While her manner made her hard to read, Siloqui has not trouble in understanding hte young Halfling maiden's reply whispered through a tight smile, "Norris tricked me. I love him, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life as part of their tribe. Bad enough I'll spend my days as a lycanthrope."

Siloqui furrows her brown and frowns momentarily before leaning closer and whispering back, "Let us go talk somewhere less public, Mirth here is very clever so he might be able to think of a way to get you out of this."

"I can't." She whispered back quickly. "There are others here. Clan members. If they see us leave they will follow us. I don't know what they would do. Please meet me later tonight at the tavern across the river, it's called the Squire's Hope. We are staying the for the night, I will come down for dinner at sunset."

With she smiled, loudly thanks Siloqui for commenting on how lovely her dress was, and then headed back to a table full of flowers. An older woman, a Half-Elf who worked hard to down play her beauty, immediately approached the Halfling. There conversation was hushed but seemed very intense.

While Sil and the halfling spoke, Mirth made a point to loudly shout out that they were looking for someone. He started with one description then changed partway through from red hair to brown. Finally, as the halfling girl stepped away, he dismissed the words above their heads with a wave of his hand and muttered to Sil.
"Well? What's going on?"

Siloqui sighs and leads Mirth aside from any nearby prying eyes or ears.

"She has some of those people here with her, watching her. She asked to meet us at sunset in the Squire's Hope across the river so that we can talk."

Looking a little dejected, she shakes her head, "We could do some shopping and ask about work around Riverton in order to look like we have given up. What do you think?"

OOC: How long until sunset?

Mirth looked westward and judged the time. Sunset was close. Maybe a couple of hours at best. Looking around the bazaar people were lighting lamps and torches in anticipation of the last trades of the evening.

"I'll try and look dejected while we shop. So they think we gave up on the whole deal. Fair?"
Mirth started drifting toward the shops and stalls of the bazaar, craning his head to look around at all the goods for offer.

Siloqui likewise looks around the stalls of the market, seeing what is available. She seems to linger most where jewellery and apparel are displayed.

"My dear, you look like a woman who can appreciate an appropriately shiny bauble." A jovial man, older and plumper than his voice would have suggested, said emerging from the throng as Siloqui passed. "Here, try this emerald ring on for size. The stone is twenty carat weight and the band is of the purest white gold."

The man thrust a ring into her palm as easily as shaking a hand. His smile was pleasant and his bushy beard had threads of gray among its black. The man was tall, broad shouldered, and had piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore into her.

Without putting the ring on she holds it up in better light, "It is lovely, just my style too, but I am actually looking for something specific," she passes the ring back to the man.
"I am looking to buy some platinum rings, two or maybe three of them, at around fifty gold apiece. I do like emeralds but unadorned is fine as well. Do you happen to have anything like that?"

"But of course, please step into my shop and I will show all eleven of my platinum rings." He smiled broadly and gently hooked her arm to guide her towards a shop he pointed out less than twenty yards away with his other arm. "I'll have my wife prepared some elegant rose hip tea with honey or marmalade. I do have emeralds, and some sapphires as well, set in platinum bands. Even a diamond ring that once belonged to the Lady Hannara herself."

He was very ingratiating, and forceful without being stern. Siloqui had no doubt that this man could see water to someone standing in a lake.

"Ah, that is very kind but please do not have your wife trouble herself, I have never liked hot drinks. Let us see these rings then."

As they move towards the shop Siloqui turns slightly to catch Mirth's gaze and subtly rolls her eyes.

As the man leads Siloqui to his shop Mirth politely kept his amusement in check. He was inclined to through up a banner proclaiming 'MY FRIEND WAS HIJACKED BY A CHARMING ROGUE' when he noticed a man break out of the crowd and move along with man, but several feet away and out Sil's line of sight.

The man's move struck him as odd. It was too well timed. He was in just the right spot to be out of her line of sight. It was no coincidence.

Mirth rolled his eyes. Amateurs. He waved his hand and a glowing exclamation point appeared above the second man's head and moved along with him as Mirth followed a few paces behind. He strolled casually, but kept up.
As he walked, he pointed at Sil's back and muttered in a voice carried to her ear by magic, "Second one behind you. Keep on your toes, Sil"

Starting slightly at Mirth's unexpected voice, she unhooks her arm and turns to see the very obvious glowing punctuation over the second man's head.

"Oh, here is your wife now," she says very drily to her would be escort as she stops in place.

Her hand moves to rest gently on the hilt of the dagger on her waist, "I think you should explain yourselves, and it had best be good if I am not to turn you in to the law."

07:53, Today: Siloqui Galenodel rolled 13 using 1d20+7.  Persuasion. If needed.

"Lannich, step forward." The man said over her shoulder. "My name is Triggo. My wife is Barla. We are members of the clan, you see, protecting our own. We know you are following the Halfling. We understand she wishes to avoid becoming like us. But, our voice in the clan is small, our vote smaller still, and we wouldn't want to see anyone else killed. Especially if it could lead to more of the clan getting embroiled in a fight we can't win in the end."

Mirth kept an eye out for more of them, but moved close to Sil. He took up a position on her right side, slightly back and slightly turned to limit the area behind the two of them.
"How could you possibly know we were looking for the halfling?", he asked drily.

"You believe that she should have a choice then?," Siloqui asks Triggo.

"Are you alone in this or are there others that are just too frightened to speak up?"

The man jewel merchant pointed to the non-discrepant man who had followed from the crowd and smiled, "That is her husband to be. She wants to marry him, but not be one of the tribe. He wants to be one of the tribe, but does not wish to marry the Halfling. He, um, prefers woman of his own race, but.."

"But, I do not wish to be a husband at this time." The man said. "My father is behind this. It's his feud with her grandfather. They are rivals of a sort, once belonging to the same guild of wizards. Now, he sees a chance to strike back as the old Halfling by marrying me to his daughter and turning her into one of us."

"A complicated situation as you can see." The jewel merchant said. He didn't hide his amusement with the situation.

"It's cruel. She doesn't deserve this." The younger man said.

"You are right, it is cruel. Why do you not stand up to your father, tell him you do not want this? If he has a problem with this older halfling let him resolve it with him directly. It would be stupid for the two of you to be miserable for the rest of your lives just so an old man can settle a petty grudge, if it were even to end there."

She looks to Mirth, "Do you how these sorts of rivalries among wizards usually go? I have to imagine there is some sort of honourable wizard duel similar to the regular sort but with magic..."

"In my vast, limitless experience on the topic of wizards they are anything but honorable. Their power gives them this idea that they're allowed to dabble in anything they want - including peoples' lives. Their grudge may well exist because they both tried to mess with the same poor, unfortunate soul.
But you're right, it is stupid. And it just teaches the old geezers that they're allowed to do whatever they please."

"No offense, but your words are confusing." The man replied. "Are you saying you want to back the Halfling in his feud or feel such lifelong grudges are stupid affairs?"

"I think it is not right for a lifelong feud, justified or not, to extend to making others miserable, particularly family members. I intend to see that Ikashi is not forced to do what should rather not do, and I think that you," Siloqui motions to Lannich, "need to refuse the marriage if you do not love her back. Find someone else to marry instead."

Is it Lannich or Norris that Luella/Ikashi is supposed to be marrying? I feel like names are not being used consistently and I'm super confused. Is Norris the name of Lannich's father who is having a feud with the elder halfing?

(OCC: that was a nasty GM trick. but, you figured it out before I could hath my dastardly plan. I was going to ask for a Int save to figure it out, but since you asked....)

Siloqui had a sinking feeling in her gut. This man was lying through his teeth. His words seemed to allude to a situation that really didn't exist in an effort to confuse her and Mirth. The hair of the nape of er neck stood up. This was begging to feel like a trap.

Mirth shook his head, "No, I do not support this feud. I think that both of them are ignorant and dangerous, if wizards they are indeed."