Market District

Stalls and booths line the walkways, and the corners are marked with real buildings that house the more established businesses. The whole feel of the place is one of joviality and goodwill.

Tempest walked into the market district, taking in the sights, sounds, and scents that came along with it.

Keith walked with her, returning the greetings that some of the shop vendors called out to him, smiling and waving at them. Before long, he pointed out the cafe to her. "There, that's it."

It was a little establishment called the Narwhal's Horn. It consisted of little more than a kitchen, a counter, and a dozen tables on the patio. The proprietor was a fat, jolly man who waved to them as they approached. "Ho there, Keith! Got yourself a girlfriend at last?"

Keith chuckled. "Hardly, Jonas. Just a classmate who shares my habit of procrastinating homework." He turned to Tempest. "Tempest, this is Jonas, proprietor and head chef. Jonas, Tempest."

Jonas doffed his chef's hat to her. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Tempest."

Tempest felt her cheeks go red at what Jonas had suggested. "Nice to meet you too," she managed to say without stammering. "I've never been in here before." She looked around the room, impressed with its general warmth.

"Well, then the meal's on the house!" Jonas boomed. "Gotta get my new customers hooked." He winked at Tempest and tromped back into the kitchen.

Keith sat at one of the tables, pushing Tempest's chair back for her with telekinesis. "What do you think?"

Tempest smiled at the big man's exuberance. She took the proffered chair and shifted it toward the table. "It's nice! I don't usually go to the hole-in-the-wall type places. My best friend - she moved to Orlen on a scholarship, to attend Atwaris - and I used to go to the Golden Cocila a lot, but we would just sit in the corner and talk. It's a totally different atmosphere." She waved her hand around vaguely, gesturing to the whole room.

Keith smiled. "Yes, I prefer places like these. You only need to be in a few times before you feel like part of the family. Also, Jonas doesn't serve alcohol, so the unsavory types almost never come in here, so I don't pick up stray thoughts I'd rather not pick up."

The smell of delicious seafood cooking wafted out of the kitchen.

Tempest nodded. "Yeah... It's really nice. I like the anonimity though." She laughed. "But both are good in certain quantities."

He nodded, chuckling. "Anonymity can be useful. Particularly when one is trying to practice one's mind-reading skills." He flashed her a mischievous grin.

Tempest grinned. "Or just people-watching when you're bored. Or..." Her face lit up. "Turning the ale in someone's tankard into something less... appealing."

Keith laughed. "Or making someone think the ale in their tankard is something less appealing and making them look insane to everyone else in the tavern."

Tempest nodded. "We would have so much fun at the Golden Cocila. I think it's a bit too personal in here for any of that."

Keith nodded. "Maybe tomorrow we'll head there after school."

Jonas came out with two bowls of steaming stew. "Making plans for your second date, young ones?" he jibed good-naturedly.

Tempest grinned. "Good idea." She accepted her bowl of stew gratefully, inhaling the smell of the stew. She grinned at the chef. "Of course," she said, humoring him this time.

Keith chuckled, taking his bowl. "Right, Jonas. I'm going to get her totally drunk so she'll finally let me make out with her." He gave Tempest a teasing glance and then dug into his stew.

The stew was a blend of almost every kind of seafood, with some unusual and delicious herbs thrown in. The end result was absolutely fantastic.

Tempest snorted, then sat up straight and laughed. "There's no school tomorrow. It's Friday."

"That's true, isn't it." Keith chuckled. "The weekdays sort of blend together sometimes. So, since there's no school tomorrow, what do you do on the weekend?"

Tempest took a bite of her stew and shrugged, chewing on the squid between her teeth. "Not much, usually. I do homework. I practice. I annoy my father. Sometimes I go for a walk. What about you?"

"Well, on weekends when I don't have a ton of homework, like this one, I usually go through town and read minds. Or read books on mental magics. Of course," he added with a humorous glance at Jonas, at another table, "that was before I had a girlfriend." He chuckled.

Tempest feigned surprise. "You have a girlfriend? And you didn't tell me?" She chuckled, surprised at her uncharacteristic cheerfulness. "You don't have any friends or siblings?"

"I have a little brother, Kyle." Keith let out a 'hrmph'ing noise. "He got all the brawn from dad, so naturally he's the favored child. I tend to ignore him when I can. What about you? Friends? Siblings? ... Poisonous reptiles?"

She shrugged. "I have an aunt who lives with me and my dad. We're friends, but she's almost thirty, so it's not the same as when Arianna lived here. Like I said, she's in Orlen now. I'm an only child, but I get along well with my father. He's a Court wizard. He does animal charming." She sighed but grinned. "Actually, it's funny you should mention poisonous reptiles. I've been trying to convince my father to let me get a snake."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Would he be easier to convince to let you keep one, rather than get one?"

She cocked her head. "What do you mean? He's not really opposed to it, I think. It's just a matter of getting him to pay for one." She smiled wryly. "He doesn't like shopping for anything."

"If you're not too picky, there are snakes in my backyard. They're mostly tame, and some of them are even venomous."