ตอน 160: Markets (3)

The large market square was much more entertaining than I had anticipated, as we meandered from stall to stall, bartering and bickering with stall owners who were desperate to make a sale.

Some were using honeyed words and hard bargains, whilst others simply shouted out whatever they could get to grab your attention, even if it earned them a glare.

One such woman tried to tell me that I needed to cover up lest I find myself dragged away, only to blanch as Rhefia and Aethisia turned to glare at her, the two towering Deerkin staring the poor Boarkin down, only to relent as I chuckled.

"She's not entirely wrong, loves~ I mean, even now I can feel a few unsavory gazes lingering on my body~!"

Approaching the stall owner, I grinned widely at her as I stepped closer, curling a finger under her chin as I activated {Seductress' Charms}, making her smile lustily at me.

Leaning closer, I brought my lips towards her ears as I whispered "Whilst I don't mind the looks, I didn't find your remark rather amusing... Sometimes, somethings are best left unsaid, don't you think?"

Her eyes widened as she felt something sharp prick at her throat, the Boarkin unsure of what to do as I continued to grin at her.

In my free hand was a small vial of blood, hidden from view, but uncorked nonetheless, allowing me to form a small, sharp blade on the edge of my nail.

"Maybe I should take your advice though..? Now that I'm completely aware of the gazes, I wouldn't mind covering up a little... say, how about one of these cloaks, hmm~? Wouldn't they look wonderful one me~? How about..."

Pressing the blade further against her throat, my smile turned cold as I muttered "You learn to speak carefully, and I get myself a beautiful cloak?"

The stall owner nodded profusely at that, and I discreetly sent the blood back into the vial before storing it away, my smile warming back up as I lifted a simple dark crimson cloak from the counter, throwing it over my shoulders.

Patting her cheek, I gave the shivering Boarkin a grin before walking away, back into the bustling square.

Rhefia walked quietly beside me, while the others were sending me weird looks, only for everyone to shrug as I looked at them with a raised brow.

"That was... unexpected. Always thought you were more... uptight and straitlaced, Astra. Didn't think you'd ever... well, I guess the right description would be robbery."

Chuckling, I gave Rhefia a warm smile as I slipped my hand into hers, giving it a squeeze.

"Well, that makes me happy love~! But, she did make a good point; sometimes, I do prefer being... 'hidden' from lust filled gazes, at least as hidden as I can possibly be. The cloak would help that when I just want to move around freely~!"

Nodding, my wife shrugged as she turned back to the square, pursing her lips.

"We still have a lot of ground to cover..."

Following her amber gaze, I nodded, only to grin as I led her towards the next stall, where some ornate carvings were sitting.

Going around the market, we managed to get many good ideas before turning our attentions towards the actual buildings, where the quality of goods would be much better.

Firstly, we made our way to a bookstore, where I told Aethisia she would be allowed to buy one book, which she would need to pay back half of the total cost when she made her own money.

Giving me her word, my muscled Deerkin daughter walked around and browsed, sifting through the books and getting some recommendations from the merchant, who seemed amicable enough.

35 Silvers later, Aethisia left with two small novellas; one was a children's book, something she bought as a way to teach written language and entertain her future child, while the other was a raunchy book about a Rancher breeding her farmhands one by one, each of them from a race with something valuable to sell that they grew on their bodies.

After that, we made our way through each store, only a few of which were notable.

The first was a store selling clothing, and the first thing that caught my attention was the revealing streetwear for all kinds of races.

Short skirts that would easily flaunt the bottom half of your ass, tight, see through shirts that revealed your nipples, corsets that made your waist slimmer and made your breasts more pronounced...

I wasn't the one to purchase something here, surprisingly enough; it was Kalia, my youngest finding a dress that was still... moderate, considering the store, but not entirely 'safe'.

The dress itself was a dark violet dress with a corset sewn into the torso, which made Kalia's already large breasts almost pill out of the low-cut top, while the bottom half of the dress was tight, hugging her ass and revealing her plump right thigh through a slit in the dress.

All in all, we were all surprised by Kalia's bold new outfit, which made her blush, but...

Yeah, it was stunning on her; she was already beautiful, but with her soft pink hair and eyes, as well as her slightly serious expression, she was gorgeous.

And I could tell that everyone who had seen her showing off the dress thought so as well.

In fact, as we were leaving the store, a tall, petite Elf blushed as she asked if Kalia was free for the rest of the day, wanting to take her out to get some tea.

Exchanging smirks with one another, we all looked on at the two blushing Elves; one tall and petite, the other short and stacked.

However, whilst she was flattered, Kalia declined the other Elf's advances, stating she was wanting to shop with her family, gesturing to us.

Dejected, the other Elf made her way back into the store, while we left and continued to look around, though now with wide grins and mischievous glints in our eyes.

Teasing Kalia as we shopped, we eventually finished the entirety of the square, 1 and a half Gold poorer, but much happier.

Some clothes, new weapons, and some rare materials in the form of discarded ingots, new seeds, and other small items now filled our arms.

Stepping out of the last shop, we stopped as we heard someone shouting in the center of the square, surrounded by a large crowd.