Tall pillars of strong oak rose up endlessly into the sky. Bright jade leaves stretched forth around the trunk, giving much volume to its extreme height. High up in the treetops sat many houses. They were not simpy there though, they went in with the trees. Their shape was specifically conformed to be seamless with the natural design of the forests around. The elves that lived there seemed just as natural in their surroundings as the buildings were. Though some bustled around at a feverish pace in order to get things done while others leaned against trees in rest, everything was very quiet. It wasn't quiet in the sense that it was without noise. It was more quiet in reference to the sounds of screams or laughter that was not in good humor. The town was peaceful. The sounds that came forth seemed only to do more to complement it. Birds sang without concern, a few horses whinnied in conversation, and there was an occaisional bark of a dog. Everyone here seemed to get along. It was a break from the busy cities filled with crime and vice. Anyone could find solace within this area. Anyone could be loved.

The pure white of Meera's dress stood out indefinitely against all the muddy brown and pine green of the elves' clothing. Though Meera made it her own personal policy to wear the dress when traveling to cities to check up, she somehow felt as though she would rather blend in. After all, these were in part her people. She was part elven. How much would she enjoy simply spending a day in their life. Running a slender hand through her amber wavy hair, Meera heaved a sigh and looked around her. Though she had her back straight and chin tilted high in regality, she would rather have crawled into a shop to change her clothes. Then, she realized that she could. She had almost forgotten that she had Enzo carrying her pack back in the woods. Meera had been reluctant to bring him into the village, for fear that he might accidentally set something on fire, or scare the townspeople. A smile flashing onto her face, Meera mentally called out to him. Subtly, she slipped into an alleyway and waited for him to join her there. The soft crackling and popping of his fiery body alerted her immedietely to his presence as he trotted over and dropped her pack into her hands. Meera took a moment to lean her forehead in and rest it against Enzo's neck. The flaming steed simply curled his head in and pushed it against her shoulder. With a laugh, Meera stepped back and bid him farewell before slipping into the shop that was nearest. After a quick look around, she assured herself that no one was home and went into a back room to change quickly into her travelling clothes. When she was finally done, she felt fresh and like one of the crowd. She wore her normal buskin pants and a man's white tunic with a plain brown corset over it. Shaking out her hair, Meera jumped back out into the street.

People didn't appear to notice that the goddess they had been staring at quite openly had dissappeared. That was of no worry to Meera. Attention was not something she particularly enjoyed. The only signs that remained that only a very perceptive person might be able to pick up on was the surging aura around her, the floating evasive hint of magic within her golden emerald eyes, or the light and easy unafraid look. Even with those attributes, she could simply be a powerful sorceress. What would the world know? Meera's eyes scanned over the crowd as her boots clicked along. She wanted a discussion. She wanted to meet someone, talk to someone. She wanted to be the old Meera for a little bit. It wasn't that she disliked being disliked being a goddess at all, it was just that things were different. Sometimes it was fun to just remember the way things used to be. Hand resting on her hip, Meera made sure her dagger was against her skin for protection. She was quite competent with it, but would be wary. It didn't seem as if anyone here wanted to hurt her, but she could never be sure. Licking her lips, Meera set a smile on her face and entered the full surge of the crowd. Who would she meet today?

She would come to a small knot in the crowd, and if she waited around to check out things any further, she would notice that the knot had a clearing in the middle of it. And in that clearing, was a irritated looking guard, and a young human male who was yelling at thin air.

"I didn't steal it!"

Yes you did.

"YOU shut up."

Make me.

"Come out, and I will!"

The baffled guard looked on in apparent amazement as a young rogue he had by the scruff of the neck carried on bits and pieces of a conversation with thin air. The rogue wasn't struglling, but instead, he was trying to talk his way out of it, a look of annoyance on his rugged features the entire time. The three short sentences he had spoken before had not been spoken to the guard, nor to the small crowd that had gathered, but were instead spoken to the thin air he was staring at, directly to the elven guard's left. The next words however, were spoken to the guard, the rogue Xendral shifting his eyes to the tall, prince-like looking elf and giving him a tired grin.

"What makes you think I stole this particular purse from you?"

The young rogue held up the purse, flourishing it daintly, his eyes flashing challenge to the elven guard who was apparently there to keep the peace. The guard let out a sigh, reaching forward and snatching the leather coin pouch, and shoved it into the rogue's face to show the young human male what appeared to be a leaf symbol.

"It has my seal on it."

This calm response was met with pure silence, Xendral eyeing the elf with a look of wariness on his face. The guard raised one eyebrow, slowly sliding one hand down to the hilt of a sword on his left hip, giving it a slight pat. Xendral followed his hand down and let out a slight gulp, also checking out what looked to be very nice silver armor, and yet another sword strapped onto the guard's back.

"Uh... You dropped it, and I was giving it back?"

Idiot.

Xendral let out a growl, spinning and yelling at some invisible person behind him.

"YOU are the idiot!"

The guard rose yet another eyebrow, then let out a sigh, shaking his head, obviously not thinking the boy was much of a threat. Instead, he looked as if he thought the boy was a dolt, and anyway, the crowd that gathered seemed to be getting amusement from the general scene.

"Just keep on walking, boy. We will forget this."

Xendral paused and spun back around to face the guard, raising an eyebrow and flashing the elf a wink and a grin. shaggy locks of black hair swayed in his light blue eyes, his rough look just adding more shine to his thief-like demeanor. Sweeping into a little bow, he let loose a chuckle.

"Sounds good to me sir. Won't happen again. I promise."

The huge grin still outlined on his face, he spun around, and quickly strode toward the crowd. Taking a moment to glance back, he held out his hand, and if the guard and Meera looked close enough, they would see him flick a coin in the air, and catch it.

"I forgot to mention that I put the contents of that particular purse in my pocket. Heads I win, Tails you loose, and all that. Good day sir."

The crowd exploded into laughter as the young adult dropped a wink at the furious guard, who was staring with his mouth open, and making movement toward Xendral. The human wasn't in the mood to wait though, and quickly made his way through the thick of the crowd, amazingly fast, heading straight toward Meera.

As Meera was forced to move along with the general flow of the crowd, she spied a large knot in the middle. As if she had a choice, she slowed along with the crowd. Luckily, she had caught a hole and could look through to see what was going on in the small cleared part where there appeared to be one of the elven guards and a strange man. All she saw was a curious looking expression on the guard's face and the man yelling at something that she couldn't see. Bodies were in her way. Softly touching waists, Meera pushed her lithe form through the crowd until she was in the front looking in. Only then did Meera imitate the look the guard was making. She prused her lips and raised a brow, trying to figure out what the man was looking at and talking to. Though everyone else simply thought it was comical, Meera was curious. She wanted to know. Her travels had taken her many places and she had met many a different person. Some of them had shown similar things like this man was doing. Meera was smart enough to know that this did not mean that his circumstance was the same as theirs though. It could be an alternate person within his head. It could be some invisible cohort. It could even be a ploy to just humor the guard and make the man seem all the more crazy. For who could seriously reprimand a psychotic man. Whatever the reason, Meera wanted to know. And so she watched with a slightly amused expression as the stranger ended his little show by handing back the guards bag. Before the man had left though, Meera was backing away from the knot. She knew that as soon as everyone was out of the small clearing, the crowd would surge into it. That would certainly be the most crowded part. She would wait until everyone was done. Standing back where she had been before, Meera waited for the area to thin out.

Just as she was about to start forwards again, she saw the stranger turn to walk away. Apparently he had been relinquished easily from the guard's possession. Meera would have thought no more of it, except she saw him flip the coin and reveal his trick. A laugh bubbled forth from Meera's lips as she watched him run straight towards her. Obviously he had no idea of her capabilities. Meera was not angry with him, for this was a simple trick and she could right it. Simply crossing her arms, Meera waited for the clever man to pass right by her. When he finally came close enough, she whipped her arm out in a flash and snagged his wrist. With a strong tug on his arm, she hoped to either stop or slow him, maybe even pull him towards her and cause him to run into her. Whatever happened, Meera wasted no time. She telekinetically cupped her hands and pulled forth all of the gold the man had stolen, save for five pieces. He could obviously use it. Besides, she had to give him some credit, he had been sly enough to get out of the guard's grasp. The rest of the gold settled easily into her hands. Meera continued to hold the man's wrist in a tight grip. Flashing him a grin, she said "I would like to talk to you, just give me a moment." The guard, who had continued running towards them both, finally appeared in front of Meera. He slid to halt and before he said anything, Meera had telekinetically also grabbed his pouch and emptied her handful of gold back into it. The guard wheezed out, "Thank you. I'll take him now." Meera shook her head. Eyes flashing, she said "No thank you sir, I believe I can handle him." Subtly, Meera's finger flicked out for a moment as she calmed his emotions. The guard's breathing slowed and he blinked a couple times, then he smiled and said "I guess I trust you with him ma'am. Just watch your money!" Meera laughed easily along with him then waited until he had turned his back before turning herself around and relaxing her tight hold on the man's wrist. She raised a brow at him and said "Funny trick you pulled back there."

Taking a step forwards, Meera insisted "Come, walk with me." Trusting him not to run again since he had nothing to run from, Meera released her hold on him completely. She looked straight forwards, confident that he would come with her, and said "Now tell me who you were talking to. Either that was a very smart trick, or you're an usual person." She turned to the side and flashed him a half-smile. Sticking her hand out again, this time for a shake, Meera said "I'm Meera. And you?" Her head tilted a bit to the side and her amber hair fell over her shoulders. She had a feeling that she would take a liking to this man despite his obvious knack for thieving. Meera had nothing to worry about though. She carried a pouch for gold, but it didn't hold any. She had left all important stuff with Enzo. He would be much more competent protecting it in the woods than she would be among the crowd. People like this stranger only reinforced Meera's careful thinking. She couldn't say that she wouldn't have fallen for the same trick had she been in the guards shoes. Though it was true she was a goddess, she didn't know everything. No one was perfect. Shaking her head, Meera said "If you hadn't noticed, I saved you a few gold pieces. You're welcome."

Sadly enough, most of the while, he was keeping his eye on the guard, only glancing forward every now and then to make sure he wasn't about to run into a wall, or more painfully, off of a bridge. His graceful movements kep thim moving through the crowd with ease, and most of them let him pass anyway, wanting him to escape. He had truly given a stirring and amusing performance, and he hadn't done anything to hurt anybody. No doubt the guards pockets were well-lined anyway, and he could replace the gold within a day or so.

So when Meera grabbed him by the wrist and jerked, it would easy for her to pull off, his attentions completely focused on the guard who was trying to catch him. Her fingers would wrap around his wristbone and the slight tug that she gave would bring forth a startled squawk from his lips, and pull him into her body, his feet stumbling over one another to loose balance. Amazingly enough, he would somehow manage to gather his wits somewhere in the middle of those few moments, and his hand would brush her belt pouch, feeling her for gold. It would be discreet, and very quick and passing, for when he felt no gold he would let his hand move on, just as if it had been out of his control and part of his stumbling fall.

"What are you...?"

His eyes widening, he let out a little cry as most of the gold he had stolen floated from his pocket. Eyes flashing with surprise, he clamped his hand over his mouth to keep another cry from flashing forth, trying his best to hide his emotions. He had briefly forgotten about the guard in all of this mess, only focusing on this brazen young girl that had managed to grab ahold of him. As she spoke, he rose an eyebrow, confusing settling onto his features. For a moment, his eyes would search hers, looking for answers, but then he would suddenly realize he still had a guard hot on his heels. As the well-armed elf pulled up, she would sense and see his whole body tightening up, and from under her hand, what looked to be a black, inky shadow lifted from his skin like smoke.

For at this moment, he truly wanted to run, and he wasn't afraid to use his powers to do it. He wasn't so sure if he could pull off shadow-walking yet, and he wasn't so sure what the effects would be if he tried, but he really had no other choice at the moment.

Here next words would cause him to stop again though, the smoky shadow suddenly wisping away as if caught by fingers of wind, and his eyes once again widening and glancing to Meera in suprise. He kept silent, watching it all unfold before him, not trusting himself to speak and not understanding what was going on. He noted the finger movement she made, and assumed she had used some sort of magic to calm the guard down, for no other explaination made any sense.

Finally though, the guard was gone, and he let loose a short breath of relief, glad he had gotten free from that one.

Or so he thought.

"You want me to COME with you? Are you bloody-"

Why would you run?

Pausing in his words, he considered the voice and the logic behind what he had said. He didn't have the gold now, save for a few pieces. And no one was after him.

Growling to himself, he surged forward, following the girl as she moved ahead. In any case, the woman was fairly pretty. It could be fun. For the first time in a few minutes, the roguish grin shot across his features again, and if she had glanced behind him to watch his movements, she would see his step suddenly gain some confidence. The fear of the earlier happenings had passed, and he was back to his normal, rather annoying yet funny self.

He would follow her until she stopped, and then cross his arms over his chest, raising one eyebrow and giving her a look that said she better explain quickly. As she voiced her questions and curiousity to him, he let that stew in his head a bit, until the pieces clicked in his head. Shaking his head and letting loose a chuckle, he began to speak.

"Curiousity? You grabbed me and stole my gold, yes, MY gold, because you wondered who I was talking to?"

Shaking his head, he dipped his hand down into his purse and grabbed the five coins, pulling his hand out and tossing them in to the air, only to catch them and rattle them around in his grasp a bit.

"And, yes, I noticed. I was planning on refilling from your purse, but why you carry an empty one, I have no idea."

Shrugging, giving her a charming wink, he plowed on ahead with his words.

"As for the voice, that is really none of your business. Just call him my invisible friend, miss, and it will all be okay."

As she stuck out her hand, he smiled and took it in his own, blessing it with a little kiss on the top and letting in fall back down.

"I am known as Xendral, Meera. Nice to meet you. Might you care to make a generous donation to my empty purse?"

He left her those words and another wink, with the toothy smile still all over his amused face.

Meera shook her head and flashed another smile at Xendral. He just didn't understand. She placed a single finger on her lips and waited until he was done with his interrogation of her. At the end, he gently graced the top of her hand with a kiss. Being a goddess, Meera was quite used to this. It was all she could do not to straighten up her back and tilt her chin up regally. Instead, she tilted her chin to the side towards her shoulder. When he was done, she swept her hand down to rest easily on her hip and said, "Well aren't you the opinionated one?" She laughed softly again then proceeded to allay his fears. Meera said, "First, I gave the money back because you obviously stole it." She paused for a moment as if considering her words, then said "Yes. My curiousity does rule most of my thinking." With a slight half smile and a shrug, she said "You're free to go anytime. But I don't suggest it. That spell I cast on the guard won't last long and when it wears off, he'll be sure to tell his friends about you. I probably don't even need to tell you this, but he might not be so happy about being tricked so easily. I've learned that men have a rather large sense of pride that you just recently ground into the dirt." She then flicked her chin back in the general direction that the guard had just walked away in and looked at him seriously. He obviously wasn't stupid, yet still Meera was not sure wether she was ready to entirely put her faith in what she simply could guess that he would do. So instead of waiting for a reply on any of the things she had said, she went on.

She said, "You're the exact reason why I keep an empty purse. There's nothing for you to take. You should feel smart though. I'm wise enough to understand that you're much trickier and that I would not notice if you cut my purse." Meera's hand reached down to deftly untie the empty leather pouch. She continued holding the bag up, "If I had money, I'd give it to you. Too bad for you that I have no need for it here." Meera hesitated to go further. She didn't really want to tell Xendral that she was a goddess. She wanted to see how things worked out without that detail in there. Sure he might fill in the blanks about how she got around without money. His fillers were most likely wrong as it wasn't so likely to suspect that someone was a goddess. Meera was willing to risk that though. She addressed his final comment with a laugh. Shaking her head, Meera knew internally that his answer was not nearly good enough to satiate her curiousity. She would let it drop though. She didn't know him, and he obviously didn't want to talk about it. At this point in their acquaintance, it would be just rude. She whispered, knowing full well that he would hear her, "I always seem to pick the crazy people out of the crowd." Her eyes had cast downwards for a moment, but when she finished whispering that, she lifted them back up to connect with Xendral's with a sparkle. She laughed again and said "Come, I'll treat you to a drink. You coming?" One hand gently touched the back of his elbow reassuringly while the other continued to rest on her hip. After that split second of touch, Meera began to walk again. She gestured emptily down the street both ways and said, "We can go anywhere of your choosing. Remember, this is free to you." Her eyes narrowed in good humor. This man would surely be interesting.

He listened somewhat attentively, but also with that air of humor about the whole situation, as if he wasn't taking any of this seriously. Only when she spoke of magic did his eyes flicker with some faint vision of caution, his mind flying back to the events of before. He himself had some form of maigc, but it wasn't something he was able to throw around like she was apparently doing with all of her nice little spells. He was not about going to get involved with any kind of witch or sorceress, as he had always heard they were big trouble. Any woman that could charm a man with looks and enchantments was something to indeed be worried of. And sadly enough for him, this one had already gotten him with her looks.

You always did like women.

He ignored the voice once more, not wanting to give this 'Meera' anymore assurance then she apparently already had that he was indeed a little bit loopy. He wasn't, he just had a voice that existed inside of his skull. Thinking about it though, that might actually be the definition of loopy. He would have to check up on his word dictionary at some point during the next few days of his life.

As she mentioned the free drink, he hesitated, shying away from her touch. It was partly the thief in him, and partly the fact that he still did not completely trust her with anything about him. However, it was a drink, and it was free. Those two key points in mind, he decided to try and go along with her plan. Anyway, it would be best to get away from the guard who apparently had it out for him. He had never seemed to make any friends from his stunts. The only question though, was what place he wanted to go to. A slightly amused look finally settled itself back onto his face again, and as she began to walk, he lightly followed suit, his eyes challenging hers.

"My choice? The most expensive place around. I am sure you know whatever one that may be."

This pretty much worked out for him in two ways. If she was indeed as broke as she claimed to be, then how in the world was she supposed to get him a drink? And also, by showing him the most expensive place in the city, he would be able to know which place to rob next. At least all the money went to a good cause, but it was one she would never know of, not on his life.

Meera felt him shy from her touch, and for a brief moment pondered its meaning, but eventually she let it drop. It likely wasn't a big thing, and plus, it was normal for people not to appreciate it when strangers touched them. Who would be expected to actually like it? Meera laughed inside her own mind at her thought process, then brought her attention back to the man in front of her. It simply wasn't polite to ignore him. Especially since she was the one who had initiated the conversation in the first place. As soon as the man came along side of her, Meera matched his pace and then thought about the place that he had requested. Of course she knew the most expensive one. Just about everyone who had spent any time here did. Obviously Xendral was not one of that crowd. Shaking her head, Meera opened her mouth and was about to comment and point out where the place was, but she held back. She did not want to underestimate him. Though it was in her nature to try and see the best in people, she could not completely ignore the fact that he was a theif. He had done nothing to prove that he was trustworthy, nor did he make any signs that he was going to try at all. Xendral had to be far more cunning than he seemed. Plus, Meera began to remember that the most expensive bar, The Gilded Sage, knew her by her position and refused to call her simply Meera no matter how many times she begged them otherwise. If they went there, it would surely give away her secret. There was no doubt at all. So instead, Meera picked somewhere that she had never been. There was a danger there that Xendral might recognize that this wasn't the best the town had to offer. If that happened though, Meera had a well prepared excuse. And plus, there was no reason for him to think it. Despite never being in the actual place, Meera passed by it several times and it looked nice enough.

Meera opened her mouth once more with a smile and said "Allright then, at your command we're headed towards The Elm. The name might not sound original at all, but believe me, you'll like it." With that, Meera gave him a smirk and tossed her hair over her shoulder. So it might be a battle of sly trickery the whole time, oh well. All the more fun! Feeling that any silence that stretched between them may be awkward, Meera looked to fill it. She turned back to Xendral golden emerald eyes flashing. She said, "So is theivery really all that you do? You just wander around looking for the occaisional unsuspecting passerby and grab? I find that hard to believe. Tell me, how did you first get into this business to? Though I really could imagine that the pay is heavy too." Meera rolled her eyes overdramatically and shook her head. This poor man had no idea who he was dealing with. He probably didn't even know that she could really throw him behind bars at any moment. Meera thought that terribly unfair though. If she were going to catch someone, she preferred the conventional method, where the person actually knew that they were in trouble, that this acutally was the guard. Why give people a reason to not trust eachother. Why make everyone paranoid. Now that, was self-destruction surely. Skipping a bit in her step, Meera made light of the situation. She was really in a good mood. The day had helped to ensure that. Turning her head, whenever Meera connected eyes with a passerby, she nodded at them and smiled. At least if this man wouldn't talk to her, she could show that she had tried and that she clearly was a very friendly person. Eventually though, worrying about silence was unneeded. Meera spied the bar in the distance. The elm was also relatively closeby. Another reason why she had picked it from the rest. Heaving a sigh, Meera's shoulders slumped a bit. They were almost there. Well, she'd just have to see if the tavern would reveal her misdirection or not.

He nodded at her introduction of where they were going, accepting it at face value and following along with her. He really did not know this area well at all, so for the moment, he would have to place his trust in her. At any sign of a guard though, he would be gone like the wind, and no magic of hers would stop him, so he hoped. He kept alert, and she may notice. Although he appeared to be quite at ease next to her, his hands shoved in pockets, his eyes light and dancing about, those simple features masked a cool wariness. Although his eyes danced around, they drank in everything they landed on, taking note of details, people, and escape routes. Even though his hands were in his pockets, one got the distinct feeling that they could be wrapped around something, for the pockets were indeed large enough to hold some sort of small weapon. Most thieves were not the type to simply wander around with other people who knew their profession, and Xendral was one of those particular ones. He knew this was a foolhardy trip, but so far, it was going well.

As she asked the question about his little hobby of trickery, a slight smile curved his lips, and his eyes continued to dance about, but in the air around them would be a sudden aura of intensity, as if her sudden question had rubbed him the wrong way. Indeed it had, for the way she spoke of it, and the way she rolled her eyes was enough to speak on what she thought about it.

"Tell me, Meera. Have you ever watched anyone starve?"

He raised one eyebrow, not looking at her, still observing his surroundings. His voice was harsh, but the words he had flowing through his head were even harsher. How dare she judge him. Perhaps she had really just wondered, but to him, he had taken it as an offense. He was defensive about the subject, just about as much as he was passionate.

"I don't mean have you ever actually been hungry, or seen someone who is starving. I want to know if you have been there and watched a person go from poor to starving, and from starving to dead? I wonder if one coin would have changed his life? Think about it. The guard, he obviously is paid well, and since he has money to carry around, he obviously has more then enough to pay for his basic needs. Now tell me which is more wrong? Someone who is dying because he can't find one coin, so steals from someone who obviously has extra coin... Or the person who is heartless enough to ignore the people dying around him?"

This didn't answer her question, although she could dredge up an answer from it. He was semi-well dressed, so if she thought he was talking about himself, she had another thing coming. No, he stole for another purpose. One that he would never give to her, but one that he knew was in the right, no matter what people thought to tell him.

"Don't be so quick to judge me, nor the others who steal."

His eyes slid to hers, the blue in his orbs cold, distant, blocking her off from whatever lay underneath.

"If the Gods and Heaven's would simply deliver justice... Then I would not be who I am today."

Then shouldn't someone deliver justice?

He simply ignored the voice this time. He gazed at her for a few moments, then abruptly smiled, the ice in his eyes giving way to warmth, the look on his face slacking into a ear-to-ear smile. For a second, he looked like a small child who had just gotten a new toy, nothing like the serious young man of before. As the bar came into view, even though a bit far off, Xendral perked his head to the side and glanced toward it. The sound of cheering was coming from the general area, as was the smell of bread and the stench of ale. The grin on his face only widened, and he let out a little chuckle, pleased with the way things were turning out. Having no idea of her misdirection, apparently.

"I suppose that this is the inn you so speak of?"

Meera was not watching Xendral as he spoke, so she simply heard the severity of his words. The bitter tone to them caused her to turn her head back towards him and crease her brows inwards. He asked her if she had ever seen anyone starve before. Meera thought without another second of hesitation ...yes.. He continued to specify what he meant by "starving" but Meera had already solidified the memory back in her mind. So maybe she had not witnessed the whole process, the fall from grace, but she had seen starvation. She had been there. She had watched people die. Meera bowed her head towards the ground, tilting her chin into her chest. Though he had called upon her to bring up memories, Meera saw more than just that. She listened as he spoke passionately about theiving, as a way of life. Meera wished she could only take the words she had spoken before back into her mouth. She had been ignorant. She had stereotyped him. It had slipped her mind, but she had done it. Meera never liked to do that, but here she had. She had gone against what her normal customs were and it had upset this man. Bringing her chin back up, Meera looked back at Xendral. When her eyes caught on his, all she felt was a shiver down her spine. They were cold and distant. He was obviously cutting her off from analyzing what he was thinking on the inside. That was okay, Meera would respect that. Then one moment later after she had decided that, they became warm and cheery like that whole discussion had never happened. Meera still felt like she owed some sort of explanation. She said "Forgive me. I am not usually so ignorant. I meant you no offense. I...I know what you're speaking of." Meera had been there. She had been a theif. She had needed the money. Now who was she to act like she was looking down on them. Shaking her head, Meera remembered that Xendral had moved on, and so would she.

Clearing her eyes up from their stormy appearence, Meera grinned and said, "Yes, this is the inn." After a split second more of walking, they arrived. Meera reached out and lightly grasped the door handle, jerking it open for she knew for a fact that tavern doors were never light. This one was no exception. She grunted softly at the strain on her elbow, but continued to smile. Nothing could ever completely ruin her mood. Not even their little chat. Meera's emerald eyes scanned the room for some good seating, and found a nice spot on the wall to the left. Meera glanced to Xendral then jerked her head in that direction and began to walk over there herself. As she was walking, some mildly curious eyes turned in their direction to see who had entered. Heart racing a bit with adrenaline, Meera scanned every eye she could for any signs of recognition. When none offered that faint glimmer, Meera relaxed. She sat down at the little table and leaned back in the chair. Okay, so far so good. The waitress came by, once more, Meera looked at her. This time though, she wanted some spark. The waitress came by and was about to ask what she could do for them, but then her eyes narrowed. Meera needed that sign, but didn't want the waitress to reveal everything. She quickly thrust a telepathic thought into the waitress's head. "Yes, I am who you're thinking of, but don't say a word." The waitress nodded curtly and turned back to the table. Her voice quavered a bit as she spoke, "Anything I can get for you two?" She looked at Meera first, then slid her gaze over to Xendral. Meera smiled politely and said, "Yes, I'll take a red wine please" As the waitress looked over at Xendral, Meera winked and smiled teasingly. Would he maybe order the most expensive thing on the menu just because? Meera laughed and shook her head. Whatever suited him.

As they neared the doors, his step hurried a little bit, as if to beat her to the large objects. He had always been taught to be polite to women, even if he was a thief, and this was no exception. Perhaps that was also part of the charm that always seemed to snag him the girl he wanted, no one could be sure. Whatever the case, his show of politeness succeeded, if only halfway. He managed to help her with the door, but she had gotten to it before his polite streak had kicked in. As he heard her grunt a little, he pushed a little harder on the doors, aiding her and giving the rest of the opening a bit of an easier time. He held it for her as she walked in, and let it gently close behind them.

As she jerked her head toward a table, he followed, his eyes scanning the room. Some gave them glances, curiousity the main factor, but quite a few of the glances were aimed at Meera, not himself. True, he was handsome, and a few of the ladies present gave him encouraging looks, but he wasn't quite in Meera's league. Something about her was unnatural, the enchanting beauty that she held unmatched by his own natural, normal human looks.

As they seated themselves, he gave the room another judging look, this time, with a thief's eye. If this was the richest place in town, then these people deserved some credit. There appeared to be no haughty looks, or stuck-up men and women from first glance, although more may be hidden under the surface. It wasn't a particularly spectacular bar, but it did look like it had very high quality food and service. All in all, he was sure some of the purses here were quite full, and he would be sure to have his fun with the area. He just had to avoid troublesome guards and random girls with magical powers. Laughing a bit to himself, a light chuckle coming out, he turned to the waitress as the girl approached. He let a loose smile rest on his face, politely awaiting her to ask him what he wanted. For a moment, she looked ready to say something, her mouth opening and forming a word. Then, in an eyeblink, she paused, narrowed eyes fixed on Meera. He continued to lightly gaze at her, not putting too much fact into this small detail. He was an alert person though, and soaked in such details quite easily. He could judge it later. As the girl spoke, he once again noted the small detail of her voice shaking, and her gaze still remained fixed on Meera, but he once again gave no sign.

Everything means something.

Ignore it. That is what he had to keep telling himself.

He waited for Meera to give her order, and then he gave his own.

"A cup of water please, I don't drink. And a glass mug, but frosted over quite well. Empty, if you don't mind."

The poor girl blinked at him, not quite understanding. Xendral patiently waited, knowing that both women were probably thinking he was an idiot at the moment. But he didn't care, it all had a purpose. It always would have a purpose. The girl hesistated for a moment longer and then gave a curt nod, turning away and walking back to the kitchen. Xendral let out a short chuckle and turned his head toward Meera, his boyish eyes judging her up, as if expecting her to take the lead and start a conversation from scratch.

Meera noted the small attempt at politeness when Xendral attempted to open the door for her. Not used to having gentlemen do that for her, Meera had simply gone ahead and done so herself. She had grown up from a simple family. Never had she been around noble men who had done that for women. She felt mildly suprised, but not at all disproved of what he had done. The world needed more men like him. With that thought, a pang of guilt shot through her once more for judging him so quickly before. Though she felt it, she knew that Xendral had moved on already and so would she. At the table after Meera had conquered the waitress, she looked over at Xendral, curiousity hitting as to what he might order. Water? Another decision she hadn't expected from him. That did not at all mean that she didn't respect that. It was very honorable to not drink. Meera herself normally only drank for ceremonial purposes. It just had become a habit to order wine or the likes at a bar. Maybe she would stop. But Xendral's order didn't stop suprising her at that, he also wanted a mug frosted over. What for? Meera's brow raised and a smile spread across her lips. She ran her hands through her hair then leaned forwards on the table to entertain conversation. Looking at him with another of her curious grins, Meera said "You aren't like other men. You know that? I've only met you for a little while, and yet still you manage to have challenged most of my beliefs that I thought were solid." Shaking her head, Meera saw the waitress return with their drinks. The poor girl was determined not to make eye contanct and simply set the glasses on the table and then left. Meera's golden emerald eyes glinted as she watched the waitress while she walked back to the bar. When the girl had disappeared from sight, Meera drew her gaze back to Xendral.

A part of her curiousity really wanted to see what he did with the two glasses he ordered. There were several possibilities, but Meera kept in mind that this man always had suprises up his sleeve for her. She absentmindedly swept up her glass and tilted it to her lips. The crimson liquid immedietely stained her mouth a deep red, but Meera swiped most of it away with a flick of her tongue. Almost as if she had all the time in the world, Meera laboriously brought the glass down and winked at Xendral. She said, "My feeling is that you could have any woman in this room." Meera had gathered that much, for when she was connecting with the waitress's mind, her own had opened up to the whole rooms and she caught quite a few thoughts from many of the people. The one thing that Meera was very careful not to pick up on were Xendral's own thoughts. Call it a qualm of hers, but Meera was very careful not to pry herself into a person she was with's thoughts. If they were fighting, it was different, but not just for conversation. That was rude. Continuing where she had left off, Meera said "What brings you here alone? I'd think that a man as handsome as you would have at least a lady friend with him. Even if this was only your first time here in Norwood Village." She she might have been flirting with him a little bit, Meera had no intentions of picking him up. She hoped that Xendral would be conscious enough to pick up that vibe about her. Meera had provided a base for some talking between them, but by no means would she be the only player here. They were going to take turns asking and answering questions. If Xendral seemed to be the type that only answered, Meera would make sure that she became a very bad conversationalist. She was good at that if she really wanted to.