They have spent long minutes walking around the busy market after they left the tarven they had a good meal at. They left their horses there too, under the care of the stable manager there with a paid fee however and were sure to meet them in good state by the time they were done walking around and buying everything Khalan needed.
They went from shop to shop and even though Khalan had no written note of things to buy at hand, she still recalled everything she needed and meticulously sort after them, having Nathan follow her around carrying her bought items like a hired load bearer. He smiled everytime she turned to look at him, basically to know how he was fairing and hoping that she was not being too much of a burden to him and actually, she was not. Her items were indeed many but not heavy at all for him. His main concern was her being spotted or attacked. She was too exposed for his liking but he had to do this just to make her happy. He knew she wanted this so bad and the smile on her face was reward enough for him to take the risks.
She was almost done buying every she needed but she was still looking for the perfect jewelry set that suited her liking. They had gone to several jewelry shops and she was still not satisfied with what they had to offer which left her very unhappy and frustrated.
"How about you take a rest and we will check other shops later okay?" He kindly suggested, being worried over the beads of perspiration that were appearing on her forehead.
She looked exhausted and he knew it so he would rather have her take a rest and continue their search later.
"Come…" he continued, leading her to another tarven nearby. "Have a seat…" he offloaded his burden on a nearby table and hurried to pull out a chair for her. "Seat here while I go get you a cup of water okay?" He smiled a bit, making her take a deep breath and gently took the seat.
"Thank you Nathan" she appreciated, making him give her a kiss on her forehead before going to get her the water.
"Hello dear" a soft voice called to her from beside her. It was a girl, a very beautiful one and she pulled her seat close to her as soon as he left.
"You look quite tired I must say" the girl continued to speak, not minding that she did not get a response from Khalan. She was rather more intrested in her hearing her speak.
However, that was not the case with Khalan. It was not as if she was not intrested in what the girl had to say, she was rather more captivated by her beauty and distinct features and she was forced to believe that she was rather more beautiful than the blue eyed woman that once mistook her for a woman named Sheba. The girl before her was far different. She possessed a colored skin, brown actually which she found fascinating because hers was white not many people around the market or that she had seen had such feature. Not only that, she had bold brown eyes, plump lips, thick brows, long lashes and most of all, her long luxurious hair was pine green in color. She looked very singular.
"My name is Vesper" she finally said out her name, smiling at her which made Khalan push further into her daze of how beautiful she was because her beautiful dentition made her smile sparkle.
"What is your name?" She kindly asked, hoping to get a reply from her this time.
"Khalan" she blinked a few times to entirely call herself back to reality. "My name is Khalan".
"Oh ok. I noticed you could not find the particular jewelry you were looking for in all the shops you have been to" Vesper asked her, seeming to gain her intrest.
"Oh yes" Khalan nodded. "All they had was plain gold but I was really hoping to find something blended with emeralds, so my eyes could glitter more when I put them on. Would that not be nice?" She asked her, finally returning the smile she gave her earlier.
"Of course" Vesper agreed. "But I am afraid, the best jewelry dealers in Cullen all base in the capital. Here in Argan, the best jewelries in the market were probably trashed and worn out by a duchess or noble lady over there in the north and then the merchants, they take them all out of the trash, repolish them sell it here to us in the west. You will not find no jewelry of such quality and standard here dearest. I suggest you journey to the north with your husband and get yourself the greatest piece that there is in all of Cullen". She breathed.
Vesper's words really got to Khalan. Why was Cullen this way in the first place?' She asked herself. But before she began complaining, she first replied to her last sentence that made her blush hard.
"Nathan is not my husband" she was calm with her words. "He is a friend, a good friend".
"A friend?" Vesper burst into laughter. "Even though I have only had one friend in my life, I believe I know how friends behave and act around their fellow friends and let me make it clear to you dearest Khalan, that man is no friend of yours. He is more I believe. Your lover, your soulmate, anything more intimate than a friend" she said as a matter of fact.
"I…I do not think so" Khalan got shy and immediately bowed her head while she smiled hardly, not wanting Vesper to see.
Vesper however knew exactly what she was saying. She was a tortoise spirit and also had the power to sense auras. From the moment she walked passed them in the busy market, she already knew he was a demon and she was just a human because she caught no supernatural aura on her and that was why she had tailed them all the way to this tarven. She hoped to get information about Saskia's whereabouts from the demon as she knew it was a demon that took Saskia but she knew it was not going to be easy so she had to make Khalan an acquaintance first then find a way to get what she wanted. Another thing she totally understood was that no demon could ever be kind for no reason. They were terrifying beings, the most destructive of all races and they only showed care and sincerity to their mates and no one else. Therefore, with the amount of love and care she saw him shower upon her through out their time roaming round the market, she immediately knew that she was his mate but with the way Khalan was acting now, it could be that he was yet to profess his love to her and mark her but all that was totally none of her business. She only wanted to find Saskia and bring her home.
Nonetheless, she had one question that was really bothering her for a while now, actually since Saskia's disappearance. And that was a question she needed an answer to as soon as possible.
'What were demons doing in Argan, West Cullen, the former spirit territory?'
It was not just one but two now. What was going on? She felt really worried but decided to play her cool. Her concern was Saskia and once she found her, they would move to the north together and remain happy together. But for that to happen, she had to be brave now and take bold steps.
"Well…" she continued speaking again. "I believe you will best understand what I said when it comes from him instead…" she tried to reach for Khalan's hand wanting to continue speaking but before she could even touch her, she was immediately pulled away by a stronger hand, with a very powerful force and aura.
"Who are you?!"…