Frankly, there are no simple lines in this story.. is Stravor a good guy or bad? Will he or won't he? Nothing is easy.
I was worried people might not like the trip to the market .. it is mundane and everyday .. but to me, it helps to build a 3-d character.. This big tough man, washes a boys back, he picks a flower, he buys and enjoys sweets, he wants quality baskets. Each thing shows more and more about him. And so we wonder why he does what he does.
Shade is an interesting character. Thanks for you great comments, dugh.