that he was there waiting for one of the princesses of Armada.  His timing had been pretty decent, because it didn't take long for Walpurgis to return, giving him the signal to get a move on.

"Kite!"  He exclaimed with a grin once he was close enough.  He closed the distance and went to nuzzle her, but last minute turned that nuzzle into a gentle boop with his head.  Yikes.  Probably best to watch the PDA while they were here.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She knew he was there when the familiar tones of his voice were calling out for her. Was it strange just how familiar he was starting to sound to her? She grinned, already moving her head in the sound of his voice. Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to get a glimpse of his familiar form just yet. It was too bright to remove her blindfold. She almost jumped when his nose suddenly booped her head. She let out a soft giggle and dipped her voice. “Is anyone watching us?” She whispered. She didn’t want even a hint of a Kissing Companion getting back to her dad. He might start to realise she was up to mischief when she sought out a chance to go to the Hallows.

Whatever his answer, she gave him a quick, answering boop, and then got to her paws. Lioness in front of her, she started to lead them into the market. The big cavern entrance was well lit - not that she could see that - and filled with scent and sounds. From food, to the cool tang of metal. Once they were past the threshold, she lifted her bandana only a fraction above her eyes. Giving her a glimpse, without fully exposing her fragile vision. Her back she kept firmly to the cave entrance. This den was better lit then the others, so she had to be more careful.


"Speech"

'

"Uhh, I don't think--"  Beru looked around to see if the pair had attracted any curious eyes, but before his examination could come to a complete close the fae had returned his boop with one of her own.  As per usual the boy blushed, though this time around he got to be thankful that she couldn't see it.  That meant she couldn't tease him, at least not yet.

He followed her into the cavern and couldn't stop his jaw from falling agape.  It was like nothing he'd ever seen.  So many different sights and smells, the marketplace was definitely an entity damn near capable of causing sensory overload.  He looked to Kite with a glimmer in his eyes. "This is amazing!"  The yearling exclaimed.  How he'd ever find just one thing to buy Wari he hadn't the slightest idea.. But he did kind of have something in mind for his gift to Kite if he could find it at a place like this. "Where do we go first?"  He questioned, eager to explore.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

“You think so?” She asked, pleased if she had put it together herself. She squinted about the place, careful not to let any light catch in her gem-encased eyes. “We can just have a nosy through, there's some nick-nack stores, but the one our blacksmith supplies to is the best. Weapons, jewellery, and if he’s around he does custom pieces.” She confided with a grin. “At the back is the bar, but… we aren’t allowed in there” She rolled her eyes so he would know exactly what she thought of that.

She bumped his shoulder and started walking again. “Oh, here’s the furs. My dad killed that grizzly, you can still smell his scent on it” She giggled, and breathed in the familiar scent of the Warlord. “That Leopard has the scent of my Nephew, Basilisk. He’s older than me, and like… half my height again.”

"Speech"

'

He scrunched his face at the mention of them not being allowed into the bar. Man, no matter where you went older pack members were so lame. They'd probably be allowed in when they turned two.  What was the difference? "You said they make custom pieces?  How long does that take?"  He hadn't even considered something custom as an option, but what were the chances they could whip something up within the span of a day or so?  It wasn't something he'd get his heart set on just in case, though that avenue definitely sounded much more exciting and sparked a wide array of new ideas for gifts in his noggin.

"I'm sorry, did you just say your... your dad killed... that?"  He motioned towards the pelt of the grizzly with horror sprawled across his face.  "He uh.. He had help, right?"  Surely he had to of.. Surely.  And her cousin killed a whole leopard?  What were they feeding the wolves of Armada?

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She shrugged unhelpful. "Dunno, never really paid attention." She admitted. Her father preferred they out effort into making their own first pieces when it came to armor. So they'd know how to look after and repair them. Her bracers and dagger had taken ages with her fathers constant help and guidance. "But I can introduce you to Ruga, if you're interested?" She suggested. Even if he wasn't at the market, she could call him to it.

She scrunched up her nose thoughtfully and leaned into the coat again taking in its scents. She wasn't sure why it mattered, but Beru seemed to really want to know. "Uh… I smell Dread on it, maybe my dad and litter mate took it down together? No fair! Dad wouldn't let me take on a grizzly" She whined in complaint. Being a cripple sucked like, all the time. Just because she couldn't see didn't mean she wasn't a kick ass fighter. She would need to hunt down Dread at some point and get the full story from her brother.

She shrugged unhelpful. "Dunno, never really paid attention." She admitted. Her father preferred they out effort into making their own first pieces when it came to armor. So they'd know how to look after and repair them. Her bracers and dagger had taken ages with her fathers constant help and guidance. "But I can introduce you to Ruga, if you're interested?" She suggested. Even if he wasn't at the market, she could call him to it.

She scrunched up her nose thoughtfully and leaned into the coat again taking in its scents. She wasn't sure why it mattered, but Beru seemed to really want to know. "Uh… I smell Dread on it, maybe my dad and litter mate took it down together? No fair! Dad wouldn't let me take on a grizzly" She whined in complaint. Being a cripple sucked like, all the time. Just because she couldn't see didn't mean she wasn't a kick ass fighter. She would need to hunt down Dread at some point and get the full story from her brother.

'

So Ruga must have been the name of their blacksmith.  He scanned the marketplace, briefly lost in thought.  If he was introduced to Ruga his options wouldn't be as limited, but Beru was also at the age where instant gratification felt better than waiting.  "Maybe?  I'll let you know after we look around a little if that's okay. I do wanna see the store he supplies to though."  And if he couldn't find anything similar to what he was looking for he'd get her to call upon the blacksmith.  

Beru nodded softly when she mentioned another wolf by the name of Dread, expecting her to continue listing off the names of other wolves, but instead the fae stopped and began pouting about how she hadn't been invited to the hunt.  So it hadn't just been her father to take down the bear, but his only help was a yearling?  The crystalline wolf wasn't so sure that that was any better!  Who the hell was this self-proclaimed warlord, slayer of bears?  Beru was honestly pretty terrified of the guy. "If it makes you feel any better I've never taken a grizzly down either."  Not that he'd ever wanted to in his current state, because he wasn't insane, but.
”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

"Sure, he's one of the front ones since dad likes to show off his wares." She explained, looking about for a moment to see if she could find it. "Looks like it's over there. The one with some metal bracers and armor pieces on it" She explained. Pointing at the bigger, more eye catching pieces that were likely hiding the smaller, more intricate ones from here.

She looked back at Beru to see if he was finished looking at the coats - especially the one with her fathers scent on it - and grinned at him. "If you like, maybe you and I can sniff one out together?" She suggested. She'd never gone after a grizzly either. Her dad was really protective of her, Vanta, and Crux. He wouldn't approve… but he didn't need to know, right? Besides, she felt like her and Beru could take on anything together. Like am epic journey across the continent to his pack, or taking on a grizzly. Basically, they were going to have the best adventures.

Beru was impressed even being so far away from the stand.  He couldn't even imagine what some of those pieces must have looked like up close.  He nodded, making a mental note of where it was at so that he could make sure they, or at the very least he, wandered over there at some point or another.  If he was going to get a surprise gift for Kite too while he was here then he'd have to be tactical about it.  That's where Walpurgis would come in.  He'd utilize the raven to distract her while he did what he had to do, or something.  It wasn't that solid of a plan yet.  He'd get there when he had to.

"Sniff out a... Grizzly?"  Beru's eyes widened.  Why the hell would they do that?  Did Kite have a death wish?  He examined the fae to see if she'd been serious, and didn't really know what to say next after deciding that she, in fact, had been. "Oh, uhh.  Yeah, maybe?  We should make sure we bring a healer with us though.  Maybe Wari can come, she knows a little healing.. You know, just in case?"  Perfect.  They'd approach his sister with the proposition and she'd say "Hell no.  You guys are fucking stupid."  That way she'd be the bad guy and not him.  Ha.

He seemed so surprised! Her nose twitched in the air a few times, suppressing her amusement. She'd been half serious but she also remembered how scary it had been the time a big cat had chased her and Vanta down a tree. But she'd definitely take on a grizzly if it came to that. She'd prove herself to anyone and everyone. Fearless!

He agreed with her anyway, and she gave his paw a fond pat. He was so sweet. "Yeah, your sister is definitely invited" she agreed. The more the merrier. "So, what stands do you want to look at next?" She asked, her eyes skipping across a few stands. One with medical supplies, one with dried meat, or shiny stones found in the earth. There was plenty to look at.

She agreed to Wari tagging along, which filled Beru with a sense of relief.  Wonderful, all according to plan.  Sorry, Kite.  There wasn't going to be a grizzly.  Not anytime soon, at least.  He did want to get stronger though, so maybe he'd start training up and then when he was confident enough in his own abilities they could go out and fight bears all day long. Just.. Not now, and not anytime soon if he could help it. It was a cool dream though.  He wondered how the hell the warlord and Dread managed to do it alone.  They must have been, like, hella ripped. Scary.

He eyed the stalls around the market considerately.  "Is there one that has beads, or maybe feathers, or both?  I wanna make something for my sister."  He wasn't sure if they had stuff like that here, but they sure did seem to have a lot so asking was worth a shot.

She hummed thoughtfully at that, before flicking him with a tail and guiding him further into the market. The further they went from the large cave entrance, the better. There were still lanterns lit, but they didn’t seem to affect her eyes with the same intensity as the sun. She caught a glimpse of Basilisk on Market Security, and was relieved. Her nephew didn’t have the imagination to be curious about her companion. The less questions asked between now and the Great Escape, the better.

“Here we are” She said, stopping by a table that had a mixture of feathers, sea glass, and other little flashy bits that had been collected from the Armada beach and surrounding territories. “What do you think your sister would like?” She wanted to know.


"Kyanite Fatalis"

'

He scrunched his nose as she flicked him with her tail, fighting the strong impulse to bite at it like he would have done had it been one of his siblings that committed the act.  He watched her carefully as she led them through the unfamiliar maze and cocked his head slightly as she seemed to recognize someone.  If their plan to sneak her back to Tojo-Kai was going to work then it'd probably be a smart move for the pair not to be seen together, but she hadn't looked worried so he decided to drop it.  

Beru looked down at the goods before him and smiled.  Oh yeah, this was perfect for what he had in mind.  "Honestly I'm not completely sure.  I'll probably just get a little bit of everything and figure it out later."  It sounded like something a careless brother would say, but he actually did have an exact plan as to what he could make Wari with the items he saw.  Kite couldn't know though, because some of the things he was about to purchase just wouldn't make sense for what Wari was going to get. He didn't want her to know she was getting something too.  "I'm probably gonna be a second though if you want to teach Walpurgis a new word or something.."  He nudged his bird, who thankfully understood the assignment and flew over to the princess, landing on her back. "Stupid!" he cawed.  Well, at least it wasn't the other word.

Once the yearling was convinced that Kite had perhaps been at least a little distracted by his animal companion Beru got to work on collecting and paying for anything he thought he might need.  He tucked away the bits and pieces he'd be using for her gift, leaving out only a couple of feathers and some sea glass, Wari's stuff.  "Okay.. Uhh.. Woah, I'm really hungry.."  He turned to the princess and Walpurgis with a sheepish expression.  Probably should have found something to eat for breakfast, but he'd been far too excited.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She watched him look through the things on display, and then explained that he would take some time. She let out a surprised breath as his bird suddenly landed on her back. She didn’t remember giving him an invitation. She eyed the bird speculative for a moment, and giggled as he squawked ‘stupid’ oh. Oh man. She wondered what would have happened if the bird had yelled the other word. She glanced back over at Basilisk, and felt her eyelid start to twitch. No. No, she didn’t want to encourage the bird. As hilarious as it would be to watch Basilisk bodyslam Beru, he might withhold his kisses later for it.

She marched a few steps away from the bird and looked sternly at the Raven. “Now, you have two words you love, right? You know what Beru loves. Beru loves it when you squark the other word at him. You know the one I mean, right? I bet he’d give you the tastiest portions of his meal if you squawked that word at hi-- Oh, Hi Beru” She said, flushing as he returned to her side, his own expression sheepish. She didn’t think he’d caught what she said, but she eyed him just to be sure. “Food? Yeah, we can do food. Uhhhm, there was dried meat a few stores back.” On the bright side, she was far too distracted to see what Beru was doing with the odd bits he’d purchased.


"Kyanite Fatalis"

'

"Yeah, that sounds good."  He offered the princess a smile before lifting his head to inspect the nearby stands.  He remembered seeing that particular store on their way to this one, though he was too hyper-focused on the task at hand to truly recognize the extent of his hunger at that point in time.  He sniffed the air a couple times and.. Oh, duh.  There it was.  Beru started slowly towards the spot, just a couple steps at first to make sure the princess was going to follow.  

Walpurgis flew back and settled into his usual spot, and Beru couldn't help but notice that the bird seemed to grow a little more restless the closer they got to the meat stall.. Noisy too.  "Did you get to teach him anything cool?"

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

"No, I was just telling him to spill all your secrets" She joked and deflected as she glanced up at the Raven. She wondered if he understood what she was saying at all. It was only Basilisk on security, it wasn't like it was anyone important. Her lip twitched in a smile. He was Azures son and heir, but that was besides the point. Maybe she woukd have respected him more if he'd had a different father.

She realised her hungry friend was already making progress heading towards the food table. She fell into step beside him, and watched as her Raven seemed to squirm. She squinted at him. Hungry, or thinking about her words? She shrugged as they arrived at the table. "Oh, get the deer. That stuffed good" She advised him.

'

"Psh, bet he would if he could."  And although Beru's tone was playful, he was pretty sure his words rang true.  He wasn't sure why the raven stuck around when more so than not the pair were butting heads.  Was the corvid's life truly that horrible before they'd met?  Or perhaps the bird found him just entertaining enough to stick around for a while. No matter the reason, there just wasn't any strong allegiance between the two of them.  If Walpurgis could speak Wari would without a doubt know anything and everything the bird could muster up to say.

"Okay!"  He put his trust in the fae and took the necessary steps to secure himself some delicious deer, and as if Walpurgis were a sleeper agent just waiting for the signal the bird went completely feral the second the meet reached Beru's muzzle.  "Thief!! Thief!!" Much to Beru's protest and horror, his companion kept screeching.  "Thief!!"  Fuck.  Fuck.  "No, nono!! I bought this!! Walpurgis, please, I bought this!!"

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Basilisk had been keeping an eye on his Auntie. She had brought a stranger to the market, and was casting him glances towards security, as if worried about something. He didn't mind if she was up to something, market security was a boring gig. He preferred to patrol, at least he got to walk the border line then.

He was definitely not partly dozing when the sudden alarm sounded. He jolted to, coming to his full and astounding height as he zoned in on the mischief - and there was Kyanite, at the heart of it. "It's alright everyone, settle down. No heroics needed, I've got this" he said as he walked trough the stalls. Eyeing in particular a good Samaritan who looked ready to dive in. Even if his age wasn't impressive, his height and status as Heir was. People quelled before him.

He reached his Auntie and her friend and placed a paw over the males wrist. Extending his cat like claws. Not to not, just to secure. "With me. You too, Kyanite" he ordered as he hauled the two of them off to the guard room at the back of the market. He indicated with a tilt of his head for his companions to keep an eye while he was occupied. "Right, where's the goods?" He ordered. Staring down at the much shorter wolf sternly.