It felt so *strange* to be out in the open like this - Walking, so brazenly, on the arm of another man! For the past few years, Arisa had done her best to keep a low profile; If the truth of who - and *what* - she was had come out into the open, it'd be a lot harder to live her simple, quiet life. It was an open secret that there was something unusual about the lovely innkeeper...*How* unusual, however, she'd preferred to keep quiet.<br/><br/>And oh, tongues would be wagging all right...But it was a small price to pay to keep the tax collector's attentions focused somewhere else - anywhere else! In truth, Arisa couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at how *quickly* some of the layabouts and ne'er-do-wells had rushed to be his lackeys...Or maybe they were just trying to curry favor~? Either way...<br/><br/>-she had the feeling that the news of the tax collector's arrival would be a *lot* more worrying than whatever *her* presence might involved. She hoped.<br/><br/>It didn't help that Arisa was just a little distracted, now - When Lyrio's hand settled on her slender but strong arm, she felt an answering tingle beneath her skin...Her eyes widening ever-so-slightly, as she felt the muscle beneath-! It occurred to her that - when she was younger, and more importantly, unmarried - that she'd have enjoyed flirting with a lecher like that...Especially when she'd been far, far more impetuous, far more prone towards enjoying the ever-so-slightly furtive feel of indulging herself...<br/><br/>She gave her head a little shake, to clear it - Though it didn't do much good, a soft gasp (Quickly smothered!) teased from her lips at the mention of romance-! She *did* know a few places, but the implication in that, well-<br/><br/>"-the market it is," Arisa said - Just a fraction *too* quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice the way she turned her head to the side to hide her blush...The slight shiver of her arm against his own! Really, she had to be *careful* around him...<br/><br/>If the winsome blonde hadn't been quite so off-balance...If she hadn't been discomfited and disturbed and ever-so-slightly pleased...she'd have remembered that her daughter - the one that was ostensibly part of the local militia, but very much preferred the term 'itinerant adventuress' - could just possibly be in the neighborhood...Especially if the group she ran with had returned from their recent expedition, with the minor trinkets and baubles that came from scavenging whatever deserted ruins they could find!