Hayden wandered around the marketplace without any real thought of what he was doing. His were idly hooked on his belt as he looked at the gray over cast sky. It was his day off.

In a way. Spies never really had a day off, Hayden had learned quickly. If someone ran up to him ad handed him a message, he was back on duty. Something that he sorely wished wouldn’t happen. He picked up an apple and handed over a copper to the storekeep.

Iskra strode briskly through the marketplace, contemplating her next moves required to complete her business in Corus. Getting in to the palace was key at the moment and there were supplies to be bought to enable that.

She was also caught up in the strange meeting with the girl, Livia, in the Dancing Dove. So much so that she didn't see the young man step out from the store until she collided with him.

She spun furiously, even though she knew she should have been looking where she was going, and spat out: "By Yahzed's teeth! Were you born blind or is it a newly aquired skill!"

"Newly acquired and a one time use only," Hayden shot back flippantly. He looked at the woman and idly reached for his purse again. He knew enough from pickpockets that bumping was an easy cover up for removing money from a person. He made the move smoothly, and few would think the movement anything but an idle stretch of the arm.

It wasn't his fault, entirely, nor but he bristled slightly at the insinuation it was. "What about you? Do you have a problem sensing non moving objects?"

From across the street, Mercy looked out the window of her shop, noticing the two people collide, the one yell at the other, she gave a small snicker at the response and placed in the back of her mind for another time. She watched the man casually check his purse knowing exactly why he did it, she had the sudden urge to yell out that the girl didn’t take anything, but she decided against it as she placed the Firefly Dagger in the window. Walking behind the counter she gave a small smile as she patted Lyonel on the head as he sat on the counter drawing pictures. She gave another glance out the window to see what they were doing before she grabbed the new throwing knifes from the box.

Iskra was aware if she didn't get her temper in check, then she was at great risk of causing a scene. People had already turned to look at her outburst.

She bit back anger as the man she had walked in to checked his purse. She'd done many things for the Rogue but pick pocketing wasn't one of them!

Her voice became dangerously soft and controlled:

"Sir, please stop checking yourself, I haven't robbed you," she inserted a brittle smile.

"I most apologise for my clumsiness, truth is I have this terrible condition," She widened her eyes sincerely, "it's a lack of ability to see fast moving idiots."

She smiled politely made a little bow and was about to turn to go.

And no one had yet to get the last word in on Hayden, for he never allowed it. It was simply a point of honor. Hayden’s sense of honor was slightly twisted.

“There’s a cure for it, now, or so I’ve heard. It’s called opening your eyes. Wonderful concept! Absolutely ingenious! Nearly painless, or so I’ve told. Haven’t tried it myself, of course, as you can probably tell, but a friend of mine have said me it’s a wonderful experience. I’m off to see a healer about it right now care to join me?”

He raised the apple to the lips, but lowered it almost immediately, spying out of the corner of his eye something more interest even more than his protesting stomach. Ooo, shiny. He thought and, turning his back on Iskra, started for the Mercy’s shop window to inspect the dagger at a closer point of view.

Iskra decided to let the young man have his little victory of the last word, satisfying herself by directing all the nastiest curse words she knew in Scanran at his back.

"and to think," she thought to herself "back in the day I'd have killed people for less."

She decided to linger a little bit longer to see quite what had caught the young mans eye so quickly. When she saw him head in the direction of a dazzling display of weapons in a shop window she grinned to herself.

"Apparently all men in this town are like crows," she muttered "easily pleased by shiny things."

Although she had to admit, the weapons in the shop window were beautifully made and many of them would have been an asset to the numerous small weapons she carried already. She was especially taken by a set of throwing knives, but she was damned if she was going to follow this young man to the shop.

“Aww, you don’t really mean that do you?” Hayden asked in Scanarn, not bothering to turn around to address the woman. While he didn’t really know about five of the words, Hayden was smart enough to use context clues to figure them out. He repeated them over and over and over, adding them to his mental repertoire of words actually Scanarans were going to use, but no one was going to teach him. The reflection in the shop window showed that the woman was inspecting the weapons as well as he was.

Hmmm. He thought and raised his apple to his lips and tore into the red skin turning to idly lean against the wall.

Iskra was startled for a second by the use of her home language.

A hint of a smile touched her lips. She replied "oh, all that a bountiful amount more!" she replied, switching back to Common.

Her curiousity got the better of her, and she strode over to the shop window, raising her eyebrows and letting out a little whistle at the handiwork displayed in the window. The work on the weaponry was even finer that it had looked at a distance.

"Surely a blade like this is a little bit fancy for cutting up your apple though?"

Hayden smirked. “I’m so glad that someone cares.” He turned back to the window, picking out a beautiful knife with a dragon etched out onto the hilt. “Karine would love that,” he murmured ignoring Iskra for a moment as his eyes roved over the knife . . . and it was nearly her birthday.

“Fancy, oh yes, for an apple, but I plan on using it for my Shepard pie tonight,” he replied. “A much fancier affair, I assure you, and thank ye kindly for the worriment of my money.”

"Well shepherd's pie is an entirely different matter to be sure, you can never have a fancy enough knife for that." she replied, grinning slightly.

"alas for myself, I'll just have to eat my dinner with my hands as us Northerners are want to do!"

Through the glass of the window Iskra could see a whole range of weapons perfect for her line of work, small knives and stilleto blades that could be easily concealed and used before the mark even knew what had happened.

The smile faded from her face as she momentarily forgot the stranger and sunk back in to thoughts of work. Her normal pensive scowl returned.

Hayden’s eye twitched. He was no by way a compulsive cleaner but eating Shepard’s pie was just a meat smothered gravy and pie crust mess. In addition to that, who knew what his hands had been doing and how clean the water was? Not something that he felt like contemplating.

Putting his apple in his mouth, so both his hands were free, he pulled out a handful of coins from his wallet. Minus three for room and board, subtract how much he thought he’d want to be eating in the next three weeks.

Hayden was not good at math or guessing what might be happening later. "Screw it," he said, counting out the price for the dagger.

Iskra sighed heavily, roused from her thoughts by the jingle of coins next to her.

"well," she said, as she watched the man count coins into his hands, "may your new shiny pretty serve you and your pie well."

She gave a slight nod and turned to go.

"I was joking by the way..."
she said over her shoulder
"we don't eat with our hands....sometimes we even muster the co-ordination to use a knife and fork at the same time!"

She worked out into the bustling marketplace shaking her head.
"Tortallans!" she muttered.

"I know," Hayden replied. "I was just using my overactive imagniation. It affects all of my feelings." He flashed her a smile.

"A fork and a knife at the same time? I can't even manage that!" Hayden exclaimed.

"Random people on the streets!" Hayden muttered, openign the door to the shop.

Mercy walked out of the back room with a giant box in her hands, She walked behind the counter only to trip over Lyonel's toy soldiers that laid all over the floor, the box flew from her hands as she regained balance, with a small jump and leap she grabbed and put it on the counter.
"Lyonel, hunny I told you to pick those soldier's up," she said calmly as she put the box on the counter.
"Yes mama," Lyonel said as he placed his soldier's back in formation, moving them out of Mercy's way.
Mercy shrugged and looked up to see the two people that were on the street a bit ago in front of her store, looking at the new display of weapons. She gave another small shrug as she started unloading the box, "they can come in when the want too," she said to Lyonel.
"Yes mama," Lyonel replied without looking up from his game.

Hayden walked into the shop, gazed around, as if taking in the wares. “What an agreeable child, I dare say my mother would have killed to have a child like that,” he said to no one in particular as he stroked his chin. For a moment his blue eyes looked distant, but they lightened quickly and returned to their normal mischievous gleam. “’Scuse me ma’am,” he turned to the woman. “Is the dragon dagger for sail?”

Mercy stared down at Lyonel after the stranger's comment about having such an agreeable child. She took a deep breath and stared at the man as he asked about the dragon dagger.
"Just about everything is for sale in here," she walked around the counter and grabbed the silver dragon's dagger, "its two gold pieces for the dagger, for two bronze pieces you get the cleaning cloth."
She handed the dagger over to the man for a closer inspection. She then pointed up on the wall where her swords laid and pointed to one that was identical to the dagger, "that's the dagger's brother up there, just as strong, its nine gold pieces, for both its ten gold pieces, cleaning clothes not included." She stated as she eyed the dagger in the man's hands, "or is there something else I can interest you in? Not all of my weapons are out right now, and I also make some jewelry, in case you care."

Hayden placed it in his hand, balanced across his palm and removed his own dagger to place it in the sheath, and unsheathe it. “Nice,” he commented flipping it over. “Beautiful detail and well made.”

He glanced at the sword. He, nor most he knew and associated with had an use for a sword. Too big and a noble weapon on top of it, he gave her the slightest of nods. “I’ll take the dagger and the cleaning cloth,” he told her, pulling out the money. “And would you know of a place that sells good belts and sheaths for something like this. I imagine my niece’s belt is torn to shreds or non existent at this point.”

Mercy raised an eyebrow for just a second, then closed her eyes for a brief second more, "Actually I sell those too, and thank you about the weapon. Its always nice you have someone appreciate one's work." she gave a small smile. "So for your neice you say how old?"

“It’s always nice to come across a work that deserves praise, especially when I can afford it.”

“Great,” Hayden replied enthusiastically. “Got anything really, really sturdy. Something that could you could buckle yourself to a tree with during a hurricane and possibly not get washed out to sea?”

His lips quirked to the side slightly. “My niece is fourteen nearly fifteen. It’ll be her birthday present. She swears that she’s going to be a rider the minute she turns sixteen.”

I try to make things affordable for people," she paused, as she thought about it, giving a little smile she continued, "well not everyone, I over price cocky people with attitudes." She reached below the counter and pulled out three leather belts, all different color and style then the last.

"These are the best leather belts we have, this one have tiny pockets on the out side, so that you can hold other things in them, this one has pockets on the inside to hid things. And this one has pockets on the inside and outside. They're strong and can withstand anything, they are all strong, water proof, sun proof and burn proof." She said as she laid them out and point to each one of the belts.

"For most people who join up as a Rider, I suggest the third belt, its a dark tanned leather with the pockets on the outside and inside, hard to find and you're able to hide things in them. There is also a place to hide the weapons." She showed him the last one flipping it over to show the inside pockets and where the weapons can go.

"Now as for buckling yourself to a tree," she thought about it for an instant, "with these belts you can probably do it, staying attached to the tree during a hurricane, I believe can be done to, but whether or not you get hit by something or the tree moves, is another problem."

“And that is always a problem,” Hayden smirked a bit. He picked up the third belt, running the soft pads of his fingers over the worked surface. “Hopefully, we will never have to test that theory,” he went on absently as he continued to study the belt. He tugged at it slightly. Lips pursed into a pout, he weighed it in his hands thinking a bit. “I’ll take it, the second as well,” he motioned to the one with the hidden pockets.

Mercy smiled as she placed the first belt under the counter, the second belt was used mostly by spies, theives and assassins. She glanced over the man for a split second and smiled, he was not an assassin or theif. He didn't have an attitude of an assassin and most theives stayed away from her, mostly for their own safety after she spent a week threatening them if they entered her shop.
"Nice choice," she said as she pointed at the second belt, "very good belt for spy work. Two silver pieces for both of them," she finished with a small smile.

Hayden ignored the comment about spying. It was best not to confirm or deny anything said directed in his line. He was going to have to be more subtle about buying sp gear from public suppliers. But then again, he doubted she was scandalized after all, she was making belts like that after all. He counted out the sum of money he owed and let them fall onto the counter with a clattering of chinks. He picked up the belts and the dagger. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Mercy cringed at that word, "I'm not a ma'am or anything of that sort," she said as she took out keys and opened a money box that had three locks on it, "I'm just Mercy, plain and simple. No miss, ma'am or misses about it," she looked down at Lyonel on the floor, "I don't deserve those type of titles anyway."

With a small sigh she looked back at the man, "if you need anything, for work or just at hand, I'm the place," with a twinkle in her she finished, "If I don't have it, I can make it, and if I can’t make it, then no one can. Tell all your friends too," ending her phrase with a smile. Lyonel started to tug on her pant leg while calling for her. Mercy leaned down and said in a hushed tone, "My little impatient lord, would you like to take a nap?" Lyonel looked at her for a second and then his drowsy blue eyes drifted over to the man on the other side of the counter, he gave a small nod and walked quietly into the back room.

Mercy turned and looked at the man smiling, "Sorry about that, he's a tad impatient when he's tired," She paused for a second, "Is that everything?"

Hayden looked at the kid feeling a pang of homesickness, but smiled. “Yeah, that would be it, Mercy.” He nodded as if to punctuate the sentence. He carefully stowed her offer of assistance in the back of his mind along with new interesting variety of Scanaran words, he’d learned.

Day off, typical. But then again nothing if not productive. He gave her a slight bow, with a mocking edge to it. “Thank you,” he said, “Good day.”

Mercy stared off over the customer's shoulder for a brief second as she grabbed a piece of parchement and a pen and ink. She nodded to him as she started to stetch on the paper, "have a nice daty sir" she said with a wave of her hands, completely absorbed by her drawing, "come again," she repeated.