The Central Bazaar

"Huh?"

Roy was confused. What did a cheetah look like? Weren't they supposed to be like giant tabby cats? That's what Laisha had told him, wasn't it? He didn't know anything about cheetahs, and was very confused by the boy's figure of speech.

"Um...I'm not married to Laisha or related to Tabaigo. It's just a big misunderstanding. I'm sure it would all get sorted out quickly if they just talked it over..."

When the boy told Roy that he'd have to do him a favor, Roy nodded. What could he possibly want? Maybe Roy could bake him a cake or something. He was good at baking.

"Shari'la ab-Danahi? Where's that? You sure you don't want me to bake you a cake or something?"

Roy didn't know anything about Sakland, but he needed the list. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to go over to Shari-whatever and pick up a hummingbird? Catching hummingbirds was tricky, but Roy figured he could manage it.

"What ever would you want a hummingbird for?"

"No," said the Nephew, "I don't want baking, I want a hummingbird. What's the big deal? Afraid you can't catch a hummingbird?" The nephew asked Roy, smirking, crossing his arms and leaning one thin shoulder against a thick wooden pole that held up one of the awnings across the alleyway. "It's a big tall building full of plants and water. You can't miss it. Get my a hummingbird and come back here, and I'll give you the list."

Roarin chuckles at the man's impatience, just as he remembered Sakandi merchants being. With his demands set the old man hands over the lump of gold, the dealer would find it to be mostly pure with only some sandstone impurity. If it was indeed found in a river bed as Roarin claimed, it was one hell of a lucky find. The old man crosses his arms and waits for the merchant to give him a price.

"Nevermind what my name is," the Nephew said impatiently. He crossed his arms over his chest and began to tap his boot. He let out a long, exasperated sigh. "No, I don't want a cake!"

The boy took Roy by his shoulders and turned him around, then shoved him. "Keep walking that way, and out of the bazaar. Big building, lots of plants. Bring me back a hummingbird from there!"

"Hmmph, fine..."

Roy allowed the boy to hustle him off towards the building with the hummingbirds. Something about the boy seemed troublesome, but Roy didn't have a choice. He needed that list, after all. Sighing, he walked off to look for lots of plants and a hummingbird. All of a sudden, he had an awful thought: If the cats were big enough to eat people around here, how big were the hummingbirds? Would they be monstrous creatures, with beaks like greatswords? Would they stab into trees to drink the sap, rather than simply dipping into flowers? Would they attack him? He shivered. Birds could be scary sometimes.

Roarin looks at the price the merchant is offering. It isn't fair considering the golds potential worth, but that was how haggling worked. Both people did their absolute best to screw over the other. Under different circumstances, Roarin would have just accepted the price presented, after all, the amount of coin offered was more than enough for his needs. But he was pretty sure that Fairuz hadn't dismissed him entirely just yet. If Roarin sold this gold like it meant nothing to him, someone may start asking why he was so willing to part with it. They might think it was stolen or that he had more available and both conclusions would draw attention. 

"Tha's highway robbery! Ye should be giving me at least...'"

Roarin quotes a price that is about half again higher than what was offered. If the man was like any other merchant he'd known, he'd exult that Roarin hadn't tried for double, since most merchants tried to sell or buy things at double or half their value. So the merchant would argue him down to a quarter more than his original quote and spend the rest of his day crowing about how he'd scammed the stupid foreigner. Which Roarin would let him do with a great deal of grumbling about how he was being scammed.

Roarin accepts the coin without complaint and then takes off into the bazaar. He needed new flasks, a second wineskin, alcohol, pipe, and some medicinal leaf. Once all of this is acquired he drains a bottle of rum in a long pull. It wasn't the best medicine for his condition, but it worked and it also helped keep people from expecting things from him after all, no one respects a drunkard. With a belly full of liquor his muscles would be lax for a few hours so he settles onto a stone bench and puffs on his new pipe plotting his next move.

Not so far away from where Roarin smoked his pipe and crystal, Tobaigo's nephew suddenly jerked Roy from the street to an alleyway and shoved him up against the wall.

"You're either a better thief than I thought, or you're just as much of a stupid coward as I thought," the Nephew said. There was a knife in his hand. "Did you get the hummingbird?"