It didn't take Autharyx long to find a stall that would trade his valuables for currency. The older female that ran the stall made her own jewellery, so she told him, and was more than happy to take some of his gems and pearls out of his hands.

"We get a lot of pearls here, seeing as we're close to the river," she chatted happily as she pulled up a lens to get a closer look at what he'd laid out. "Oh, but these are lovely. There are some imperfections in the shape, but I can put them in a setting and the colour more than makes up for it."

"They are adequate..." Autharyx said modestly, but he smiled as he did so. He hadn't liked the concept of 'small talk' earlier, but at least this human was polite. It also helped that the stall was some distance away from the busy food market, so that the drone of voices in the background died down to a small murmur at the edge of his hearing. "I am confident you will put them to good use, though."

"That's very kind of you dear," she replied with a smile. Her hands were swift and sure as she examined the two small gems that he had chosen to get rid off. "I'm sure that none of this is up to your standards, but I do enjoy the craft. We don't often get fancy gentlemen such as yourself. I take it you came from up the river?" 

Autharyx nodded his assent. It was true, in a fashion. "I'm just passing through, I think."

"As you should. Not much here for a dashing young fellow, especially one with the means to travel." Autharyx had no idea how to react to that, so he just nodded and looked over the stalled wares as the woman appraised his offerings. Most of is was set in bronze, with a little silver thrown in. But though the materials were humble, there was a simple elegance to the work that he could appreciate. Perhaps he would drop by on his way back to see if she could fashion him something. If she still lived, of course. 

In the end she bought all of his pearls and one of the gems, deeming the other too expensive to be of any use to her. Autharyx insisted she took it as a gift, after which she insisted he'd take a delicate silver chain he wrapped several times around his wrist. She showed him several of her more flashy pieces, and Autharyx showed off his favourite gems. All in all it was over an hour later by the time he left the stall, and he was already feeling a lot better about this whole venture. Turned out he only needed to find someone he could bond with over shiny things and he would be fine. Mrs. Simmons might be nothing but a frail human, but she had a good eye for items of beauty and he could appreciate that. 

It was on her suggestion that he moved towards the caravan next. Mrs. Simmons had told him there was a merchant selling a new type of colourful beads. They were made from simple glass, but he had been quite taken by her description of the vivid colours. As he made his way through the crowd, a niggling sense at the back of his neck had him look around. There was a male human walking some paces behind him, one that he remembered had been loitering around the stall when he'd been counting his money and laying out his gems. He was trying to make it seem like he wasn't paying attention, but Autharyx could feel the heat of his focus without trying. His eyes narrowed and he was considering to stop and confront the human when he felt yet another presence. He turned his head just in time to see Tezy look away again. He watched the not-quite-human disappear into the crowd and when he looked back the man that had been following him had left. Just as well, he supposed. He hadn't really planned on making trouble on Tezy's ground anyway.

Dealing with the bead merchant took only half an hour, after which Autharyx had exchanged several of his newly traded coins for a selection of beads. They were worth considerably less than the gems he usually favoured, but there were swirls of colours in there that were shades brighter than his clearest gemstones. By that time he'd had his share of human interaction for the day, so he walked off into the direction Tezy had indicated. He didn't recognise the man's house by description as much as by smell, and sat down on the porch to wait for him. As he waited, he unravelled his braid so he could thread in some of his new beads amongst the shiny bits of shell and scale, using an antique ivory comb to get out any tangles.