Lavender & Lilies

Deception

Lilliana nervously sidestepped Dimitri whenever she felt she was getting too close, and he noticed this.

"What are you doing?" He asked under his breath while she gave another few taps to a wooden wagon.

"Staying away from you," she whispered back, darting to a different side of him to a different wagon.

He rolled his eyes. "We're in the middle of the town square. I'm not going to do anything to you,"

"You probably would," Lilliana hissed. "Now shut up. I'm trying to find someone."

He straightened and crossed his arms. "What does that infernal tapping even do for you?"

Now it was Lilliana's turn to roll her eyes. "You tap three times on a wooden wagon. If the owner is part of the resistance movement in the Empire, the horse or donkey at the front will whinny or rear at the sound of the tap, and the owner will notice this and find the person who tapped."

Dimitri snorted, but he didn't really have anything to say about it.

"The soldiers, especially those here at Merceus, won't notice anything suspicious, because there's so many people squeezing by that the donkey or horse could've been triggered by anything." She continued explaining, nodding an apology to a few people she bumped into.

"Yes, how will the owner know someone tapped it?" Dimitri asked. "It's rather stupid."

She pursed her lips. "The animals are trained, Dimitri. They're not going to rear or make any loud sounds while in the marketplace unless they hear that tap or someone smacks them with a metal branding pole."

He plucked at the cowl neck of his new loose, cream-colored shirt; the brown twine tied around his waist didn't tickle his fancy much either. The prince was grateful for the soft brown pants Lilliana was able to barter for, though. "How long do you suspect this will take?"

She tilted her head from side to side thoughtfully. "Perhaps another hour at most; we've been searching for a little while."

"I should've figured," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And then how long will it take for your... convincing?"

Lilliana shrugged. "It tends to take hardly thirty minutes, but it depends on the guy. You'll just have to sit tight and keep the children in check."

"That's what I'm worried about," Dimitri muttered under his breath. "You know you don't need to keep avoiding me. I won't threaten you at all."

She laughed. "I'm certain you would. And I'm not taking chances. I'll have you know that frightened me severely and I'd rather not—"

Lilliana felt a hand on her shoulder, and it wasn't Dimitri's. She whirled around to see a tall young man with short black hair and gentle hazel eyes staring down at her. "Hello there," she said excitedly, switching on the charm immediately. "Why, I don't believe I've seen you in ages!"

He smiled. "Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it?" The man said, letting go of her shoulder. "You're here to see Mother, are you not? She's been expecting you for quite a long time. Did something happen on the way?"

Dimitri, utterly confused, could only look between the young man and Lilliana blankly. Faye stepped in front of him, holding Posey by her hand.

Lilliana nodded. "Would you mind taking me to her? I'd love to say hi again. And my older brother and I have some urgent business to take care of..." She gave the boy a sly look. "Perhaps it would be best if we spoke somewhere not as crowded, don't you agree?"

It seemed the boy was somewhat taken aback by her eagerness. "Yes... yes, that would be alright. Come with me. How many siblings do you have?"

She pretended to give an awkward glance behind her. "That seems to be a topic we can delve into when we are with your mother, I'm sorry to say."