Soft clattering from horse hooves could be heard coming slowly down the road. It seemed that there was a traveler riding down the road on a dark red and white paint mare. However, there was much more to this cloaked traveler than met the eye. First off the rider wasn't exactly seated in the right place. Secondly it would be quickly realized, if anyone looked too long, that the horse had no head. This was no mere rider and a horse. It was a Centaur.

Strapped to the Centaur's side was a bow and a small quiver with arrows. She was apparently some sort of Hunter or ranger carrying these items. The Centaur female looked out from beneath her hood in search of a merchant who could assist her. She needed supplies that she had been unable to acquire outside of towns and/or villages on her travels. 'Leaving home likely wasn't the best idea. But this place doesn't seem so bad.' She mused. The Centaur stiffened some As she walked, thinking she felt eyes upon her. Her first instinct was to go for her bow; yet she did not want to give reason for there to be word sent to the guards. The young Centaur woman couldn't afford that.

The bustling streets of Abed never seemed to stay still for long, and that was precisely why Raile had left the inn early.  After securing his supply routes for alchemy in Karith, he had 'acquired' the contracts of a set of very talented twins.  However, the airship they took to get to Abed had been delayed en-route, which left him behind on his schedule.  Not that the delay had been the worst thing.  

I really hope those two don't get into trouble while I'm gone, Raile sighed.  The twins would likely be the death of him.  "On that note," he muttered to himself, weaving in and out of the stalls and shops, looking for trade deals.  "Let's see…no, no….no….ye-…no."  As per usual, a lot of the merchants about were peddling honest goods at a honest price.  That meant Raile was more or less out of luck.  The supply and demand was evening out for Abed, which meant he would have to predict where the market trends would go.

"That's…not going to be easy.  I'm better of peddling what I have to a non-local…"  The man scoffed, crossing his arms.  It was as if luck were on his side, though, as lo and behold, a centaur was walking into the market.  Raile grinned.  Perfect.  The locals won't know what to do.  and likewise, the centaur will feel isolated.  If I step in, it should solve the problem.  It's a win-win.  He stepped out of the crowd, and started to pace with the centaur.

"G'morning!" the brunette haired merchant said with a warm smile.  "I may not look it, but erm, I'm a merchant of sorts.  Could I interest you in a trade?  I do even trades for items, as well as silver, if that interests you." 

The Centaur cautiously looked at all the vendors and noticed some odd glances from many of the folks weaving in and out of the stands. This made her evermore uncomfortable with being in a place with so many who were unlike her in so many ways. 'Why do they always have to look at me like that…? Haven't they seen anything like me before? There are elves and fairies and all sorts of other creatures…. Why must they look at me like I am no more than an animal?' The Centaur mused with a slight frown etched onto her face.

The temptation to grab her bow was growing stronger; however, she resisted the urge to grab it and ready it. It would only get her into trouble, or worse, therefore that was enough to keep her in check. 'No sense in getting killed. Just find a merchant who won't look at you any different than the rest of the people…and then you'll be good.' Her thoughts were clouding her mind so she had no idea she was being approached by a merchant.

The red and white paint Centaur female was snapped out of her thoughts almost immediately as she heard someone speaking to her. "Hm?! Oh, good morning." She replied quickly. As she walked, she slowed a bit, as she knew she could very easily outpace the man walking alongside her. "Oh? I am looking for a merchant, so I suppose that you could help me." She paused for a moment and glanced around, noticing the other merchants turned their attention back to their other customers, thus making her feel a little less awkward walking through the marketplace in Abed. "What do you sell?" asked the Centaur, as she returned her focus onto the man who claimed to be a merchant.

Perfect. Raile clasped his hands together, and smiled. “Currently, I have a decent stock of alchemical ingredients at my disposal, though currently they are back at the Inn i’m staying in. While I don’t have any particular potions or tonics on hand, I have a skilled alchemist who can make something, so long as coin in paid half in advance.” He cleared his throat, realizing he might be rushing the conversation a bit. “I’m currently low on metals for it, but I also have a blacksmith who can make a variety of commissions, if that is something you need as well, though I’m afraid there might be a slight upcharge on that since materials are hard to come by at current.” It was a lot to take in.

Raile paused, letting the centaur soak in the information he had doled out. “Finally, I have some basic wares at hand, though nothing that can’t be found in any basic shop. Since I travel a lot, though, I tend to keep the basics on hand in case someone is in need of it outside of a city or town. However, I do not carry any clothing or the sort. Tailoring is not my strong suit, especially when it comes down to non-humans…no offense.” he stated. “It takes a certain skill set, you see, and I very much so lack it.

“Oh, I just realized,” he said with a slight shock. “I haven’t even introduced myself. Raile Talon, merchant and trader. It’s a pleasure.” The humble merchant made a bow. “If there’s anything you need, please ask and I’ll do my best to accomodate.

Kimari, who'd not yet revealed her name, pulled her hood down and looked at Raile. She tilted her head some as he began going on about his wares and such. She was trying to process it all as quickly as the man was spouting it off to her, although it wasn't happening as easily as she liked. The female Centaur gave slight nods as she listened to the man. As well as the occasional "Mhm," in reply. Her pace slowed more, almost coming to a complete stop. This was mainly due to her not knowing where she was going, and figured stopping to listen to the man beside her would be for the best.

When she heard mention of clothing she frowned a bit. She didn't particularly need too much new clothing to wear, although it bothered her slightly that even this man seemed to think she wore totally different attire than humans and elves, and other such beings. "I…erm….still can wear human clothing…. Just because I am half horse doesn't mean that I am entirely incapable of wearing the same things as a human or elven woman can." Her brows were furrowed as she looked down a little to make eye contact with Raile. "I don't need horse blankets or saddles or anything like that. Yes, I do have horseshoes, but only to help keep my hooves from chipping or wearing down if I have to travel long distances without much rest." She pulled her hood up some As she spoke, letting her eyes glance away from Raile to the other people who were giving her anything from a passing glance to a full on stare. This made her more than a little nervous.

"Hm? Oh, Kimari." She replied as the man introduced himself. "And don't worry about it. I'll not be angry if you do not introduce yourself before advertising your wares. I've had people be much more impolite to me than a simple lack of introduction." Kimari replied, jumping slightly as someone brushed against her horse flank. "I'm not really sure just what I need….and I've not really got too much for money. But I could, perhaps, see some of the things you have to trade or sell?"

Raile found himself a little flustered that he might have insulted the poor centaur. He took a quick bow, “Er…sorry. To be honest, I don’t know too much about centaurs. I apologize for my ignorance, and for any insult that may have occurred.” He sighed. This wasn’t going exactly as planned, but negotiations had yet to fall through, so he still had opportunities to make it up.

He noticed that Kimari was struggling with the crowds. Her eyes kept darting around, as if expecting things to break into a struggle at a moments notice. The term ‘flighty’ came to mind as she reacted to being brushed up against. He noted that there were a few stares from the people, but overall it wasn’t as if they were coming at her with swords drawn. I may need a drink after this, he thought to himself.

“So,” he said, pulling out his notebook. He flipped through the pages. “All right, here we are. This is a list of my current wares,” he said, producing the open book to the centaur. The notes were written neatly in the common language, listed in no specific order. Quantities were listed beside them, as well as the current going rate of each item in both single and in bulk.

“As I said earlier, I also accept trades of equal or more value. Unfortunately, I do not have the capacity to give loans at the moment.” He cleared his throat. “Again, everything i have can be delivered by end of day, guaranteed. It’s a Talon promise,” he said with a clear smile.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go to get away from the crowds? It might make the discussions go a tad smoother, if you’d prefer.”

"It isn't your fault… I doubt that too many around here see Centaurs to know what they would and wouldn't wear." Kimari said in response to Raile. She wasn't exactly insulted; just a bit flustered and unsure what to think of this place filled with humans, elves and others that only walked on two legs. It certainly wasn't a common sight for her, so she felt like she could understand why the people looked at her so; despite her not looking at them as they did her.

The Centaur glanced at some children with their mother, smiling, but looked away at the look she received from the mother. She sighed, returning her attention to Raile once more. "Ah, alright." She said softly as she skimmed over the different wares that the man had written in his notebook. She didn't exactly know what she needed, which was likely a bad thing for her. It meant that she could potentially be talked into purchasing things she might not really need; yet be made think that she would/could find them useful later on.

"Hmm? Oh. Maybe that may be best. I don't know how long it might be before someone thinks that it would be fun to come at me….the way some of them are looking at me." Kimari mumbled with a frown. "I don't know this place at all, so would you mind showing me to a place we can speak and not be interrupted?" The Centaur hoped that this would not be any trouble. She felt as if she had already taken too much of the man's time already.

Raile had to wrack his brain for a moment to think of a location that would suit the two best, and finally settled on a small outlook on the edge of Abed. He motioned for the centaur to follow, starting off at what would be a brisk pace for a human. It did not take them too long to reach the area. There were a few scattered travelers headed down one of the roads leading out, but for the most part, it seemed to be fairly free of people.

“Right, this is much easier, right?’ he asked. The outlook consisted of a small, grassy hill that showed a fantastic view of the Tower of Edhit. Raile had never gone to it himself, but every time he was in Abed, he had contemplated on visiting. He may not have been a devout believer of the fallen deities, but he wasn’t about to trash Abed’s and Pavpora’s beliefs; that was bad for business. He sighed with a smirk, glancing at the tower once more before turning his attention back to Kimari.

“All right. Earlier it seemed like you were glancing through the book. I notice you’re traveling fairly light at the moment, so I might make a few basic recommendations, if I may.” He clapped his hands together, and with a smile, started listing things off. “To start, a basic bag or backpack, whichever would be more comfortable, would do wonders for helping carry things that you will need, or might find on the road. If you’re not skilled with healing magicks, I’d also recommend a medical kit, for any injuries. A canteen and rations are a must, for obvious reasons, as well as a tent and blanket for when you need to camp out at night. It gets surprisingly cold out if you're not expecting it” He thought for a moment. “Right. Speaking of night, a torch or lantern for dark places would help as well, unless you have good night vision.” The merchant thought again, listing things off in his mind first. “Past that, I recommend a few sets of clothes for any possible weather, as getting caught in the rain isn’t preferable. Maybe a journal if you’re into keeping logs like I am. A tinderbox and rope aren’t necessary, but it does make life easier.”

“Of course, all of this can be arranged for a flat rate, if you’d like. Just let me know what you’re interested in and I can total it out for you. A quarter of the payment is asked as a deposit, and the remainder once the product is given.”

Kimari Redmane easily kept pace with Raile as he led her to a place that seemed to be, for the most part, void of people. This caused her to relax significantly. Her guard was not let down, however. The Centaur had no way to know who might come to this place.

"Most definitely. This isn't nearly as bad as being back there with that swarm of people." Kimari replied, letting her gaze follow to where Raile had looked. The Centaur's eyes flicked about the tower, taking in the details. "I don't get to see things like that too often…" She mumbled softly before turning to Raile.

Kimari nodded slowly as she listened to Raile. "I was." She said softly in reply. "I am," she agreed. "Oh, of course." She gave small replies to the man as she listened to him speak. However, once he began giving recommendations she stopped speaking and began taking mental notes to be sure that she knew all of what the man was offering and comparing them with what she had on hand. She didn't want to purchase something that she needn't get right then. The basic bag sounded like something she could use. Hers wasn't really that old, but she thought that having another pack could definitely help her carry things that she found in the road, as she occasionally found little things of value and tried her hardest to tuck them away in the pouches that she had. "Ah, a medical kit, yes. I do need one of those." She thought aloud. These things that Raile was mentioning all sounded like things she could use. Yet she knew there was no way she could purchase everything. 'I have to pick the essentials.' she told herself silently.

"There are so many things that I need, but I can't purchase them all right now. I can certainly keep you in mind if there are other things that I need in the future. If I can get in touch with you after we part ways, of course." She replied, shifting some and looking to Raile. "You mentioned clothing that you could get for me? When might that be possible?" The Centaur was curious, as she knew this man had previously said that tailoring was not a strong suit for him. Yet she did not call him out on that little tidbit. She merely asked when he might be able to acquire clothing for her, so as to try and avoid being rude to the man.

Raile sighed. This was always the complex part of the business. There was never really a good way to keep in touch with a travelling merchant. For the longest time he had wanted to settle down, but he had needed the funds and the place to do so. Not to mention trade lines and a steady supply of products. With that, he grinned internally. He had Leilah and Kalina now. That was a start. And he had just secured a few steady shipments of alchemical goods. Maybe now was a good time to start looking…

“I’m not sure if there’s a great way to find me again, but I’m sure there are plenty of merchants about who wouldn’t mind helping. However, I am looking forward to opening up a shop in the future, so if you travel the world and happen to see it, please do stop by!” he said excitedly. In the meantime, he wasn’t going to bother too much with pushing for sales. If she was low on funds there wasn’t too much of a point.

However, when the centaur mentioned clothing, Raile felt his heart fall a bit. He was low on those particular sets of supplies. He was sure he could find some, but the tailoring was not a strong suit. He briefly wondered if Kalina or Leilah had any talent with it. Knowing his luck, they very well might have. But, the important questions first.

“It would take anywhere from a full day’s work to a week, depending on the materials required for the make, as well as measurements, size, and quantity. Do you have an idea of what you’d like?” Depending on the skillset required, he could always commission something, using his silver tongue to spin a deal.