[The Withering Rose] Table for Two (Tainon)

[Marionette]

The masked faced turned to face Summer, "Goodness, you are a sharp one, aren't you? But forgive me. Staring is considered rude, is it not? At least for those with eyes." The masked man seemed to have provoked the two, and found no need to elaborate on his nonchalant statement. He smiled beneath the mask, a hidden emotion, "Perhaps I can offer something a bit interesting for you two."

The masked man with the red hair moved closer reaching into his jacket pocket. He withdrew his hand, opening his fist and he dropping three gold mizas onto the table, "You may take this money, or eat it. It is not charity, nor poison. I would not risk the wrath of the city. I only wish to indulge things that catch my interest. If you are not open to new things, how will you truly appreciate Alvadas?"

The man bowed his head in a polite nod and shrugged carelessly at both parties, "I suppose I will take my leave now. I wouldn't want to interrupt this... social exchange any longer."

Spinning on his heel, he moved to a nearby table, plucking a white rose from the centerpiece and tucking it into his front pocket. The two sitting down gave a curious look at the male, but said nothing as he disappeared out the door just as quickly as he had come.

[Tainon]

The Isur was nodding at the woman, Dole, as she spoke. He was momentarily taken aback by her words about him having poison in his food. He looked down at the meal around him. He should really begin paying more attention to what he was eating. But at the same time, why would anyone try to poison him? He didn’t have any enemies. Or at least none that he would be aware of.

The arrival of the mysterious man unsettled him a little. It seemed that Dole became irritated by the man too, because she said a few sharp words to him. Tainon’s eyes widened in alarm, when he heard her talk like that and tried to gesture to her to stop speaking. Here in Alvadas you had to be careful what were you saying to others and how you spoke to them otherwise you ended up with a knife in your back. Not that it ever happened to him, obviously. But he heard stories.

To Tainon’s surprise, the man didn’t get offended at all, so he calmed down. The Isur eyed suspiciously the coins that the masked man laid on the table for them to take or...eat? What did he mean by that? He was giving them money? Tainon wondered why the man was doing it. The answer came just as this thought crossed Tainon’s mind. ‘So, interesting, are we?’ he thought a bit darkly, but still he was silent. And silent he stayed even after the man left them alone and walked out of the restaurant.

After a while, he turned his eyes to the coins on the table and then he looked at Dole. “What was that about?” he asked, nodding toward the door, where the man had disappeared, still looking puzzled.