The princess and her knight

Aria made a small laugh at his words. She finished up the dishes. She dried them off with a towel and then looked around in the cabinets to see where each dish went. She moved around a lot back and forth due to her not knowing where anything was suppose to do but for her it was a new experience she wanted to try, one that she would probably never get again. She had placed everything away and came out of the kitchen, waiting for Idacrous to come down from upstairs. She sat down at the bottom of the steps.
 
Idacrous comes down the stairs with a coat and one satchel: his own. It would seem he has figured out exactly what they needed to bring and what they didn't so that the princess didn't have to carry anything at all. His sword and knife strapped to his side as always, the male smiles as steps around and in front of the female. Holding a singular hand out to help her to a stand, he asks, "Shall we?"

Once the female is standing, the coat is offered. "Found this in Olivia's closet. It's pretty decent, considering it's a winter coat. You have to cover some skin if you want to stay warm." He smiles. The coat itself is of a thick woolen material and does a good job of covering that revealing corset.

While Aria dons that, the male slips into his boots. "And we'll buy you something other than heels too. Those must be insanely difficult to travel in."
 
She took his hand and stood up. "Yes. There are quite hard to travel in." She said to him as she put them on. After all they were the only shoes she had at the moment. She wrapped the coat more tightly around her, she didn't want anyone to see what she was wearing. She felt like it would cause problems that they didn't need. "Alright, I am ready to go." She said as she made her way to the front door. She opened it herself and stood in the doorway for a moment taking in the fresh air. The sun was bright and although there was still some chill in the air from the storm the other night the coat Idacrous had given her seemed to keep her warm. She stepped out of the house and out of the way for Idacrous to come. She turned back to the open door and gave him another smile.
 
Idacrous is glad to step out into the fresh air and takes a moment to enjoy the radiant sunlight before he closes the door behind him. The male then takes a look to the right and to the left, trying to reacquaint himself with the geography of Hollow's End. Finally, he takes a step forward and starts to lead the way to the right.

"I'm pretty sure the market is this way. Let me know if there is anything that interests you." The walk to the market takes less than five minutes; everything is so close to each other in this town. Cloaked figures bustle around, as well as more cheery figures causing quite the dynamic display of diversity within the vicinity. They pass charm shops, toy shops, magic shops, pawn shops, and, finally, a clothing shop. It is this last store that Idacrous stops in front of and then ushers the princess in.

Inside, the first displays are those of gorgeous gowns, not unlike the gowns that Aria may have at home. The price tags attached host many digits of numbers and, perhaps, this is the first time the princess actually sees how much a dress of her caliber costs. Moving past these flashy dresses, Idacrous eventually guides her to a rack of less impressive clothes. The dresses here are comparable to what the peasants would wear, which is probably a huge step down for the princess, but would also draw the least attention. Of course, when the shopkeep sees their interest in such low-cost items, they are all but ignored.

"I know that they don't look like much, but they're durable." A pause is taken before the knight gives a rare compliment. "And I think you'll look very nice in any of these."
 
"Thank you." She said as she looked at the clothing. She put her fingers to the garments moving them on a better direction to see them. "You know, I have never shopped for my own clothing." Aria said. "All my clothing was picked out before hand and then given to me. I just chose what to wear for that day." This new experience was quite interesting to Aria. Some might think in was dumb for her to be happy just looking at peasant clothing but it was finally what she wanted not what her mother wanted. "What should I try?" She then asked Idacrous, she looked away from the clothing and at him.
 
Idacrous lofts a brow towards Aria's question, his gaze then flickering back to the assortment of dresses available. The colours come in an assortment of dull greys, greens, browns, and yellows. Dyes were expensive, so there was definitely nothing amazing when it comes to hues for these items. To the touch, each dress feels sturdy, but the stitching's appearance leaves much to be desired. If nothing else, these are practical; warmth and durability seem to be the main focus with not much variation in patterns. When it comes to choice, the girl really only has a choice of colours.

Unable to make a decision, the knight runs a hand idly over his head before stating, "Well, it's your first time shopping. Far be it for me to do your shopping for you. Pick what you appeals to you." The male offers an encouraging smile at this point.
 
"Alright." She said as she continued going through the dresses. In a few moments she pulled out a green dress. "I will try this one on." She looks around for a changing room, once one is spotted she takes a walk to it. "I will be right back." She disappeared into the room and closed the door. Aria unbuttoned the coat and slipped it off putting to the side. She then get rid of the embarrassing clothing and slips the dress on. It seemed she picked the right size after all, even though it was at first an educated guess. She never needed to know that all her dresses that she were given also fit her right. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had never seen herself like this before, yet she sort of liked the look of it. It made her feel like she was free to do and be who she wanted. She took a deep breathe and then reopened the door wanting to know what Idacrous thought. She walked to him and spun around to show it to him. "What do you think?" She asked.
 
Idacrous instinctively takes a step back as the princess spins before him. One really can't blame him. Usually when things are spinning in front of him, someone is trying to attack him. However, his mind overrules his instincts after the first step, which results in the initial surprise melting into a small smile. His gaze regards the other's outfit carefully before considering the correct response. "It looks good," is his generic response...for that really is the only safe thing to say. Be too sentimental and, well, he knows he shouldn't. It is because of this sense of knowing-better that the knight leaves his real opinion unspoken.

The dress is nice, but your happiness shines brighter.

"Why don't you pick out a pair of boots that you like with the dress?" The male then turns to walk towards the assortment of boots on sale. The princess may notice that knight does not head towards the cheapest section of the footwear section; the price range that he picks is slightly above average. Afterall, they will be travelling for quite a bit so they best buy something comfortable and as water resistant as possible. The leather boots that greet them are soft, durable, and comfortable. For those with cold feet, fur-lined boots are also among the selection.
 
She gave him a smile. "You are so sweet, being my knight you probably have to say everything looks nice on me." She joked. She followed him over to the boot section. "Alright, let's see." She said as she picked some of them up, world look at them and then do it again with another pair. "Maybe I should try one on first just for size, again I do not really know." She admitted and grabbed a pair of boots. She sat down on the nearest chair and slipped on the boots. Fist they were a little too big, so she went back and got another pair a few sizes smaller than the last ones. With those being too small, she figured out the right size for her through the next one she picked. Once she was able to find out her size she looked at the boots that were the same size as the ones she had just tried on. She choices a pair she likes and tried them on. Fitting perfectly, due to her size test, she gets up and starts to walk around in them, seeing how they feel. They we're going to be traveling so she needed ones that felt right. "I think I like these." She said after a little bit, they were comfortable, something she hasn't felt with shoes in a while.
 
Idacrous finds a convenient wall to lean his left shoulder against as the princess busies herself with finding the perfect pair of boots. Though appearing very ambivalent about the entire process, the knight cannot help but be amused by this simple act of shopping. Aria manages to make such a trivial, everyday task appear like an adventure and her enthusiasm threatens a grin to invade his face. However, the male controls his emotions as his mind starts wandering towards the upcoming evening, and then the days to follow. It's unfortunate that their travel has to be delayed a day and, assuming there are no further delays, it will be at least another week before they can make it to the prince's Capital. The male draws a deep breath. They must arrive and they must arrive on time. His gaze drifts momentarily to the girl before retreating back into his thoughts. I wonder if she understands the gravity of our current predicament.

"I think I like these." The knight snaps out of his thoughts as Aria speaks, blinking twice as he looks at her choice. "It looks nice with the dress. You can keep them on. I'll pay for them after you pick out a pair of warm gloves, a scarf, and cloak or jacket of sorts." This time, the male doesn't direct the princess to any part of the store. She seems to be enjoying the experience so thoroughly that he cannot bear to enforce any limits to contain her excitement.
 
"Alright." She said as she started to wander around the store browsing around to find the right pair of gloves with a scarf that matched. She found ones that she liked and went on to look for a cloak to keep her warm. She couldn't keep taking Idacrous's he needed it himself. She found a black cloak which could work with anything she was wearing. They might be on a journey but being a princess Aria still wanted to look nice and have everything go together. She came back to Idacrous when she was finished. "I'm all done." She said to him.
 
As their stay in the store prolonged and more items were picked up, the shopkeep started paying more attention to the two; Or rather, she's keeping her eyes on them. So, it is no surprise that when Idacrous strolls up to the woman, she knows exactly what the princess had picked up. Nonetheless, the knight starts to list off the items one by one in detail, for even when in his mind, the male had been paying attention to what items were chosen.

"Yes, yes, yes," the old shopkeep rattles off as she jots down the sales in her records. "That will be..." A silence follows as she mentally adds up the prices to, "Four gold pieces."

To this, the knight offers a scowl, his gaze intensifying upon the woman. Four gold pieces may not be much to the princess, but they have limited funds and the male never likes to be cheated. "Don't cheat me, woman." The male then points out the shopkeep's gross calculation errors and, after a bit of back-and-forth heated discussion, the male manages to walk away with only paying two gold pieces. Should Aria try to intervene the process, the knight would hold out a hand to signal her to stay back.
 
Aria waited there patiently, her family had money but she didn't have any on her. She figured it was better for Idacrous to try to get the price down. She was sure that he didn't have much due to having to leave the camp site so unexpectedly. When he was finished paying for the items she felt it was alright to start to leave the store by then. She turned to Idacrous. "Thank you. I enjoyed that. I never had the chance to do anything like that. It was fun to shop with you."
 
Idacrous offers the princess a smile and nod, his gaze giving her a final appraisal before speaking. "I'm glad you enjoying yourself. It's surprising how...adaptable."

The knight then makes his way out of the shop. "Hungry? We can drop by the marketplace. You can choose what you want to eat."
 
OOC: out of town for the weekend, so my replie may be scarce.
 
(ooc: That's alright.)

Aria followed Idacrous. "Oh, I never had the chance to do my own things, I just find the choice so fun." She said to him. She looked down at her new cloths and moved around like a little dance in them. She listen to him. "Really, I get to pick what I want. Thank you Idacrous."
 
Idacrous can't help but smile at the other's enthusiasm towards the situation. Really, there's little to be happy about in their predicament: Their entire party had just gotten slaughtered two nights ago, they have little resources, they're forced to stay in one of the lowest towns around, and have lost most of the luxuries that the princess must have enjoyed back at the castle. Despite all this, the knight is astounded by the fact that Aria can just be happy. He can't remember the last time he had a similar emotion and shakes his head with amusement as he thinks further on this.

"Yes, but try not to be so bubbly about it. You look strange." This is spoken with a small smile, though somewhat uneasy. It's true. The princess's little dance and burst of excitement are turning a couple heads though, the knight notes, none of those head turns seem dangerous.

The male leads to two of them down an row of outdoor food stalls. There are sandwiches, pastries, salads, and all sorts of other delicious foods available for purchase. Idacrous offers no restrictions as he slows his pace to allow Aria to lead. Depending on which way she turns, he'll follow. It is her choice afterall.
 
As asked Aria stops acted so excited. She looks over at Idacrous. "I am sorry, Idacrous, am I embarrassing you." She said a little jokingly. She gave him another smile. After that she glanced over the choices, stopping of course at almost every kind of food there was. Sometimes she would talk to people about them. They all looked so good, it was making it hard for her to choose. She was used to fancy meals though, so wanted something 'normal' people would eat and picked a few sandwiches for Idacrous and her to eat.
 
Idacrous smirks faintly at the princess's jab, a lofted brow and a shake of his head showing his objection to the other's accusation. His lack of words may be mistaken for his tendency to keep to himself, but in actuality, the knight is at a loss for words. He's reached a social border of sorts; Young Aria is treating him much as one would treat a friend and, the longer he spends with her, the more tempted he is to do the same. However, the social barrier is there and his years of training make it hard to set that aside.

'Neither should you,' the male thinks to himself. 'Once she gets back to her father, it will be as if nothing has changed. Don't make things harder for yourself.'

Things have already changed though, he knows. The male recounts the events of the previous night. He's seen things he shouldn't have. Experienced things with the princess that someone of his status really shouldn't have been able to. Secrets on top of secrets. Here he is, trying to hold onto who he should be, while Aria is free to be whoever she wants to be. So unfair.

"Sandwiches?" By the time his thoughts grind to a halt, Aria has returned with a simple lunch. Really, he shouldn't be surprised. She fits in as a non-royalty quite well if you take away the bulk of the excitement. The knight makes the payment to the thankful stall owner before swerving their path towards Hollow's End's gateway. "Let's take a walk around the town's perimeter. There's too many people here."
 
"Alright." Aria replied and followed him. "Is there something wrong?" She then asked, looking over at him. "You are always so quiet. You're allowed to talk to me, you know.You do not need my permission to talk to me." She made a paused and turned away. "You should open up more. Just because you are a knight does not mean...you are not allowed to have any fun." Her sentence got slightly quieter at the end. She was saying these things yet she was a prisoner of her social status as well. Just look where Idacrous was talking her, to get married to someone she didn't even now, didn't even love, was she not allowed to love.
 
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