Her blushing face was enough for him to notice, but she maintained composure.
-"I.... I think that's a good idea, yes." She then changed the subject. "You are not from here, are you?" She asked, both curiously and normally, she was interested in knowing for real.
-"Oh no, I am from.... Delhanot, Lidingoth." He said, his dark skin resembled a Brown Elf, but he was human....
-"I have never been there, what it is like?" She asked, maybe he had a human father.
-"It's plain, and cold.... You can see the famous Brightwallace Mountains from there. A beautiful sight."
-"And.... What is your name?" She felt as it was too much to ask.... He smiled.
-"I am Kroarl. I was a simple lumberjack in the city of Pomas, until I just wanted to find my place on the world... And so I became a traveler." He accompanied Umurrah to buy some other stuff, as they moved to another stall he then said: "I have heard good things about Crodomac, and the Jewel of Nature in the desert.... You might know the legend, the sand itself created a paradise beneath a cave, where the world was shifted, upside down. A unique place that can take you away."
-"It's just a legend I am afraid, nobody had seen that, even when it became a fever to look for the Jewel. It never appeared, that was more than 35 years ago."
-"I see.... Then I guess I have no place here, I must take my leave, after a few days."
-"You know you can stay." She said without thinking. "I-I mean... As... a tourist, we have.... A lot of places where you can go here, if you want I can show you...." She realized she was ruining it more. "Oh Gods..."
-"I will pretend that didn't happen, if we can keep seeing each other, but... Yes. You had convinced me, I will stay."
She couldn't be happier. She was also feeling dizzy, she was thrilled, she felt rainbows, butterflies, meteorites.... It was an amazing feeling for her. He just smiled and kept going, after a while, they both ended in the capital house, he was then taking his leave, his favor was complete and she had to go.
When she entered the door, she gave a huge sigh of relief, and.... Love. And as the entered the kitchen, she heard the door to Alténis' room upstairs opening. What perfect timing! Although he has to know sometime.... But.... They were nothing, she was daydreaming again. Before anything else, she opened the letter and read.
"Dear Chief,
I was a little disappointed to wait for you a while last night until giving up. It might be that you didn't received my last letter and I understand that, but I won't give up. I will meet you for a couple of drinks in the Inn in town, in the small pub they have. I will pay, I know it's not the glamorous life you could be used to, but.... I insist, I want to make it special. Can it tomorrow night?
-Yours sincerely, Unknown."
The same mystery, for nothing.... She already knew the name of the man. And her colors on her face were out after realizing it was a date. And again for his timing, it was already that "tomorrow night" as he probably forgot to send the letter the night before. And then death almost touches her as Alténis asked:
-"What are you doing mom?"
She burned the papers in one second with a fire spell, and Alténis just sighed. She then started preparing breakfast and they both ate. It was a long morning indeed, at least for her. Alténis said he was going out, he again didn't say where, and his mother didn't ask, he took a coat, and called a servant to get his horse. Her mother was waiting anxiously for him to go, as she was already thinking of Kroarl, and what to wear, and what to everything. Alténis kissed his mother in the cheeks and then the forehead, as usual. She then waited for him to close the door, immobile, when he did, she rushed to take a bath, a long one... She had her favorite servant ''assist'' her and all, and made love to her again. Apparently the good mood was spreading more than ever, to everyone. She led the servant without breath, on the floor, with the towels her Mistress was going to use all around the floors. She just forgot on that whole moments about the rocky deserts, the sand, the mines, the wealth... The conflict. On her mind, was only the mysterious black man with dark curled hairs....
After that she just took the rest of the afternoon picking a decent way of clothing that is simple, not egocentric, just.... Plain simple as she is. But, she had a hard time deciding, normally Alténis would help her decide but he was gone... So this time she just had to pick herself, and... Alténis has good taste, but.... Umurrah doesn't, and she ended up taking unmatched colors and the like.
