Aarek closed his fist around the coins and dropped them into his backpack with a satisfying clink. He nodded a brief thanks, before turning his attention to the pile of food now offered to Kassia. The bird cooed happily. Thank you, she chirped to the fey (though her companion couldn't understand the words), and she began gleefully pecking at her dinner. Raising an eyebrow, the half-elf rested his chin on his hand.
"Hm, Raya," he mused, studying her a bit more closely now. "Unusual name, but I like it. It suits one of your kind." Once the words slipped out, he winced slightly. "Of course, I only mean that as a compliment!" Perhaps the hasty correction wasn't necessary, but he was relieved none-the-less. Rather than linger too long on whether or not he might offend this being with power over his name, he tried to relax. Then again, she had said that she wouldn't use his name, so maybe she wasn't as mischievous in her nature? Ah, he was thinking too hard about it. He shook his head, replacing his doubt with positive thoughts.
Cautiously, he extended his hand back out to her, this time as an offer for her to shake it. "It's nice to meet you, miss." A soft smile played at his lips while he pondered what to discuss. There were so many things he wanted to ask. Fae usually weren't keen on offering answers, and the nicer ones were few and far between. Raya appeared to be such an exception. Oh, but what was she doing in a huge city like Mamlak? Didn't fae live near forests or nature? Aarek couldn't stifle the excited giggle that bubbled from his throat.
"Ah, uhm. Aren't you hungry? You must want more than scraps." Drat. He was really bad at this. What if she left without answering any questions?! That would surely be a waste, not only because of his lack of knowledge, but also due to the lost potential friendship. "Yes, yep, everything her will be too big, surely, but, uh…" Gears turned in his mind, but the solution was obvious. He raised a finger in triumph. "The market, of course!"
Apparently, he'd said that a bit louder than he had meant to. A few heads from the bar turned, and the bartender shot him a warning glare. Aarek sank down in his chair with an embarrassed groan. Kassia raised her head and eyed him mournfully, fluttering back to his shoulder. Gets so nervous. Makes him sick. And she wasn't wrong, but Aarek was good at pushing the feeling away. Twirling a strand of black hair around his finger, he gave Raya a smaller smile. "Er… would you like to go to the market? I can buy you some food, or something."