Autharyx knit his brows together in a small frown as he surveyed the goods that were for sale in the small market. He'd spend the morning and a large part of the night before walking, and was surprised by how hungry that had made him. He did eat in his true form, but it was always more a indulgence than anything. Who needed to eat when they were just as much a part of the energy flows that make up the world as the wind or the river? He could still feel the connection, of course, but it was... muted somehow. Probably his sense were dampened by the fleshy barriers that made up his form now. 

Not that this form didn't have its advantages, he thought as he took in a deep breath. It still felt weird to actually feel the air rush through him as it filled his lungs, but the scents on the air were exquisite. While the combined smell of hard-working humans going around their business was not that interesting, the myriad of food items they sold were spreading a delicious scent. The meat was sadly out of the question, as it had to be at least several hours old. Autharyx was not quite as particular about his fruit, though, so he walked over to that stall. He had to ignore the various suspicious looks the villagers had been aiming in his direction ever since he walked in on the main road. The disrespect rubbed him the wrong way, but he was willing to be lenient with the humans, since they couldn't exactly see how impressive he [i]really[/i] was. 

He tuned out the chatter of humans going on around him as he looked over the wares with a critical eye. Nothing seemed quite as good as what humans had occasionally offered before, but then he supposed this was a rather sorry merchant all things considered. He picked up a piece of fruit, took a bite out of it and then quickly laid it back. He had hoped the taste might be better than the appearance, but it was far too sour to be appetising. As he reached out for another piece of fruit, his arm jerked to a stop when it was gripped by a bulky-looking human. Autharyx looked up with a start, only then realising the latest bout of agitated chatter had been aimed at him.

"What?" he snapped, jerking his hand out of the offending grip.

"I [i]said[/i], you'd better pay up for that, mister. You can't just take a bite out of whatever you please." Autharyx narrowed his eyes. Did the human think he was a common thief? 

"I will pay when it pleases me," he said with what he considered considerable patience. He demonstratively turned away from the fuming human to pick up and examine a sweeter-smelling piece of fruit. 

"Yeah?" the human continued, ignoring the obvious dismissal. "Well, I'll see some money first, before you decide to snack on some more of my merchandise. Oy, you can't just take that," the human snapped when Authoryx put the fruit that had passed his inspection in his bag.

"I told you," Autharyx said, impatience starting to colour his voice, "you will be adequately compensated once I have decided on the price." He did not remember trading as being this tedious. When humans had come to him in the past, they had been eager enough to show him their best wares in exchange for anything he wanted to offer in return. 

"And I told you, [i]pal[/i], that I'm going to have to see some money or you can keep your hands off my property. And what's the nonsense about strangers like you deciding on the price? You either pay what you owe or things are not going to look good for you. " The human had slipped into an intimidating stance, crossing their arms as several other humans were starting to take notice of the situation. A couple of them were starting to gather around.

"Are you insinuating that you don't value my word?" His voice was calm on the surface, but there was a sharp undercurrent to it. A bit of his ire leached into the air, causing a few fallen leaves to rustle on the floor. If he still had a tail, it would have been sweeping side-to-side by now. 

"I'm not insinerating, I'm telling. Now for the last time: pay up or get lost."