Janus had a bag of coins in his inner cloak pocket.
Back at the tower, he had never had a chance to spend them, but they kept appearing-- between the chair cushions, occasionally left on the floor, sometimes he would even find one in the basket of food left for him. So he started making a collection of coins, because what else was he to do with them? Spend them?
Some were stamped with the image of a peacock and smooth gold, though those were the rarest. Others were made of silver and cerium, decorated with a mage's chestnut tree. The rest, the most common, were a mixture of bronze, copper, and iron, a bundle of flowers pressed into the brown metal.
He had eventually found a dark wine-red pouch in one of the chests and decided to use that to keep his wares. Now, it was tucked in the folds of his cloak, the coins clinking slightly against each other as he moved, mesmerized, through the stands and shops.
It was even more beautiful in the whirlwind of chatter and fairy lights. People talked all around him, smells filled the air (cinnamon, whiskey, leather, so many more), and the sound of laughter swirled around the marketplace.
Remus was right by his side, looking around with rapt attention at all the different stands. His attention tended to get caught at the more mechanical wares-- he had been captivated at the very sight of a metal flower, picking it up in his hands and examining it until the stallkeeper had told him to put it down. Janus, on the other hand, liked the displays of odd trinkets.
Right then, he was examining a bronze dagger, the hilt intricately carved. The sheath was leather, decorated with beautiful stitchings of lilies and other flora, while the blade was jaggedly made. It looked like it had been made that way on purpose, the sharp edge somehow even more enticing with its air of jagged danger. He picked it up, passing it between each of his hands, enjoying the heft of the bronze object.
The stallkeeper, a pale-skinned woman with lidded, dark purple eyes, licked her lips as she watched Janus examine the dagger. It was clear to everyone that he was nobility from his dark skin and naturally curly hair, his bangs draping over his eyes. Because of his olive-colored skin (nobles had unusually dark skin, a trademark that most were quite proud of) he had been targeted by several people 'interested' in what he thought of their wares.
As well as the fact that he had a dragon on his shoulder. That made it pretty obvious that he was rich.
"Do you like it?" the stallkeeper asked, her fingers drumming on the counter. Her eyes, a syrupy, dark lavender, watched Janus's every move with precision.
Janus swallowed, moving a little closer to Remus for comfort. The milkman seemed to sense his nervousness and took Janus's free hand, tangling their fingers together and giving his hand a short squeeze. "I do like it," Janus replied, trying his best to hide his upper-class accent.
The stallkeeper nodded, apparently pleased. "I don't get too many people interested in my wares, so it's good to see you here, sugar." She grinned as she spoke. Her voice wasn't as creepy as her eyes had been, but Janus still flinched a little at the pet name.
Disi curled protectively around Janus, baring his fangs at the storekeeper. She looked a little put-off but not yet scared, bristling slightly as Disi hissed. Janus put one hand on Disi's wing to stop him from growling again, and Disi nuzzled into his palm.
"Do you want to buy it or get out of here?" Remus asked, leaning closer to Janus to whisper in the prince's ear.
"I can choose both, can't I?" he whispered back, reaching for his pouch of coins. He placed a silver coin and two coppers on the table, smiling at the woman. Disi growled low in his throat, but Janus tried his best to ignore it, at least trying to be polite. "Thank you for your business."
She smiled back, showing her teeth. "I'll give you a tip, you two-- and yes, I did see you looking all nervous and cute. This marketplace may be jovial, but it's also a hotspot for pickpockets, so best be careful. Rich cuties like you are prime targets." She gave them a wink.
Remus blinked and nodded, though he was still glaring at the woman, echoing Disi's smoldering stare. Janus, meanwhile, just laughed politely. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to watch out for people like you," he said evenly.
While the shop owner was sputtering in outrage, Janus half-dragged Remus, half-ran back into the crowd. Once they were far away, the chatter of the crowd engulfing any shouts from the stallkeeper, both Remus and Janus broke into laughter so hard tears sprang up into their eyes.
Disi thumped his tail against Janus's shoulder, ruffling his wings and barking out one of his laughs, not even bothering to hide his amusement. "I can't believe you said that!" Remus wheezed out, still laughing through his words. "Did you see the look on her face?"
"She deserved it fully," Janus returned, hands on his hips and a joyful smirk on his face. "Should've done it sooner, really, but I didn't get a chance to say anything like that until then." Disi let out an agreeing bark, and Janus grinned up at him.
Remus leaned against one of the supporting poles for a stall, his chest heaving from laughing so hard. "Still, I can't believe it." He grinned over at Janus, his eyes sparkling in the excited way that Janus had grown to enjoy so much. "You really are full of surprises."
Janus rolled his eyes, bringing his new knife out of his sheath and examining it again. "Yeah, well, maybe being locked in a tower helped me sharpen my sarcastic replies." He smiled back at Remus, sheathing the dagger and looping in a wide circle around the milkman.
"Let's go and buy more stuff, then," Remus suggested, grabbing Janus's hands and pulling him along into the throngs of buzzing, chattering people, his smile illuminated by the glowing lanterns scattered everywhere.
For the rest of the night, the two walked around different stalls, seeing what they liked and trying different things on. There was a lot in the market to choose from, but in the tower, there had always been plenty of coins, so Janus didn't bother being cheap.
Janus found a new cloak, one with soft, satiny gold fabric that he liked, and Remus picked out a toolbox. He apparently really enjoyed making and fixing things, something that Janus had seen several times (Remus could often be found in the back of the cart, several gears and cogs scattered in piles around him). Disi stole a piece of black licorice and gnawed at it for the rest of the night, his wings folded back and his tail curled securely around Janus's shoulders.
Janus bumped into Emile at a point late in the night, when the stars were out and a billowing fog had set deep into the spaces between the stalls. The mage was carrying a steaming peach pie in his hand and had a new bracelet on his slender wrist; a beautiful set of polished stones: rose-quarts and obsidian, as well as a white onyx charm in the shape of a wing.
"Well, well," Remus greeted Emile, not even bothering with a 'hello' as he pulled Emile in for a tight hug. "Where didja sneak off to? We basically went all around the market." He pulled away and leaned against a stall pole, ignoring the storeowner's cries telling him to be careful.
Emile shrugged, smiling at the two of them. He swallowed the piece of pie he had in his mouth and spoke happily. "I just walked around. I stayed at the fireplace for a while, but then I decided to get something to eat. The pies are really good."
Janus glanced at the pie in Emile's hand, feeling his stomach growl slightly. Disi let out a mournful chirp at the sight of the pie, his eyes fixed on the pastry. "Disi, come on," Janus scolded him quietly.
"They're over there," Emile laughed, pointing to another stall that sold all sorts of steaming pies. Janus followed his hand and found the stall, his mouth opening slightly as he gazed over the assortment of treats.
Remus smirked at Janus's expression. "It looks like you're hungry," he teased, looping in a wide circle around the prince. "I'll have to buy you one if you keep looking at me like that."
Janus scrunched up his nose in confusion, sending Remus a glance. "Like what?" he asked.
Shaking his head and laughing, Remus nodded his head in the direction of the stall. "C'mon you two, why don't we all buy ourselves somethin' to eat?" He stepped toward the pie shop, Emile and Janus following behind him. "I call the moldy one," he whispered, and Emile cringed in disgust.
"That's disgusting," Emile muttered, but he couldn't help rolling his eyes and smiling a little.
Remus laughed out loud and started skipping towards the stall-- before his twin grabbed him by the arm and tugged him forcefully back.
Nearly tripping over one of the nearby fruit containers, Remus looked in shock at Roman. The milkman's eyes were wide and scared, his breathing heavy and his gaze darting between the group of three.
Remus grabbed Roman by the shoulders, straightening up and meeting his brother's eyes. "Ro, is... is something wrong?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Roman's scared eyes were enough of an answer for anyone, but he couldn't seem to speak, opening and closing his mouth and stammering out a few syllables at a time.
Janus and Emile soon caught up to the two. Disi could sense that something was wrong by looking at their expressions and curled closer around Janus's shoulders, his eyes narrowing protectively. Touching a comforting hand to the dragon's wings, Janus scanned over Roman and Remus's expressions for an explanation for just what was going on.
"R-Remus, Janus, Emile, we-- we have to leave," Roman whispered in a quiet voice, glancing urgently between the three of them. "We have to-- right now. We have to leave. There's... a problem."
Remy emerged behind Roman, his face serious as he stepped away from the shadows. Clutched in his hand was a wanted poster, with one face inked on it with an expert hand. Janus's mouth went dry as he recognized himself, looking between Remy and the strange, creased piece of paper.
"I'm guessin' that having a prince like you on a wanted poster isn't something normal," Remy said grimly, holding the poster out towards Janus.