Wild Tide [Soo-ho]

chapter 3

The question of what to do was solved rather swiftly, as Loire had the desire to go and shop for baubles and trinkets at the market. Lana tried to convey this to the Hwarangs, though she wasn't sure how much was actually understood; Soo-ho had bowed and responded in Sillan with 'yes, princess', so she assumed her attempt had been a success. 

"Oh, Lana, look!" Loire squealed suddenly, attracting the attention of several people nearby. Embarrassed, Lana put down the carved mirror she was holding and walked over to where Loire was examining hair accessories.

"It's very pretty." Lana said agreeably, looking over the hairpin in Loire's hands. It was made of some type of bronzed metal in the shape of a flower, with small golden gems adorning the centre. Truth be told it wasn't entirely Lana's style, she much preferred silver jewellery, but it would undoubtedly look beautiful in Loire's sun-kissed hair.

"Can you tell the merchant that I wish to purchase it?" Loire asked, reaching for her small pouch of silver and gold. Lana sighed lightly; she firmly believed that Loire would have had a much easier time if she just practised the language and customs herself, but Lana knew she couldn't push her too far. She took the pouch out of Loire's hands and turned to the trader.

"How much?" She asked, slowly and hesitantly. The trader glanced at her distrustfully, and mumbled a response that she couldn't understand over the hubbub of the marketplace. She was just about to try to ask him to repeat himself, when Soo-ho swooped in out of nowhere and stood in front of her, eclipsing her completely. 

"Oh!" She gasped in surprise, trying to peek around him and see what was going on. He was speaking quickly, but Lana managed to catch individual words like 'cheat' and 'rude'.

"What is he doing?" Loire bristled, but Lana put a calming hand on her shoulder before she could do anything.

"I think," she started slowly, "this merchant was trying to swindle us." She closed her eyes and really strained to listen to the conversation. Yeo-wool had joined in too, his voice softer and more languid, like a slow flowing river. "They are arguing with him for our sake, Loire." Lana put her arm back at her side once she was sure Loire understood.

"Hmpf." Loire scoffed, but thankfully refrained from making any inappropriate comments. The exchange went on for some time, but in the end it appeared that the Hwarangs emerged victorious, and Yeo-wool handed the hairpin to Loire with a small bow.

"How much?" Lana repeated her earlier question, conscious of the fact that nobody seemed to be paying the merchant. Soo-ho smirked at the trader, who glared at him from beneath bushy, grey eyebrows.

"It's free, princess." He said, and Lana relayed the meaning to Loire with surprise. She wanted to ask if he was sure, but she didn't know the right words, so she thanked both the Hwarangs profusely instead.

"I suppose they're useful for something after all, even if it's not fighting." Loire said haughtily, and it was Lana's turn to glare.

"They've done us a great service; one they didn't even have to do." She reprimanded while they walked over to the next stall. "Why are you so hostile? They've been nothing but kind to us." Loire brushed past her silently, and Lana smiled sadly. If she didn't change her attitude, her sister would continue to needlessly struggle.

A stall across from them caught Lana's eye. It was full of musical instruments; flutes, zithers, and drums of all shapes and sizes were lying on an embroidered cloth. Lana bounded over happily, pleased with the discovery. She ran her fingers along the body of the nearest flute in excitement, recognising the material to be bamboo, and beamed. Music was her passion and her way of passing the time on long, dreary days at sea. Loire preferred the delicate art of sewing, Caspian and Calder sparred constantly, and Lana sat in her quarters or out on the deck and played sweet melodies.