Lament of the Slave

Chapter 89: Lovely Evening

"Ria?" Enola paused at the peculiarity of my request. "You want her to teach you Standard?"

"That's what I was thinking." I scratched the back of my neck, knowing myself that it was a stretch.

The receptionist gave me a blank stare. "She's a kid."

"I promised her I'd stop by. She has plenty of time, and I thought she might enjoy it." I tried to defend my reasoning. "All she has to do is tell me the name of things, how to pronounce it correctly."

Enola listened, thought, and sighed. "It's not the standard job of guides."

"I'm aware of that." I nodded. Still, it couldn't have been the weirdest request she'd heard in her line of work.

"As far as City Hall is concerned, it'll cost you the same. She'll be your guide. If she agrees." The receptionist gave me a warning.

"Of course." I had no intention of forcing the little kitsune to teach me against her will. "Is she even still here?" Given the late hour, I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't home by now.

"She is," Enola said with another sigh. "She usually spends the whole day here."

"Why?" I paused, my thoughts drifting to child slavery.

"To make a little more money. If she stays that long, she gets a free dinner," she listed the main reasons. "Ria doesn't have it easy at home."

Really? The last time she talked about her mom, there didn't seem to be anything wrong. Perhaps her father? Or just lack of money.

"Hold on a second. I'll get her," she said and disappeared into the doorway behind the reception desk. When she emerged from them again a few moments later, she wasn't alone. Trailing behind her was a somewhat downcast and cautious little kitsune.

"Hi, Ria," I waved at her even before she noticed me.

Her ears twitched, and as her eyes fell on me, joy shone in them. "Korra," she cried excitedly, then glanced at my tail. It seemed for a moment that the girl wanted to say something else, but the pause grew too long, and she slipped back into cautious silence. Knowledge of the name of my tail was a secret, but... "Enola knows about Sage," I whispered, leaning towards her as she came closer. Her eyes widened, yet she didn't say a word as I put my finger to my lips, pointing around at the people in the hall. She understood immediately.

"Korra here has an interesting offer for you," Enola said and explained my plan to make Ria my language teacher. As I listened to the receptionist, my idea sounded more and more bonkers. The small kid could not teach me the intricate structures of language. It would be challenging even for many adults. That wasn't what I was looking for, though. I wanted to learn the basics from her, a vocabulary I could build on.

That was the main reason. Then there were others, like keeping my promise. Knowing what it was like to rely on someone and not get help. I wanted to spare her the disappointment.

"So, what do you say?" I asked when Enola finished. The little kitsune didn't answer me right away. She actually thought about it. Watching her rubbing the tip of her ear with her finger on her chin while her tail swept behind her as if under a slow-motion spell was amusing.

"Okay," Ria said so suddenly that she startled me. Determined, she was beaming with excitement. "I'll do it. I'll teach you Standard."

"I have no doubt, a little teacher," I answered back, only to have her giggle at my remark.

"The question is when? A fixed time, or a more flexible approach?" Smiling warmly, Enola asked to make sure this would work, and I appreciated that. Finding time for little kitsune in my soon-to-be busy schedule was challenging, dependent on how Rayden and Deckard will organize my training. But Ria surprised me with her willingness to adapt. She didn't mind if it was in the morning, mid-afternoon, or late at night.