62 ASH 121
Nnerka found nothing odd with the looks given to her as she walked through the commons of Kalsazi. She was used to the staring, both open and those who tried to be discreet. And she had thought that the people of the area would have gotten used to her being out and about as she was. Maybe she needed to get out more; they were clearly still in a bit of shock. Or, perhaps, it had to do with the two slightly taller fae on either side of her, faces turned up and eyes all too discerning of their surroundings. Her Mother placed a hand on her hip, upper arms crossed as her legs carried her along. The thud of her footsteps, mostly in step with Nnerka, could be heard even with the conversation around them being carried on. No; the conversations had dipped to murmurs as they passed, picking up only in their wake to discuss what had just been seen.
Her Mama seemd all too pleased by this. A grin stretched out over her lips as her hands fiddled with the ornaments and signage of shops they passed by. There were obvious disgruntled reactions as she sneered down at the smaller shopowners and customers. She seemed more at ease here than Mother, but it may have been that she was still of the mindset that she would be hunting within the city grounds. Nnerka didn’t think she ought to say anything to that. People here did make it far too easy to see them as prey. Perhaps the contentment of city living was to blame.
“You’re telling me that we can get a decent meal...here?” Mother’s brow rose, lips turned down into a scowl as her two of her eyes surveyed the area in front of her and the rest reflected just how little she cared for where they were. “No wonder you’re skin and bones; they wouldn’t be able to feed you right.”
“Mother, I can assure you I am eating just fine.”
She gave Nnerka a hard look, unconvinced. But she sighed, shook her head. This was what her daughter had wanted. To be...here. In a city. She felt as though she were being sullied the longer she was here, somehow. And the process of coming in — the nerve of them to ask so many questions. But she supposed it was only right because this was their territory.
“Why are they wearing so much clothing?” Mama spoke up around something she was eating, mouth full and words somewhat muffled. She swallowed, wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “Aren’t they hot in all of that?” A beat, and then: “Aren’t you hot, little one?” For any that could understand the Valsaren, they might have done a double take at the mention of Nnerka being referred to as ‘little one’.
“You get used to it, Mama. They have this thing.” She waved her hand about dismissively. “With not wearing clothes.”
“No one seemed pressed about us.” No, well — they were clothed enough (“privates covered, at least”), but the thing that had caught the attention of others wasn’t the lack of clothing. It was their size. Taller than Nnerka, enough that she had to tip her head back just the slightest to look them in the eyes. This was how it had always been for her, and thus she saw none of what made the people around them so uncomfortable.
“Maybe because they were scared of you.” Mama grinned, took another bite of what Nnerka realized was roasted potato wrapped up to keep it warm.
“Did you pay for that?” Mother also seemed to notice what was in her wife’s hands.
Mama blinked. “Why would I? He gave it to me.”
“Did you go and scare the tiny man?”
“No! He just let me take it.” Mama turned around, eyes searching the crowd for the vendor selling roasted potato and corn. Her Common wasn’t the greatest, but it worked well enough to get the point across as she pointed with the roasted potato at the man. “Hey! You — no, not you. The other one. This? Free, right? Give me?” The man, startled, nodded quickly before he glanced around to the people around him. They, too, nodded, issuing hurried assurances that she need not worry about paying and that it had been free. Totally free. “See? People are generous here. Maybe this ain’t so bad, after all.”
Her Mama seemd all too pleased by this. A grin stretched out over her lips as her hands fiddled with the ornaments and signage of shops they passed by. There were obvious disgruntled reactions as she sneered down at the smaller shopowners and customers. She seemed more at ease here than Mother, but it may have been that she was still of the mindset that she would be hunting within the city grounds. Nnerka didn’t think she ought to say anything to that. People here did make it far too easy to see them as prey. Perhaps the contentment of city living was to blame.
“You’re telling me that we can get a decent meal...here?” Mother’s brow rose, lips turned down into a scowl as her two of her eyes surveyed the area in front of her and the rest reflected just how little she cared for where they were. “No wonder you’re skin and bones; they wouldn’t be able to feed you right.”
“Mother, I can assure you I am eating just fine.”
She gave Nnerka a hard look, unconvinced. But she sighed, shook her head. This was what her daughter had wanted. To be...here. In a city. She felt as though she were being sullied the longer she was here, somehow. And the process of coming in — the nerve of them to ask so many questions. But she supposed it was only right because this was their territory.
“Why are they wearing so much clothing?” Mama spoke up around something she was eating, mouth full and words somewhat muffled. She swallowed, wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “Aren’t they hot in all of that?” A beat, and then: “Aren’t you hot, little one?” For any that could understand the Valsaren, they might have done a double take at the mention of Nnerka being referred to as ‘little one’.
“You get used to it, Mama. They have this thing.” She waved her hand about dismissively. “With not wearing clothes.”
“No one seemed pressed about us.” No, well — they were clothed enough (“privates covered, at least”), but the thing that had caught the attention of others wasn’t the lack of clothing. It was their size. Taller than Nnerka, enough that she had to tip her head back just the slightest to look them in the eyes. This was how it had always been for her, and thus she saw none of what made the people around them so uncomfortable.
“Maybe because they were scared of you.” Mama grinned, took another bite of what Nnerka realized was roasted potato wrapped up to keep it warm.
“Did you pay for that?” Mother also seemed to notice what was in her wife’s hands.
Mama blinked. “Why would I? He gave it to me.”
“Did you go and scare the tiny man?”
“No! He just let me take it.” Mama turned around, eyes searching the crowd for the vendor selling roasted potato and corn. Her Common wasn’t the greatest, but it worked well enough to get the point across as she pointed with the roasted potato at the man. “Hey! You — no, not you. The other one. This? Free, right? Give me?” The man, startled, nodded quickly before he glanced around to the people around him. They, too, nodded, issuing hurried assurances that she need not worry about paying and that it had been free. Totally free. “See? People are generous here. Maybe this ain’t so bad, after all.”
