Aloa would never understand Humes, but now it was Vlyn who was laughing once Jaakuna walked away. "[b]Strange fellow, isn't he?[/b]" He asked, wiping a tear from his eye. "[b]You've got yourself an admirer![/b]"

She sighed, clearly annoyed, but defeated. She would not forget this. And neither would Vlyn, apparently. "[b]So long as he gets the job done, it matters not. Harris is trusting us to make sure we present the girl to the Empress.[/b]" She firmly reminded her partner, walking away from him. "[b]Lest you forget your own duties, Vlyn.[/b]"

The male Viera grinned, though followed his partner. "[b]True, very true. This will be interesting. I guarantee it.[/b]"

-------

"[b][color=f6989d]What do you mean, it's only worth 100 gil?[/color][/b]" Emiri asked, clearly shocked.

The merchant before her crossed his arms, giving her a disapproving look. "[b]You heard me, miss, it's not a real flower. You can't fool me--but it's pretty, I'll give you that. 100 gil.[/b]"

At the moment, Emiri was back in Rabanastre, having gone to the bazaar to sell her prize. The bazaar was always busy, always bustling, and she enjoyed it. After being pointed in the right direction, she had gone to an apothecary, one whom paid generously for any rare ingredients to make medicine. With that she thought she would have a simple time, and even hoped that she could get more then what she bargained. The thing is, this guy was seriously giving her a hard time about it. Emiri's stomach kept growling, making her much more impatient then normal and slightly more irritable. 

"[b][color=f6989d]That...That is completely absurd![/color][/b]" She protested, waving it around. "[b]It came from a Cactuar, exactly what about it makes it so difficult to believe?![/b]"

The man sighed, though he rummaged through his wares and produced a flower of his own. Emiri recognized it, being a twin of hers, but there was one difference between the two, and she finally understood his hesitance. His cactuar blossom was colored white and pink, unlike hers, which was colored white and a light shade of violet. The two stood in silence as Emiri processed this information, but eventually, she let out an exasperated sigh. Of course he wouldn't accept it, the difference was as clear as night and day.

Regaining her composure, she tried reasoning with him. "[b][color=82ca9d]I promise you, this is the real thing. Honestly, look at me, what do I have to gain from lying?[/color][/b]"

"[b]Because [i]real[/i] cactuar blossoms are worth a pretty penny.[/b]" 

Now what? An idea hit her, and she continued, "[b][color=f6989d]Cactuar blossoms are also well known for producing excellent medicine. If you made said medicine, that would prove it was the real deal, correct?[/color][/b]"

It seemed to have worked, as at this point, he was examining the flower carefully. She waited patiently, praying to the gods that he would take it--her stomach was already protesting, but she managed to ignore it for the time being. She watched him, and the two made eye contact--at that instant, she brought out a sincere, pleading look, batting her eyelashes and trying her best to look as friendly (and desperate) as possible. He let out his own irritated sigh, matching hers, and rummaged through his wares once more. He procured a small bag, no bigger then her hand, and placed it before her. 

"[b]Honestly, I won't be able to tell until the medicine is made.[/b]" He grumbled, clearly displeased at taking such a risk. "[b]I'll believe you, but you have to understand, I can't give you the whole amount upfront. Once my wife makes and tests it, I can give you the rest, alright? The medicine sells for a high price, so I'm believing in you.[/b]"

It really seemed reasonable, and Emiri was too hungry to argue any further. Just feeling the gil in her hands was satisfactory enough, and she kindly thanked the merchant and told him to find her at The Sandsea. Said place was more a tavern then anything, and while she would've preferred going to a restaurant to eat, the food here was cheaper. She needed to save up money anyway, as she was planning to leave Rabanastre first thing in the morning. The trek to Nalbina wasn't terribly far, but she would need a night's rest and some supplies.

And so it was to The Sandsea she went. Pushing her way through the drunkards, she managed to place herself at the bar and awaited the bartender to approach her. The crowd was mainly soldiers finally being able to take a break at this time, hollering and taking off their heavy armor. She didn't envy them, really, who could wear so much in this heat? She felt hot just looking at them. It was then a familiar face spotted her, and once she finished taking care of the customer in front of her, made a beeline for Emiri. "[b]Well? How did it go?[/b]" The woman asked, eager to hear her answer. Her golden locks were wrapped in a messy bun on top of her head, brown eyes wide with anticipation. The bartender, Kiara, was quite the looker, though her hair was what most women looked at. Any girl would kill to have such gorgeous hair, really, and Emiri felt rather dull compared to her.

"[color=f6989d][b]Taken care of, of course.[/b][/color]" Emiri replied, feeling a slight pang of jealousy as she played with a stray lock of her own brown hair.

Luckily, Kiara was either oblivious or chose to ignore the jealous look, as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "[b]Wonderful! As promised, you're more then welcome to the VIP section in the back, I'll close it for tonight to make sure you aren't disturbed. I could always pay for a room at the inn, though, are you sure you'd like to stay here?[/b]"

"[color=f6989d][b]A favor for a favor. Really, I appreciate it.[/b][/color]" Emiri responded, a small smile on her face. "[color=f6989d][b]Though, for right now, I would love some food.[/b][/color]"

Kiara grinned, nodding. "[b]Of course! How about you go on ahead to the room, I'll send the food there for your enjoyment.[/b]"

Finally, she would get to rest. The trek through the desert had her beat, and even so much as looking at the sun made her feel hotter then she already was. She followed Kiara through a door and was lead into paradise. Well, not paradise to most people, but just one look at that couch and Emiri had to resist the urge to jump on it and go straight to sleep. The room was well ventilated, a very pleasant breeze flowing through. It was decorated simply, hosting a mini bar on its own and a few couches where most of the guests would lounge around. A small tub, presumably a jacuzzi, was tucked into the corner, a few products lined up on the edge.

"[b]I'll make sure no one disturbs you--a change of clothes, as you requested is by the bath.[/b]" Kiara motioned towards a pile of clothes on top of one of the tables. "[b]Make yourself feel at home, I'll send someone to bring you your food.[/b]"

"[color=f6989d][b]Thank you--oh, actually, one more thing.[/b][/color]" Emiri spoke, quickly taking Kiara's arm before she sped off. "[color=f6989d][b]I'm expecting someone will be looking for me, could you send them this way? I'd really appreciate it.[/b][/color]"

"[b]Of course. Enjoy.[/b]"

Emiri made a beeline for the tub, dumping most of the bath products in the water. She peeled off the blouse that stuck to her skin, doing the same with her pants and undergarments. She had sand [i]everywhere[/i], her skin was already breaking out is rashes, and she saw that her skin had darkened already. After procuring her hair on top of her head, she got into the water, though nearly jumped out. It was absolutely freezing! Still, the mixture of hot and cold felt good on her skin, and she sighed in relief as she scrubbed herself down. Now she could tell the difference between being dirty and having a genuine tan, and to be free from the sand was nothing more then bliss.