[Carriac]

Carriac was surprised to find Mara alone. The girl looked like she had been through a minor war, yet she seemed unharmed. Questions as to the whereabouts of her abductor and the condition of her surroundings fled his mind as relief in Mara's discovery flooded his consciousness.

"Oh, my dear girl," he cried, his voice choked with fatherly emotion, "I was so worried."

He knelt next to her and took her into his arms.

"No one will ever dare do this to you again."

This last dripped with hardness and venom, a stark contrast to the love flowing from his voice just seconds earlier. His two companions would have been shocked to see the whites melt from his eyes as he spoke the words, the usually cheery orbs gone completely black. But his face was turned from them as the change took place and when he pulled himself back to look at his ward, they had returned to normal.

"Of course, we'll find you something to eat. Anything you want."

Carriac helped the young woman to her feet and guided her toward the sunshine.

[Traveler]

With a snort of disgust Traveler at the sight of the other two companions' display, he cleared his throat to get their attention. When they turned to look at him he said, "We might not want to make a an entrance at the Dragon's Inn right now for a couple of reasons. First, these guys might have friends around. If not, there might be others looking for Mara, too. Second, the local guard."

With a knowing look to Carriac, he hoped the elf caught what he was trying to say. There were too many unanswered questions about this girl that even she didn't appear to know the answers to. "I think we had better stick to the back alleys till we find her some more clothes and try to find out what's _really_ going on here, before we go traipsing back down the middle of town.

I know the town guard is going to have a couple of questions for me about the two lads I laid out, and I'm going to have to have a rest and a drink before I feel like dealing with that right now.

[Mara]

Mara smiled up towards Carriac, taking his arm, while being lifted up to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered, before turning her green eyes towards Traveler, and sticking out her tongue. "Your just jealous, because he got to me first."

Brushing her hair back from her face, she pulled herself free from Carriac's grasp and brushed herself off. Her shirt, that once was long sleeved was now a short sleeve, with the lower half missing as well, burnt to a crisp, along with her pant legs. She was now wearing shorts, the leggings of the pants just cover her upper thighs. She tried to pull them down, but they were just to short.

"But Traveler is right," and she whispered, "for once." Looking around the ally way, she sniffed the air and grinned. "Lets go before the guards stumble across us. There are to many question that are yet unanswered."

Sniffing the air once again, she pointed towards a darkened ally way. "The market square is this way. I can smell a number of different scents, that make the market for what it is. There, we should be able to find food, drink, weapons, and clothes."

Taking Carriac's arm once again, she gave it a squeeze and smiled up and into his eyes. "I don't know what happened to the man that took me. One second he was putting his hands all over me, the next thing I knew, he was gone, and so was the blanket." Pulling down her top, she brushed her fingers against the fabric and handed Carriac a piece of chared clothe.

"Can you tell what this is made of, by touching it? Maybe we can find something like it at the market place and you can keep it from itching so much. Please..."

Mara was back to her old self once again, acting shy. But deep down there was another Mara, waiting to get out and kick more butt!

[Carriac]

The shaper took the fragment of cloth in his fingers and rubbed it slowly. His eyes unfocused for a moment as he sent his thoughts into the material. Then he gasped in wonder.

"This is made from emberweed! Who would have thought?"

When he saw the blank expressions on his companions' faces he quickly elaborated.

"Emberweed is a hardy little plant that grows only on the slopes of volcanoes. It's naturally heat resistant. In fact, the plant's berries contain a chemical that, when lit, burns so hot not even water can put it out. The plant's leaves are fairly fibrous, but the plants themselves are so small it would take a very large quantity to produce enough material for an outfit. And the cost involved...the plants are so valued for their berries, I can't image up rooting so many for cloth production.

"But, dear, emberweed doesn't grow anywhere near Montfort. I'm sorry, Mara, but I'm afraid there's no market within hundreds of miles of here that would sell this kind of cloth. If you need something fireproof, we'll have to visit an alchemist somewhere."

"In the meanwhile," he continued, "I _can_ do something with these clothes so that they aren't wasted. If you don't mind...?"

Carriac reached out a hand and touched Mara's shirt near the neckline. The cloth flowed over her form - the sleeves pulled in and the shirt extended downward to almost cover her bare midriff. The new shirt was seamless. Its neckline plunged a bit lower and it clung quite a bit more than before, but the look was good on the lithe woman. Carriac made similar adjustments to Mara's shorts. He knew had had gotten it right when he heard an uncomfortable cough coming from Traveler.

"There. I pulled all of the fiber ends back into the weave so they shouldn't itch so much. Call them 'formfitting undergarments' if you like. Should your new clothes accidentally - err - burn off, at least you won't be left in an embarrassing situation."

He turned to Traveler. "You might want to loan her your cloak until we can get some other clothing. If you, strong warrior type that you are, blush so strongly at her current wardrobe, imagine how the guttertrash will stare.

"Well, let's go then. Sun won't stay up all day."

The rotund elf made for the market.

[Mara]

Mara watched and listened as Carriac explained the material that made up her outfit, not understanding why anyone would go to so much bother to make anything out of a plant that itched so much as these did.

"And why would anyone want me to wear fireproof clothes? And ones that itch so much like these do. Could I have been a sacrifice for some god, and these were the clothes that they were going to use to throw me in some volcano?"

Mara blinked and tilted her head as Carriac made her clothes grow over her skin, drawing them so tight that she could barely breath.

"I think that's tight enough, and just what is a volcano anyway? Is it anything like food? Because I'm starving to death here," and her stomach rumbled.

Glancing down as Carriac made her shorts longer, she noticed the plunging neckline of her outfit. Laughing, she kissed him on the cheek when he finished. "Men! You're all alike. If you wanted to see my form, you could have asked. I'm not shy," and she giggled as she ran her hands down her side and hips.

But you're right. They are a little thin, and tight. I will need to borrow the cloak for a little while, if you'll allow me," and Mara reached up and pulled the cloak away from Traveler, before throwing it over her shoulders.

"Mmmm! I like this," and she breathed into the fabric, before wrinkling her nose and giggling. "Such a masculine scent..." as she glanced over towards Traveler and smiled.

"I'm ready! Lead the way," as she circled her arm around Travelers, and then Caracas's.

"Food first! Clothes later, and I might let one of you help me pick them out. Now who will it be...Hmmm??"

[Traveler]

At her touch Traveler was suddenly plunged into memories of other places and times. A myriad of images flashed before his eyes causing him to stumble as they had begun to walk.

"I uhhh... think it would be wise for me to go ahead and sweep the area for unfriendlies. You two walk together to the first food place you see as you enter the market and I'll be watching. Give me a few minutes to find a good vantage before you make your move."

Disentangling himself from Mara, Traveler hurriedly moved on not waiting for a reply.

Trying to clear his head of the sudden onrush of memories Traveler shook his head. This girl had triggered something in him. The last thing he remembered was sitting at a table in an Inn drinking some soup and waiting for someone...

Finding himself suddenly in the market he spotted the first food place just inside the market and started walking away from it towards the other side of the market street. He found a nice little trinket shop and pretended to browse their wares. As he moved through the store he studied the crowd. There were the usual pickpockets, Merchants, buyers, and he noticed several people who were watching the crowd with more intensity and openness than himself. Those were more than likely the town guard. He didn't see anyone who looked to be a threat, but he didn't have time to check out all the hiding places. Satisfied that there were no hostile people he could see he looked at the items in the store in earnest waiting for the other two to show up.

As he browsed he noticed a petite pendant made in the likeness of a Red Dragon. It would be the perfect thing to pin his cape together while she was wearing it. He grabbed several items along with the pendant and took them to the merchant and began haggling over the price of several trying not to be to open about which one he was really after. Finally they had come to an agreement and he found himself the proud owner of a new knife he could store in his boot and a small Red Dragon pendant. The pendant seemed to be of Elven make and he could feel some small amount of magic embedded into it. Probably a protective spell.

~Maybe it would at least make amends for his actions so far. Not that there was any need. I have no reason to feel like I have done anything wrong. I don't know this person. Heck, I don't even know myself...~

It was then he noticed that Carriac and Mara were about to enter the market.

[Carriac]

The shaper walked Mara to the market, unperturbed by Traveler's sudden departure. He took a moment to enjoy the beauty of the day, the scare of Mara's kidnapping already slipping fro his mind. He _did_ give a brief thought to the attacker he had left trapped in the sidewalk back at the Dragon's Inn, but concluding that the man got what he deserved, he tossed the thought aside.

While he walked, Carriac thumbed one of the blocks of adamantium in his pocket, pulling a continuous strand of thin wire from the incredibly hard metal. This he wound about his hand in an absentminded fashion. He had a use in mind for the metal, but it needed to be in wire form first.

Mara pulled him over to the nearest food stall and he took a moment to examine his work for errors before thrusting his hand back into the pocket.

So absorbed was he in his own thoughts, Carriac had failed to notice the shadow of a bird that had followed them down the street. The shadow circled the stall once and then was gone.

[Mara]

Mara was enjoying herself so much she missed Traveler stumbling, and his quick exit. She was busy holding on to Carriac's arm and looking around, taking in everything around her. She spent her time pointing different things out to Carriac, a shadow that looked like a cat, a leaf that was dancing on a hidden breeze, a dust devil that picked up bits of dirt and thing, whisking them away in a twirl of its own madness. But soon they came out of the alleyway and stood before the market square.

At first she clanged to Carriac's arm, frightened of all the strangers that littered the area, but soon the scent of food pulled her towards the nearest booth, taking Carriac by surprise. She knew that he was fiddling with something in his pocket, but was to shy to ask what it was. But deep in her mind, dark, strange thoughts were slowly emerging, causing her to blush. "Oh! They have meat pies. Can I have one? Please?" The pies were about as large as her head, and her mouth watered as the merchant cut into it, slicing a thin piece out of center of the pie and handing it over. Steam still rolled up from the pie and it was still bubbling. Mara glanced up at Carriac, before slipping the slice in her mouth.

"Mmm!! I want two of those! They are divine!"

The merchant turned and pulled two pies from the oven and sat them on the counter, moving the sliced one to one side. "You'll not find a better pie on the square Malady. I use the finest meats and seasoning. They are only two silver each."

Mara started to cough, and she covered her mouth before swallowing. "You are asking a kings ransom, for two small pies? Why just down the way there is another, with flakier crust and a much sweeter sauce than yours, and he is only asking for six coppers for the two pies. I should go there, and not waste my time with lesser tasting pies."

The merchant turned red as he sliced a larger piece of pie, holding it out to Mara at the end of his blade. "Perhaps the heat of the pie has lessened your taste buds. This slice is cooled, so try this and then decide...for one silver each?" Sweat pored down from the merchants forehead, and his hand shook as he tried to hold the heavy blade out.

Mara smiled and slipped the slice in her hands, before dropping a few pieces in her mouth. "Yes, I think you are right. The first slice was a bit hot, but now I can taste the richness of your pies. My friend will take them both, along with the one you've sliced, for two silvers and three coppers. No more no less, or should I spit out the rest of the pie and call the guards here, telling them that I have been poisoned by some bad meat."

The merchant dropped his knife and waved his hands. "No! Perhaps I was offering to much for my pies. I beg forgiveness and I will bag these pies up for you for two silver and five coppers..."

Mara smiled, while she looked up at Carriac. "Do you want one too?" Meaning she was not going to share without a fight. Pulling out her purse, she shook it while looking in it. "I'm a little short. would you..." and she pointed as the merchant held his hands out to be paid.

"I'll pay you back, I promise," and her lips curled up in a small bow as her eyes went soft. Taking the pies, that the merchant had placed into a straw basket, she started nibbling on the one pie that was sliced, waiting for Carriac to pay. With a hint of laughter, she pulled her dagger and cut a small slice out of the pie, and held it out in front of Carriac's face.

"Open wide..." before she stuffed the slice in the startled mans mouth. "Good, isn't it," as she sliced another piece and slipped it into her mouth while pulling Carriac away. "We need something to drink next, I saw this cute little fruit stand over there in the corner."

Pulling Carriac around the square, she had to stop and point at everything she saw, asking, "What's that for, and could we use that," at everything she saw. She cooed and ahhed until she couldn't talk, all the time throwing pieces of the pie in her and Carriac's mouth.

"Just look! You have crumbs everywhere. I dress you up and I still can't take you out, without getting crumbs on your shirt." Wetting her finger, she rubbed Carriac's cheek, getting a drop of sauce off, before licking her thumb clean.

"Hey! Where's Traveler? Wasn't he here just a second ago? Bet he was afraid he would have to buy something," and she laughed. "But he was sweet for giving me his cloak," and she pulled it up and took another sniff of the fabric while she ran her fingers up and down the fine weave clothe.

"I want something like this. Soft and it doesn't itch one bit," as she spun around and around, giggling. "I want clothes that are soft and warm on a cold night, with a pair of soft boots that fit my feet, not pinch them, that run up past my ankles, and a nice pair of pants with pockets...." and she went on and on, until she became so dizzy, that she fell in Carriac's arms.

"Why did you have wire wrapped over your fingers? Is that what you paid the nice man back there with? I've heard of places that trade silver wire for things. Was that why you have it?" Looking down at Carriac closed hand, she looked up and smiled once more, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

"Watch'a got there? Want some more pie? Do you think I'm pretty..."

That question took Carriac by surprise, and she giggled as he blinked down at her. Before he could answer, she jumped from his arms and grabbed the basket full of pies.

"I'm thirsty. Are you..." as she took his arm and started pulling him through the crowd.

You could tell she was an elf...with a very short attention span.

[Carriac]

Carriac was happy to pay for the pies, if for no other reason than it made Mara smile. It had been a long while since he had spent a carefree afternoon with a woman of any sort, much less one as vibrant and full of life as Mara was at that moment. Her youthful exuberance was something he missed in himself. He hadn't felt that way about life for � well, nigh unto a hundred years or so.

He followed Mara around the market. Patiently acknowledging her oohs and ahhs and answering those questions he was able to. Her question about the wire, in particular, caused him to laugh.

"Pay for something with this?" Carriac chuckled, pinching off a short length of wire and holding out in front of him. "I think not. This one piece of wire is worth more than the entire inventory of most of these stalls. It's made from adamantium, the hardest metal in existence. VERY rare. This is the same stuff I infused into the edge of your dagger.

"No, I'll not be selling this," he said, reattaching the piece to the strand in his pocket. "I've something in mind for Traveler, though. We'll just need to pick up�one of those."

He stopped before a leather booth. The merchant smiled broadly and launched into a practiced sales pitch regarding the quality of her wares. Carriac ignored her and looked over the merchandise with a practiced eye. He found nothing he wanted among the most prominently displayed items, but a basket off to the side labeled 'MISMATCHED' yielded success. From it he pulled a soft, supple, black doeskin glove. There was only one - a left hand, its mate lost somewhere in the shuffle of daily business. Carriac haggled a bit with the stallkeeper, paid more than he should have, then showed the glove proudly to his self-adopted ward.

"Ah, my dear. Wait until you see what I will do with this. Traveler will _LOVE_ it, I'm sure. I owe him this much, at least, for filling my purse earlier this day.

"Speaking of Traveler," he continued, looking about, "Where has that boy got off to?"

(to be continued...)