Outside the plaza, near the martial arts demonstration, woman nodded once, sizing Krum up with an impassive gaze. "Hm... the Delzhan, the Delzhan... Oh! You're from way out west, are you?" She asked after a moment's thought, seemingly filing away his name for later use.<br/><br/>Abruptly, she seemed to recall her manners, and introduced herself. "I'm Starlit Brishah, commander of the Brighteyes. One of my people's over there." She gestured with her chin towards the demonstration, by way of explanation for her presence here. Her eyes flicked to the demonstration, and she winced slightly at a particularly brutal maneuver by one of the martial artists. "So," she continued thoughtfully, "what brings a Delzhan this far east? If you don't mind me asking." She added as an afterthought, apparently aware of how prickly the question could be, but unconcerned enough that she did not rush through the statement.<br/><br/><div align="center">*************************</div><br/>Silk's comment caused the man to arch a single brow, inhaling the scent of the tea almost absently. Behind the Resplendent Sun, a voice spoke. "Excuse me, mistress, but we<em>do</em>require that you present your invitation at the front..." When Silk turned, she saw a plain young woman wearing the simple, ill-made smock of a slave, though her expression was firm. "I am quite certain that you can find other entertainments this fine day." She offered quietly, a faint smile on her lips as she made the suggestion.<br/><br/>As Silk finally had a moment's pause to examine her surroundings, she realized that the tea house she was in was exceptionally decorated, with thick rugs and gorgeous pillows. The majority of the small tables were empty, however - presumably due to the festival going on outside, though the few patrons were looking at her, whether in awe, annoyance, just plain thoughtless lust. Of these, only the man sitting before her seemed to be deliberately ignoring her. A dignified man in his twilight years, he seemed to have weightier matters on his mind than the latest antics of the young.<br/><br/>Somehow, Silk got the oddest feeling that she was unwelcome in this teahouse...<br/><br/><div align="center">*************************</div><br/>The two monks finally arrived at Seven's position, and although one of them - a man dressed in robes marking him as a emulator of Pasiap - nodded briefly to her, a kindly smile on his face, the other - a woman whose bare head revealed the faintest hint of fiery stubble, perhaps indicating a Fire Aspect, and who wore the robes marking her as an emulator of Mela - simply strode past, her expression annoyed.<br/><br/>With<em>that</em>strange encounter out of her way, Seven was free to progress into the plaza more deeply, whereupon she spotted a youth speaking with perhaps the most strikingly beautiful woman she had ever seen, as the crowds around them watched and muttered to one another.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">AndyZ</div><div class="spoiler_body">Something about the youth, however, struck her as <em>off</em>... her instincts told her that there was something more to him than immediately met the eye.<br/>((Watchman's Infallible Eye is activating here. She'll probably want to profile him because he may be trying to do something...))</div></div><br/><div align="center">*************************</div><br/>Meanwhile, Starlight's assent seemed to delight the young man, and he tossed his hands into the air with a positively beatific expression. "Most excellent!" He cried, throwing his head back with an exaggerated passion. He swiftly brought his arms down and folded them over his heart as he returned an earnest gaze back to Starlight. "Your servant would<em>never</em>dare approach you with such a proposition under normal circumstances, but your simply radiant beauty struck him too hard to resist."<br/><br/>He paused dramatically, his lips quirking at Starlight as if he shared with her a private jest, as if the two of them were putting on a performance with the rest of the crowd as an audience. The moment passed, however, and his beatific, somewhat silly smile returned quickly. "You see, o most lovely one, there is a problem I have. My aged uncle is most sick, and it is unlikely he shall survive more than a few months! I wish for him to see such a beauty as you before he goes to the final sleep, and would be eternally at your service if you would perform this favor for me."