Unexpected Gifts

[Zander Brogthamon]

"Well if it's you I like giving things in return." The way Pearce flinched away from him made Zander swallow down another whine. Instead though he smiled if just to make the situation feel less awkward for both of them. "I love you too." He stated much louder than a whisper. While being open about their relationship made his chest feel tight with nerves he wouldn't hide it.

Though he was willing to be a bit more bold he still didn't have the nerve to kiss Pearce. Despite how much he desperately wanted to. "I'll just have to spoil you in other ways." He purred playfully with a chuckle before tugging on the mans hand. "Let's go get that special gift. I want to see what it is." Reluctantly he released the mans hand.

The last thing he wanted now was for Pearce to feel too overwhelmed. If that meant Zander would have to keep his hands to himself for the time being then so be it. He'd survive. Probably.

[Pearce Lockheed]

He couldn't help the reaction to flinch away sometimes. He'd been hit a lot. By someone he had cared about. So even woth Zander his gut reaction to hands toward his face tugged at an old instinct. One he didn't want to talk about. He lived with it and he would continue to live with it. He would figure out how to keep moving forward.

Compared to his past this misunderstanding was tiny. But it was the sort of thing his father had gone off on.

Pearce smiled a bit more warmly at hearing the sentiment repeated. He wasn't surprised to hear Zander say it much louder. He did like that about the boy. He blushed at the notion of being spoiled in other way, especially the way Zander said it, though it wouldn't do to get bothered right now.

"Um, y-yes. This way," he said. He stepped forward again, putting a hand to the small of Zander's back to turn him around and guide him a step or two before dropping it. It wasn't exactly a romantic sort of contact the way he did it but it was as certainly friendly and familiar. He focused less on the awkwardness and the public and instead on hoping Zander would like it, trading a less fun anxiety for a hopefully more fun one.

Pearce hoped Zander survived.

"Celeste McCalmont?" He hailed the woman with a small wave. "G-good to see you again. This is Zander." He offered a smile to both of them, like nothing had happened.

[Celeste McCalmont]

Celeste had been working on a different dancer--clearly the same woman, but in a different dress this time. Thankfully this one was a simpler pattern. The last one had been so frustrating she couldn't bear to do it again. But the one from before was on the table among the other figurines, her colors bright and shiny now that she'd been finished and fired.

Hearing someone call her by name made her look up, and she smiled brightly when she saw who it was. "Oh, Pearce! I was hoping you'd come by today. And it's nice to meet you as well, Zander." She bent and pulled a wicker basket from under the table--something inside of which peeped indignantly at her. "Oh hush, little ones," She murmured, reaching in to scoop out a bundle wrapped in undyed muslin. She unfolded it carefully and stood up each little figurine as she came to it: a rabbit, a bluejay, and the new fox, whose copper fur she suddenly understood as she looked up at Zander. She beamed as she held up the little figurine: on a base of green grass, the main fox had chased another into a hollow log, where only its tail flicked out. She offered it to the younger man.

"You must be the one the fox was for, hm?" She guessed with a gentle smile. If Zander didn't take the fox from her she'd just set it back with the others, before scooping her noisy companions out of the basket--two little yellow chicks. She cupped them against her chest so she could hold them with just one hand, and pet their little heads with the other.

"Calm down, I know I wiggled you," she soothed in a quiet voice, then smiled back up at the men. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to let these two wander by themselves when I'm not home just yet, so I'm keeping an eye on them."

[Zander Brogthamon]

The feeling of Pearces hand on the small of his back was enough to satiate his need for physical contact. For the moment. When they stopped in front of a woman Zander was about to make a comment of how it was lovely to meet her but froze when he heard a small peeping coming from the basket. Instead what came out of his mouth was a very soft, "Is that a chicken?" Suddenly his years of farming and spending time with animals rushed back to him. His fingers itched to reach into the basket and see the creatures but instead he clasped his hands behind his back.

"It's lovely to meet you as well." He managed out as he reigned in his old habits. As his eyes landed on the small fox figurine. While the art work was wonderful. The soft copper fur, the light grass billowing around them, all the attention to detail. Still, the memories of foxes breaking into the chicken coop and killing his hens or making a mess of his garden. Painfully annoying little creatures.

Zanders eyes glanced up to Pearce as a sly smile crossed his lips. Mischievous, sly, cute, playfully annoying. Was he trying to send a message? Still, he took the figure when it was offered to him turned it over in his hands carefully. "It's beautiful." However, as she pulled the chicks out his eyes widened with awe and wonder. "I haven't had chickens since I left home."

[Pearce Lockheed]

Zander hadn't shared much of his past with Pearce. Oh, they had talked a little, enough for the noble to be aware ZAnder had grown up in Teronna, out in the country there. He'd sort of guessed the boy had once been a farmer. The fact the chirping entirely absorbed his attention seemed to agree with his guess. Pearce smiled at Zander and then at Celeste, a bit embarrassed for his companions lack of manners until Zander recovered himself. Adorable.

The fact that the fox was red and Zander's hair was red had, as a matter of fact, not been part of Pearce's reason at all. He'd honestly not really thought about it. The creature seemed the fit the young man in other ways. Even now, he was a little surprised Celeste was so forward about her assumption, but not in a bad way. The blonde nodded. "I thought B-briella might like the rabbit."

Pearce attempted painfully hard not to look at Zander when the boy's gaze cut from the fox figurine to him. He was entirely positive he wouldn't be able to contain himself if he saw that smirk. As Zander turned his attention back to the small fluffy chicks that were revealed, he wordlessly put his hand out for the fox so Zander could have his hands free. "Should I get you a chicken next time?" he teased.

[Celeste McCalmont]

Celeste laughed gently and held out the chicks to Zander in her cupped hands. The little birds peeped and looked at him curiously. She loved how enthusiastic he was about the chicks; it wasn't often that she ran into someone as infatuated with them as she was. She'd always liked birds, and having chickens was good for both her mental and physical needs. They gave her company, a hobby, and eggs for food, all at once.

"You're welcome to hold them if you like," she assured the young man, "They're getting used to people, so they won't mind as long as you're gentle."

She looked to Pearce at his comment, which made her laugh again. "I do have plenty of ceramic chickens to go with my real ones," she teased, "But the live ones are more fun to cuddle with. These two are new babies, and their mama, Henrietta, is back at my cottage. I also have Hennifer and Gretchen; they're a bit shyer than Henrietta and her babies, so I don't bring them to market."

[Zander Brogthamon]

As she held out the chicks to him Zander passed the small figure to Pearce and took the little birds into his hands. "Hello, little ones." He cooed sweetly as they stared up at him. He muttered gently and incoherently to them as they pecked curiously at his hands. Holding them sent a flood of memories rushing through him.

Of sitting with his mother gendering the chicks with her, naming them, taking the males to the market to sell. Of rescuing Briella from the protective mother hens as they chased her around the yard. "We had one named Annie Yolkley who would terrorize our sheep." He said with a soft laugh.

Before getting too attached to them he handed the chicks back to the woman. A small, sad, look crossed his features for just a split second before he smiled again. "It's so nice to see someone else who loves chickens."

[Pearce Lockheed]

The moment Celeste suggested Zander hold them, Pearce knew where this conversation would go. While he couldn't quite join in, he was happy to follow.

"Oh, I think the r-real ones are better," he commented, watching Zander hold the small birds. At first, he didn't notice the names. And then he found himself chuckling. They were not quite puns but...well they sort of were.

And then Zander added to the puns and Pearce was tempted to say he didn't know either of them. He was very glad to discover the two shared something in common. Zander needed more friends. And Pearce liked learning more about the young man and seeing him enjoy himself. Much better than just bringing the gift home by himself.

[Celeste McCalmont]

Celeste grinned at the other punny chicken name, becoming more and more relaxed the more she talked with these two. They seemed close, which she didn't give much thought to--after all, she was more aware than most that there were all sorts in this world. It wouldn't bother her if she did realize their relationship. At the moment, though, she only noticed the brush of something vaguely familiar across her memory, almost like deja vu. She frowned slightly as she tried to recall what it was, then brightened up again when Zander was holding the chicks back out to her.

She accepted them carefully and tucked them back into the basket where she had a little blanket nest for them to curl up in, as well as a dish of water.

"I could say the same to you, Zander! Most people think I'm este..." she hesitated for a moment, looking for the word she wanted. "Silly? No...Crazy?" She twirled her finger next to her ear, to gesture what she meant. "They think chickens are not as good as cats or dogs." She shrugged and smiled. "But I love my chickens."

She set the basket carefully back down next to her chair, then smiled back up at them. "Did you two need anything else? Or just picking up that order?"

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander was all too familiar with how people seemed to think of farm animals. When he'd gotten far too drunk at the tavern one night and gone on about how much he loved cows he nearly started a fight with someone who said they were fat and smelled. "All animals are wonderful." There was a small part of him that wanted to make a statement to exclude foxes, if just to be a pest, but he couldn't do that. As much as foxes had been the bane of his existence on the farm even he saw a certain charm to them.

"Though my sister is terrified of chickens, ours didn't seem to like her." He said with a laugh. There weren't many animals Briella couldn't get along with, she'd even stared down a bear once. Chickens though just seemed to hate the poor girl. When asked if there was anything else they wanted the redhead looked back at the basket and swallowed a sigh. There was a large part of him that missed having a farm, not that he'd have much time to work one now.

"Were there anymore surprises?" He teased Pearce as he pulled his eyes away from the basket.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce had never really been around farm animals. He owned horses but he hardly considered those farm animals. And Breeze...she was at least more than a house cat at least. The noble generally liked animals but he didn't have much first hand experience with them. He probably would have been more than embarrassed to hear Zander express his personal feelings on foxes. Mortified. That would be close to the way he might feel.

Regardless of his lack of understanding of farm animals, he highly doubted Celeste was crazy and he generally agree with Zander's depiction of animals as wonderful. Better than most people. The notion that Briella was afraid of chickens was interesting. The girl didn't seem to be afraid of anything.

He caught Zander's look at the chickens. Well, from the sound of it, as much as the man liked them, having one as a pet with Briella wasn't the best idea to make sure everyone was happy. Maybe some other sort of pet though, from the sound of it. He'd have to look into that for another time. He could tell he'd sort of his his quota for spoiling Zander already.

No more planned surprises today anyway. Pearce held up his hands in mock surrender, smiling at Zander. He glanced at Celeste. "Just that order for now. Maybe we can get food?" Zander and Celeste seemed to get along and Pearce couldn't remember the last time he had seen Zander smile like that as when he held the chicks. Maybe Celeste would like another friend too. "Do you have s-someone who can watch your stall for you? Or p-perhaps we can find a vendor?"

[Celeste McCalmont]

Celeste raised her eyebrows when he said the chickens didn't like his sister--that was odd. Chickens usually didn't all act like that about a person. There were one or two of the McCallmont's chickens that hadn't liked her, but it was never all of them. She wondered if perhaps the girl wore perfume or something that they found upsetting. He didn't seem to be taking it too seriously, so she decided not to either.

She began re-wrapping the figurines so that they'd be safe to transport, and was tying a ribbon around the package when Pearce answered "just that order for now," and she nodded absently. She assumed the "maybe we can get food" was to Zander, and didn't even look up from what she was doing. It even took her a few seconds after "do you have someone who can watch your stall" for her to realize that he was talking about her being included.

Her head swung back up and she stared at him for another second, trying to wrap her head around what was happening. First of all, wasn't Pearce a nobleman? Second of all, wasn't he already spending time with Zander? And third, most confoundingly, did he really want her company? "Me? Digo, I would love to but are you sure you...essssteee...are you actually wanting me to come along? I do not want to intrude, O sea."

The more nervous she got, the more her native language slipped into her speech, and it was definitely getting worse now. She didn't want either of them to feel they were obligated to be nice to her; she was just some random woman from the market, after all, and she wasn't used to being treated as worthwhile company. In her mind, it was pleasant to have good customers, but she never expected any of them to actually get attached to her, so she didn't allow herself to get attached to them either.

[Zander Brogthamon]

The mention of food made his stomach growl. However, he was enjoying talking with the woman. When Pearce offered to have her get food with them Zander gave a bright smile. Class didn't mean entirely much to him. Of course he understood the importance of respecting it but he might have been a bit biased. Seeing as he was in a relationship with a noble.

"We'd be delighted to have you join us, really." Of course Zander understood her hesitation. It may have seemed a little odd to have customers inviting her out for lunch. Still, he loved talking with people and getting to know others on a deeper level than just simply passing by. It was, admittedly, easier to do with women than other men. "You wouldn't be intruding." Though pulling her away from her work was a bit intrusive.

"If you can't leave the stall we can always come back with something." Zander wasn't exactly one that believed in social obligations. If he didn't want to involve himself with someone he simply wouldn't or would at the very least make it clear he didn't like them. Though he understood someone like Pearce might be all too familiar with social obligations.

[Pearce Lockheed]

There certainly were social obligations he often had to comply with. At least sometimes. Aralore as it was now, wasn't so intent on forcing rules and expectations, but there was still a level of expectation there. Generally it had to do with marriage and class and sometimes with who one was seen with. Pearce enjoyed being a noble. He enjoyed his family history and the respect he had earned and the money he had. He had worked for a lot of that. Perhaps not with his hands, but he had dedicated himself to doing his job well, to running a well cared for and respectable business that others, nobles or commoners alike, could support. He had even dedicated himself to protecting the queen. The nobleman highly doubted anyone could fault him for being seen in public with Zander, a soldier, or Celeste, a potter. They seemed respectable citizens just like him. And as long as he didn't overstep the obligations of marriage to another noble family...oh. Well, that would be a problem for another time.

He was glad Zander back up his suggestion, otherwise he might have been tempted to side step the comment at Celeste's question. She hadn't directly said she didn't want to, but he generally didn't want to enter into a conflict of 'who could insist more' with the woman. He had asked because he wanted to because he thought she and Zander especially would enjoy it and he did too.

"D-delighted," Pearce confirmed with an honest smile even if his speech came across as uncertain. He sort of hated that awkwardness. He nodded as Zander suggested they bring something back. And to be honest, the longer Pearce spent next to her stall, the more likely he was to think of something else to buy. If not because he needed or wanted but because he would feel like they were taking up time she could spend with other customers.

[Celeste McCalmont]

Celeste shook her head rapidly. "Oh, no, I can leave the stall, that's no trouble, as long as we don't go too far." She rose to her feet and waved slightly at the next vendor over, a woman selling all varieties of woven and crocheted shawls. Once she had the woman's attention, she gestured to the stall. The other woman nodded--this was a common practice between the two of them.

She smiled sheepishly at her new (maybe?) friends. "It's not me I worry about, you know? I just want to make sure that I am not troubling you."

"I'd better bring the chicks, though..." she mused, almost to herself, as she pulled the little chicks out of the basket again and tucked them into the pockets of her apron where they peeped their tiny frustration at her. "I know, I know," she soothed, patting one's head with the tip of her finger before she straightened up and looked at the men. "Alright, ready! Did you have some place in mind? Otherwise, there's a stall that sells pasties--you know, um...they're like meat pies? But...este..." She made a folding gesture with her hands. "Folded, yes?"