Go see Yen

"Hey mom, do you know where Yen went?"

"I think she was going to the town market, do you need something darling?"

"No mom, just asking thanks!"

"Stay safe, love you!"

"Love you too!" Nihja shouted back before closing the door again. The town market, thats quite a walk away from where they lived. She shrugged and started off pace by pace, heading to her next destination. No better thing to do after all.

The town center carried quite a crowd today, a bit moreso then usual. It is the main piece of attention the village would recieve with plenty of travelers passing through this part specifically. It was placed directly where the main road crossed, so it benefited both sides, the village would gain attention and make a bit of money on the side while the newcomers found comfortable beds to rest in, extra material for food and clothing, or just grabbing a souvenir to remember the day by.

So many people of different races filled the streets today trading, talking, negotiating and buying. Elves, humans, Saurions, even a few Avians which caught her eye. She had never caught sight of an Avian before, bird people often keep to themselves and seeing how these wore typical traveler cloaks she could tell they were merely passing by. Still, curiosity struck her as she paused to watch them.

One of them turned around and smiled at her. "Bonjour, curious one." She jumped and blushed while looking away, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "Oh h-hey, I umm... didn't mean to stare." He shook his head and raised his wing in dismissal. "All folk stare, I am used to it. So, to who do i own ze pleasure to meet here?" She smiled nervously, this bird was around six feet tall and covered with dark green feathers, with a black beak and white and yellow stripes decorated its wings and chest in a zigzag pattern. He towered over her, watching her with its orange large eyes seemed ratger intimidating, and yet he was asking for her name. Why was she so nervous?

"Ahem! It's Nihja sir." She nodded and raised her hand up, regretting it right away as he doesn't have regular hands sort of. "None of zis sir business, I am a common folk like yourself. It is a pleasure to meet you Nihja, I am Vadim. Are you from around here?" She nodded and leaped under her skin when he raised his wings up and wrapped them around her hand, shaking them. He found her reaction amusing and much to her embarrassment could not help but to laugh. "S'il vous plaît, you are too cute my dear. Are you usually zis adorable?" Once again she blushed hard and brushed her hair aside when feeling it was starting to cover her face a bit. "Nooo, I just didn't expect you to be so complimentary."

"Well with a beautiful woman like yourself, it would be hard not to."

Damn it! She giggled and looked away, feeling butterflies in her tummy as this Avian chuckled softly in return. "Que faites-vous?" Another Avian approached them from behind his friend, seemingly around the same height and similar color, though rather then white and yellow zigzag stripes his chest had a black circle design and his wings carried a deep blue outline to it. He held up a satchel carrying a few things and glanced at them with yellow eyes. "Ah, Nihja. Zis here is my companion Pierre. Pierre, this beautiful woman here is Nihja, she is a local from this town and we were just beginning to know each other."

By this point Nihja's face had adapted to being red with blush as she raised her hand to greet Pierre. "Ahaha, pleasure to meet you Pierre."

"Pleasure is all mine, Nihja." He reached for her hand and raised it before lowering his beak and kissing it. She gulped and suddenly felt herself in a mild state of shock. Both Avians were laughing softly at her but continued on. "My my, I did not mean to press my dear, you should know where we come from, we admire a beautiful woman and shower her with compliments dailys." Pierre said. Vadim continued, "And usually we all aim towards being her mate and partner if she is single still, such a thing women are that all men would compete for her companionship if her beauty is one to die for." Nihja nodded and smiled back, "I don't see myself as being that woman though ahaha, usually it is my sisters that get the attention."

"Sacré bleu!" Both Avians shouted in surprise. "Well, we cannot comment on your sisters but ze image I see is one to behold, a face worth painting and framing, a woman all should admire!" Vadim bellowed. "Oui, we have traveled across many lands but never before have we stopped in our steps due to such a thing of beauty and spectacle, a human zat embodies the word perfection in every way." Pierre added.

"You guys.." Nihja began before being interrupted by waving wings. "None of it, tonight we make it up to you. How would you like to go for dinner tonight, oui? We show you how a man truly appreciates a woman oui?" Nihja froze, she was supposed to find her sister and here she was being offered dinner with these two cute avians. She gulped, feeling a lump in her throat and somehow finding her voice she managed to say, "Yes, yes that sounds wonderful!"

"Oui! You will not regret it. Tonight by moons rise, meet us here in ze market, same spot oui? We will pick you up and show you our appreciation of you, treat you ze way all men should." Vadam explained, grabbing her hand to kiss. "We hope you accept out offer Nihja."

"It would be our pleasure." Pierre followed, also kissing her hand. "Now we must be heading off. Be seeing you soon!" Nihja waved at them as they grabbed their things and disappeared into the crowd, before hugging herself and giggling in glee. 'I don't know what just happened, but it was super nice hehe!'

She went back to searching for Yen, this time with a smile stuck to her before approaching a familiar face, a soldier and friend of Yen's guarding a post. "Hey Cui. Have you seen Yen around?" He was a lean man wearing light armor and wielding a spear that he gloated around his friends about. Right now he had on a metal cap and his face seemed a bit dirty and in need of a shave. "Hey Nihja, yea she passed by and went to the community center. Should still be there unless she snuck out the back."

"Thanks Cui, be seeing ya!" He raised his spear up in acknowledgement as she skipped away. The community center, it's a very large wooden house where the village people go to discuss for the town's purpose, usually it's about adding more houses or requiring more farms and such. She paused near the entrance of the building, some of Sabine's friends were nearby.

'I wonder what they're doing here, I don't see Sabine with them so where is she off to? Maybe they came with Yen?' She shrugged, she could stay and chat with them or she could say hello and pass through to find Yen.