Demkaih wandered out of the inn. He had slept the night in Uptown, close to Kingsway Markets. He glanced at the shop fronts as he walked past, checking out what was being offered around the area. It was very upperclass, and a lot of stall vendors occupied the area, screeching their wares out to passersby. Demkaih didn't think this would be the area best suited for his quiet little spice house. He strolled past the market area, making his way towards Hollow Street.

This area seemed a little quieter. But it also felt bad. He didn't think he would get to much trouble here, but it also seemed less likely business would bloom at all. Frown coming upon his face, he walked a bit faster through the street. A soft chugga-chugging came to his ears, getting louder as he walked. Soon he found himself in the Soot District. It was busy. Machines and people worked away in factories and smoke billowed from the exhaust vent chimneys in the buildings. Demkaih kept a firm hand on his coin purse and made his way quickly though the people and smog. He passed a signpost displaying Soliloquy Lane, but it was tucked away and he didn't feel the area would work well for him.

Wandering on, he finally came upon a pretty place. Garishly painted houses adorned the streets and although their paint was peeling, it still felt good here. It was clean, and the cats were abundant and healthy looking. He leant down to pet a particularly friendly one. It purred and rubbed itself around his legs before sauntering off. Demkaih looked up the street, he couldn't see any vacancy signs in any of the windows. Perhaps someone here could help. He walked into the first shop that came to his eye, a seamstress by the looks of things.

Fion walked out her front door with a determined glean in her eye. She had a small pot of paint in one hand and a brush in the other. Stride was trailing at her heels.

With a very careful hand she placed one long, straight line and one small dot in the corner of her sign, next to the word 'knock'. She grinned in triumph. She held the pot and brush in one hand and pointed at her work with the other.

"What do you think, Stride?" She asked, in a normal tone.

Stride barked and jumped up in the air.

"Me too, it's like restoring some order to our tumultuous lives."

She did not notice the Mugrobi man walking up behind her. She was too busy thinking about the rest of her day.

Demkaih stopped, watching the woman painting her sign. He wondered what would possess a woman to be out at this time of day, painting a sign.



Demkaih cleared his throat.

"It's very nice, you have a steady hand."

Fion startled and paint splattered onto the ground by her feet. She turned towards the street, a hand over her heart. Stride whirled and barked once at the man facing them.

"It's alright Stride, gosh, you scared me!" She blushed, embarassed by her reaction to a compliment, "Um, thank you, it's just an exclamation mark, nothing special..."

Would she ever be able to accept praise without making a fool of herself? She never expected it so she was always left blushing and embarassed whenever it came her way.

"So, can I... uh... help you with anything?" She asked, still quietly mortified.

Demkaih eyed the bander carefully. It didn't seem aggressive yet, just startled, like the woman in front of him. She was flushed and seemed a little disgruntled. He chuckled softly.

"An ant is nothing special, yet without it the cycle of life would not move. I didn't mean to scare you, I wanted to ask you a question. I am new to Vienda and I am looking to buy or rent a premises to start my spice house. This area so far is the nicest, and its not noisy, but its also not to quiet or tucked away, however I don't see any vacancy signs. Do you know if anything here is available?"

Fion blushed brighter still. The man in front of her had to be Mugrobi, he had a charming accent and a way with words that most locals of Vienda never bothered with. She was attracted to it, she always liked meeting people that had travelled. They knew so much more of the world than she had ever had the chance to experience.

"This is the Painted Ladies, it's not a bad place to live or have a home business," She waved at her sign, "but I wouldn't recommend starting a spice house here. Crosstown Court is probably the best place for that, it doesn't have anything of the like. Otherwise you could try Hollow street, although I would caution you about considering it."

She thought about accomodation for a moment. Mrs Jenkins, down the road, had just moved out of her apartment to go live with her son and daughter in law. They hadn't put up any advertisements yet.

"There's an apartment free in building eight, down that way, if you're looking for a place to live." She pointed, "They haven't got a sign up yet, so you might be able to get in before there's any competition."

She put her pot of paint down. She'd need to clean it up later. She extended her hand over her garden fence.

"I'm Fion Smith, welcome to the neighbourhood."

Demkaih reached out and shook her hand, her pale skin a striking contrast against his dark hand.

"My name is Demkaih Alkrim. But on paper, I am a dessert." He pulled out the permit with Demcay Allcream written on the name section, holding it up for her to see.



"Ah yes, I saw this Hollow Street. It seems a like a place better to be mugged in." He let go of her hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"This Crosstown Court sounds intriguing, but does it have another beautiful woman like Fion Smith to help out a stranger?" He cocked an eyebrow, looking at her with his mischievous blue eyes.



Demkaih looked down the street. It would be nice to live in one of these houses, even keep shop if business was well enough. He looked up at Fion.

"Do you get much business living in this area?"

((psst,I didn't tell you my last name. I'll edit the earlier post so it has it ))



Fion laughed clear and sweet at the sight of his permit.

"Oh, that's awful! I can't believe they did that to you." She leaned in closer to the slip of paper, "You should get them to change it. I have a writing permit, it's a stupid thing to need but I could write the real spelling down for you and show it to them."



Fion giggled like a girl in pigtails. She wrapped an arm around her middle while the other rose so her hand could cover her red cheek. She fanned herself a little, perhaps hoping her blush could be passed off as a reaction to the morning sun.

"Oh, Mr Alkrim, you're flattering me. There are plenty of young women in the court that would be very taken by a handsome merchant." She looked back at her drying sign, a grin crinkling the corners of her eyes.

"I do pretty well, all things considered. It's taken me a while to get a good client base though. If you let the local butchers and bakers know about you, you'd probably do much better."

((oops!))



Demkaih looked down at the permit and nodded.

"I think that would be a good idea. Being a dessert isn't something I was looking forward to."



Smiling, his white teeth bright against his dark face, Demkaih watched her. She was quite an attractive woman, and something about her reminded him of the women back in Mugrobi. Maybe it was the way she held herself, strong and proud, but not in an overbearing way. He was rather enjoying making her laugh.

"Handsome merchant? Ah, you do me too much justice my pretty lady. And please, call me Demkaih. No one except officials have called me Mister."



He nodded. He had noticed a bakery on his walk to this area, he would have to visit it sometime soon.

"Your a smart woman Fion. Good relations are the foundations for a good business."

Fion felt a glow in her belly. She didn't get called smart too often, when she'd been downtown she'd spent nights being called sugartits and now she'd moved upmarket she was usually 'the girl' or something worse.

"If you have your heart set on starting up a business here, there's a house that's been on the market three streets up for quite a while. Needs a patch up but it has a big front window that you could use for a store front." Fion was now hoping he'd stay, she really liked the thought of having such an interesting person around, perhaps they could be friends, "You should think about it. It's red, too, which is kind of fitting for a spice house."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Demkaih looked around once more. It really was the type of area he had hoped to set up, and so far the occupants had been more than what he had hoped to see. Coming to a decision, he nodded.

"That seems to be a good idea, red is definitely a colour I can envision my shop in." He grinned at Fion again, blue eyes sparkling.

"Would you like to walk with me Fion, show me this red house? I want to get it before someone else does, yet I don't want to leave your wonderful company yet." He paused.

"However, if your busy I will most definitely return."

Fion gnawed on her lip. She was kind of busy, the dresses that needed to be done by the afternoon were largely done but she still had Emme and Khymarah's dresses to work on. She had time though. She was known for being the quickest needle in almost all Vienda...

"Sure, I'd love to." She replied, smiling. "Just let me put my paint back inside and lock the door."

She picked up the pot and stored it in its rightful place, under her sink. Piran had stayed with a friend last night and wasn't due back until late afternoon, so she didn't have to worry about him. She grabbed her housekey from the kitchen table and walked out the front door, locking it behind her.

She walked out the front gate with Stride at her heels.

"Ready." She said, looking happily at Demkaih.

Demkaih nodded and watched her go inside. He looked around as he waited, enjoying the morning sun. He heard the door latch and then lock. Fion was walking out of her gate with her bander wolf at her heels.



Smiling, Demkaih offered her the crook of his arm. He looked down the street.

"I'm afraid your going to have to guide me to this red house, good lady. And whilst we walk, perhaps I could learn a bit more about Fion Smith." He leaned close to her ear and spoke softly, his voice a deep rumble.

"And perhaps you can learn more about Demkaih Alkrim." He straightened and grinned again. Her wonderful girlish giggle before had caught him, and he couldn't help but try again. This didn't seem like a woman that laughed like this a lot, and laughter was a gift to be shared by all.

Fion gave his arm a fleetingly frightened look. The neighbours might see and talk and start spreading rumours like they had when she'd first moved in. Whispers about how she made her money and whether she did more than serve drinks at a bar.

But he was smiling and probably flirting and he was definitely being galant. She smiled back, blushing, flattered. She took his arm.

"That sounds wonderful." She replied.

Then she started to walk with him.

Demkaih smiled as she took his arm and they began walking together. He liked the look of her pale hand against his dark skin. Patting her hand, he sighed a little.

"So, how long have you been living here in The Painted Ladies, Fion? You seem well established, enough so that you've been forced to add an exclamation mark to your sign." He looked down at the bander wolf following them.

"He must be a loyal friend to you, I feel like I am being followed by a suspicious father."

"I've only been in Painted Ladies for about eight months, although I've been in Vienda for almost nine years."She laughed almost nervously, "The, uh, sign is because people keep coming in without knocking even though my business is in a house. I don't like getting startled is all and neither does Stride for that matter."

Stride moved to walk by her side, feet dancing in a slow trot. He wuffed at Demkaih.

"You haven't introduced yourself yet, his feelings have been hurt." Fion said, partly in jest. "He looks after me, I'm very lucky someone saw fit to give him to me when he was a pup."

"Do you have any pets, Demkaih?" Fion asked, partly for small talk and partly because she thought well of people that liked animals.

Demkaih nodded sagely. People had a tendency to feel like they were allowed into places of business whenever, where ever.



Chuckling slightly, Demkaih stopped their walking and turned to the bander.

"I am terribly sorry to have been so rude, my name is Demkaih Alkrim, pleased to meet you Stride." He made a little incline with his head. Turning to the front again he continued walking with the seamstress.

"I do not, I'm afraid. My life back in Mugroba was too busy to allow time to properly care for a pet. But I have often thought of getting one. Perhaps when I settle down here, we will see." He grinned again. Looking around, he was really beginning to feel at home here.

Stride sat down and barked loudly. Fion used her free hand to cover a smile.

"You, ah, need to put your hand in front of his nose." Fion looked back, "Come on, boy, keep up."

She turned back to Demkaih.

"We're almost there," She pointed forward to a red house a few metres ahead. "See what I meant about a fixer-uper?"

The red paint was not fading too badly but the front windows were broken and the garden was over-flowing with flowered vines and thorny weeds. Fence posts were missing or upended for an almost comic effect. A garden gnome sat alone on the front porch, frowning expressively.

"The roof looks sound." She said, trying to see the positive side.

Demkaih took in the run-down house quietly. It was definitely a project house, but that was a bonus. It meant he might be able to buy it for less, and it gave him a chance to make the place really his. He eyed the grumpy looking sculpture suspiciously.



He looked at her blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. A deep, hearty laugh.

"Indeed! As long as the rain does not wet me and the snow does not freeze me it will be adequate." He pointed to the gnome. "What in Alioe's name is that ugly sculpture?" Nodding to himself, he wondered if anyone was home to ask about the place. He walked to the door and knocked.

Fion laughed as well, pleased that she had evoked such a response in Demkaih.

"That's a garden gnome," Fion said, in response to Demkaih's question, "people keep them for... aesthetic reasons."

She walked through the gate and toed at some of the weeds.

"Do you think the owner's home?" She asked, only realising how unhelpful a question it was after it had left her mouth.

((SO sorry for the delay, I kept forgetting about this thread ))

A wooden sign on the door, nailed haphazardly, held the answer. In small writing, Fion and Demkaih could make out the words "FREE HOWS - IT'S YOR PROBLEM NOW".

Apparently, the owner had declared the place abandoned. It was well overgrown, and seemed to be falling apart. Still, it seemed strange to Fion that no one had been squatting there; Vienda was full of homeless, and the roof did look sound even if the walls weren't. Perhaps there was a rat problem...?

Demkaih turned to grin at her. That may have spelt trouble for other home owners, but to the tall dark man it meant he had a project to work on. Something to make his. Walking forward he tested the door knob. Unlocked or broken, the door swung open with a dusty creak. It was just as run down inside as it was outside. And filthy.

Demkaih turned back and shut the door, well, tried to. Eventually he managed to keep it shut. Smiling at Fion, he nodded.

"I will think on this one, but I am sure it is the place for me." He looked down at the gnome. As soon as he brought his stuff back to this place, that would be the first thing to go. It was incredibly hard to resist kicking the ugly thing over. He looked at Fion again and inclined his head.

"Thank you for showing me this place Fion Smith. Please, let me walk you back to your home."

Fion bit back a chortle as Demkaih fought with the door. The house was in a disgusting state but a bit of work would see it back in decent shape. She did allow herself to laugh at the piercing glare Demkaih gifted the gnome with.

"Thank you, that would be very kind of you," She replied, "Do you, ah, want him to come with us?"

She inclined her thumb at the garden gnome, while leaning on the rusty gate.

Demkaih chuckled. Turning to pick up the abomination, he nodded at Fion.

"If you want to have this thing, your more than welcome to it. I'm not so sure its the best thing to have in front of a spice house." He held it under one arm and crooked the other for Fion to hold as they walked back to her shop.

Fion grinned wildly.

"If you do not mind I would gladly take him. I'm going to paint him and put him on the back step to scare potential burglars!" She said, already strangely fond of the unattractive gnome.

She placed her hand on top of Demkaih's arm and they walked back to her shop, chatting happily as they went.