Thar Shaddin

Talia just laughed and looked down at her dress. "Honestly I doubt my reputation could get worse even if I was seen like this." She started counting them off on her fingers.. "First I spend the entire day holding hands with a stranger, multiple times we pretend we are married, we were in a brothel, we stole a wedding cake and now I just spent the night in an inn with a man. Yup....I doubt it can get worse. Anyways, I doubt anyone could recognize me, it would just be a matter of sneaking back home to grab my own clothes once this is all over."

"Breakfast sounds good, shall we go downstairs and see what they have? Or shall we just order something up here? You saw someone downstairs right? So it all depends on what ideas you want to give them, if they are still here, which I would assume they are judging by how yesterday went. You never seem to have any alone time do you." She tried to grin. Either they went downstairs and it would just appear as if they were lovers or they stayed in the room and it would be assumed that they were simply honeymooners who wanted to spend more time in private. Neither one seemed any worse, or better, then the other.

"We'll go downstairs." Drayel said dryly. "Those old crab cakes would've seen us already by now and heavens know the rumors of us will be of wildfire now. Now when your ready, we go."

Drayel rolled his eyes a little before marching towards the door, opening it with a bow and smirk as he patiently let her leave first. Then, tagging along with their arms wrapped around each other and nearly shoulder to side he walked her down the hallway like a gentleman. When they reached the lounge he led her to the least filthy table and sat close to her, eyeing the ruffians that staggered around.

"Oi! Some bread 'n cheese if ya have anythin' worth eating and a side of ale for the both of us." Drayel growled to the nearest bar wench. He glanced over at Talia and gave her a tight grin as he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "That drink is the safest to take in this sort of place. Water you don't know where it's been, and any other types of drink you're not sure you want to know. At least with Ale the other bastards will die first and you'll know to see a doctor."

Talia smiled at Drayel, she assumed from his smirk that he was more acting as the gentlemen for sarcasm sake or to play with the "old crab cakes'" minds. Even so, Talia appreciated the gestures, after all she did have a thing for romanticism.

She tried not to cringe as she got a look at the lounge. Avoiding eye contact of the drunk men staggering about the place she sat down and was about to remark about the ale request before Drayel informed her of the quality of the offered beverage. "Maybe I will avoid the drinks all together." She whispered back.

Before long their food arrived surprisingly looking fairly decent, there was probably a 'fresh' delivery that day. As Talia munched on the bread she ventured a look around the room. Grinning she sidled up to Dray and whispered to him. "If you haven't noticed, we are being watched. In the corner a couple of people are sharing, well more like hiding behind, a newspaper. I wonder how long it will take Mrs. whats-her-face to coming running to your arms." She took another bite of the bread and waited for his reaction.

Drayel took a sharp swig of his ale, keeping his face steady as he stared blankly at nothing in particular. That is until Amara mentioned the newspaper. He blinked then non-so subtly turned and openly stared at them over his shoulder. A pair of beady eyes and a helmet glistened its way over the top before reemerging within the hideout.

"Try both." Drayel snorted as he took in another mouthful of bread and grunted in disgust. "Had I known they'd be in cahoots I'd of not asked for help with anybody but Shade. At least the idiot pup knows where to keep his nose."

"Oi! Who're you callin' an idiot?" A loud complaint and the screeching of a chair made Drayel turn back over to see Shade join them with a snort. He eyed the mug of ale and was greeted with a glare. Shade pouted but still ended up swiping a good chunk of Drayel's bread and a mouthful of ale to wash it down. "Geez, I help and you still ridicule."

"You're only helping for cake." Drayel said flatly. "What did you find and if you touch my cheese I will headbutt you in the nose."

"Aw..." Shade stuck his tongue out in response before eyeing Talia curiously. "First, I wanna hear what's going on Tincan so talk. Why are you and this...lovely lady holding hands?"

Shade's voice dropped into the lady killer purr and Drayel didn't think twice to crack him in the back of the skull for it. Yelping Shade faceplanted the table whilst Drayel pinched at his ear. Whinning Shade complained and yelped until Drayel felt the message sufficed and he let go.

"Oww.... Sorry if I didn't mean it but damn, that hurt! You're not even wearing gloves!"

"I have practice. Information?"

"Aw... Alright. See, the guy that latched you two is some kind of Kookie enchanter guy whose brains got a bit... weird after his return from some temple or somethin'. Says he can see fate strings and what not, help those in need develop friendships that last, yada yada yada. He's a bit of a mover so it was hard to track him down but I got 'em."

"Good." Drayel snorted shoving the last of his cheese in his mouth and swallowed. He glanced at Talia and snorted. "When you're ready to leave, we'll be off. Shade, you take lead."

"What about my cake?" Shade complained as he grudgingly got to his feet.

"You get it when you're done." was the stern response. "No complaints or I cut that third in half."

"... That cake was a lie, wasn't it?"

Talia couldn't help but be flattered when Drayel had decided to give this Shade character a bit of a what-for after trying to turn on the charms. And while that was nice and all Talia was certain that she could handle herself around him, charmer or not. She wasn't a huge fan of shifters, magical beings in general really, so seeing herself fall under the spell of one was one of the last things on her mind.

Talia tried not to laugh at the exchange of conversation, and actions, between Shade and Drayel. Once they were done and Drayel had effectively finished off his food Talia was finally able to get a word in. Pushing the remainder of her food over to Shade she smiled. "Here, you can finish mine, Shade was it? I don't often eat big breakfasts so I have had enough." She stood up and would have given a small curtsy it it were not for the length, or lack of it, of her dress. "My name is Talia, in case Drayel forgot to mention. And no worries, the cake is real, or at least the icing is, I got a taste of it last night." She smiled as she remembered the taste and of course the circumstances that brought them too it.

Looking over her shoulder as they left the building she posed a question, "Are we going to try to out maneuver or run our stalkers? Or shall we just let them follow us and watch the outcome?"

"No, we distract them." Drayel said with a chuckle. He glanced at Shade with a wide grin on his face. "Oi, Shade. You like tormenting us guards, right?"

"Yeah. Favorite pass time."

"If I threw in an old lady to rile up?"

"Bonus." Shade grinned maliciously as he shoved some of Talia's food in his mouth with a grunt of thanks. "Why, you gettin' followed again? Need me to take them out for a run?"

"Fetch 'em boy." came the malicious chuckle as he tightened his hold on Talia. He glanced over at her and whispered. "Get ready to run. Hell is about to break loose and keep your eyes me. He's usually pretty inappropriate with distractions."

Shade rolled his eyes before raising from his seat an sauntering towards the duo. Then jolting his hip to the side he pulled the paper free with one hand and gave a slow wink before leaping over the table and flopping on the both of them. Lying his legs on the old hag and his arms around the mortified looking guard. Shade smiled innocently before blowing a kiss at the male. A series of squawky screeches made eyes turn to the two panicking people and the seemingly crazy man.

"Go!" Drayel hissed as he pulled her to her feet and walked calmly towards the door. "Oh wait, cake."

Talia ignored Drayel's advice to keep her eyes on him and off Shade's antics. She wasn't quite sure if she should laugh or be a bit shocked and appalled at his actions. She settled for a chuckle and rolling her eyes, it was entertaining after all. They started to head out the door under the distraction that Shade had provided them until Drayel had started to drag them back...because of the cake.

"Leave it crazy man," she said as she started to pull him towards the door. "We can come back for it later, perhaps once we are unattached. Personally I think that our 'stalkers' are a little to persistent to let even the wiles of your friend there to distract them for long." She grinned as she looked over to where Shade was still managing to keep the duo distracted and blushing.

"So did your friend disclose the location of where our batty old man is while I wasn't listening?" Talia asked as they made their exit from the inn. "Or are we just expected to run in a random direction, yet again, only this time he will find us and lead us to where we hopefully want to go?" Talia was getting tired of all this running and hiding. It had been many years since she had had to do that and she wasn't enjoying having the feeling back. Not to mention she was still wearing the shoes that she had been given at the brothel, while pretty they were not the kind you want to run it for two days.

"No, he didn't." Drayel admitted gravely. "It would appear he was too distracted by food and I by our watchers. Come on, lets find somewhere for you to sit. Even I know wandering around in those shoes would be irritating. Hold on..."

Drayel huffed as he slowly stooped over and with a grunt picked her up like a bride, careful to keep their fingertips laced and only them in an attempt not to pinch them. Grunting he carried her with a dull huff, his eyes narrowed as he tried not to look too suspicious. No, he was a man who was on a honeymoon with a wife who hurt her feet and wanted to be carried.

Damn he hoped this worked.

"Ya know, you should eat more. You're too light." Drayel commented as he dodged a hole and hoped another. "I could carry three of you without much effort. Speaking of that, I hope ya don't mind. I didn't have a work-out yet and I figured your feet would hurt. Two wins, one quirk yeah?"

Was she that easy to read? Or was it just that Drayel knew how to read body language and other clues really well? Either way Talia didn't really mind not having to run again, especially since he carried her like a man should carry a woman instead of like a sack of flour like he did the last time he chose to sweep her off her feet.

"You should know it is rude to comment on a lady's weight" Talia sniffed in attempt to act insulted. It was flattering to know that she wasn't too heavy, the way that he had carried her yesterday and seemed so out of breathe she was worried that she had put on a couple pounds and was too heavy for a man to carry. "I am just fine and I eat okay as well. But I don't mind that you decided to carry me, I don't know how I feel about being part of your workout," here she grinned up at him, "but I guess you have to work out too keep that body that apparently women are so crazy about."

She let him continue running for another couple minutes before she spoke again. "You know, I don't think we have to go too far. I am sure your friend can catch up to us before the others do and for all you know we are heading in the wrong direction. Might as well find a quiet place and wait for him to come to us now."

"The day I lose that dog is the day I count my blessings." Drayel grumbled but obeyed none the less. He looked around the streets and frowned, snorting a little as he huffed in breath. "To sit where though? In the open? That would draw the attention of heathens I say. Certainly not-"

Drayel paused before looking almost miserable at the thought.

"Come on then." He said losing the humor in his tone as he turned and walked in a direction he placed in his mind. "I know where to take us where we won't be followed. It's nice though a bit out of town. Last I saw the house was still up and so was the barn..."

He felt his heart sink a little as he walked with her. She was right, this running around was tiring. He was in no way to ask her to run some more. So, he went where nobody would look (besides the smelly dough sewers). Drayel marched towards the city gates with grim determination.

"Besides, I think you'll like it." he said gruffly. "The wildflowers grow pretty this time of year and the apples would be about ripe. Outside of town Shade'll catch up no problem and we wont have to duck and cover."

Talia couldn't remember the last time that she had been outside of the city, it was exciting yet intimidating at the same time. For the first little while she walked close to Drayel, out of comfort and because she felt a little safer closer beside him. "You aren't bringing me to another..." how do I put this tastefully "establishment of men's pleasure?" she asked with a grin.

"You know I am rather excited to get the use of my other hand back and be able walk around without having to fear that one of your friendly neighborhood stalkers are going to leap up out of no where." She smiled at him before continuing. "But I will admit, I have enjoyed most of our time together. Its not often I get much excitement so a little bit of adventure probably has done me good. If it hasn't completely ruined my reputation that is." She stuck her tongue out at Drayel to show him that she wasn't too worried about that fact. It would be something she would address when that time came.

"So what about you? Is this what your life is always like?" She asked it as she looked into his face trying to read what was there. "besides your fear of gnomes I still feel like I don't know much about you. Of course I know it may be none of my business but I would feel sorry for you if running from groping old ladies and prying eyes of your men was how you spent most of your time."

Before he said anything she decided to interject one more thing. "I will say I am sorry. I made several jokes about you not being able to catch women. From this past day and a bit I can definitely see that you seem to be quite the player and most likely a decently successful one at that when you don't have another girl stuck to you." she laughed, enjoying the sun dancing around them. She had taken off her shoes and was carrying them in her free hand, enjoying the feel of the soft grass under her feet.

As he listened to Amara, for once Drayel remained silent. Each step he took felt like a milestone, each footstep a step too close. He wondered if it looked the same or if the house even still stood. Would vines have taken that crooked fence Father never fixed? Would the rats still scurry beneath the floors? He wondered in silence as he dully listened to her chatter. When the questions stopped however, he paused in his thoughts to look at her.

"No. I'm not taking you to another brothel." came the tired response. "I'm bringing you to the place where I was raised."

With that he stopped speaking and simply led her, head down with a stiffening gait. The closer they came the more memories arose and with it sparks of hurt. The thorny bush that protected his 'secret base's path entrance was still there along with the row of fruit trees that lined south. Fields were overgrown with weeds though and the fence was tilted and rotten from lack of care. Drayel felt his throat grip a little when they finally came to a stop at the creaking wooden fence gate.

"Here it is." he growled stiffly as he looked around. The barn still stood but those stupid flower vines Mother grew clamored over the sturdy walls worse then ants to honey. The house itself was in pretty good shape and so was the well but the grass was overgrown, weeds took the flower beds, and the vegetable garden... the garden his mother was so proud of. He didn't have to look behind the house to know that weeds and thorny brush most likely grew over Father and Mother's graves. He didn't need to look nor did he want to see them. "This is my home. This is the place I was raised."

Talia could sense that Drayel's mood had changed. One only had to hear his voice and look at his face to see that. His stance said words that he wasn't speaking and spoke to times long past. She understood that now was not the time for teasing and poking fun. Instead she quietly observed where they were.

Some might have simply looked at the run down place and scoffed. No one had lived here for a very long time, that much was obvious. Drayel had grown up here, so where were his parents? He was still young enough that it was quite possible that his parents would not have died of old age as of yet. She didn't bother to ask to Drayel about them, if he wanted her to know then he would tell her.

Bending down she picked up a flower that had somehow found its way so far from the others of its' kind. Smiling softly up and Drayel she attempted to speak. "It's a lovely place. I mean....I know its run down and perhaps falling apart, but you can tell there is a lot of love here. If anything you can tell simply by looking at the plants." She looked away from Drayel and toyed with the flower. Besides baking, gardening was a passion of hers and looking at the over grown gardens and wild running flowers and the old orchard she could see that while it had been a while since they had received any care, they were once a very important part of someone's life.

"Thank-you for bringing me here," she practically whispered "I think this has been my favorite so far."

"Oddly enough, it's mine too." Drayel stated with a halfhearted chuckle. "Used to love coming home and seeing the cows, or runnin' up to the house for Mother's special stew. Of course, I think that strap of my Father's belt isn't easily forgotten. No matter how many 'gnome guarding' duties my superiors send me on, the worst punishment was definately coming home to my father's strapping."

He glanced down at her and quirked a bit of a smirk.

"Of course, because of that I'm more hardy then half those fools back at Marn so each has its blessings." He mused giving her a bit of an eye roll. He hummed in amusement before reaching down and pushing the gate open and gently pulling her past the prickle thorns that grew there. He snorted at them as if they offended him. "Of course, it doesn't really matter now but Mother never let those nasty things even close to the house. Always yanked 'em out and all the while fuming on how they'd grow back in the week's end."

"Anyway, come on. Let's see if the house is enough shape to look into."

Talia smiled as Drayel told her a bit about his past - raising an eyebrow with a bit of a smirk at his story about his punishments (it wasn't to hard to imagine what kind of trouble a young boy out here could get into), and wrinkling her nose up at the weeds. "I live...well you know where I live and how small it is, so I can only grow small plants. But I used to live with some people who would let me help garden. Evil little things, weeds are."

She followed Drayel to the house, pausing once in a while as Drayel looked around most likely assessing the stability of the house. "Minus the wear and tear of the place, it seems to be in pretty good condition." She said after they had made it through the front door. "Did you parents build it?"

A creaking from another side of the house stopped her from asking more questions. Perhaps it was just the old house talking or perhaps Shade had already caught up to them and was here? She hoped it was the former because she was enjoying just being able to talk with Drayel for once.