Barbaric

Chapter Twenty-Two

The city of Caultor was bustling when Jox and I arrived; people of different race and cultures maneuvered all around, buying things, or selling things, or even just conversing amongst one another. Jox was taking everything in with wide blue eyes, his excitement practically bubbling off of him as we meandered through the crowded streets, careful to not bump into anyone as he eyed every trinket stand we passed. And of course, there were eyes on him, as he was the palest thing in the street, but he didn't seem to mind as he sent smiles towards anyone who let their curiosities show. It was a busy day indeed, and it warmed my heart to see Jox so entranced by everything he saw.

It was like he was seeing the world for the first time, and I guess, in a way, he was. And I wasn't sure why but seeing him so entranced with what Naraka had to offer...it made pride swell within me that he could be so enthralled with my planet. It made me...happy to see him happy, and all I could do was smile to myself as I fixed the nude-colored covering over my head, making sure my vision wasn't covered by the soft fabric.

Jox stopped by a small table that showcased intricately carved knives on the surface, each blade made from some sort of translucent metal. There seemed to be one that had caught the Glacic's attention, a small, beautiful knife that had a silver handle inlayed with blue sapphires. He reached out to touch it, but then paused and looked at the merchant standing behind the table. He the waited for the merchant to give him permission, and when she did, he grinned and picked up the knife, gingerly twirling it around his pale hands before he glanced up at the Herian woman.

"How much is this gorgeous thing?" He wondered, a small smile still on his face.

I stared at that smile, feeling a warmth blossom in my chest. Honestly, I wanted to go over and hold his hand, or something, however...I stayed right where I was, merely admiring Jox as he and the merchant woman conversed about a price. I nearly jolted when a small child ran past me, nearly running right into me had I not moved to the side at just the right moment. I watched the child go with a frown, and I briefly wondered what had them running so...aimlessly.

"Del, come here!"

Blinking out of my thoughts, I turned my attention to Jox, who was waving me over with a smile; his gorgeous blue eyes twinkling. Feeling kind of awkward, I shuffled over to him, and felt the blood rush to my cheeks when he threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me closer, holding the knife in his other hand. "Isn't this thing beautiful?" He asked, brows raised as he nodded towards the knife.

Feeling the merchant's eyes on me, I cleared my throat awkwardly and nodded my head, nibbling at the inside of my cheek. "U-Um yeah, it's...pretty."

Jox chuckled and patted me on the back, clearly amused by my reaction. "Tima here, says she can knock down the price by a thousand creds, which gives me enough to get you one too." He then gestured to the table, blue eyes gazing towards me. "So, which one do you like."

My heart warmed significantly, my heart racing as he gazed at me so lovingly. He...he wanted to spend his money on me. Why? Was this what lovers did? Buy each other things? Gods, I was so naive in this kind of thing. Not that it was really my fault, I don't think...but it was nice that he was so considerate of me.

I tore my gaze away from his, nibbling at the inside of my cheek, slightly tightening my grip on Jox's cool hand as I let my attention glide to the knives on the table. They were all beautiful, but did I really need a knife? I had plenty of them in the castle, and besides, I usually used brute force over actual weapons in a fight. I then glanced at Jox from the corners of my eyes, taking note of the sweet look Jox was pointing my way.

Then again...wouldn't it be rude of me to decline a nice offer like this? No one had ever bought me anything before, and to be honest, it made me feel like I was wanted. Plus, I felt a little...giddy that he cared so much, so without saying anything, I picked out the first knife I saw; a larger blade than the one Jox picked out, with a gold handle that swirled and twisted in an artistic way. Honestly, it wasn't as pretty as the one Jox had, but I didn't want to leave this stand empty handed, not when Jox was offering to buy something for me.

So I picked up the random knife I had laid my eyes on, and held it out to Jox, who studied the piece with raised brows before his grin widened and he took it, handing both weapons over to the merchant. "Alright, so I'll take both of these."

The woman smiled, narrow eyes gleaming happily as she took them and began wrapping them in cloth. "Good, good. Perfect choices." Once she was finished wrapping them, she glanced up and held out a pale hand. "That'll be fifteen hundred creds, please."

Jox nodded and fished out his cred card, not even hesitating before handing it over to her. She transferred the funds onto her own cred card and handed Jox's back before giving us our purchase. Jox thanked her and began walking around, my hand still in his as he continued to look about for anything else he wanted to buy.

"You know, you didn't have to pick the cheapest knife on the table," Jox began, making sure I could hear him over the bustling crowd, "I could have afforded any knife you picked out." He glanced at me from the corners of his eyes. "I didn't make you feel pressured, or anything...did I? I-I mean, if you didn't want me to buy you anything, you could have told me, and I totally would have been fine with it."

I blushed and stopped walking, causing Jox to stop as well before I began nibbling at my lips, feeling awkward. "It's not...that. I just, I don't want you to spend all of your money on me. N-Not that I don't want you to, I do, it makes me feel good, but...gods, now I'm rambling."

Jox's face softened and he chuckled before pecking me on the cheek. "Look, I want to spend money on you, Del. Hell, this is a date, isn't it? Let me spoil you."

My blush darkened and I felt like my face was going to melt with how warm and fuzzy I was feeling inside. Not to mention, today was a very humid day, which didn't really help either. Gods this man was everything I could have ever wanted, and I always heard about the doting boyfriend type, and how they bought things for their significant other all the time. I just never thought I would be the lucky reciprocate. But I did know one thing for sure, and that was that I felt happy being doted on for once. And by a man I loved deeply, too.

Finally, after a moment of internal contemplation, I finally gave Jox a warm smile and nodded, letting the other man see my blush. "O-Ok. Though, I will warn you, I-I've never been spoiled before, so if it seems like I feel weird...or extra awkward or something..."

I was interrupted when Jox gave me a chaste kiss, his eyes glittering when he pulled away from me. "You know what? I'm starting to feel a little hungry." His hand trailed from my cheek, down to my collar bone, his fingers bringing electricity to whatever skin he touched. "Is there any good, vegetarian place here you can recommend?"

I chuckled and shook my head at his eccentric-ness and threaded my fingers back though his. "There's a small café not too far from here that makes some good sandwiches, or soups. I-If that's what you're into. Everything there is fresh..."

Jox kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand. "Sounds like a plan to me!"