Desert Siren

Twenty

"Tell me what you like." She stood to the side of the latest shop she had browsed, her foot tapping with frustration. "I can't think of a bloody thing."

"You're not trying, little one. Buy something you like. Something that makes you happy." Tavan leaned against the wall with his arms folded and gazed at her, his look unfathomable. Jayza uttered a mild curse, earning a startled look from a passerby. Tavan led her away from the busy walkway and pulled her into another, smaller shop. Jayza glanced around briefly, completely unimpressed with the pottery she was seeing. Turning back to Tavan, she responded to his statement, huffing with annoyance.

"So I can see it confiscated in less than fourteen days? I don't want to waste your hard-earned scrip like that."

"Don't worry about my scrip. I want to do this. And it's not like I have anything else to spend it on." Tavan was still smiling but his voice held a slight edge to it. Jayza swore once more, realizing he wasn't going to let her leave until she complied. She made a rude noise and marched out of the shop, much to the merchant's dismay. Stalking down the street, she barely glanced at the stalls she passed. Until she reached one selling weapons of different shapes and sizes. Coming to a sudden stop, she stepped over, lightly running her fingers over the various daggers laid out on one of the tables. Tavan trotted after her. When he saw what she was doing, he frowned and pulled her away.

"I can't let you have a dagger, Jayza. As you well know. So why are you looking?" He seemed genuinely puzzled but Jayza could also tell he was extremely unhappy with what she was doing.

"It's not for me," she said, jerking her arm and approaching the table again. The merchant watched, knowing a domestic argument when he saw one and wisely deciding to stay out of it. Besides, in his experience, the woman always won. All he had to do was wait. Jayza began inspecting the daggers again, turning one over in her hand before placing it back down and moving on to the next.

"No." Tavan stepped to her side and placed his hand gently over hers. "I told you to buy something for yourself. Picking out a dagger for me is not what I intended."

"You asked me to purchase something I wanted, something that will make you remember me every time you see it. What better object than a dagger you will use every day?" Jayza was looking at him, all innocence and sweetness. She had every intention of winning this argument, even if he hadn't realized it yet.

Tavan opened his mouth to protest, then shut it. Jayza had trapped him in his own words again. Sighing, he stepped away, causing the merchant to smile in satisfaction. Jayza continued her inspection, placing several daggers to the side before she finished looking at them all. Returning to the three she had selected, she asked the merchant for something to slice, causing him to first look at her in surprise, then at Tavan for permission. Tavan waved a hand, not wanting to get into another argument with Jayza, and the merchant reached under the table, pulling out several pieces of fruit as well as a long strip of cloth.

"I do not sell dull blades," he said, annoyed at the perceived insult. He placed the items on the table in front of her, his face drawn down in a frown.

"I never said you did," Jayza replied, picking up an apple and bouncing it in her hand. "I would like to test the sharpness of each. After all, my Lord needs something that will cut the toughest items while not shattering."

The merchant sighed, slightly mollified, and watched as Jayza expertly sliced the fruit first, then shredded the strip of muslin. Removing one of the daggers, she placed it back with the ones she had already dismissed, then picked up one of the two remaining ones. Quickly glancing around the shop, she spied what she was looking for and moved to one side slightly. Gripping the blade between her fingers, she raised her arm and let the dagger fly. It flew end over end in a straight line and she watched as it buried itself in one of the beams supporting the canvas canopy. The merchant watched, his mouth opening in horror while Tavan leaned against another pole, a bemused look on his face. Jayza marched over and pulled the dagger from the pole and returned, laying it down and repeating the action with the second dagger. Pulling that one, she turned to Tavan.