A regular day in Valhalla //ENG

A laugh and he shook his head. "Yes milady, you will be protected at all times, I will personally make sure of that."

"Well, then that means I can still go about my usual business, doesn't it?" she chuckled.

A sigh, then a nod. "Yes, as long as you keep a good distance to at least the beggars. You never know who might turn on you at the very last second. They're greedy when it comes to money, they want more than they deserve."

"Good thing I never need to carry my money on me, then, isn't it? I just tell them to write a bill for later." she shrugged and smiled. "Then mum takes care of it."

He shook his head with a soft laughter. "Where do you want to go first, milady?"

"Uhm... I'm getting kinda hungry. Anything in particular you'd recommend?" she batted her long lashes at him.

"Well, there are a few good places in town, but I would recommend going to Sally's. She makes the best food in town, and she even gets the chance to serve for the king once in a while." he smiled and pointed the way.

"Oh. So it might've been her that made the food when we dined with the royal family?"

"Perhaps. She is on good terms with the king." he said with a small secret smile on his face.

"Really? And why're you smiling like that?"

"For no reason. Just ignore it." he said with that same smile.

"Okay." she shrugged and smiled. (She was just a bit naive.) "So this way, you said?" she pointed and started walking, her fennec crawling around to rest on her left arm instead as she cradled it.

"Yes. This way." he said and lead the way, making sure to keep her right by his side. Oliver had noticed the fennec and was curiously jumping a bit as he walked between them, his nose high in the sky to try and catch the scent of the new animal.

"... He isn't too violent with other animals, is he? Freya's a bit fragile..." she asked then, eyeing Oliver. Freya was looking at Oliver with one eye open.

"Who? Oliver? Please, he might look scary, but that silly bear couldn't even harm a fly." he laughed and clapped Oliver's head, although the dog seemed more interested in Freya.

"Okay..." a soft smile, and she resented Freya to Oliver. The fennec sniffed a little in the air, cocking he rhead to the side as iif she wanted to ask what the hell kind of animal Oliver was.

He smiled and kept an eye on Oliver, just to be sure. Oliver just pressed his snout against the fennec, sniffing her and trying to figure out what kind of animal she were. He then stuck out his tongue to lick the poor animal's face, before giving a low bark and lying down the front of his body, trying to tell the other animal that he wanted to play with her.

Freya coughed a little after that wet tongue covering her entire face, and looked doubtfully at the dog. "... Oliver, I think she's trying to tell you you're too big..." Eira chuckled.

A whine and Oliver sat down, looking up at Freya while his tail was wagging from side to side very fast. He poked his snout up, so it could just reach Freya, poking his cold nose against her leg and whining.
Finn laughed. "Now, now big boy. Give the girl some rest, or else you'll just scare her."

"Well, she doesn't trust him with his size, that's for sure..." Eira chuckled and scratched Freya behind an ear.

Finn smiled and held Oliver down, although the dog whined and just wanted to play with Freya. "Well, he is a big boy." he smiled.

"Yeah, he is... Compared to a fennec, he certainly is."

"He is half a horse." Finn laughed and made Oliver wait outside as he lead Eira inside the small house where Sally made food for people.

"Yeah, you're right, he really is." she chuckled, and went inside.

He just smiled and followed, leaving Oliver outside to guard the place - or something like that. "Sally!" he greeted a woman who came towards them. The woman had long red hair, 5 rhinestones placed along her chin, and she looked as though she was in her mid thirties.
"Finn, what brings you here?" Sally greeted him and they embraced in a quick hug before Sally lead he and Eira to a nice table. "Who is your friend here? You look familiar."

"Eira the Merciful." she introduced herself with a smile. "I believe we met shortly at one of the royal dinners?"

"Sweetie, if I remembered every single person I met at the royal dinners, then I wouldn't have room for all the recipes in my head." Sally said with a smile. "Now, what can I get you two?"
"The usual for me." Finn smiled and held out the chair for Eira.

"Uhm... I'm not that picky, so I think I'll just let either one of you choose..."

Finn smiled. "Let her have the same as me." he told Sally, who then left them. Due to the time, then they weren't many in the small 'restaurant', only an elderly couple, and a single mother with three kids, who looked starving, and the mother was desperately counting her money, clearly trying to figure out if she could feed them all today.

Eira noticed, and the pity was clear in her face. Already then and there, she decided she'd pay for them, just so the family could keep their money a little longer and eat well another day.

"Milady?" Finn said and looked at her. "Is something the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing." she let the smile return as she looked at him.

"Milady, I can see through any lie. You looked worried, why?" he asked, looking almost concerned - which wasn't something he did often.

"Nono, really, you don't have to worry about it."

"Milady, please do tell what's on your mind." he insisted.

"I just remembered some family issues. It's nothing, really, just all of this with my parents pushing me into marriage even though I don't want to get married..." she lied, but convincingly, since she was worried and stressed about that, too.

A nod and he chose to let it pass, knowing that he wouldn't have anything to say that could cheer her up.

"I.. I get that it's for the best of the clan and all, but when there isn't any guys I like, either, well.. That makes it kinda difficult."

"Well, at least you don't get into an arranged marriage, you are in a way allowed to choose who you want." he said, trying to say something that could potentially cheer her up a bit.

"I am, yes, but I have less than a year to find someone, or they'll choose for me..."